- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
The Brisbane Lions’ shock 68-point loss to the Bulldogs may be a blessing in disguise.
Before round one the Lions were one of the most hyped teams in the competition.
They were not necessarily going to be the premiers, but up for a substantial table position move. Now that media attention has mostly moved away from the Lions, it may just be that the players can fully concentrate on producing top football again.
In no way am I trying to justify Brisbane’s performance. The Lions were completely schooled by a surging Bulldogs squad.
The Doggies had over twice as many marks as the Lions, and were far more efficient with an average of 20 disposals per goal, against Brisbane’s 43. At the end of the day, the pre-season champions lost to the favourites for the wooden spoon.
At the same time, however, credit where credit is due. The Dogs were on fire. They outplayed Brisbane in every aspect of the game, and had the desperation they often lacked last season.
If the Bulldogs can back up this performance with a home win against the Dockers on Saturday, signs point towards a promising season.
But the team mustn’t let this minor stumble, and the resulting negativity from fans and pundits, get to them.
Co-captain Jonathan Brown has said that while “There’s no doubts that this was a massive wake-up call for the playing group”, the team shouldn’t be disheartened “Because the last thing we want to do is drop our heads. We can’t be throwing the baby out with the bath water after round one”.
An upset loss in round one is no big deal. It happens to the best of teams. What is important is that both Michael Voss and the players identify what went wrong.
Voss is confident that he knows what needs adjusting, and has said “We’ve seen some of the things we wanted (in the pre-season) and for this week, we didn’t (see them).”
While Voss and the club as a whole may have denied winning the NAB cup as being a top target, the competition provided approximately $100,000 cash and some much-needed silverware for the Lions.
Unfortunately, perhaps the squad had hit a form and fitness peak leading up the final, and like many teams that get a week off at the start of September, suffered from the two weeks between that final and the game against the Bulldogs.
Whatever the reason, the loss serves as a wake-up call for the whole team.
Leadership players like Jonathan Bown, Simon Black, and Ash McGrath have all tasted premiership success, and the team as a whole have their undefeated NAB Cup success fresh in their minds.
Now, the Lions have sour taste of defeat even fresher in their mouths. The quality is there, and any complacency, whatever brief, is gone.
Coach Michael Voss has declared this Saturday’s game against Adelaide at the Gabba is a perfect shot at redemption, and one which I reckon the team will take by the scruff of the neck.
It is entirely possible the Lions will fall in a heap and lose 10 on the trot.
That’s football. But I am sticking by my pre-season prediction, that the youthful and ambitious Lions will come back from this minor setback to an even stronger season than that hinted at by their NAB Cup success.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.