Lions co-captain Harris Andrews doesn’t need All-Australian selection to prove he has had a “great season” as he focuses on what really matters to him – an AFL premiership. That campaign received some positive news on Monday when key defender Jack Payne was cleared of a serious knee injury after being subbed out at half-time during last Saturday’s elimination final win over Carlton. Payne could now be available to face GWS on Saturday alongside Andrews was overlooked for this year’s All-Australian team, with selectors instead opting for Carlton’s Jacob Weitering and West Coast’s Jeremy McGovern as the side’s key defenders.
The Brisbane star’s snubbing when the team was announced earlier this month was met with shock, with many believing he would be in the 22 considering he had more intercept marks than any other player in the competition during the regular season. And while Andrews admitted his non-selection was a “little bit” of a motivation to perform during the finals series, he said he had “bigger fish to fry”. “I’m not really too concerned about it,” Andrews said ahead of Brisbane’s do-or-die finals affair against the GWS Giants on Saturday night at Engie Stadium.
“I think I’ve had a great season. I’ve been able to play my role within our system. “The reward I’ve gotten internally is what I really value, and I feel like my teammates and the coaches are really confident in my ability each week, so it is what it is.
“At the end of the day, we’re not here for the individual accolades. We’re here for team success. “After 10 years of playing footy, all I’m chasing is a premiership, so I’m really excited for potentially what the next month holds.
“There’s certainly bigger fish to fry and bigger motivations at play.” The Lions earnt the right to meet the Giants by beating Carlton by 28 points in the weekend’s elimination final at the Gabba. Brisbane led by 60-0 at one stage in the second quarter before the Blues tried to mount a miraculous comeback.
And while the Lions were never in serious danger after opening such a big lead, Andrews admitted his side’s “challenge” was to dominate for longer spells in matches. “We’ll take some really great confidence into the game (against the Giants) knowing that we played well on the weekend and have had some great patches over the last couple of weeks,” he said. “Our ability to continue to string that for longer periods during the game is a challenge that we face.
” Payne had to have scans on Monday but was cleared of major damage, and will be tested during the week. Andrews knows just how important his defensive partner is “He’s a big part of what we do down there (in defence),” Andrews said of Payne. “His ability to just compete hard and buy into our system down there is sensational, but at the same time though, we’ve worked without him this year.
“Guys like Darragh Joyce and Shadeau Brain have had to come in and play roles, and that’s the beauty of our backline. You play a system within a system, and I feel like those guys have done a great job throughout the year. “If he (Payne) is right, it’d be fantastic.
If he’s not right, I’m confident that the guy coming in will get the job done.”.
