Brisbane look set to make moves via this year's trade and free agency mechanisms in the hope of bolstering their attacking ranks following the retirement of premiership forward Joe Daniher.
Daniher was nothing short of a mercurial player. He made the unbelievable believable. He was an entertainer, a spectacle unto himself and, most importantly for the Brisbane Lions, their most compelling forward.
Not many AFL clubs employ a player capable of taking the opposing team's best defender and playing second ruck in the same game. Nor do they employ one that could guarantee you a barrage of goals in any given season and take that form through to the biggest stages of the AFL season.
That's why the gaping chasm left in Daniher's retirement is something the Lions will need to address promptly. 2025 is the year of the stop-gap acquisition; Sam Day. Day has been a serviceable AFL player for a long time, but no one is suggesting he will be able to replicate even half of what Daniher was able to provide.
Same can be said for Brandon Ryan, who Brisbane acquired in the trade that sent Jack Gunston back to the Hawks in 2023.
With that in mind, Brisbane will be in the market to poach a big-name forward to play alongside Eric Hipwood and the budding Logan Morris for 2026 onwards.Â
Here we name four players out of contract at the end of 2025 who Brisbane should be in the market for at the end of this season, starting with West Coast co-captain Oscar Allen following recent trade links to the Lions.
4. Jeremy Finlayson
Since crossing from the Giants, Jeremy Finlayson has enjoyed success alongside the bolstering Charlie Dixon and, when healthy, Todd Marshall and Mitch Georgiadies.
Amidst their previous searches to find stability in the ruck, Finlayson had enjoyed stints there for the Power. At 28 years old, he's only played 120 games of AFL, suggesting he's got plenty left in the tank. His last three seasons have yielded a total return of 71 goals, with an average of about 23 goals a season. While that isn't sniffing Daniher's number, it's also unrealistic to find a solution like that available.
Finlayson provides just enough of everything - goalkicking, ruck work, inside 50 smarts and strong hands - to be a dynamic addition to Brisbane's attack.
Could the burly, bruising forward seek a new home if Port Adelaide take a step back this season?
The situation for the Lions provides more questions than answers and Brisbane may find a solution that alters their game plan for 2025. However, if they fall short of glory, there is no harm in returning to what has worked in the past.Â
