‘He shouldn’t say that’: Rival coach says last thing Lions want to hear

West Coast coach Adam Simpson has made a declaration that no premiership-contending coach would want said about their team.

Adam Simpson handed the Lions a label they don't want. Photo: Fox Sports

West Coast coach Adam Simpson’s declaration that the Lions were the AFL premiership favourites wasn’t what his Brisbane counterpart Chris Fagan wanted to hear after his side’s 81-point demolition of the Eagles at the Gabba on Saturday.

The Lions were never troubled in their 16.20 (116) to 5.5 (35) thrashing of the last-placed Eagles.

And the margin should have been more, with Brisbane missing a host of good chances in front of goal.

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But apart from that, the Lions had little to complain about in a performance that further cemented Simpson’s belief that Brisbane was the best team in the competition despite being third on the ladder behind Collingwood and Port Adelaide.

“They’re my favourites,” premiership-winning coach Simpson said of the Lions.

“Their style of play is so honest, and they’re defending better, from my point of view, behind the ball.

“They’ve got talent as well, and they’re all committed, so it looks like they’ve clicked to another gear.

“I’ve talked them up too much. ‘Fages’ (Fagan) won’t like me doing that but it’s just how I feel.

“He’ll talk them down no doubt, but they’re going all right.”

Fagan seemed surprised by Simpson’s comments.

“Simmo did, did he? Damn Simmo, he shouldn’t say that,” Fagan said with a slight chuckle.

“We’re good friends from our Hawthorn days. He said that did he?

“Well I don’t agree. I think Collingwood are the best team in the competition. I don’t think we are. I think we’ve got work to do still.”

Adam Simpson handed the Lions a label they don't want. Photo: Fox Sports

However, Fagan did agree with Simpson that the Lions had improved defensively.

“It has been good for the last month or so … but we’ve got to keep going,” the Lions coach said.

“It’s really reliant on pressure up the field, too.”

The Lions put the match to bed early on Saturday, leading 45-0 at one stage after kicking the contest’s first seven goals.

“We came to the game wanting to put the game out of their reach as quickly as we possibly could, and I thought we did that in the first quarter,” Fagan said.

“That was important. A young team like them just want to get a little bit of hope on the road.

“We were aware of that, so I thought it was a really professional performance.

“Early in the game, (it was) all about our pressure, our tackling, our hunt – everything was where we wanted it to be.

“For the rest of the day, outside of inaccuracy, that was a pretty strong even performance across four quarters.”

The Lions were flying just under the radar. Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images

A highlight of the match was Jack Gunston kicking six goals in his return to Brisbane’s team after being dropped following the Lions’ loss to Hawthorn on June 10.

“I think you saw today a bit more of what Jack’s capable of but he’s got to keep doing it. There are sterner tests ahead, but … he moved a whole lot better than what he was before he had a month off.

“Hopefully it’s done him some good. Kicking a few goals will certainly help his confidence. Not only did he kick himself, but he assisted in creating opportunities for others, so (it was) a good outcome.”

Originally published as ‘He shouldn’t say that’: Rival coach says last thing Lions want to hear