Chris Fagan is taking inspiration from his time as Hawthorn coach to mould an efficient attacking gameplan without former star key forward Joe Daniher.
Daniher's retirement has left a large void in the Lions' forward line following 119 goals across his last two seasons before hanging up the boots after Brisbane's 2024 premiership.
The Lions have attempted to fill the hole with former Sun Sam Day coming across town, as well as adding extra responsibility to Eric Hipwood and Logan Morris, however, Brisbane's undefeated start has been headlined by a shared workload.
The Lions have had 10 or more individual goalkickers in three consecutive games, including all 10 majors scored individually against Geelong, while 11 found the scoreboard against Richmond on Saturday.
Reflecting on when Hawthorn lost Lance Franklin to Sydney after the 2013 premiership, Fagan suggested Daniher's loss could also be a positive to Brisbane's attacking efficiency.
"I think it's really important. I harp on back to my time at Hawthorn when we lost Lance Franklin to Sydney, and everybody thought that was the end of Hawthorn, we actually became a more efficient team going inside 50 because we didn't kick the ball to him all the time," Fagan said.
"We're still learning to play without Joe, but last week, we kicked 10 goals and had 10 goal kickers. Tonight we've had 11. So that's promising. I think we can still improve a little bit in there, but it's a work in progress."
Despite many opinions pre-season that Brisbane would decline without Daniher in the side, it's clear Fagan's experience at Hawthorn is paying dividends in the Lions' fresh attacking approach.
Ranked second for goalscorers per game, the Lions also rank sixth for goal assists. Currently undefeated after four games, the Lions face the Bulldogs, Magpies, Saints and Suns in their next month of enticing action, with a continued undefeated start to the season beckoning.
