Fired up Dons to test Lions
GREG DAVIS BRISBANE coach Chris Fagan says the way Essendon dismantled his old club Hawthorn last week has the Lions on high alert at the Gabba tonight.
The Bombers put the Hawks to the sword by 25 points when many of their stars returned from 12-month bans for the supplements saga that devastated the club.
Fagan spent nine years at Hawthorn and was an integral part of four premierships in a variety of high-powered football department positions before joining the Lions.
He enjoyed a win over the Gold Coast in his first outing as a senior coach but said the Lions had to “move on quickly’’ from the heart-stopping QClash given the Bombers were so impressive.
“Essendon, they are a formidable opponent,” he said.
“They played extremely well against Hawthorn last week. I mean, not too many teams have been able to do that to Hawthorn over the last four or five years.
“They played with a great deal of passion and they ob- viously fired up. They are on a journey so we need to quickly forget about the great things that happened for us last week and be ready for what’s coming.
“They are a team that can move the ball incredibly quickly. They love to bring the ball into the corridor, their forwards are really dangerous, they work well as a team and they have a strong group of midfielders, so generally speaking they are a good allround team.’’
Brisbane trained on the Gabba yesterday for the first time this year, meaning Essendon will have as many sessions on the ground as the Lions ahead of the Round 2 clash.
More than 200mm fell on the ground during Thursday’s deluge but the excellent drainage ensured the surface was in pristine condition.
Former Collingwood defender Jack Frost will make his Lions debut after serving a suspension and Fagan said his big-match experience with the Pies would be invaluable.
Meanwhile, Fagan is unconcerned about speculation surrounding off-contract key forward Josh Schache.
“We really don’t comment on negotiations that are going on between players and management,” he said. “All I can say is I’m really happy that Schache is back playing this week (in the NEAFL).’’