Brisbane coach Chris Fagan is remaining optimistic in the wake of his side's third straight defeat to start the season, not looking to "press the panic button" following the Lions' loss to Collingwood at home.
The defeat saw the Queensland outfit lose consecutive matches at the Gabba after being undefeated at home for the entirety of last year, with Fagan's side slumping to 0-3 to sit 14th on the ladder with an extra game to their record than most sides they're currently sitting above.
The Lions have battled with fluctuations in form throughout all three matches to start their 2024 campaign, and have led the inside 50 count in all three results but have failed to get over the line.
Knowing "good glimpses" aren't enough to go the distance, Fagan is looking to remain positive with a long season ahead.
"All I know is that there's 20 (games) to go," Fagan said post-game. "There's a long way to go.
"We certainly haven't had the start that we hoped for. We've dropped two home games, which is very unusual for us over the last period of time.
"We've got a bit of work to do to find ourselves. There were some good glimpses of that tonight, but we've got to build on it.
"Almost the most frustrating part about it is that we've won the inside 50s in every game we've played this year. Normally when we win inside 50s we win (the game). For some reason we're not. The answer is not obvious.
"... making it sound like we're 0-13. We're 0-3 and there's 20 games to go. It's not a great start, but let's not catastrophise either. That would be the way I look at it, I don't want to buy into that just yet."
Brisbane's forward efficiency was an area lacking in the Lions' encounter with Collingwood as talls Eric Hipwood and Joe Daniher were kept to a total of 16 disposals and one goal between them.
Small forward Charlie Cameron booted 1.3 and struggled to have an impact, with the Lions falling short by 20 points to the reigning premiers despite having the same amount of scoring shots.
Speaking on Cameron and Hipwood, Fagan said positive reinforcement may be all that's keeping the pair from returning to their best.
"It's a good challenge. You just talk to them about what they're good at and reinforce that," the Lions coach said.
"Form comes and goes. It can go, but it can come back. It's just (delivering) positivity, and honesty as well. Those guys have been good players, so we won't have to press the panic button.
"I've trusted them for a long time and they've delivered. I'm not going to jump off them just because we've lost three games in a row.
"We've turned up and played pretty well over the past five or six years, and right now we're just having a little slump."
Brisbane co-captain Lachie Neale was a standout in the defeat, collecting a game-high 30 disposals, ten clearances and 20 contested possessions while shaking off a worrying ankle injury.
Speaking on the two-time Brownlow medallist, Fagan said Neale can "hold his head up high".
"I reckon it'll be pretty sore tomorrow. It was a good effort by him to keep playing," Fagan said of Neale's ankle injury.
"I haven't talked to the medical people about what the plans are for him. He was able to finish the game but he wasn't moving as well once he [first hurt his ankle]. That was a bit of a moment in the game.
"He can hold his head up high tonight."
The Lions will continue their chase for a maiden season win next week when they meet North Melbourne in South Australia for Gather Round.
