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Brisbane coach Chris Fagan insists he will remain optimistic after the Lions missed a golden opportunity to finish in the AFL’s top four with a one-point loss to Collingwood.
The Lions led throughout the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Saturday until Beau McCreery scored 29 minutes into the final quarter to seal the win.
Lions coach Chris Fagan.Credit: Getty Images
Brisbane were their own worst enemy, especially in the third quarter, missing a ton of scorable shots and leading by just 14 points in the final quarter.
The Lions seemed to have the upper hand, with a clever steal from Charlie Cameron giving them a 17-point lead 20 minutes into the final quarter.
Joe Daniher then had a chance to beat the Magpies but he missed a spot-kick for his fifth goal of the game before Collingwood kicked the final three majors to win 11.13 (79) to 11.12 (78).
“We’ve won nine of our last 11 games and lost two. That’s pretty good form,” said Fagan.
“We lost a game by one point, we didn’t lose by much last week (against GWS), we had more shots, so we’re in pretty strong form.
“We’ll take confidence from that and knowing how the season has gone, you can turn things around pretty quickly.
“I’m going to stay positive. Why wouldn’t I?”
The Lions will go into the weekend in fifth place, their hopes of a top-four finish all but gone ahead of their final home-and-away game against Essendon at the Gabba next Saturday night.
In last Saturday’s loss to the Giants, they kicked just 8.16 points, the second straight week they’ve been costly by turnovers.
“You have to move on as quickly as possible,” Feigen said.
“We will learn some lessons from the game.
“Obviously the most important thing is to take advantage of the chances to score and that’s something I’ve talked about a lot this year.”
“But the players will know that.
“They’re going to be disappointed, so I’m not going to let them down.
“We’re just going to keep working and trying to do better.”
Striker Eric Hipwood returned to action after two weeks out with a groin injury but had minimal impact on the game.
When asked about Hipwood’s health, Fagan flew into a rage.
“He was fit enough to play, so we put him in,” he said.
“We don’t play injured players, that would be a stupid decision, so he is fit enough to play.”
Midfielder Jarrod Berry was taken off in the second quarter with hamstring tightness and will undergo scans.
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