Lions roar to life in their ‘D’
THE availability of key defender Darcy Gardiner has given Brisbane coach Chris Fagan a pleasant selection headache for Sunday’s visit of Fremantle to the Gabba.
In the absence of a concussed Gardiner, the Lions produced arguably their best defensive performance of the season in last weekend’s 49point thrashing of Port Adelaide.
“Our backline was really good,” Fagan said on Thursday.
“The backline guys rely on how the ball comes in more often than not, so we did a good job making sure it wasn’t coming in with any real flow.
“He (Gardiner) is fit to play. He’s been passed. We’ve got four days before we play so we’ll have to have a bit of a chitchat about how we structure up with him back and available.
“They’re always good problems to have. As coach you always want it to be a hard exercise to pick your team.”
Seemingly in no danger of losing his spot despite Gardiner’s likely selection is hardman Marcus Adams.
After a shocking injury run which led to him making only one appearance last season, Adams has re-established himself as a key member of Brisbane’s defensive unit.
“He’s going well at the moment,” Fagan said of Adams.
“He’s so brave in the air and he’s so strong as well – he’s difficult to play against.
“He’s working well in tandem with all the other guys.
“I’m so glad for Marcus because he had such a wretched run with injury, and I think he felt himself he was letting the team down, so for him to be able to play with consistency week after week is a just reward for a lot of hard work.”
The Lions are chasing a fourth straight win on Sunday in a match switched from Perth to Brisbane due to a COVID-19 scare in Western Australia.
“I was looking forward to us going to Perth. We travel well and we looked forward to those road trips to try to test us out,” Fagan said.
“Obviously you want to try to take advantage of having the game played here, but it is wrong to assume that would give us any advantage.
“If we think for one second the game here is an advantage to us, that’s the first step towards losing the game.
“Our players have got to be on their toes.
“The leadership group are pretty good on that. I don’t need to say it. They understand footy pretty well and all the trials and tribulations that come with winning and losing.
“They were all over that earlier in the week and spoke about it in our team meeting, so I expect them to be on their toes.”
Fagan confirmed midfielder Jarrod Berry (adductor) would be sidelined for another week.
“He’s back running which is a good sign but he’s not yet ready to play,” he said.