They’ve broken two droughts in an uplifting past month, now the Brisbane Lions are targeting their first back-to-back AFL victories in more than a year.
Lions coach Michael Voss on Monday listed successive wins as the next box his improving club need to tick when they face Melbourne at the Gabba on Sunday.
Brisbane haven’t enjoyed consecutive results since they beat North Melbourne at home and then upset Adelaide at AAMI Stadium 13 months ago but deserve strong favouritism against the Demons.
Their round nine boilover against West Coast ended two years without a win over a top-eight side while Saturday’s 58-point smashing of the Western Bulldogs was also their first victory at Etihad Stadium since 2010.
Voss admitted the follow-up triumph – coming after they took it to Hawthorn for a half – was as important as the display against the Eagles, and now wants the consolidation to continue.
“The one thing we haven’t done, despite the fact we’ve had some consistency (in the past month), is we haven’t got back-to-back wins,” he said.
“The big thing for us is to replicate the effort and being able to get consistency in our execution and be really meticulous in being able to approach that no matter what the opposition is doing to you.
“That’s still something that we haven’t demonstrated and something we have to get right.”
The Lions (5-7) defeated Melbourne by 41 points in round one this season but Voss knows the Demons won’t be a pushover after upsetting Essendon three weeks ago and thumping Greater Western Sydney on the weekend.
Full-back Matt Maguire will undergo scans on his injured elbow and remains a chance to mark up against former Lion Mitch Clark, who is also battling a foot problem, in the goal square.
Veteran midfielder Simon Black will be free to play if he takes an early guilty plea after being charged with striking Bulldog Liam Picken.
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