Another season, another Brisbane finals exit after so much promise.
2021 marked the third year in a row where the Lions failed to make it to the big dance despite being in positions of power going into the business end of finals.
A cruel singular point loss to eventual grand finalists Western Bulldogs at the Gabba made Brisbane fans query themselves over whether Chris Fagan's side would ever deliver the ultimate glory after three seasons of disappointment.
It could be all doom and gloom at the Lions but with two of their major stars in Cam Rayner and Eric Hipwood set to return from ACL injuries, there is reason for cautious optimism over the club's premiership chances this year.
Without further ado, here are the five burning questions for the Brisbane Lions heading into season 2022.
Can they shake off their September curse?
When the final siren blew at the Gabba on the night of September 4 to signal a Brisbane finals exit, there was a sense of disbelief amongst the crowd with the club once again taking an early holiday after Bailey Smith came up clutch with a major in the dying moments of the game to win it for the Doggies.
In 2020 it was a shotty second half against the Cats that saw the Lions comprehensively beaten at home, giving up the opportunity to play in an unprecedented Brisbane-hosted Grand Final after getting one over the eventual premiers Richmond in a qualifying final.
Fagan's first September foray in 2019 saw him go out in straight sets courtesy of a Dustin Martin masterclass in the first week, and a Brent Daniels clutch goal in the closing minutes of their semi-final matchup sealing Brisbane's fate before the true business end of the series.
Three attempts out of three have resulted in the Lions going home with their heads in their hands, so what has to happen for the club to shake their curse and snatch redemption on the last Saturday of September?
There is no doubt that Chris Fagan would have worked on his side's mental resolve over the off-season to close out nail-biting encounters, however, it's only when the Lions are in that situation again that we will be able to see whether or not there has been a tangible change from their previous finals campaigns.
With the personnel that Brisbane has in their ranks, it's no long shot to claim that they could be the ones lifting the cup come Grand Final Day, but it'll be their ability to walk away victors from close shaves that will see them stand on the podium.
Is this the year Zac Bailey goes AA?
After a catalogue of huge performances for punters to pick from in 2021, 22-year-old Zac Bailey is on track to be a superstar of the competition.
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The Northern Territory-born forward had his best campaign yet, booting 31 goals in 24 appearances including some belters against Richmond, Melbourne and Adelaide that saw him pop up on many neutral's radars ahead of season 2022.
With this rapid improvement, can the silky Lion break into the All-Australian side in 2022 should his performances keep up?
Compared to the other small forwards in his team, namely Charlie Cameron and Lincoln McCarthy, Bailey doesn't particularly measure up to them in terms of goal output, with his counterparts booting 55 and 36 majors respectively.
A key part of Bailey's game however is to be able to shift into the middle should he be required, with some of his best games last year coming from midfield.
With the Lions' midfield brigade already stacked as it is, it'll be down to Bailey this year to make his mark on the team and elevate himself to the level of his counterparts in order to attract the attention of All-Australian selectors in 2022.
Can Cam Rayner slot into the engine room?
The potential of Lions young star Cam Rayner is undoubted, however a horror ACL injury in the club's pre-season hitout against the Suns at the beginning of 2021 saw his campaign ended before it ever really began, stripping him of a year of his career.
Prior to his injury, Rayner featured heavily for the Lions in 2020 but did not have a statistically outstanding campaign as his side stumbled at the final hurdle before the big dance.
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Averaging a goal per game, Rayner was able to have an effect on the scoreboard whilst not getting an awful lot of the footy from his native forward-line position.
Despite this, the reason he was plucked at Pick 1 in 2017 by the Lions was for his impact off the stoppage and for his creativity - something that could easily be utilised by Chris Fagan in the middle of the park should he shift some magnets around.
According to the Lions pre-season match simulation last month, Rayner was put on the ball along with counterpart Zac Bailey, perhaps marking Fagan's intent to use the recovering youngster's explosivity to add another dimension to his side's midfield brigade.
The boy from Essendon Grammar is tipped to be available for Brisbane's Round 1 clash against the Power, with eyes sure to be set upon him as he plays his first AFL match for almost 18 months.
Will Lachie Neale stay on beyond 2022?
Lachie Neale rocked the footballing world in September with claims emerging that the 2020 Brownlow medallist had his heart set on moving back to Perth to return to former club Fremantle ahead of season 2022.
One sensational u-turn later and suddenly the club is gearing up for a big campaign with the retainment of Neale sure to boost morale around the training ground.
However, with Neale making his sentiments clear about his family's homesickness, could 2022 be the final year we see Neale in the blue, red and gold of Brisbane?
The superstar's contract expires at the end of 2023 and, whilst he's not a free agent, could push for a move back to the Dockers in trade period 2022 should his homesickness ensue.
Although it wasn't a reason for Neale's proposed exit, if Chris Fagan's side once again fail to make ends meet in September then the 28-year-old might be even more tempted to tread the same path he walked four years ago.
The Western Australian has signalled his intent to win a premiership flag with the Lions, however with the Dockers tipped to rise up the table in the coming years, is it time for Neale to jump ship in the next 12 months to be a part of Fremantle's journey?
Only time will tell how this saga unfolds, however the longer Neale goes without signing a contract, the faster the rumour mill will spin.
Can the Lions jump out of the blocks early on?
2021 saw Brisbane just scrape into the top four by the skin of their teeth, winning by 38 points - seven points above the required margin - to beat the Doggies to fourth spot on the ladder in the final game of the home-and-away season.
Although it made for an enthralling finish to the year, the fact is that the Lions probably shouldn't have been in that position should they have won games early on in the year that they were expected to.
Two losses in the first fortnight of the season to Sydney and Geelong immediately put the side on the back foot, having to chase down their premiership rivals in order to make it into the top four.
Throw in losses throughout the year that should have been wins in the form of St Kilda, Richmond and Hawthorn and, if Chris Fagan's side didn't make the top four, the Lions would have only have themselves to blame.
As the saying goes, you should start as you mean to go on, and if the Lions want to go far in the competition in 2022, then there are no excuses for the side not beating both Port Adelaide and Essendon in the opening two rounds of the year.
With the aforementioned Cam Rayner coming back into the fray and Eric Hipwood's return set to be earlier than first thought, Brisbane should be on track to have a big start to the year and set the tone for the rest of the competition.
