WITH no Jonathan Brown to lean on, the Brisbane Lions need another focal point to kick to in 2015.

And 20-year-old Michael Close is putting his hand up.

Close is one of a number of young Lions being groomed to help cover the loss of Brown, who retired after a glittering 14-year career during last season.

He is a long, long way from the finished product, but with a beefed-up midfield and hopefully an increased supply, Close is confident he can be a reliable target for Justin Leppitsch's team.

After spending his first year at the Lions in the NEAFL, Close played 14 games in 2014, kicking 10 goals.

He is a running machine – always in the top three at club time trials – and is slowly filling out his 196cm frame.

"I learnt a lot last year," Close told AFL.com.au.

"I made my debut, I got dropped, I played reserves, came back up … and I improved playing senior footy against good quality opposition."

The steepest learning curve came once Brown played his last game against GWS in round 13.

Instead of playing alongside his mentor, he was then paired with Daniel Merrett and a combination of Daniel McStay and Jono Freeman.

Brown helped coach him for the remainder of the season, and is still doing so now in his part-time role at the club.

"I'd rather him out there with me, but it was great having him on the sidelines, having him there working with me every Monday, it was a big asset for me," Close said.

"That No.1 spot is up for grabs and hopefully I can make it mine by the end of the season, or even half-way through the season.

"I want to try and cement my place at centre half-forward and work alongside Jono Freeman or Jackson Paine or Luke McGuane."

The Lions have plenty of faith in Close, signing him until the end of 2017 after only a handful of senior appearances.

There will be little pressure on him to kick bags of goals next season, as the Lions plan on doing it by committee.

The addition of goalkicking midfielders Dayne Beams and Allen Christensen should fit nicely alongside Dayne Zorko, Sam Mayes, Tom Rockliff, Lewy Taylor and small forward Josh Green.

Pearce Hanley can also run forward and kick goals from a wing, while Carlton recruit Mitch Robinson (58 goals in 100 games) can also impact the scoreboard.

"We're a young group up there, we're still learning and hopefully we can become a good forward line this year or next year," Close said.

"We'll have a lot of depth in the midfield so hopefully we get a lot more supply and better quality supply. It'll be an exciting time for us forwards."