‘Guaranteed finals’: Brisbane doctors at heart of new Lion’s big move

Brisbane Lions recruit Tom Doedee has revealed it was more than a premiership desire that lured him to Queensland, but rather the club’s ability to resurrect the careers of previously injury-prone prospects.

The former Adelaide Crow took his first steps onto Brighton Homes Arena to continue his rehabilitation from an ACL rupture which ended his 2023 campaign.

Tom Doedee left Adelaide to join the Lions’ flag push.

While he is yet to have a comeback date locked in, the 26-year-old has been running for about two months now, and was able to complete some changing direction exercises for the first time on Monday.

This is not the first time Doedee has been forced into a long recovery, having suffered another season-ending knee injury in 2019, as well as a frustrating hamstring tear in 2020 which kept him to just nine games.

However, he declared he had watched intently as the Lions ushered the likes of Lincoln McCarthy (back, foot, hip and groin at Geelong) and Josh Dunkley (shoulder reconstruction at the Bulldogs) from the casualty ward to the peak of their powers.

And he wanted to be a part that history.

“It definitely played a massive part. Having talked to a few of the boys, I know Linc McCarthy well before I moved over here and Dunks and stuff, and they’d spoken really highly about it,” Doedee said.

“Looking from afar I knew a lot of guys have come here and not just rehabbed well but actually then played their best footy after it, and talking to the docs and the staff during the interview process I knew that I was in the right hands if I was to sign here.

“I learnt from the last one [ACL rupture] that it’s never just a linear process. It’s never just straight all the way and your happy days back playing and nothing goes wrong, so I know there might be minor setbacks along the way.

“There might be little things that push it back a week or even bring it forward a week to make it easier, so I know the end goals 12 months, that’s sort of the max, and then if anything before that will be a gift.”

As the Lions launched their preseason this week, determined to cast aside the heartbreaking of a four-point grand final defeat to Collingwood last month, Doedee appreciated he would not be a walk-up starter once he was cleared to return.

Having suffered his injury in June, a midyear comeback appears most likely. From there he will face stiff competition from a defensive unit boasting the likes of Harris Andrews, Jack Payne and Brandon Starcevich.

But it was that relentless fight that would soon be ahead of him that factored into the 82-game defender’s decision to link up under Brisbane coach Chris Fagan.

According to Doedee, should he force his way into the 2024 side, he will be guaranteed to break his eight-year wait for a finals’ appearance.

“The fact that the club’s been going so well for so long, and they’re very still a young core, that sustained success is something that was really appealing to me,” Doedee said.

“It’s going to be tough to crack into that team, but if I do get in, then that’s going to be something that if I keep my spot there, it’s guaranteed wins and finals if everything goes well.

“That was definitely alluring, considering I’ve been in the system for eight years and haven’t played a single final. It’s going to be tough to get in there, but hopefully I can, and then keep my spot and play some good footy.”