Brisbane coach Chris Fagan says shorter games will look different at sunny Gabba

Don’t write off shorter quarters after one scrappy draw at the MCG. That’ the message from Brisbane coach Chris Fagan, who expects things to look very different at the sunny Gabba.

Stef Martin has made an impressive recovery from injury.

Brisbane coach Chris Fagan is a traditionalist who prefers 20-minute quarters but says it is too early to kick the revised 16-minute terms for 2020 to the kerb.

Fagan is just happy to be back playing football again when the Lions host Fremantle at the Gabba on Saturday – no matter how long they play.

He said there needed to be more football under the revised match conditions to make a proper judgment.

“We haven’t got a lot of evidence yet. We’ve only one round of footy and one game last night. You probably need to re-ask that question in six to eight weeks’ time to see how everything is panning out,’’ Fagan said.

“I’m probably a bit of a traditionalist. I like the game the way it was. A test over two hours, a physical test.

“I’d probably prefer quarters to stay that way but having said that, we’ve prepared for the 100-minute game. We know it’s going to be a bit more intense than usual and there’ll be some other things that we learn along the way.

“To be honest, I don’t really care if it is 100 minutes or 40 minutes, we are back playing, that’s the main thing and I’m pretty sure the players feel the same way.”

Dayne Zorko at Brisbane Lions training.

Lions coach Chris Fagan keeps an eye on training.

Fagan said the heavy dew at the MCG on Thursday night significantly contributed to the Collingwood-Richmond slugfest.

“It was a tough night at the MCG. Two good teams playing each other. When the MCG gets wet and slippery during the middle of winter, it can feel really bigger than what it is. It is hard to move the ball from one end to the other quickly,’’ he said.

“(The Collingwood-Richmond draw was) enthralling to watch. Ironic that after so long off, we can’t get a result. Got to laugh about that, don’t you.

“It’s a short preparation, four weeks after a long lay-off. I’m hoping our blokes can see it through and be really sharp. We’ll have a better feel on that once we see all the games this weekend.’’

Fagan is expecting the clash with the Dockers to be a bit more open on a fast Gabba track during the day.

“The players might appreciate the shorter game…there might be a bit of fatigue. It’s meant to be 24 or 25 degrees and a little humidity so it will be a great physical test on the back of a short preparation,’’ he said.

BORDER RULES STOP DAD FROM SEEING DEBUT

Brisbane has a history of fielding brothers-in-arms.

And coach Chris Fagan hopes the Berry boys – Jarrod and Tom – can add to the rich tapestry of siblings at the Gabba.

Premiership winners Chris and Brad Scott, Michael and Brett Voss and more recently Dayne and Claye Beams have played at the highest level together. The Lions currently have Jarryd and Corey Lyons on their list while Irishmen Pearce and Cian Hanley also called Brisbane home for a period of time.

Tom Berry will make his senior AFL debut when Brisbane hosts Fremantle on Saturday, with older brother and established Lions star Jarrod joining him on the interchange bench.

Lions midfielder Jarrod Berry (left) with brother Tom, who will make his AFL debut on Saturday.

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Unfortunately, their Victorian-based father Troy — who normally heads north to Lions games in Brisbane — will not be able to watch the match in the flesh due to Queensland’s border closures.

But Fagan said he should get plenty of opportunities to see his boys play together in the future.

“It’s great to see the brothers together. It’s a pity that their dad Troy can’t get up here to watch the game. It’s a real pity,’’ he said.

“Two lads from Horsham get the opportunity to play together and hopefully it’s the beginning of a really good partnership. Not just a once-off.

“We are a really young side … still the second or third-youngest in the AFL.

“It’s a great opportunity for anyone between the age of 18 and 23 to become a part of hopefully a really strong Brisbane outfit for the years to come.’’

Fagan said the younger Berry impressed in the pre-season hitout against Carlton and two intra-club matches and the 20-year-old will be deployed in the forward line to put defensive pressure on the Dockers

“He’s a tough, quick pressure forward. He’ll complement guys like Charlie Cameron and Linc McCarthy and Zorks (captain Dayne Zorko) and (Cam) Rayner in our forward line. He will bring pressure and hardness at the footy,’’ Fagan said.

HALL OF FAME DUO ‘MADE YOU FEEL BULLETPROOF’

Brisbane ruckman Stef Martin says Lion King Jonathan Brown made him feel “bulletproof” while fellow Hall of Famer Simon Black was a “great human” who was a role model on and off the football field.

Lions legends Brown and Black were inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame on Tuesday night as a crowning glory to their stellar careers that included the hat-trick of flags from 2001-2003, All-Australian selections, a multitude of club best-and-fairest gongs, and a host of other individual honours.

Martin’s tenure at the Gabba began in 2013 as the dynamic duo of Brown and Black were winding down but said their legacy lives on.

Simon Black and Jonathan Brown were an inspiration to younger players.

“I came in as a bit of an understudy for Browny, or a bit of a foil. I was that second ruck that was going to play more forward than ruck. I learned a bunch from him, especially the obvious things like the courage and the leadership,’’ Martin said.

“It’s not anything specifically that he said to me. There’s special guys out there that figuratively make you walk taller.

“You feel like you are bulletproof in that forward line with him, so being around that kind of guy makes you think I could do a bit of that to help other people around me.

“It’s a pretty special trait. You can’t say that about many people. The confidence that he gave everyone around him, you knew exactly what he was going to do. He was going to put his body on the line for the team.

“Blacky, as everyone knows, is one of the great humans. I just learned from him that no matter how great you are, you should still be humble. It’s almost an inverse relationship, some of the greatest achievers are the most humble.

“That era – it’s great for that to be represented in the Hall of Fame. It’s the best part of our history as a club and it was probably a no-brainer that those guys would get in there and there’s probably a bunch more that will follow ... it adds to the tapestry of the club.’’

Stef Martin has made an impressive recovery from injury.

Martin is set to take on Fremantle next Saturday when the AFL season resumes despite suffering a serious knee injury in the Round 1 loss to Hawthorn in March.

He damaged the PCL in his right knee and immediately feared he would miss a good chunk of the season.

But he was told by club medical staff that the season was about to be suspended due to COVID-19, which gave him time to rehab the injury.

“I feel terrific. The biggest challenge has been going from modified training to full-on contact training,” he said.

“It’s been fast-tracked a little bit ... I’ve only had three sessions of full training with the boys, so the feel will keep coming with the fitness.

“Structurally the knee feels really good, so I’ve got a good base to jump from.

“The second it happened (in March) I was really flat. The doctor had just found out that the season was going to be put on ice for a bit, so he could allay some of my fears which was good timing.

“I’m very lucky to have it coincide with the COVID break. I said to a few people I’m going to get a tattoo if I don’t miss a game ... which I won’t because I’m a coward.’’