Brisbane Lions forward line looks a shell of itself in 2024 as Chris Fagan searches for answers

Brisbane coach Chris Fagan has been left searching for answers as to why his once-fearsome forward line is misfiring to start the 2024 season. Plus a Lions great has his say.

Brisbane’s greatest strength has suddenly become a weakness and it’s left Chris Fagan scratching his head.

“We’ve won inside 50s in every game we’ve played this year,” he mused.

“Normally when we win inside 50s we win (the game) but for some reason or other we’re not.”

A once fearsome forward line that only a month ago was rated the best in the competition now looks a shell of itself.

At the peak of their 2023 powers the Lions played the pre-eminent brand of attacking footy: a front-half pressure game that locked the ball in and allowed the combination of towering tall forwards and silky-skilled smalls to get to work.

They hit the scoreboard on average 45.8 per cent of the time they went inside 50, good for second-best in the AFL. Coupled with their territory (+8.3, AFL No.2) and clearance dominance (+6.5, AFL No.1) Fagan’s side was a nightmare to defend.

Chris Fagan has work to do. Picture: Getty Images

But the 2024 version has lost its way.

This year their inside 50 efficiency has plummeted to 38.5 per cent – ranked 17th in the league and lower even than West Coast’s 2023 output.

Against Collingwood that number fell even lower, to 37.5 per cent.

Dropped marks. Missed shots. Non-attempts. Some of Brisbane’s goal kickers look bereft of confidence and it was all laid bare on Easter Thursday.

“A lot of hands on ball first wasn’t there?” declared Fagan, in reference to his trio of key forwards who routinely failed to clunk a forward 50 mark.

“I reckon when I look back at the vision there will be some marks we should have taken that we dropped.”

It permeated into other parts of the game, too.

Joe Daniher’s decision to pass into traffic rather than take a set shot from the 50m arc in the third quarter was head scratching to say the least. Particularly when, after earning a second chance later in the quarter, he flushed it straight through the posts.

That was the only goal he or Eric Hipwood would kick against the Magpies.

At ground level it wasn’t much better.

In the corresponding game last season Charlie Cameron booted six goals and won the match off his own boot. This time he finished the night 1.3 – taking his season tally to 3.8.

Charlie Cameron reacts to a missed chance. Picture: Getty Images

The All-Australian is unquestionably one of the most dangerous small forwards in the business but is well below his typical output.

“Some of our players are not at their best at the moment,” Fagan conceded.

“I can’t explain to you why … that’s sport for you. Sometimes you go through form slumps and we’ve got a few that aren’t at their best at the moment.”

Brisbane great Alastair Lynch believes the Lions’ problems are two-fold: a crisis of confidence in front of goal and waning want to win the footy when the game is on the line.

“At times with Brisbane, if you were to ask the question ‘who do you want to take the shot from 35m dead in front?’ you just feel a lot of the Lions players would nominate someone else,” Lynch told this masthead.

“There’s almost an anxiety that if someone gets the shot you feel like they would like someone else to take the shot.

“You should want that opportunity, want that pressure, want the eyes on you.

“The ball has been getting in there (inside 50). Maybe it’s not getting into the spots ideally they would like, but they’ve had opportunities to take marks and convert (goals). Just that competitive grit I think goes missing for chunks of the game.”

The frustration for Lynch is that in each game this season the Lions have threatened their brilliant best but tempered it with some tepid footy.

Against Carlton it was a seven-goal opening quarter that should have put the game to bed.

The following week a 10-minute purple patch had the Lions four goals to the good away to Fremantle.

Mason Cox spoils Joe Daniher. Picture: Getty Images

On Thursday night the second quarter was prototypical Brisbane footy. The front-half game sparked to life and they smashed Collingwood 21-2 in inside 50s.

The Magpies could not move the ball out of D50. Everything we had come to know and love about the Lions’ game was humming. And then it vanished, again.

“If the Lions want to contend for the flag they’ve got to find that will to compete for longer,” Lynch declared.

“And it’s not against any one individual it’s just the mix at the moment doesn’t look like they hate to lose anything. It just doesn’t appear like they have enough of those people at the moment who would hate to lose the game.

“There’s times in the game where the Lions are playing extremely well, but then other times you think maybe they’re just relying on talent rather than real competitive grit to wrestle it back.

“Collingwood were far from back to their best (on Thursday) … but at halftime, when (Brisbane) put it on them, they responded. And that’s just something we’re not seeing at the moment from the Lions.

“Yeah, I’ve got concerns now. Because they’ve hardly lost home games for five years. They were 13-zip last year, so there has to be concerns after dropping your first two games. Yes it was against contenders, but that is a change.”

Next on the docket is North Melbourne for Gather Round.

If the Lions cannot muster a marked improvement against the Kangaroos’ inexperienced back line, then the alarm bells will really start ringing.