‘Taking its time’: Star Lion’s contract stall

Lions star Hugh McCluggage is in no hurry to sign a new deal with Brisbane despite his “love” for the club and Queensland.

McCluggage will become a restricted free agent when his Lions contract expires at the end of the season, which has led to a host of Victorian clubs showing interest in bringing him back to his home state.

However, the 26-year-old midfielder seems intent on staying with the Lions – provided the club can settle on terms beyond this season.

“We both know where I sit,” McCluggage said on Tuesday.

“I love it here. I really enjoy playing footy with this group and living in Queensland.

“I think we both want to get something done, but it’s taking its time and that’s OK.”

That’s because McCluggage’s agent David Trotter is determined to secure his client the best possible deal – wherever that may be – in terms of length and money.

“I’m proud I’ve got to this stage where I’m hoping to sign for a longer period of time and set myself up, but there are things that have to be worked through,” McCluggage said.

“There are certain aspects that need to be negotiated. The club has to work out what’s best for them and my manager has to work out what’s best for me.

“Every other contract I’ve signed, I’ve been pretty flexible in when that’s happened.

“It’s not concerning me at all, and I don’t think it’s concerning anyone else or affecting the way that we go about things.

“You sign until the end of the year for a reason, so that you have that time to work through things.

“I’m just focused on playing as well as I can and making sure that we continue to improve our form.”

The Lions beat the Gold Coast Suns on Sunday night at the Gabba by 34 points to win for just the third time this season.

However, it was a bittersweet QClash for Brisbane, who lost Linc McCarthy and Darcy Gardiner to season-ending knee injuries, Noah Answerth to concussion and defender Brandon Starcevich, who injured his calf in the pre-game warm-up.

“It was a pretty gutsy win from the boys,” McCluggage said.

“While it’s extremely disappointing to see a couple of guys that are great people for our club go down, it’s also exciting to see what the new boys did, Brucey Reville and Harry (Sharp), and then ‘Loges’ (Logan Morris).

“I just thought it as an amazing, mature performance from everyone out there.

“Everyone went above and beyond what they usually do.”

The Lions will bid for back-to-back wins on Saturday at Adelaide Oval against the Crows.

“You just have to ride the wave a little bit,” McCluggage said.

The Lions announced on Tuesday afternoon that scans had revealed that McCarthy and Gardiner had suffered torn anterior cruciate ligaments.

Lions football manager Danny Daly said: “Linc and ‘Diz’ (Gardiner) are quality players and quality people who we know will do all that they can to overcome these injuries.

“We as a club will continue to all wrap our arms around them and their families as we support them in whatever way we can during their recovery.”