Port key in Lions’ revival

BRISBANE’S last trip to Adelaide Oval was a turning point for the club.

It was Round 3, 2018 and the Lions were facing bogy side Port Adelaide at a venue that had become a graveyard for the club.

On the eve of the match Chris Fagan’s right-hand man Danny Daly quietly revealed to the coach his battle with prostate cancer.

Then on the morning of the game, skipper Dayne Beams had a breakdown in his hotel room and was unable to play.

Brisbane officials saw firsthand the empathy that has become the backbone of Fagan’s coaching approach that weekend and were highly impressed.

The Lions pushed Port to the wire before a shot from Allen Christensen with 20 seconds to go fell short, allowing the home side to hang on for a five-point win. CEO Greg Swann said he remembers the weekend for the strength the coach showed but also says on the field, he believes it was a significant moment in the development of the side.

“It was a tough weekend for our club and for the coach,’’ he said. “Danny is Fages’s righthand man and they are very close, and that was also the first time Dayne had revealed the full extent of the emotional toll his father’s death has taken – he just couldn’t get up to play.

“So there was a lot going on in the background and we hadn’t been very good there in the past either, but we were super competitive. We had a chance to win that game.”

Port Adelaide had the wood on Brisbane in their first two meetings under Fagan, and in some ways have become one of the best yardsticks for measuring Brisbane’s advancement.