Senior Zac Bailey (2017-)

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Bailey: We Have A Point To Prove

Miller has topped 30 disposals in his past 11 outings, rocketing to third place in a congested AFL Coaches Association Player of the Year award.

In 2018 the Suns vice-captain helped to spice up the QClash rivalry with two shutdown roles on Lions skipper Dayne Zorko, leading to some frosty exchanges from the latter.

However, Miller has gone from the hunter to the hunted, with Brisbane sharpshooter Zac Bailey saying the Lions have done their homework on the prolific Sun.

"We won't do a role on him, but we really notice him as a player and we've got things in place to make sure he doesn't have the effect he usually does," Bailey said.

"But we won't necessarily go with a tagging role.

"He's really stepped up his game this year and he's making a real impact on their team."

Brisbane has rarely used dedicated taggers under Chris Fagan, although young bull Deven Robertson has occasionally run with opposition midfielders for small portions of matches or minded them at stoppages before sliding back into a team structure.

The Lions need a win after losing consecutive matches to St Kilda and Richmond and dropping out of the top four.

Bailey said they had a point to prove.

"We've addressed the last couple of weeks, we had a big meeting after the Richmond game," he said.

"We realised most of the mistakes are fixable, we gave away a lot of opportunities and they went down the other end and scored.

"We can fix it. We can get back to playing our best footy.

"We're not starting to worry. We know our best footy stands up against any team.

"We've shown through our consistency over the last two years we can match it with all the teams, we just need to get back to playing our best footy."

Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale got through Thursday's training unscathed after suffering a scare with his right shoulder earlier in the week.
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Bailey Goes Big in Breakout Year

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From the moment he nailed an after-the-siren goal to clinch a much-needed win against the Pies in Rd 3, you just knew it was going to be a big year for Zac Bailey.

Those who hadn’t quite caught up with the hype around the Northern Territory speedster couldn’t escape it that night when vision of him calmly slotting the goal that gave the Lions their first win of the season went viral.

Lions fans will forever believe the moment came a week too late after he was controversially denied a holding the ball free kick against Cats star Mark Blicavs in the dying moments of the one point loss.

They say seven days is a long time in football and there is no doubt that when Bailey lived out every footballer’s childhood dream to nail a clutch goal after the siren to secure a victory, he also breathed new life into the Lions season.

From there the Club went on a roll and 22-year-old Bailey, spending more time in the midfield, was one of the main drivers.

In his fourth season in the AFL Bailey increased his average disposals per game from 13 to 18, six times he got more than twenty.

His best return was a 29-disposal effort against North Melbourne in Rd 14 and there was also a 27 possession effort against Collingwood in Rd 22 and against both Fremantle and Adelaide he had it 26 times.

And with more of the footy, the more dangerous he became offensively.

He booted bags of four goals against Richmond in Rd 10 and Melbourne two weeks later and finished the season with 31.18, a huge increase from the 13.9 he kicked the year before.

He was also effective at bringing his teammates into the action finishing the season with 17 goal assists.

Standout Performance: Bailey Personifies the Goal-Kicking Mid

With the amount of X factor Zac Bailey posses, finding a singular stand-out game is difficult.

From his miraculous goal after the siren to leading the way in Tassie in Round 14, there doesn't seem to be a wrong answer.

However, it's tough to go past his impressive 26-disposal, three goal display in Adelaide in Round 16.

After a tightly fought first quarter, Bailey's pace was a welcome injection into the Lions midfield and seemingly played a pivotal in breaking down the Adelaide defence.

Season Averages:

Disposals - 18.3 (Above-Average)

Kicks - 11.4 (Above-Average)

Marks - 3.2

Tackles - 2.8

Total Clearances - 2.8 (Above-Average)
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Bailey Enters the Record Books

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Zac Bailey was something of a surprise selection at #15 by the Brisbane Lions in the 2017 Draft. He’d been tipped by the experts to go between 20-40.

But 76 games into his AFL career the 22-year-old Norther Territorian is proving even better still, and exceeding even the expectations of the nation’s best recruiters.

Bailey now ranks 7th among members of the Draft Class of 2017 in games, 6th in possessions and 6th in goals. And he sits alongside Melbourne’s Bayley Fritsch and West Coast’s Tim Kelly among three players to rank top seven in each key category.

And, after a career-best six-goal haul in the Lions’ Q-Clash win over the Gold Coast Suns on Sunday, is one of just three 2017 draftees and the only midfielder to have kicked six goals in a game. The others have been Fritsch and Western Bulldogs’ Aaron Naughton.

Bailey’s six goals in his 76th game equalled the Q-Clash record he now shares with current teammate Charlie Cameron (2019), ex-Lion Ash McGrath (2011) and Suns turned Port Adelaide Power forward Charlie Dixon (2015).

And it made him just the 33rd Brisbane player among 337 all-time to kick six or more goals in a game.

Ironically, Bailey’s place on the list matches the #33 jumper he wears and which has been worn most often for Brisbane by fellow Territorian Darryl White at 267 – fourth most in AFL history.

The scouting report on Bailey ahead of the draft listed his strengths as his ability to win contested ball and his elite speed, plus his kicking and tackling.

In what has proven to be wide of the mark, his marking, endurance and ability to hit the scoreboard were listed as potential areas of improvement before he was drafted by Brisbane after he finished his schooling as a 2016-17 boarder at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide.

At 22 Bailey is the 13th youngest Brisbane player to kick six of more goals in a game.
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Hospital one week, BOG the next: Lions livewire bounces back

IN THE space of seven days, Brisbane sharpshooter Zac Bailey went from coughing up blood and being helped from the MCG to turning in a match-shaping performance against Carlton at the Gabba.

The 22-year-old was subbed out in the second quarter of the Lions' loss against Richmond following a Marlion Pickett hit and stayed in Melbourne overnight so doctors could assess the damage.

It wasn't good – coughing up blood isn't – but thankfully for Bailey it wasn't bad either.

After training lightly last week, he exploded to life in the 33-point triumph over the Blues, kicking four goals in his best performance since the mid-season bye.

Speaking to AFL.com.au following the win, Bailey was nonchalant about his injury, but conceded he didn't cop contact to the affected area until game day.

"We just needed to check and make sure there was no puncture while I was still in Melbourne," he said.

"Because we were flying it can cause problems if you're in the air with a punctured lung, and the fact I was coughing blood, we just wanted to get it scanned and checked out.

"I had some blood in the airways and that's what I was coughing up, but it's all good.

"It was a pretty cruisy week once I got back to Brisbane.

"I did a couple of laps on Tuesday and even on Thursday I did main training but stayed out of the contact stuff, so I guess the game was my first real contact."

Bailey's season has somewhat mirrored Brisbane's.

He shot from the gates like a greyhound, kicking 16 goals in his first six matches and 26 in his first 12.

However, following the Lions' bye in round 13, Bailey caught COVID-19, missed the following week's match against Melbourne, and has battled to recapture his best form since, kicking just two goals in the five matches prior to Sunday.

He said the illness was not a problem, conceding he had just been down on form.

"I wouldn't say it had a massive impact," he said of having COVID.

"I think it's always the next week you might be a bit off, but I turned that into more than one week. I've had a pretty poor couple of weeks."

In about a third of his usual match-time against Richmond, Bailey showed some signs of turning things around, gathering nine disposals and having five score involvements.

Against the Blues he emphatically announced his return, zipping in-and-out of traffic, finding creases in the forward line and finishing his work with four goals and two assists from 19 disposals.

What happens in the final fortnight of the home-and-away season and then into September is what really matters, Bailey says.

"It is the exciting part of the season and we're treating the next few games like finals.

"We probably haven't played our best footy, so we're trying to get back to that over the next few weeks."
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Zac Bailey to Call Lions Home for Two More

Dynamic forward Zac Bailey has re-committed to the Brisbane Lions after signing a two-year contract extension to remain at the Club until at least the end of 2026.

The 23-year-old, who was already contracted for the next two seasons, has put pen to paper following a standout 2022 campaign which saw him finish with a career-best 37 goals.

Bailey’s most impressive performance last season was the Lions’ QClash against the Gold Coast SUNS, where he booted six goals to receive the Marcus Ashcroft Medal for the best player.

Highlighting his consistency throughout the year was the fact the exciting young talent kicked three or more goals on six separate occasions.

Bailey said now with his new contract locked in, he was determined to get to work and repay the faith shown in him by the Club.

“I’ve absolutely loved my first five years at the club and really feel at home here,” he said.

“Personally, I just want to continue to build on what I have done over the last five years. I feel as a player I’ve come a long way, but I also feel as if I’ve still got a lot of improvement left in me.

“From a team perspective, the goal is to hopefully make it to the Grand Final. I think after the way we finished last year; the group is hungrier than ever to achieve success.

“And I think that the squad we have right now is a really exciting one and I’m excited to see what we are able to achieve as a group over the next few years.”

Bailey was drafted to the Lions with pick 15 at the 2017 National Draft, following several strong performances with Norwood in the SANFL and the Allies in the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.

Since then, the former Darwin local has developed into a damaging forward who can also be instrumental in the Lions’ midfield with his speed and skill.

Brisbane Lions General Manager Football, Danny Daly, said securing Bailey for a further two years was a terrific result for the Club.

“Zac has really taken his game to a new level in the last two seasons and become an important part of our football program” he said.

“Since arriving at the Club he has continued to improve his own game each year, and as a result that has helped the team with continued improvement and success.

“This contract extension is a great reward for the hard work put in by Zac and we are all thrilled to know he will be a Brisbane Lion for the next four seasons.”
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