Brisbane nice Jonathan Brown has referred to as on the Lions to “acknowledge” their drawback of successful video games on the MCG and “hit it head on” in opposition to the Demons on Friday evening.
The Lions have a uncommon alternative to play on the house of AFL soccer once they tackle a fourth-placed Melbourne aspect eight factors behind them on the ladder,
Brisbane beat the Demons on the MCG in final yr’s finals sequence to snare their first win on the venue since 2014.
Since then, the Lions have performed two extra matches on the MCG, dropping each, together with a disappointing 25-point loss to Hawthorn final month
Brown, whose all-conquering Lions workforce additionally struggled on the floor till a “line-in-the sand” victory over Collingwood throughout their 2001 premiership-winning season, stated the present Brisbane workforce had no alternative however to enhance their MCG file in the event that they needed to finish the membership’s 20-year flag drought.
“Ultimately, you’ve got to win there because that’s where the grand final is played,” he stated.
Brown urged the Lions to not get “caught up worrying” about their MCG file and take coronary heart from having crushed the Demons there final yr.
“They’ve beaten this opposition, in a final, at the MCG,” he stated.
“They’ve just got to acknowledge the record. We had a similar problem winning there in my first 18 months at the club.”
Enough was sufficient for then Lions coach Leigh Matthews forward of a spherical 15 conflict in 2001 in opposition to Collingwood on the floor.
“Leigh made us acknowledge it and it prepared us to go to hit it head on and say ‘the grand final is what you play footy for, and the grand final’s at the MCG. I can shy away from it, or just accept it, and be better as an individual and as a team at the MCG’.
“We beat Collingwood at the MCG – that was the line-in-the-sand moment for us.
“We acknowledged it, we said that we’ve got to win here, and we went out and did it. It becomes a belief thing.”
That “belief” helped the Lions win a hat-trick of grand finals on the venue from 2001 to 2003.
Brown stated the third-placed Lions have been “primed” to win one other premiership, and their June 10 loss to the Hawks was the “little shake-up they needed”.
“That would have steeled the players and showed them from a mental point of view that week in, week out in this competition they’ve got to be ready for the fight from the first bounce,” the previous Brisbane captain stated.
“Talking about premiership demographics, Brisbane’s well and truly in their prime, and their best footy is as good as anyone’s.
“They’ve beaten the good teams. They’re certainly in the (premiership) conversation.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
