Axed Brisbane goalsneak Josh Green has admitted his AFL delisting came as a shock, blaming his undoing on an injury-interrupted pre-season.
The 24-year-old Tasmanian was cut loose after a disappointing year that yielded 10 goals from 11 games.
He said a broken foot suffered in January meant he could not maintain the form that saw him lead the club's goal-kicking the two seasons previous.
"It was a tough year for the club and personally," Green told SEN radio.
"I was playing catch-up all year.
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"(I) spoke to the club at the end of the year and we decided probably the best thing for myself and the club was a fresh start."
The small forward's career is in limbo after a failing to secure a move during the trade period.
He will now turn to the delisted free agency period, which started on Tuesday.
His exit also leaves the Lions short of a much-needed scoring option, with his 2014 and 2015 goal tallies (33 and 25) more fruitful than the efforts of the Lions' 2016 top-scorers Josh Walker and Dayne Zorko, both with 23 goals.
"I obviously need to work on my defensive side. That's what that small forward (role) requires," Green said.
"Being delisted really shocked me in a way. If given a chance at a new club, I'm going to give it everything I've got."
He said his lack of fitness heading into the 2016 season cruelled his consistency, but it didn't point to a lack of motivation.
"I've had full pre-seasons before and played a full year and fitness wasn't an issue then," he said.
"It's not an effort thing."
The Tasmanian, who played 81 games for the Lions in five seasons, said there had been "a little bit of interest" for his services.
