Four forward targets for Brisbane to consider amid aggressive trade play

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. 

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.

Oscar Allen

Out of all the suggested names, Oscar Allen would be the biggest coup for a number of reasons.

Let's clear the simplest reason first. He's co-captain alongside Liam Duggan in one of, if not the biggest club in the country. He has bided his time as Josh J. Kennedy and Jack Darling's accomplices. He is now the out-and-out focal point for the West Coast Eagles.

He's also a brilliant goalkicker, highlighted by his seventh-place finish in 2023 where he kicked 53 goals for what was a disturbingly poor Eagles side. Standing at 196cm, he's not overwhelmingly large but is extremely strong and agile and understands how to use his body.

He's also played secondary ruck for West Coast in the past. Entering his age 26 season in 2025, Allen is stepping into his prime and would be the beneficiary of a formidable midfield group at the Lions.

There's no doubt that Allen would be the dream target, and Brisbane are already laying the groundwork in order to get him to cross to Queensland.

Peter Ladhams

Peter Ladhams has become something of a forgotten name in the footballing world.

Since departing from Port Adelaide, a combination of injuries, suspensions and the inclusion of Brodie Grundy have derailed any and all chances of consistency for him. A move interstate might be for the best and Brisbane might be the perfect club for him.

At Brisbane, Ladhams would play a second-fiddle role to Hipwood and allow him to get up the ground more, while Ladhams plays as a deeper forward. This would be beneficial to him and the Lions, as he does possess strong ruck craft and could allow big Oscar McInerney to rest down the ground.

He doesn't possess the mercurial talents of Daniher or the potential to be one of the competition's strongest forwards like Allen, but he is able to understand and fill a role that was tailor-made for him.

Sydney don't have as much use for him with Joel Amartey and Hayden McLean looking more and more comfortable in the senior game. 

Tom Lynch

Check back with us in a few months time to make sure Father Time hasn't successfully defeated Tom Lynch just yet. If he hasn't, this could be the sort of low-risk high-reward move that favours the bold.

The bolstering forward hasn't been able to get his body right in the past couple of years, but he has he has shown himself to be a one man army in the forward line.

Capable of ragdolling any defender and imposing his will on a game, he possesses all the tools to reshape Brisbane's forward line and free up Hipwood.

Unfortunately at his ripe old age of 32, the Dandenong Stingrays product shouldn't be asked to attend any ruck contests. Could Brisbane be swayed to test Hipwood or Morris and leave Lynch alone in the forward 50 instead?

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.