Former premiership Kangaroo and prominent AFL analyst David King has hailed young Lion Oscar McInerney as a potential star of the competition.
The promising 205-centimetre ruck/forward kicked 14 goals from 16 games in 2018 after making his AFL debut in round six against the Giants to cement his place in Brisbane's best 22 as Stefan Martin's ideal ruck partner.
McInerney has continued his impressive form early in 2019 for the undefeated Lions, ranking in the top 10 in the competition for contested marks, while also playing a crucial role in Brisbane's thrilling win over the Power on Saturday night.
With the Lions trailing by two points late, the 24-year-old took a towering contested mark before calmly converting the resultant set shot to put his side in front at the 31-minute mark of the final term.
King said such a moment separated McInerney from many of his peers.
"The Big O – Oscar McInerney – he took a contested mark to have a set shot and win the game for them effectively," King said on SEN's Whateley.
"I think only a handful of players in the competition would’ve taken that mark."
King even went as far as to compare the 19-gamer to Melbourne superstar Max Gawn.
"This guy’s on a similar path," he said.
"Now I’m not saying that he’s going to get to that level, but he’s going to go from being a rookie list player, a speculative pick, to a player who changes games.
"They’ve got a wildcard star here. Keep an eye on him."
The Lions will hope to improve to 4-0 when they travel to the MCG to take on the rejuvenated Bombers on Saturday.
