Victorian clubs are expected to line up with big-money offers for Brisbane’s dual premiership playmaker Zac Bailey, who has left open the possibility of exploring his free agency options.
The news comes as Lions recruit Sam Draper, who left Essendon in frustration after years interrupted by injury, faces up to eight weeks on the sidelines with a stress reaction in his right foot.
Former Lions coach Leigh Matthews congratulates forward Zac Bailey after last year’s grand final win.Credit: AFL Photos
Draper had scans after missing the Lions’ intra-club match on the Sunshine Coast on Friday complaining of a sore foot.
The Lions said the scans revealed a low-level reaction, so Draper was put in a moon boot.
He will take “about six to eight weeks” to recover, the club said.
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Draper moved to the Brisbane Lions in the off-season, determined for fresh start and to be the ready-made replacement for ruckman Oscar McInerney.
That all might still come to fruition, but he now faces a delayed start to the season, which starts for the Lions on March 7 at the Gabba against the Western Bulldogs.
Draper hasn’t played a senior game since suffering an Achilles injury against West Coast in round six last year when he was a Bomber.