‘Freo fans won’t faze us’

Fagan has Lions fired up to face hostile crowd

LIONS coach Chris Fagan has warned his players to steel themselves for a hostile Perth crowd, admitting he may not have adequately prepared them for the atmosphere on their last visit to the MCG.

The always boisterous Dockers crowd is expected to find another octave or two after coach Ross Lyon made a public call for all Fremantle fans to provide a nasty welcome to prodigal son Lachie Neale. Neale, who no longer wears the Dockers colours but is in a purple patch of form, is the least of Fagan’s concerns.

“I think he is a really mentally strong individual and a real pro,’’ he said.

“He was very mentally tough in the first place when he was over there on his own trying to get to us.

“He maintained his integrity throughout and he has always been respectful to Freo.’’

However, Fagan admits crowds can intimidate visiting teams and says the massive MCG crowd had an impact in their heavy 47-point round four loss to Essendon.

He has vowed the Lions will be better prepared tomorrow.

“I reckon I missed a trick there,’’ Fagan said.

“In our planning we didn’t talk enough about it. I always do but for some reason I didn’t do it for that Essendon game.

“Maybe it is because I lived in Melbourne for so long and spent so much time at the MCG that I forgot that it is different, especially for players who don’t play there that often.

“I didn’t get our players ready for that. You go to Perth and it is the same and we will be talking about that.”

Performing on the road is an area Brisbane have turned around under Fagan.

They have won in footy heartland states Western Australia and Victoria, beat Hawthorn in Launceston, and came within a kick of Port Adelaide in South Australia over the past year. This season they have won two of their four games away from the Gabba and suffered a close loss to the Bulldogs in Ballarat.

Fagan said there was no avoiding the fact sides had to be able to win on the road to claim premierships and it was an area the Lions worked on.

“It is the hardest thing to do in world sport, basketball courts are the same size wherever you go but teams find winning on the road is difficult,’’ he said.

“I think we have come a fair way on that one. I feel like our blokes enjoy travel and they have a set routine now they are comfortable with.”