The clock is ticking on Brisbane’s premiership window, according to dual premiership Kangaroo David King, with its 0-3 start to the 2024 season raising concerns.
A 20-point loss to 2023 Grand Final opponent Collingwood at the Gabba last Thursday night saw the Lions’ winless start continue, leaving experts to ponder if they’re close to the end of the road amid reports of “tough conversations” between some teammates stemming from a 2023 post-season USA trip – reports the club strongly deny has caused a player rift or played a role in its winless start.
Speaking on Fox Footy’s The First Crack, King voiced his uncertainty around Brisbane’s flag prospects this year.
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“I’m not sure whether to believe it (Brisbane) or not – what do you believe; what’s real and what’s not?” King questioned.
The Lions have showed glimpses of their best football this season; an attribute that can’t necessarily be tied to the other winless teams this year – Adelaide, Hawthorn or West Coast – with North Melbourne the possible exception.
It included Brisbane coughing up a 46-point lead in its one-point Opening Round loss to Carlton.
The Lions also gave up an early 25-point lead against the Dockers on the road in Round 1 and stormed back into last Thursday night’s game against Collingwood after a slow start
“They’ve played some scintillating footy, they really have in three quarters of footy – the two opening quarters of the first two rounds, and then the second quarter the other night,” King said of Brisbane.
“If you look at just sheer scoring, (those) three quarters are +74 points, the other nine quarters -118 points, but it obviously goes deeper than that.”
Ahead of a tough draw for Chris Fagan’s side over the next month, King predicts it won’t take long to learn if it’s still a legitimate contender.
“I guess my overarching thought is – and (Fagan) is right, we’re not here to catastrophe anything, we’re not, but you’ve got to work out which do we believe,” King said.
“They’ve got North Melbourne this week, everyone gives them a tick there – then they come to the MCG for Melbourne, they’ve got Geelong at the Gabba, and the Giants at Manuka.
“We are going to find out on April 25th if they’re real or not, whether we are believers or not,” King exclaimed.
“The issues are of a personal nature” | 09:45
Despite the winless start to 2024, several Brisbane veterans have still maintained their brilliant best form.
Dual Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale has averaged 30 disposals, 7.5 clearances and seven score involvements per match. Former captain Dayne Zorko is in the midst of a purple patch, averaging over 23 disposals and one goal a game.
Josh Dunkley has also brought much-needed heat into their engine room, averaging nearly 25 disposals and eight tackles a game himself.
But having gone deep in finals since 2019, King questioned how long the Lions could stay up for. The North Melbourne legend highlighted that even the absolute best clubs this century only had finite flag windows.
King pointed to the likes of Brisbane’s golden era between 1999-2004 (six-year window), Geelong between 2007 to 2014 (eight-year window), Hawthorn from 2007 to 2016 (with the help of free agency, a 10-year window) and Richmond between 2013-20 (eight-year window).
Fagan keeping focused despite mediation | 01:21
“We’re trying to work out who can win (the premiership this year), so how long’s your window if you’re Brisbane – how many years have you got with this stacked list?,” King said.
“We go deep on Brisbane, because they’re there to win it … maybe we do judge them really harshly. When we see them lose two games at home, it is time to get alarmed.”
In the last five years, the Lions have made two semi finals (2019 and 2021) two preliminary finals (2020 and 2022) and a grand final (2023) – finishing
the home-and-away season outside the top two only twice and the top four just once.
With the second-oldest side over Round 3, the likes of Zorko (35 years old), Jarryd Lyons (31), Ryan Lester (31), Neale (30), Joe Daniher (30) and Lincoln McCarthy (30) are all getting towards the end of their careers.
“There comes a point where you do tip over the edge – now no one knows in advance when that is, it hits pretty hard,” King elaborated.
“They were the second oldest team this round behind Collingwood, so they’re there to win it.”
The Lions will have their best chance yet in 2024 to register their first win, playing the also winless North Melbourne at Norwood Oval on Friday in Gather Round.
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