Senior Lincoln McCarthy (2018-)

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Dylan12

Dylan12

Brownlow Medallist
Veteran 10k Posts
Sep 7, 2007
22,114
23,297
Melbourne
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Other Teams
Chelsea, Boston Red Sox
Lincoln McCarthy becomes a Lion
On the first day of the 2018 NAB AFL Trade Period, the Brisbane Lions have been successful in acquiring the services of Geelong forward Lincoln McCarthy.

The 24-year-old comes to the Lions on a three-year deal after a trade this morning with Geelong.

The Lions will supply the Cats with their third (42) and fourth (60) round picks at the upcoming 2018 AFL Draft. In return, the Lions will receive McCarthy, Richmond’s third-round pick (54) and Carlton’s fourth-round pick (57), which the Cats already owned.

General Manager of Football David Noble said the Lions were pleased to have gained a new player so early in the trade period.

“The Club has had a strong focus on bringing quality players and people in the age range of 23-26 years of age. Lincoln McCarthy fits that brief and has certainly been a player of interest for us over the past 12 months,” Noble said. “Lincoln brings a range of skills we can use both through the midfield and as a pressure forward. “His ability to mark the ball for his size also provides the versatility we are looking for, with our players being able to move through various positions.

“We are very pleased that Linc and his partner Tayla have selected our Club as the place they wish to continue their journey together. “We are excited about continuing to grow our list for the coming years.”

McCarthy spent seven years at Geelong after being recruited by them with their 66th pick at the 2011 NAB AFL Draft. During his time at the Cats, he has only played 29 AFL games, due to injury. In 2018 McCarthy played two AFL games and kicked two goals. He also played six VFL games for the Cats.
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Lincoln a Lion: Fringe Cat joins Brisbane (Dinny Navaratnam)
GEELONG'S Lincoln McCarthy is officially a Brisbane Lion after the first deal of the NAB AFL Trade Period was struck on Monday morning. The Cats moved McCarthy, a third (currently 54) and fourth-round selection (currently 57) in return for Brisbane's third (currently 42) and fourth-round picks (currently 60).

McCarthy, who turns 25 later this month, signed a three-year contract. He has played 29 games since being drafted at No.66 in 2011.

Injuries cursed McCarthy during his time at the Cats. Foot problems forced him to miss the entire 2013 and 2015 seasons, while hip, hamstring, groin, back and quad concerns have also sidelined him at different stages.

McCarthy is a close friend of dual Fremantle best and fairest and fellow South Australian Lachie Neale, who the Lions are courting with a five-year, $4 million deal.

Brisbane football manager David Noble told lions.com.au McCarthy would offer flexibility to the forward line. "The club has had a strong focus on bringing quality players and people in the age range of 23-26 years of age. Lincoln McCarthy fits that brief and has certainly been a player of interest for us over the past 12 months," Noble said. "Lincoln brings a range of skills we can use both through the midfield and as a pressure forward. His ability to mark the ball for his size also provides the versatility we are looking for, with our players being able to move through various positions. "We are very pleased that Linc and his partner Tayla have selected our club as the place they wish to continue their journey together. "We are excited about continuing to grow our list for the coming years."
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Per the bold, I had no idea the extent of his injury history.

Three years is a bloody big gamble for a guy that has averaged 4 AFL games per year in 7 seasons.
 
Brisbane strikes early by signing injury-plagued Geelong forward Lincoln McCarthy (Matt Balmer)
GEELONG forward Lincoln McCarthy has joined Brisbane on a three-year deal. The Cats and Lions struck a trade early on the opening day of trade period, with the two clubs exchanging picks in return for the 24-year-old.

The Lions gave the Cats Pick 42 (third round) and Pick 60 (fourth round) in return for McCarthy, Pick 54 (Richmond’s third round) and Pick 57 (Carlton’s fourth round). Foxfooty.com.au revealed this move was on the cards last month, as part of Brisbane’s strategy to lure Lachie Neale across from Fremantle.

Lions general manager of football David Noble said the club was pleased to welcome a player in the 23-26 years age bracket. “The Club has had a strong focus on bringing quality players and people in the age range of 23-26 years of age. Lincoln McCarthy fits that brief and has certainly been a player of interest for us over the past 12 months,” Noble said. “Lincoln brings a range of skills we can use both through the midfield and as a pressure forward.

“His ability to mark the ball for his size also provides the versatility we are looking for, with our players being able to move through various positions. “We are very pleased that Linc and his partner Tayla have selected our Club as the place they wish to continue their journey together. “We are excited about continuing to grow our list for the coming years.”

McCarthy was originally drafted by Geelong with Pick 66 in the 2011 national draft, playing 29 AFL games. In 2018, McCarthy booted two goals from two AFL appearances.
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McCarthy's road to the Lions
Brisbane Lions newcomer Lincoln McCarthy has had to endure a lot in his seven seasons in the AFL system. Traded from Geelong to the Lions this morning, McCarthy is a 24-year-old 178cm small forward originally from Bordertown in South Australia. He was recruited from the SANFL club Glenelg and spent seven years at the Cattery.

Anyone at Geelong will tell you McCarthy is a genuine talent in his own right who has simply had a horrid run with injury. As he left Geelong he did so with nothing but high praise and best wishes from the club where he played 29 AFL games. Yet it was only in the 2017 AFL Guide where he was described as “a prototype of the modern high half-forward” and a player with “huge scope for improvement.”

It said of McCarthy: “An outstanding 2016 season given he missed 2015 with a foot injury and with his career in doubt. McCarthy’s attack on the ball was ferocious as he kicked 19 goals in 19 games as a forward who applies manic pressure on the opposition. His third term cameo in the qualifying final turned the momentum Geelong’s way and he has a bright future.”

McCarthy kicked two goals in the third quarter of that final against Hawthorn at the MCG as the Cats came from 12 points down to win by two points that took them into a semi-final against Sydney. It was confirmation of exactly why Geelong had taken him with Pick No. 66 in the 2011 AFL Draft, and why the club had immediately handed him the number six jumper worn with such distinction by retiring triple premiership star Brad Ottens.

And it a highlight of a stellar 2016 campaign in which McCarthy had done remarkably well to break into a star-studded Geelong side despite having played just five games in his first four seasons at the club. Averaging 11 possessions to go with his 19 goals, 49 tackles and 11 goal assists, he played Rounds 1-2-3, was an emergency in Round 4 and played Rounds 5-6-7.

Then, so highly was he regarded by coach Chris Scott that twice he went straight back into the top side after missing Rounds 8-9-10 with a minor hip problem, and, after holding his spot until he missed Round 20 with an adductor problem only go straight back in again for what turned out to be the last five games of the season, including two finals. Significantly, three of McCarthy’s first 25 games at Geelong were Round 1 in 2014-16-17 after he made his debut as an 18-year-old in Round 10 2012 in what was the GWS Giants’ 10th game in the AFL.

Also in the Cats side that day was Josh Hunt, now Head Coach of the Lions Academy, and Trent West, who played 16 games with the Lions in 2014-15-16. And then things started to go bad. He missed the entire 2013 season with a foot problem.

The rollercoaster continued when he missed the entire 2015 season with more foot problems before his outstanding 2016 campaign and a 2017 season which started with three games in the AFL and five VFL games and ended with groin surgery in May.

But still he survived as others were delisted, and this year McCarthy, who will turn 25 on 22 October, played six VFL games either side of a short stint in the AFL. He played Round 11 in the AFL, when he had 14 disposals and kicked two goals three behinds against Gold Coast, was a late withdrawal in Round 12 with hamstring tightness, went straight back into the side in Round 13 but after eight disposals against Richmond he limped off with a hamstring strain. His time at Geelong ended with three consecutive games in the VFL, including two finals against eventual VFL grand finalists Casey and Box Hill.
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A fresh start for Lincoln McCarthy (Simon Legg)
When the Brisbane Lions came knocking on Lincoln McCarthy’s door earlier this year, his first thought was to decline their proposal. After all, Geelong had stood by the perennially unlucky seven-year forward, and had put an offer on the table in 2019 for him to stay. To put it lightly, however, he wasn’t in the best headspace to make a decision then and there.

He had played just five games across 2017 and 2018, and the time out of the game had sparked some serious consideration to the outside world, and whether continuing his career was the right option. McCarthy admitted that he grappled with the thought of giving football away entirely in the past two years, and it was those thoughts that led him down the path of a change of scenery.

“I did think about giving the game up, especially this year. I just got a bit sick of it,” McCarthy told AFLPlayers.com.au. “Some days I wished I could move forward in a different occupation. I started to feel like I had become dead wood at Geelong because I wasn’t able to get on the park. I had consistent thoughts of, ‘I can’t wait to work in construction or be a builder.’ It made me spend a lot of time thinking about what I was doing and whether playing was the right thing or not, so that is what led to my thinking of going elsewhere.”

In seven years with Geelong, he managed just 29 games, and while he felt he owed the football club something for consistently standing by him, a fresh start seemed like the only way of allowing the 24-year-old to continue playing. He has endured a spate of injuries across his AFL journey, with issues in the past to his groin, hip, back, foot and quad being the most notable.

“After my body kept letting me down, I thought maybe it was time for a change and to experience a new part of the country,” McCarthy added. “It was a tough call to make. It’s fine to think about things, but until you get to the business end of it, that’s when you realise, ‘I’ve got to let go of a club that has given me the best opportunity for seven years.’”

The realisation that he would be moving on from Geelong was something McCarthy struggled to come to terms with initially, especially when it came to communicating that to a club that had not only stood by him, but continually backed him.

“As soon as I was available, they always picked me and gave me a good crack. They have been terrific, even in this transition period. They have been so open to chat about anything and I have tried to be as honest as possible from when I was starting to have second thoughts about being there or not. They understood my situation that I was getting a bit sick of not being able to play.”

The decision to move on from the Cats and pursue the Lions offer didn’t come easily, but it was decided upon due to four key factors. The list at their disposal, the football they played in 2018, the warmer climate and their administration, with the likes of David Noble and Chris Fagan standing out in particular. For the first time in a long time, McCarthy enters an off-season without requiring surgery, and while he isn’t firing on all cylinders just yet, the expectation is to join the younger Brisbane group for training in the first week of November,and steadily build into the new year.

“Without going from zero to hero — it’s a very long pre-season — the most important thing for me is to gradually build.” Since the trade was completed on Monday morning, McCarthy’s phone has been buzzing like crazy with text messages, but he isn’t certain who all of them are coming from. “I have received a lot of messages from people at the Lions, but on Saturday my phone fell off my car and smashed everywhere so I didn’t have a phone for about five days,” he joked. “I was unable to know who was messaging me, but I do very much appreciate all the welcoming messages I have received.”

Player movement at this time of year can result in differing results for the parties involved. Some requests can leave a club dumbfounded, and others move on with their blessing. In the case of Lincoln McCarthy, however, both parties were happy to execute a trade for the betterment of all.

“Geelong and Brisbane were pretty comfortable that they could get an agreement done,” he explained. “I want to reiterate how grateful I am to Geelong.” As for Brisbane, they get a player desperate to prove a point who fits the age bracket of 23-26 that David Noble wanted to fill.
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New Jumper Numbers
Fellow recruits Lincoln McCarthy (No.11) and Marcus Adams (No.24) have also got their numbers, while former Gold Coast midfielder Jarryd Lyons is yet to have one assigned.

McCarthy wore No.6 in his seven seasons at Geelong. McCarthy and Lyons also returned to pre-season early, taking part in Monday morning's session with the first to fourth-year players.
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Fun fact...After being drafted by Adelaide, Lyon's first year his SA club was Glenelg, -where Neale and McCarthy were So they have all played together at Glenelg..
 
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Welcome back: The injured stars we can't wait to see in 2019
Lincoln McCarthy
Has the tricks to be one of the most dynamic small forwards in the competition but has played just five senior games in the past two seasons. Persistent hamstring, groin and hip troubles plagued his time at Geelong before seeking a fresh start at the Lions, impressed by the club's medical staff. Has been eased into training before Christmas with hopes he'll be hitting his straps a couple of months into the 2019 season.
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Young guns to turbo charge Lions midfield (Jon Ralph)
Cameron (foot) is back in full training, defensive recruit Marcus Adams has had a strong summer and injury prone ex-Cat Lincoln McCarthy is making excellent gains.

McCarthy has continually battled foot, hip, hamstring and quad injuries but after a managed pre-season will join a group able to push from the forward line into the midfield.

“Charlie is back into full training and McCarthy is going well. We have taken it slow with him and are trying to build his loads, but he played in the three periods today and he hasn’t missed anything,” Noble said.

“Fages has spoken about versatility and McCarthy has got that versatility to play wing and half-forward
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Injury-ravaged former Cat looking good for Lion return (Marc McGowan)
INJURY-RAVAGED Brisbane recruit Lincoln McCarthy is yet to miss a pre-season training session at his new AFL home as he tries to resurrect his career. McCarthy joined his close friend and fellow South Australian Lachie Neale in swapping clubs during the NAB AFL Trade Period from Geelong and Fremantle, respectively.

He played 19 of his 29 senior matches in the 2016 season, with foot problems forcing him to miss the entire 2013 and 2015 campaigns. Hip, hamstring, groin, back and quad setbacks also restricted the 25-year-old small forward since he was the No.66 pick in the 2011 draft. Cats coach Chris Scott was a big fan of McCarthy's – and the latter's new mentor at the Lions, Chris Fagan, has quickly figured out why.

Fagan's first advice to the new Lion was for him not to risk injury trying too hard to impress his teammates in his early weeks at the club, insisting there was plenty of time to win them over. "The fact Geelong kept him for seven years and he played only 29 games, mainly due to injury, was a reflection of what they thought of him," Fagan told AFL.com.au. "First and foremost, we've had to work hard for him to get confidence in his body, so it's been a gradual progression through the pre-season. "It's pleasing to say he's not missed a session, albeit he hasn't done everything all the other players have done, but he's worked every session and he's doing three football sessions a week."

Fagan plans to use McCarthy in the midfield on occasion, on top of his forward duties, so impressed is he with the 177cm former Cat. "When you watch him train and play in 'praccy' games; he's just got that footy chip inside him," the coach said. "He's intuitively good around contests, he can read the play and he knows what to do when he's got the ball – he's probably made that decision before he's got it. "He is good in and around stoppages, so we'd like to use him there (the midfield) a bit and I don't just see him as a forward."

McCarthy's close bond with Neale was considered a big factor in Brisbane's ability to lure the star ex-Docker east and has been on show in their first few months in Queensland. "They're like brothers, really," Fagan said. "They came from pretty much the same area in South Australia and played all their junior football together, so they have a healthy respect for one another and are enjoying each other's company. "It was a dream of theirs at some point in time to play footy together, and somehow or another it's happened, so hopefully they'll be like the Bash Brothers in the BBL, those two."

Where McCarthy fits into the Lions' immediate plans remains to be seen. His small forward competition includes Charlie Cameron, Lewis Taylor and Allen Christensen, but they may all be able to fit into the same 22. Fagan is open minded on what his round one team will look like, with more than 30 players being rotated through Brisbane's 'best' side in match simulation in the pre-season.

1549836158510.png https://fantasy.afl.com.au/
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