Keep Lions cubs, keep me: Daniel Rich
That winning feeling has returned, but what the Brisbane Lions do off the field is set to determine whether young gun Daniel Rich stays with the club.
While thankful the Lions are turning around their form, the in-demand Rich said the AFL club's retention of their young brigade would play a "big part" when he decided his future.
Rich, 20, was still buzzing from the 40-point upset of the Crows at Adelaide on Sunday.
However, the exciting midfielder said contract negotiations with the rebuilding Lions would not be solely based on results.
"Every really good team that performs well has a young group of guys that comes through together at the same time," Rich said.
"You've seen it with teams going well now like Collingwood and Geelong and teams like that, so it's exciting times heading forward if we can keep the young group together.
"It's 100 per cent my decision and he (manager Paul Connors) is just there to help me and guide me, but it (keeping the young brigade together) definitely plays a big part."
Rich is off contract at the end of 2011 along with the likes of fellow key youngsters Matthew Leuenberger and Mitch Clark.
In just his third season, Rich is considered crucial to the Lions' rebuilding plan along with the likes of leadership group member Tom Rockliff, Jack Redden and Todd Banfield.
And the pride of cubs continues with coach Michael Voss already handing five players their AFL debuts this season - Claye Beams, Rohan Bewick, Ryan Lester, Jared Polec and Josh Green.
"It's good to see the young guys getting games and performing well and stepping up and playing well in games where we need them," Rich said.
They get another chance when they host Sydney on Saturday night.
After losing their first seven games, the Lions have won back to back games for the first time since round four last year.
"I suppose it's about learning from those first few weeks (but) we haven't changed much at all to be honest," Rich said of the turnaround.
"We've had to tweak a few things here and there, but the big focus has been believing in our structures and the coaches and the way they want us to play and sticking by that.
"Even though we weren't winning games we were still pretty positive around the place and that has a lot to do with Vossy.
"He always had the belief in us and the players sense that. We turned up week in out with a good attitude to perform."
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