Brisbane coach Michael Voss says Saturday’s away clash against Port Adelaide will help determine if his club deserves the respect of the AFL.
The Lions enter the AAMI Stadium fixture against Port seeking consecutive wins for just the second time this season.
After upsetting finals-bound Adelaide last start, Voss says the Port encounter will provide a measure of Brisbane’s worth.
“The last few weeks we have started to build back to some form,” Voss said on Friday.
“All we haven’t done is consistently demonstrate that we can do that over weeks.
“We did it last week against Adelaide – it doesn’t necessarily mean that we have proven that we can do that over multiple weeks, so that is the challenge for us.”
The Lions, with eight victories, sit in 13th spot – just one rung ahead of Port, winners five times this year.
While there appears a vast difference in the status of the clubs, with Port chasing a first win under interim coach Garry Hocking after sacking coach Matthew Primus three weeks ago, Voss said the Lions were yet to regain the respect of the competition.
“We have got a long way to go,” he said.
“If anything we’re at the beginning of it. It’s about being able to earn it (respect), you lose it so quickly in this competition.
“You can work years being able to try and get it, and then in moments it can be taken away from you.
“So we understand the task that is ahead of us but we feel like we’re making some inroads.”
Brisbane recalled Josh Drummond for the match against a Port line-up bolstered by the inclusion of midfielder Travis Boak.
Boak, yet to decide if he will remain with the Power beyond this season, was a late withdrawal from Port’s loss to West Coast last week with a hip injury.
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