THE STATISTICS don't leap off the page, but Sam Day's impact on Brisbane goes far beyond the number of goals he kicks or disposals he has.
Brought in during the off-season as a pseudo replacement for the retired Joe Daniher, Day has fit seamlessly into a Lions forward line littered with stars, but dogged with instability, in 2025.
After 14 seasons with Gold Coast, it was a chance to prolong Day's 155-game career at a club that had just won a premiership.
And he's grabbed it with both hands.
In nine matches to date, interrupted by a stint on the sidelines following a hamstring injury, Day has played in seven wins.
In the six games he's missed, the Lions have won three, losing to Melbourne and Adelaide and drawing with North Melbourne.
With mainstay Eric Hipwood (21 goals) and boom youngster Logan Morris (30 goals) alongside him, plus dynamic medium and smaller players like Cam Rayner, Zac Bailey, Charlie Cameron, Kai Lohmann and Callum Ah Chee, it's easy for Day to get lost in the shuffle.
You have to look closely to see his impact.
Stuart Dew coached Day at the Suns for almost six years and is again working up-close with the 32-year-old as Brisbane's forward-line coach.
"We're asking him to create a contest, whether he's in the ruck or forward," Dew told AFL.com.au.
"It's always been a strength of Sam's. I've rarely seen him out-marked. He either marks it or brings it to ground.
"It gives us a good target because he gets to good spots, and the second part is guys know it's really predictable when we go to him where it's going; he either marks it or it's going to the front.
"His numbers don't suggest the impact he has.
"We were on to it when he wasn't in the team, we looked different."
Statistics from Champion Data show the Lions score 10 points more a game when Day is in the side. They also concede one less intercept mark inside forward 50 when he's playing.
"Some things you don't notice about Sam are his little knock-ons that aren't a stat … he'll just tap the ball into space for other players," Dew said.
"He's almost too unselfish at times. At times I think he could have a shot at goal, but his first thought is to bring others into the game.
"It's rare that you have a chat to a forward and tell them they could be a little more goal-minded, haha, but Sam's definitely one of those."
It's not just what Day does, but the flow-on effect for other roles.
When Day was sidelined, Hipwood was forced to support in the ruck behind Oscar McInerney and Darcy Fort – a role he had rarely been asked to do.
The result was a more fatigued version of the rangy forward once he resumed his role ahead of the ball. More fatigue often meant less impact.
Hipwood's Player Rating slumps to 3.7 when Day doesn't play and spikes to 7.6 when he does.
Morris also got a stronger defender than he'd usually get, slightly nullifying his influence.
"Sam's got high footy IQ," Dew said.
"He's a really smart footballer, he's unselfish.
"He's not going to come in and step on anyone's toes.
"He was going to come in, assess what that system was and work out how he fit into it."
It took Day five games to kick his first goal in Brisbane colours, and he still has just three from his nine appearances.
"It always takes a bit of time, but I think he's shown his worth to the group really quickly.
"He's a predictable tall forward, which for the small players, is worth its weight in gold.
"They know exactly where to run, they know he's not going to get out-marked, so they can go with real confidence to get to that contest.
"If you know what you're going to get from the guy next to you, I think that gives them confidence to do their role, and Sam has had a big impact in that.
"He doesn't go to poor spots. Normally when the opposition are marking the ball, it's because forwards are going to poor spots, and he doesn't do that.
"It's good to see him playing well and hopefully he can keep rolling."
