Coach Chris Fagan has hailed Brisbane’s resilience after the Lions ended a torrid week with a brilliant last-gasp AFL win over Collingwood.
Six days after copping a one-point loss to Geelong as news filtered through of Brisbane’s coronavirus outbreak in that ultimately required them to remain in Victoria, the Lions beat Collingwood by a point courtesy of Zac Bailey’s kick after the siren.
Thursday night’s victory got Brisbane off the mark after two losses and Fagan said it was a pleasing response to their first genuine testing period since their rise up the ladder.
“We’ve had a pretty good run the last couple of years, we’ve won a lot of games in a row, hadn’t really hit a sort of bump in the road like we had over the last couple of weeks,” he said.
“It was always going to be an interesting scenario tonight as to how our boys would respond and, in the end, they were just rewarded for persistence.”
While emphasising Brisbane still had “a fair few things to do” to be premiership contenders, Fagan described the clutch win as “full of meaning” and an experience that could build belief.
“Playing in those types of games like Richmond in last year’s qualifying final, even the game last week against Geelong and tonight, I think they forge a bond within the team that makes them believe,” Fagan said.
“Belief is the icing on the cake in sport and I think our guys are gradually starting to build that.
“They could have easily dropped their bundles this week after what happened last week – you lose a game perhaps you could have won and then suddenly their whole lives get turned upside down – but they didn’t, and credit to them.”
Brisbane currently have just a 28-player travelling party and Fagan said it was difficult having their list split between two states.
“I don’t know how long we’re staying. I’d like to have the whole club down here because you feel a little bit fractured at the moment,” Fagan said.
“You’re not getting to speak to 15 or 20 players back in Brisbane and we’re all a pretty connected sort of footy club.
“But we’ll just wait and see. Maybe next week we play the game and we go back to Brisbane because things have settled down up there so I can understand why that’s (getting players to Victoria) not happening.”
The Lions will travel to Ballarat on Wednesday ahead of next Saturday’s clash with the Western Bulldogs.
© AAP
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