McStay out but minor tweaks for Lions: Fagan

BRISBANE will be forced to alter its forward line for the second week of finals after already ruling out forward Daniel McStay after he was concussed in the loss to Melbourne at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.

However, Lions coach Chris Fagan was adamant there would be only minor tweaks to the attack for the clash against the Western Bulldogs.

Fagan also claimed defender Ryan Lester would be a certain starter after being sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Rhys Mathieson, the medical sub who replaced McStay in the opening quarter against the Demons, is in doubt due to a shoulder issue, but Fagan expects experienced defender Grant Birchall to play.

Birchall played out the contest against the Demons despite spending an extended period on the bench in the opening half after hurting his knee.

“We have been the best offence in the competition,” Fagan said. “You don’t jump off the ship on one poor performance.

“You tend to back your guys in. We will have to make one change with Dan out and there will be some tinkering. But we have not got too many guys playing football at the moment given the reserves have not played for quite a few weeks.

“So it’s not like there are a whole lot of match fit guys waiting for an opportunity.”

Fagan said the loss of McStay early damaged the side’s structure and noted it took his players time to adjust. He refused to use injuries as an excuse, though, and said the Demons were the better team.

Melbourne won the contested possession and territory battle, according to Fagan, and had more contributors.