His team has just returned the lowest inside-50m count in recorded AFL history, but Brisbane coach Michael Voss reckons it’s a problem he can easily fix.
Lions forward Jonathan Brown was left a frustrated figure after Brisbane managed just 20 inside-50s in Saturday’s 29-point loss to Fremantle in Perth.
With Brisbane’s forward thrusts few and far between, Brown tallied just three possessions – all in the first quarter – and was kept goalless in his first match back from a facial injury.
The 30-year-old could only watch on jealously as the Dockers went into their own forward-50m zone 52 times, with the glut of opportunities helping them secure a scrappy 8.16 (64) to 5.5 (35) victory.
Although Brisbane were without the services of gun midfielder Simon Black, Voss said his team’s inability to attack simply wasn’t good enough.
But the fourth-year coach believed the situation would correct itself once his charges learned to become more adventurous.
“I think it’s quite easy to fix. It’s not necessarily something that at this point in time is a worry,” Voss said.
“… For some reason we’ve gone really conservative. That’s just something that we have to look at.
“We don’t have to change anything in our style. It’s more just emphasising the things that we know work for us and making sure we execute it.
“That was it, the inconsistency of our execution.
“Some roles weren’t getting done at different times and then we’d get that role done and another one would fall down.
“I don’t think anything changes, it’s more that we’ve got to string it all together and promote the consistency of execution, which is something we just weren’t able to do.”
Brisbane’s immediate concern surrounds the fitness of ruckman Matthew Leuenberger, who injured his achilles tendon while attempting to chase down Matt de Boer in the second quarter.
Voss is hopeful the injury won’t prove to be serious, but scans will determine what course of action Leuenberger needs to take.
Fremantle were also dealt a severe injury blow, with gun midfielder Nat Fyfe re-injuring his troublesome left shoulder.
Fyfe underwent a shoulder reconstruction over the summer, but may opt to play on with the injury like he did for most of last year.
Young Dockers forward Josh Mellington (hamstring) is also in doubt for Friday night’s clash with St Kilda in Melbourne.
Brown said he was disappointed with his first-up performance, stating there was no excuse for his poor return.
“I’ve shown in the past I can come back and play well straight away. Once you’re out there … you’ve got to play well,” Brown said.
The Lions skipper, who missed most of last season after suffering two horrific facial injuries, said he was looking forward to playing in his first Queensland derby on Saturday when Brisbane takes on Gold Coast at the Gabba.
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