Rockliff told to ‘raise bar’ at AFL Lions

Tom Rockliff will stay at the Brisbane Lions in 2017 but has been told in no uncertain terms to “raise the bar” next season.

The 26-year-old will see out the last year of his contract with the Lions, although it’s unclear if he will also retain the club’s captaincy.

Rockliff met with coach Chris Fagan and football manager David Noble in Melbourne last week to discuss his future and the club’s new direction after rival clubs showed no interest in his services during the AFL trade period.

Fagan said Rockliff was “100 per cent committed” to the Lions.

“Our program demands selfless footballers and leaders who can help others lift their games to a higher level,” Fagan said.

“Chris has spoken to Tom about raising the bar on his performance in the year ahead and there is a definite understanding on that.

“We’re happy that Tom is staying at the club and we all look forward to better times ahead.”

Noble said decisions around the captaincy and other leadership positions would be taken during pre-season.

“Chris and his coaching team will assess the leadership in the weeks and months ahead. A leadership group will then be selected based on our values,” he said.

“As a club, we want to become relevant again and a huge part of that is making sure our culture is strong and we live by the values at the heart of that culture.”

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