Lions gun Brandon Starcevich faces enormous free agency call amid concussion fallout
Brisbane defender Brandon Starcevich has an anxious wait ahead, despite celebrating his club's second straight premiership on Saturday.
It comes after the 26-year-old was concussed in the third quarter of the match, forcing him from the field.
Starcevich missed three months of the 2025 season with a previous concussion and has dealt with multiple across his career.
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Brandon Starcevich of the Lions appears injured during the AFL Grand Final via Getty Images
It was a big loss for the Lions, given he was tagging Patrick Dangerfield effectively, and it left Brisbane a man down on the bench. Not that it ultimately mattered.
Lions coach Chris Fagan said after the contest that the defender was feeling OK despite the concussion.
"It doesn't seem to be too bad, but I guess you wait and see what happens in the next two or three days because sometimes the boys with concussions can go backwards a couple of days after the event, but he seems fine," Fagan said post match.
"He's been a bit unlucky with those this year."
Starcevich himself said they played it safe by not bringing him back onto the ground.
"I feel fine. It was obviously a bit scary, but I've pulled up fine," he told AFL Media.
"I potentially [could have come back on] but it was more risk management than anything. I've had a little bit going on this year, so to finish like this, I can't ask for much more."
Starcevich has a big decision to make in the next month, given he is a free agent and has been linked with the likes of West Coast, North Melbourne and Essendon.
The Eagles appear to be in the box seat, and have reportedly offered him a lucrative six-year deal to join the club.
It is obviously a risk for them given his concussions, but they appear keen to bring the West Australian defender home.
It would be quite the jump for him going from the back-to-back premiers to a team that won just one game in 2025.
An injured Brandon Starcevich of the Lions is seen on the bench AFL Photos via Getty Images
Starcevich admitted post game that he will take his time and weigh up all of the factors.
"I'll take a couple of days to enjoy it and then decision time is coming. It's hard either way. It's a tough decision to make and it'll come later," he said.
As a restricted free agent, Brisbane could technically match any offer the Eagles make.
West Coast just had premiership star Jeremy McGovern retired by the AFL's concussion panel, something that will surely come into their calculations as well.
It will likely be determined in the coming days whether Starcevich might also have to face the concussion panel's judgement.
He was in good spirits, naturally, after the game, accepting his premiership medal and celebrating in the rooms.
Starcevich has played 132 games for the Lions since being selected with pick 18 in the 2017 draft.
Numerous players have been forced into medical retirement due to repeat concussions in recent years, including McGovern, Collingwood's Nathan Murphy and Josh Carmichael, Bulldogs teenager Aiden O'Driscoll, Melbourne star Angus Brayshaw and Brisbane defender Marcus Adams.
