BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 05: Tom Rockliff and Jack Redden of the Lions celebrate a goal during the round two AFL match between the Brisbane Lions and the Carlton Blues at The Gabba on April 5, 2012 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
The Brisbane Lions experienced tremendous success to start this century off going back-to-back-to-back (2001-03) before a slow decline that saw them lose the 04' Grand Final and only make the finals once since (2009).
In order to make its way up the ladder, Brisbane were forced to make personnel changes including many players who have gone on to lead successful careers at rival clubs.
Either seeking opportunity elsewhere or falling out of favour with the coach/board, players opted to change the Lion that was originally on their jersey, to something else.
Some trades worked out for Brisbane, but as most people are aware, a lot didn't.
Here are the top 10 players Brisbane have let go since 2003.
Taken at No.7 in the 2013 AFL Draft, Aish impressed many at the club which resulted in him making his debut in round one of his first season.
In round six that year, he was awarded a rising star nomination and played a total of 21 out of 22 games.
Aish only played 11 games the following year and was shipped off to Collingwood at the end of the season.
Since then, Aish has found himself in and out of the Collingwood lineup until round 21 in 2018 where he was able to string some games together including the Grand Final.
Since that round, Aish has found himself a regular in that back six, until his injury against his old mob earlier this year.
Rischitelli debuted in style, as his only game in 2004 was a win against the Crows by 141 points (Brisbane's biggest winning margin).
Due to injury and opportunity, he struggled to break into the side until 2006 where he played 18 games for the year.
Rischitelli found it hard to be put out of the side from that year on, until he along with Daniel Bradshaw were offered up as a potential trade to secure Brendan Fevola at the end of 2009.
2010 was his best year to date, having won the B&F ahead of Jonathan Brown and Simon Black. In spite of this, Rischetelli still opted to join the new team, the Gold Coast Suns, where he added another 125 games to his tally.
Despite playing 21 games last year, Rischitelli is yet to join the Suns on the field this year and it can be assumed that the soon-to-be 33-year-old will finish his career up soon.
Not many people are aware of this, but dashing half-back Jason Gram was on the Lions' list during their golden era which saw triple premierships in the early 2000s.
He was picked at 19 in the 2001 draft but could only manage to play two games in season 2003.
Gram was recruited by St Kilda for pick 23 but was able to play seven games in his first two seasons there.
2006 was the turning point, with Gram playing 23 games, including the elimination final loss to Melbourne.
From 2007 onwards, Gram was a regular in the Saints' outfit where his run off half-back and his penetrating kick contributed to the team's rise up the ladder.
He was a pivotal part in the losing Grand Finals in 2009-10 which saw the club come extremely close to ultimate success.
Gram finished his career in 2012 with the Saints after playing 156 games in the AFL.
No. 5 in the 2010 AFL Draft, the Lions thought Polec would be a lot more to them than he was.
He only managed to play a total of 16 games before requesting a trade home and in the end, secured a deal with the Power.
His first year with Port Adelaide saw Polec play 24 games including the Preliminary Final against the Hawks.
His endurance and speed around the ground were impressive and people started to believe that Polec could be a game winner.
2015 was an injury-plagued year where he played five games and 2016 slightly suffered because of the stress reaction in his foot.
2018 was his best year to date were he averaged 25 touches a game. However, Polec did request a trade to North Melbourne with fellow teammate Jasper Pittard.
Polec has played every game this season and is hoping to build on his season last year.
Rockliff was another high draft pick for the Lions, at No.5 in 2009. His first game was a rocky start where he only gathered five touches in a 40-point loss to the Pies.
The following seasons saw Rockliff gain some momentum and get some consistency in his footy where he was able to play 19,20,20 and 21 games for Brisbane in seasons 2010-13.
His third season at the club (2011) saw him win his first Merrett-Murray medal for his ability to win the ball and link up with teammates. He averaged 27.7 touches that year.
Season 2014 saw Rockliff win his second B&F and also receive All-Australian honours for his incredible consistency on-field. He averaged 32.7 touches a game.
Rockliff took over the captaincy in 2015-16 from Jed Adcock. The pressure of leading an under-performing team go to him as he gave up his leadership to prized recruit Dayne Beams.
2017 saw Rockliff's last season at the Lions, playing the majority of the games that year.
Rockliff utilised his free-agency status which saw him move to the Power. Injury has kept him restricted to playing every game since coming across, yet his start to season 2019 could not have been better, averaging 32 touches a game and playing in all eight games.
Henderson was scouted as an impressive tall who could play forward and back and was picked accordingly.
No.8 in the 2007 Draft, Henderson was trialled in many positions across his two seasons at the Lions. He only managed to play 15 games at the Lions before being traded to Carlton as part of the deal that saw Fevola move to Brisbane.
Henderson played the majority of the games in seasons 2010-11 but struggled to find form as Carlton pushed their way into finals both of those years.
He then found some continuity in season 2013 where he played every game including the finals series. His effort and consistency were rewarded when he finished third in the Carlton B&F that year.
Henderson's last seasons at Carlton were derailed by injury and his desire to leave the club. By the start of 2016, he was at Geelong.
He has been an integral member in the Cats' defensive outfit but injury has once again gotten the better of him.
He has only been able to play eight games in the past two seasons.
Crisp was recruited in the rookie draft in 2011 by the Lions and struggled to break into the side. He was only able to play 18 games for Brisbane before being part of a trade that saw him go to the Pies for Dayne Beams and a high draft pick.
In what seemed to be a sweet deal for the Lions, time would say that that isn't the case.
Since coming across in 2015, Crisp is yet to miss a game, having played 100 games consecutively.
He was a massive part of the Pies' drive toward that last day in September with his pace and line-breaking speed off half-back.
Crisp has been tremendously consistent for the Black & White and regret would be playing on the Lions' mind.
As it turns out, that high draft pick turned out to be Jordan De Goey and to worsen the wound, Beams returned to the Pies at the end of 2018.
Redden made his debut in round 15, 2009 against Geelong and maintained his spot in the side, including two finals series matches.
From then on, he was able to play every game of every season ranging from years 2010-2013 showing solid improvement and good consistency in his football.
With injury being a problem for Redden, he wasn't able to take his game to the next level. He was rated by his teammates as one of the most underrated players.
However, his time at Brisbane didn't really equate to much. He finished with 129 games before being traded to the Eagles at the end of 2015.
His first two years at the Eagles were somewhat disappointing given the talent and drive Redden has to achieve greatness.
After a solid season in 2017, Redden took his game to another level in the Eagles' premiership year where he was named West Coast's player of the finals.
He found really good form toward the back end of the year and has set him up in season 2019.
Pick No.12 in the 2011 draft, Docherty was scouted as a big time player and the Lions had landed him.
However, his first game for Brisbane came in round 4, 2013 as he was sidelined by hip and hamstring injuries. Docherty played in 13 games that season, with five of those as the infamous sub.
Homesick, Docherty wanted out of there and a move home to Victoria, where Carlton was able to snatch him up.
The determined and skilful defender first game in the navy blue was against arch nemesis, Collingwood, in front of 68,000 people. The composure and poise down back Docherty displayed was proof of why Carlton recruited him.
This time at the Blues saw Coach Malthouse sacked and many players scrutinized for their performances, except Docherty.
The emerging star improved on his previous year and played 19 games, where he averaged 21 touched and six marks.
The next two years saw Docherty play every match for the Blues as he started to perform at an elite level.
Averaging 26 and 28 touches across the two seasons, Docherty started to establish himself as one of the better defenders going around.
His efforts were rewarded, as a B&F win in 2016 and All-Australian honours the following year, proved this man was the real deal.
Unfortunately, Docherty ruptured his ACL at the end of 2017 meaning he missed all of 2018. His return back to football was a long one and was made longer as he ruptured his ACL on the same knee a year later, resulting in 2019 being a sit-out.
Yeo was drafted as a tall and skinny teenager who could play in the midfield or down back. His first game came in round 9, 2012 against the Roos.
Despite performing reasonably well, he was dropped until round 16, after which he played the majority of the games that season.
Yeo showed promise in the following year, having averaged 14.5 disposals and four marks. Wanting a trade back to his home state, Yeo requested a trade to the Eagles.
He finished with 27 games and one goal at the Lions.
Yeo was highly rated at the Eagles and if it wasn't for an injury to his hand, he would've played every game in his first season back home.
He experienced a bit of a breakout year, resulting in playing every match except one (due to suspension) including the Grand Final loss to the Hawks.
His 2016 season was up-and-down as he was criticized for his consistency. The following year saw Yeo show everyone what he is capable of.
Having an average of 23 touches and ability to change the course of games, Yeo was awarded his maiden All-Australian honours, being placed on the bench.
In addition to this, he won his first John Worsfold medal as well.
In season 2018, Yeo just added to his brilliance that saw him with AA honours and a B&F around his neck.
His height, speed and strength meant he was hard to play on and that he could play anywhere on the field. Yeo didn't miss a game this season and was pivotal in the finals campaign.
Yeo didn't have the best match in the Grand Final but stood up when it mattered most. He slotted a goal on the eve of three-quarter-time from 50m which arguably gave West Coast hope they could do one better than 2015.
Yeo is now a premiership player for the Eagles but was also awarded a second All-Australian honour consecutively.
He's started 2019 in the fashion he finished 2018 and will play a big part if the Eagles are going to go back-to-back.