200cm Lions forward Brandon Ryan will today debut for Brisbane against his former club Hawthorn when the two teams do battle from 1:10pm from Marvel Stadium.
Ryan replaces the suspended Eric Hipwood, becoming the fourth Lions debutant in four weeks as Brisbane continue to throw fresh faces into the mix amid an injury crisis.
“It’s hard to believe I was making my debut less than 12 months ago for Hawthorn, now against them for another team,” Ryan said, per AAP.
“It’s special; a bit of a full circle moment as I also made my debut at Marvel with the Hawks.
“The Lions have been one of the top teams for years now and have so many decorated names, so to be running out with those guys makes me feel very proud.”
The two teams are coming into the game situated outside the top eight, with Brisbane 4-1-5 on the year – though coming off the back of a 119-point demolition of the Tigers – and the Hawks 3-7.
But despite strong form in recent years, Brisbane hasn’t beaten Hawthorn since 2019, losing the last four consecutive meetings between the clubs.
“Pretty clearly it just comes down to workrate and mindset,” Lions coach Chris Fagan said.
“That’s no disrespect to Hawthorn. They played very well against us in those games, but we were nowhere near our best.
“We’ve just got to make sure that we’re somewhere near our best or at our best on the weekend.
“If we are, then we give ourselves a good chance. If we’re not, then the same thing will happen.”
Watch it live on Fox Footy (channel 504), streaming on Kayo or via Hubbl from 12:30pm.
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