After starting the season 0-8, Brisbane has found its mojo in the past two weeks, with a win over Hawthorn and a narrow defeat at the hands of Sydney.
A young side flooded with confidence, the Lions are sitting 17th on the ladder, but don’t underestimate the ability of this side.
Brisbane makes the trip to Etihad Stadium hungry to continue its season-best form in recent weeks.
Top-end talent
One thing that often goes under the radar of many footy fans is the amount of high-quality talent on Brisbane’s list.
When it comes to discussing some of the game’s stars, the likes of Stefan Martin, Dayne Zorko and Dayne Beams are often left out of the conversation.
Martin currently sits third in hit-outs per game, averaging 37.3, and sits behind Max Gawn and Aaron Sandilands.
A big imposing figure that has good athleticism for a 200-centimetre ruckman who weighs in at 100 kilograms, Martin has no issue finding the ball around the ground, averaging 19.5 disposals per match.
At his feet most of the time is Zorko, who has shown in the past month how impactful he can be.
The 29-year-old struggled with the tag earlier this season, but in recent weeks he’s collected 21, 30, 24 and 34 disposals. He's also dangerous in front of goal, averaging 1.5 majors this season.
After a tough week for personal reasons, Beams played his best game of the season, collecting 38 disposals, nine clearances and kicking a goal.
If this trio can all fire at the same time, opposition midfields will have some serious headaches.
Lion cubs
Complementing this top-end talent are a number of young, emerging stars that are showing positive signs.
Of the team that lined up against Sydney in Round 10, seven players were under the age of 22, two of whom were 18-years-old.
Zac Bailey and Cameron Rayner are 18, Alex Witherden is 19, Jarrod Berry, Eric Hipwood and Hugh McCluggage are all 20 and Harris Andrews is just 21.
Across this group, the average number of senior games is 28, a stark contrast to recruit Luke Hodge who has played 314 games.
Despite the results not going the Lions' way so far this season, it is this group of Lion cubs which is filling the supporters with hope.
Slow starts, fast finishes
You would have thought that a team as young as Brisbane’s would be fast starters and potentially slow finishers, but this year it’s been the other way round.
In 2018, the Lions are yet to win an opening quarter, with their Round 4 clash against Richmond seeing themscore just two behinds in the first term.
Brisbane is minus 136 points in first quarters this season, but in final terms, it ranks first amongst the competition at plus 18.
It’s an interesting trend, and one that is worth keeping an eye on throughout the season.
