In a game without Sam Taylor, Toby Greene, or Stephen Coniglio, not to mention Brent Daniels as an unused substitute, the Giants demonstrated their destructive power and the Lions’ weakness.
This was the sixth loss for last year’s grand finalists, but against the extremely impressive Giants, they played like a bottom ten team – and that’s being fair.
The Lions lost dashing and flashy Kiddy Coleman to a season-ending injury, and off-season prized recruit Tom Doedee has suffered a similar fate.
This is hardly an excuse, but what has become of this team? They are currently docile, like a kitten rather than a lion.
Getting Tom Green off the leash and galloping wild around the midfield demanded some serious attention.
When asked after the game what happened, Brisbane coach Fagan gave one of the worst comments I’ve heard in a long time.
“What happened?” he was questioned. The response: “First half was fine, second was below par.”
Why? Fagan could only say “I don’t know”.
A poor response and performance from a side that has struck yet another stumbling block just when they are well on their way to the Premiership.
Were the Giants simply too good? I do not think so.
Many predicted that this squad will be a grand finalist again after falling short the previous season.
However, I have a theory to what the club needs to do in the short and medium term.
Will Ashcroft is an absolute star who went down sadly last season with a brutal knee injury but there is a silver lining to this if you think long term. His brother Levi who many have already said will be a top five if not the number 1 pick in the 2024 draft after opting to finish high school first then nominate for the draft.
This has a very interesting element as Brisbane particularly at home were a force last season. Looking at this current team though raises some interesting questions.
Is a mini-rebuild necessary? Coleman was the new Daniel Rich and going down in their first game broke what could have been a dominant individual year for a rising talent.
From there they have not recovered, and in my opinion, won’t recover this season.
Brisbane Lions. (Photo by Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images )
They have two absolute stars in Ashcroft and Coleman on the shelf and this won’t be the year.
This is where I think young Levi comes into the fold. The Lions will need to match a bid for him which will cost them a lot.
However, if they are clever they can use this season as a passing of the guard season and send off some very talented players whilst also trying to be competitive.
Some big calls that I would like to see is that Dayne Zorko and Jarryd Lyons retire, and Hugh McCluggage and Oscar McInerney are traded.
These may seem odd decisions but will be justified if they want to stay competitive.
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