Lions coach full of praise for Hanley

ALTHOUGH it ended in defeat, Pearce Hanley will have good cause to remember his AFL debut as he departed for home with the praise of Brisbane Lions coach Leigh Matthews ringing loudly in his ears.

Hanley took fellow Irishman Colm Begley’s place for Saturday night’s loss to a Carlton Blues outfit that had to do without the injured Setanta Ó hAilpín and the former Mayo footballer’s pace certainly caught the eye.

“Frankly I think Pearce has got even more speed and power than Colm,” Matthews said. “Compared to any of our players he’s got great speed and a really good ability to carry the footy.