Doubt is surely starting to enter the mind of the Brisbane faithful. After three straight seasons of blowing out in the finals, can they jump the final hurdle?
Finishes of second and fourth have resulted in two straight-set exits and a prelim loss in 2020.
The arrival of spearhead Joe Daniher was touted as the final key to finally making the grand final, and while the ex-Bomber was a large asset in their success, expectations will rise this season.
While that obviously didn't occur, the Lions are still in good stead to take the next step forward.
Off-season moves
Ins:ย Darcy Fortย (Geelong Cats, 2022),ย Kai Lohmann (2023),ย James Tunstil (2023), Darcy Wilmot (2023)
Outs:ย Connor Ballendenย (delisted),ย Grant Birchallย (retired),ย Tom Joyceย (delisted),ย Archie Smithย (retired),ย Brock Smith (delisted), Cam Ellis-Yolmen (inactive)
Last Season
The Lions enjoyed a strong season yet again, making the top four... just.
Their season started off poorly though, losing Cam Rayner to an ACL injury, ending his season. This was a big blow for the Queensland side, as the former No.1 pick looked to be in career-best form.
Once the season got going, Brisbane didn't, losing three of the first four games to find themselves at 16th after Round 4.
Chris Fagan's men must have been adamant to not disappoint their coach any further, quickly turning around their slow start.
They would go on to win their next seven games, five of which came without 2020 Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale.
Following the poor start, the Lions won 14 games and only lost four, to finish fourth with a 15-7 record. As aforementioned, they had just made the top four, passing the Bulldogs by 0.5%.
Finals ended in disappointment, with another straight-set exit, losing the Dogs by a point in the semi-finals.
