Brisbane is facing criticism for not heeding lessons from its previous grand final mistakes, as it endured another surprising loss to start the 2024 season. Leigh Montagna of Fox Footy pointed out concerning footage from both Sunday’s defeat against Fremantle and the grand final loss to Collingwood, where Brisbane conceded numerous goals during crucial time-on periods. Montagna expressed bewilderment on First Crack, questioning why the team hadn’t addressed this issue during the offseason.
“They have a lot of work ahead of them.”
In a worrying pattern, the Lions conceded another eight-goal streak against Fremantle, mirroring their loss to Carlton in the Opening Round.
Fox Footy’s David King criticized the Lions, claiming they were “directionless” in Sunday’s defeat without reigning two-time Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale.
Adding to the adversity, coach Chris Fagan confirmed another setback as defender Conor McKenna sustained a hamstring injury, following star Keidean Coleman’s season-ending ACL tear.
“They’re making too many mistakes,” King remarked on First Crack. “There are just too many things slightly off at Brisbane. I believe 2023 was their year to win it, but they let it slip away. They have an incredible roster… but now everything seems disjointed. In the absence of Lachie Neale, they lack direction.”
Montagna raised concerns about potential cracks emerging after the team’s recent dominance. “I don’t believe genuine premiership contenders concede a string of eight goals in a game. They’re capable of more than that,” Montagna observed. “Neale mentioned there was selfishness and players were not supporting each other. What was the response? Once again, they allowed an eight-goal streak to happen against Fremantle. They couldn’t halt it.”
Brisbane will now enjoy a bye week before facing Collingwood in an Easter Thursday showdown.
“They have a bye and an opportunity to regroup,” remarked Montagna. “Starting off at zero-three presents a different challenge compared to zero-two.”
Lions coach Chris Fagan conceded that his team was outplayed by the Dockers during the eight-goal streak that ultimately led to their defeat.
“For two consecutive weeks now, the middle part of the game has been problematic for us, which is something I haven’t experienced with this group before,” he stated. “We’ve been in a similar position before and still managed to finish in the top four. We’ll need to carefully assess the situation and search for solutions.”
In addition to McKenna’s injury, the Lions suffered another blow with Darcy Gardiner exiting the game at halftime due to a suspected PCL injury.
“We expected more from the players we had on the field today,” Fagan concluded.
There were instances of players making silly mistakes, engaging in inexplicable actions.
“It’s an area we need to improve upon.”
The Lions have some positive news as they head into the bye week, with Neale anticipated to be cleared to play in the upcoming match against Collingwood.