Brisbane rookie Ty Gallop has emerged from being a draft night surprise to an Opening Round selection chance for the reigning premiers in a matter of months.
Gallop's name was called at Pick 42 at last November's talent intake by Geelong, with the Cats putting in a bid for the big-bodied 194cm forward.
The Lions were quick to package a pair of picks to match their rival's play and secure the Kawana junior.
The timing of the selection was met with some surprise on the second night of the draft at Marvel Stadium, with Gallop - the only teenager taken in the National Draft who wasn't invited for combine testing - being one of the biggest bolters for the evening.
While many on draft night were caught off guard by Geelong's play for the Lions Academy prospect coming so early, that crop didn't include Brisbane recruiter Stephen Conole, who predicted the young attacker to be in the conversation as a second-round selection.
"About where we thought it'd come," Conole said of the Gallop bid on draft night.
"Ty has done a power of work with our Academy and at Maroochydore. After a reasonably slow start to the year his back-end was super.
"He was fantastic in our reserves preliminary final against Werribee in really difficult conditions. His form for Maroochydore was really exciting.
"(The bid) was exactly around where we thought he'd fall. We planned for that sort of early 40s range for him."
Geelong "certainly expected" Brisbane to match their move for Gallop's services, with the Cats eventually pulling the trigger on South Australian key forward Jay Polkinghorne with their first pick of the draft.
The retirement of triple-premiership champion Tom Hawkins had created a void in Geelong's forward third, with an additional key forward an area for Cats list guru Stephen Wells to bolster.
Questioned on the similarities Gallop holds to a young Hawkins, Wells said there were obvious trends between the two.
"He's a very competitive, smart, strong, big forward," Wells said of Gallop.
"That's what Tom was, but he's got a long way to go."
Gallop now looms as a selection consideration for Brisbane's season opener, which will come against Geelong on March 6 at the Gabba.
The Maroochydore product has enjoyed a stellar pre-season to date, booting five goals in a recent Lions match simulation session before kicking three in this week's pre-season hitout against Collingwood and Gold Coast.
Like the Cats plan to do in the wake of Hawkins' retirement, the Lions need to fill the hole left by the departure of retired premiership forward Joe Daniher.
Second-year cub Logan Morris is set to partner with fellow flag-winning forward Eric Hipwood in Chris Fagan's attacking third, with Gallop battling against the likes of veteran recruit Sam Day and ex-Hawk Brandon Ryan for the third forward role.
Brisbane will suit up against Adelaide in the Queensland capital on Thursday for their final game of the pre-season in preparation for their Opening Round bout with Geelong.
