Rockliff’s Lions contract talks deadlocked

Contract negotiations between the Brisbane Lions and skipper Tom Rockliff have stalled as the embattled club continues to struggle to retain talent.

The Victorian, whose past two AFL seasons have been crippled by injury and stuttering form, is keen to stay at the Gabba but has withdrawn a contract proposal he’d made to the club following disagreement on his value.

It’s believed the 26-year-old 2014 All-Australian wants a five-year deal worth about $4 million.

“We couldn’t come to an agreement on numbers and years,” Rockliff has told News Corp Australia.

Rockliff has not met with representatives from rival clubs and insists he wants to take the Lions out of the finals wilderness and into the top eight for the first time since 2009.

“I’ve been through the hard times and I want to see this through,” he said.

“I dont think there’s any uncertainty around that.”

Brisbane’s issues with player retention are well-known, with the club waving goodbye to the likes of Jack Redden (West Coast), Jared Polec (Port Adelaide), Jack Crisp (Collingwood) and Sam Docherty (Carlton) in recent years.

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