‘No question’: Brisbane legends deny Lions theory amid ‘distraction’

A pair of Brisbane Lions legends have given their verdict on the under fire club following a slow start to the season and off field rumblings.

Brisbane legends are keeping faith in the Lions.

Brisbane legends Jonathan Brown and Alastair Lynch are adamant the Lions are still in the premiership window and can put off field distractions aside to play finals.

The Lions have reached the finals five years in a row but have started poorly in 2024, losing two games at the Gabba already after going unbeaten at home last year.

A 70-point win over North Melbourne improved Brisbane’s record to 1-3 and victory over Melbourne at the MCG on Thursday night will be crucial if they are to turn their season around.

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The slow start to the season comes amid reports of issues within the dressing room as a result of an off-season holiday to the United States that some players shared together.

Football club figures have repeatedly denied rumours there is a rift in the dressing room over reports of a WhatsApp group chat shared by some players, which detailed what the holidaying party was getting up to in the United States and was seen by one player’s partner.

“The distraction for the club is that everyone’s been talking about it. I don’t think it’s a major issue,” three-time premiership winner Lynch told news.com.au.

“It was six months ago. It’s been dealt with internally. I think it was just the media looking for reasons why the poor start to the season may have happened. The only distraction was the media focus this week.”

Brisbane's Joe Daniher was back to his best against North. Photo: Phil Hillyard.

Lynch saw “good signs” from Brisbane in the win over North Melbourne, particularly from forwards Eric Hipwood, Joe Daniher and Charlie Cameron.

“They’re very good players and there’s always a lot of scrutiny on the key forwards,” he said.

“All week there’s been a lot of criticism about their forwards and they did well. They competed well, got the ball in the air and on the ground. That’s what everyone wants to see, just compete and they did that very well.”

Lynch said the clash with the Demons is a “huge game” and he is maintaining the faith his old team can play finals for a sixth year in a row.

“They’re chasing their tail a bit dropping the two home games to start the year,” he said.

“Games like this one at the MCG are huge for them. Gives them a chance to get back towards even keel. They’ve got a big month of footy. They need this one.

“They were a kick away from winning the premiership. They’re a very good side. They can get it together. I’m confident they’ll be in the finals.

“They’re going to have to do a lot right to get top four or top two. They can mix it with the best teams in the competition.

“They’ve extremely talented and we’ve seen parts of games where they were at their very best. If they can be a bit more consistent they’ll be right.”

Brisbane have had a slow start to the season. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Jonathan Brown and Alastair Lynch still have faith. Picture: Tony Gough

Fox Footy’s David King recently questioned how long Brisbane’s current squad has left to win a premiership.

Yet Brown believes Brisbane are still well within their premiership window, as the Lions continue to chase their first flag since 2003.

“Absolutely. There’s no question about that,” Brown told news.com.au.

“They’re relatively young. People say they’ve been up for a long time. Last year was the first time they were genuine challengers.

“The demographics of their list are pretty good still. They’re certainly not over the hill by any stretch.”

Asked if Brisbane’s premiership window is still open, Lynch said: “Oh yeah. And I don’t think it closes even at the end of this year. You’d think they’ve got to be contending this year, next year.

“Their best young players — Hugh McCluggage, Zac Bailey, Cam Rayner. Hipwood’s only a young man. You’ve got Will Ashcroft coming back from his ACL. There’s a lot of young players still even though it is an experienced list. 

“They’ve been around the mark, they’ve just got to take that next step. It might just be a kick, but it’s a big step to be premiers.

“It gives you a taste of what finals footy is about and the next level of playing in a grand final.

“You just want to crave that. You want an opportunity to have another go at it because they were so close. I think motivation’s been enhanced because they got so close in one of the great grand finals.”

The Lions need to beat the Dees to keep their season alive. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The loss of rebounding defender Keidean Coleman to an ACL injury makes Brisbane’s quest to win the premiership even harder, but Brown believes the Lions can go all the way.

“They can win it, but it’s made it a lot harder,” he said.

“At least it’s early in the season, they can rejig a few things. Dayne Zorko’s going to play a really important role and quarterback from halfback. It’ll be a tremendous effort if they can.

“Eric (Hipwood) and Charlie (Cameron) are battling a bit confidence wise but they’ll find their legs. I think you’ll see the Lions hitting their straps now.

“It’s a big game Thursday night. Melbourne’s playing some really connected football at the moment. They’ve got another level still to go to.

“Even though the Lions lost on grand final day, they should feel good about their efforts on the biggest stage. If you lose, it’s challenging coming back from 1-4. But I think they’re starting to get their confidence back.”

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“For us people that are tech challenged, which I’m definitely one of, you don’t always have your 10-year-old kid to explain things,” Brown said.

“Essentially it’s just on one screen. All your channels are there including free to air, all your apps and everything.

“It’s a lot easier to navigate through the TV instead of switching between inputs and apps and channels, which I eventually give up.”

Originally published as ‘No question’: Brisbane legends deny Lions theory amid ‘distraction’