Brisbane are inching ever closer to premiership favouritism as we hit the close of the home & away season.
Amid an eight-game win streak, they have rocketed up to second spot on the ladder and don't look likely to lose any of their remaining matches on the road September.
Saturday's 28-point win over Gold Coast saw the Suns' first loss at home this season and reaffirmed Brisbane's footing as the in-form team of the competition.
The win streak has been rife with both convincing blowouts and tight game triumphs, which coach Chris Fagan thought may have taken it's toll on his resilient playing group.
"It was a good hard-fought win. I was a little bit worried about tonight... we had a really hard game last Sunday against the Swans," Fagan acknowledged post-match.
"I looked at the boys at training during the week and they looked a bit battered and bruised. I wasn't sure how they were going to be tonight but they stepped up."
The task was made tougher this week by the depletion of their entire key defensive crop, forcing the Lions to swing some magnets and uncover their newfound flexibility and versatile depth, notably with primary forward Eric Hipwood and fringe member Jaxson Prior in defence.
"It was a bit unusual having all your tall defenders not available at one time," Fagan laughed.
"To see Eric (Hipwood) go back, he looked a little bit all at sea to start with, King probably could have got a few early, but then got better as the game went on."
Hipwood's eight spoils and five intercept marks hint at a big night for the forward-turned-backman, but don't account for the glaring amount of chances allowed to Suns' forward Ben King, who was again wasteful in front of the sticks.
Regardless, it was positive trial for the Lions' lineup and a move they'll surely continue to test for the remaining rounds of the season.
"I'll give Mark Browning credit where credit's due. He's the ex-Sydney Swans legend who works up here in AFL Queensland," Fagan said.
I remember when I first came to the club, I kept running into him and he kept saying 'you know Eric Hipwood's a better defender than he is a forward'."
"He coached him obviously in the under 18s, so I better send Mark a text tonight and say 'maybe you're right'."
"So when you have some of those little crisis situations, they're actually good in a way because you learn a little bit more about your team."
"We're a bit more flexible than I thought, which is great."
Veteran Dayne Zorko may have stamped his name on the All-Australian back flank spot, taking home his second Marcus Aschroft Medal for the season to the delight of his coach.
"He had a terrific game Zorks," Fagan added,
"It's probably ironic, once upon a time he could've been a Gold Coast Suns player."
"Good on him, he's doing such a good job. What is he now... He's 35? Wow."
Brisbane will likely start favourite in each of their four remaining matches against St Kilda, GWS, Collingwood and Essendon, looking primed to to go one kick better than last year in a potential premiership run.
