Season Review 2022 – SubiacoTuesday, November 15, 2022 - 9:45 AM - by Chris Pike

SUBIACO found itself in unfamiliar territory in 2022 by not reaching finals and never really in contention to make it either following a remarkable run of consistent success and dominance of the WAFL.

The Lions won the premiership in 2021 to make it five flags in the past eight years and nine since 2003 while making 14 Grand Finals since 2002, but the 2022 season was one where they never got off the ground.

Subiaco was on the back foot from Round 1 with premiership players Liam and Wil Hickmott, Drew Rohde, Chad Harris, Harry Marsh, Max Walters, Jordan Lockyer, Jakob Atkinson, Michael Braut and Jack Mayo all unavailable.

The Lions would lose the opening three matches of the season and five of the first seven to put them in unfamiliar territory well outside the top five. 

They did end up with a 7-11 record for the season but were never a genuine finals threat finishing four games and a massive percentage behind the fifth placed Peel Thunder while ranked eighth in attack and defence for the season.

In the end, Lachlan Delahunty missed six games, Marsh six, Walters eight, Lockyer 13, Atkinson 15, Braut 15 and Mayo all 18. While not everything could be solved with more of their key players available, it would have helped.

Now that's not to say there won't positives from the season for the Lions. Liam Hickmott especially took the next step as a two-way midfielder while Stefan Giro arrived and was tremendous on the wing averaging 27.6 possessions.

Rohde, Aaron Heal and new face Galen Savigni were especially prominent down back while Ben Sokol won another Simpson Medal by kicking 41 goals and Ryan Borchet kicked 29.

Moving forward to 2023 and while five-time premiership hero Delahunty has now retired, retaining most of the playing group and natural improvement of greater availability of Mayo, Braut, Atkinson and potentially Lockyer, and there's reason for optimism.

There's still enough talent there at Subiaco if they can be closer to full health but at the same time, it's not the same dominant group that was such a powerful force in the competition.

It's going to take some innovative coaching now moving forward from premiership coach Beau Wardman to show that he can regroup from a disappointing season, and pull the Lions back together and turn them into a finals, and premiership, threat once again.

FINISHING POSITION: Seventh, 7-11, 85.7%

WHAT WENT WELL: Not a lot and it started with a horror run with COVID ravaging them early and then injury robbing them of a host of key players for most, or all, of the season on top of the losses they suffered following the 2021 premiership. There were impressive performers, though, and Stefan Giro, Leigh Kitchin and Liam Hickmott led the charge in the midfield. Ben Sokol won another Bernie Naylor Medal kicking 41 goals with Ryan Borchet having his moments too with 29 goals. There was also the emergence Aaron Breman, Galen Savigni, Jake Stergiou, Lachlan Henderson and Lachlan Vanirsen to provide encouraging signs for the future.

BEST PLAYER: Leigh Kitchin again led from the front for another standout season while earning life membership, Ben Sokol starred in attack and Liam Hickmott emerged with Angus Litherland and Aaron Heal other standouts, but it was new arrival Stefan Giro who had a tremendous year at the Lions to end up claiming the fairest and best award on the back of it. He had every reason to expect to be part of more team success upon joining Subiaco given the club's remarkable recent history. Whilst 2022 didn’t pan out that way with a rare non-finals season for the Lions, he didn’t disappoint as a recruit fresh out of the AFL system at Fremantle. Settled on a wing for the Lions and went on to average 27.6 possessions a game including racking up 30 or more touches on seven occasions highlighting his quality and consistency as a hard running and reliable left-footer.

DEBUTANTS
Noah Ash – Round 1
Jake Stergiou – Round 1
Connor Faraone – Round 1
Abraham Clinch – Round 1
Corey Robinson – Round 1
Bailey Holt – Round 1
Matthew La Fontaine – Round 1
Kody Eaton – Round 2
Jaimon Alone – Round 3
Lachlan Vanirsen – Round 3
Galen Savigni – Round 7
Lachlan Henderson – Round 7
Jake South – Round 7
Chayse Grabe-Paparone – Round 12
Connor Patterson – Round 13

MOST IMPROVED: Liam Hickmott was already a premiership player coming into the 2022, but he took enormous strides forward to make himself one of the standout midfielders in the competition and ending up named to the WAFL Team of the Year. He became a premiership player in 2021 by confirming himself as a regular player at Subiaco and while 2022 didn’t have the same team success with the Lions missing finals, what it meant for him was him taking the next step in his career. No longer was he a handy role player on a star-studded team, but he became one of the stars as a prime on-baller for Subiaco. Proved himself a reliable and consistent ball winner by averaging 23.8 touches including having 30 or more touches on five occasions. Now 39 games into his career and already a premiership player, is someone Subiaco can build around moving forward.

OUTLOOK FOR 2023: Subiaco will never accept being down for long and coach Beau Wardman will be looking to return them to a force in 2023. The retirement of Lachlan Delahunty and departure of Harry Marsh won't be easy to overcome, but they do welcome back Zac Clarke and getting more potentially out of Michael Braut, Jakob Atkinson, Jordan Lockyer and Max Walters will be significant. However, it's a significant challenge to see if the Lions can put themselves firstly back in the finals hunt, and then the premiership mix given the significant turnover they've had in just 12 months after being the dominant force in the competition.