Brisbane hoping to shake four-year drought against resurgent Demons

Brisbane will need to exorcise their Demons if it’s to become a genuine finals contender when they face a Melbourne side that has won the last four contests against the Lions.

Melbourne v Brisbane Lions at Casey Fields, Cranbourne. 09/03/2019 . Melbourne's Max Gawn punches the ball away from Brisbane Lions' Charlie Cameron . Pic: Michael Klein

Brisbane will hope to avoid another “Carlton moment” when 16th-placed Melbourne roll into town on Sunday.

Last week’s 56-point thrashing of St Kilda saw the Lions bounce back from their embarrassing Round 12 loss to the baby Blues but they will face a different challenge against Max Gawn’s Demons.

The Dees were pre-season flag favourites before their horror start to the year and head to the Gabba buoyed by a 14-point upset over Fremantle.

Melbourne’s come-from-behind win snapped a four-game losing streak and makes them a dangerous prospect for Brisbane, especially given their recent dominance of the fixture.

Charlie Cameron won’t be taking the Demons lightly when Brisbane host Melbourne on Sunday. Picture: AAP

The Dees have won the last four contests between the two clubs, with just five current Lions tasting success back in Round 19 of 2014, and Brisbane matchwinner Charlie Cameron knows Melbourne can’t be judged by their lowly ladder position.

“It happened against Carlton and they were on the bottom, so we can’t get complacent with where we’re at and the teams we’re playing,” Cameron said.

“It’s important we take this game like we’re playing a top team.”

Consistency is a must for Chris Fagan’s side if they’re to be a genuine finals force and securing back-to-back wins for the first time since Round 7 would go a long way to making that happen.

Lincoln McCarthy (centre) clears under pressure from Luke Dunstan during Brisbane’s win over St Kilda last week. Picture: AAP Image/Daniel Pockett

Brisbane’s 5-1 record at the Gabba puts them equal second for home wins in 2019 behind West Coast and Cameron is eager to stretch their streak.

“We’re good at home and we’ll try and make this place a fortress,” he said.

“(Beating Melbourne) is going to be important this week and it starts with us and our training.”

A five-goal haul against St Kilda saw Cameron re-enter the debate for All-Australian selection, with the usually taciturn Fagan rating him among the competition’s best.

But the 24-year-old shrugged off comparisons to Eddie Betts and Michael Walters, preferring to shine the light on fellow smalls Lincoln McCarthy, Cameron Rayner and younger brother Jarrod, who kicked two goals in his Eagles debut earlier last week.

Charlie Cameron’s younger brother Jarrod (centre) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal on debut for West Coast against Essendon. Picture: Will Russell/AFL Photos

“It was pretty exciting watching the game,” Cameron said.

“I think he had a shot about 40 or 50 out and I thought he was going to kick it, so I ended up filming it but he missed it.

“But he was pretty happy that he kicked his first goal and it’s exciting to see your little brother playing so well.

“I sent a video to him saying ‘you only kicked two mate, chin up’, but it’s just a bit of banter and hopefully he can get a game next week with Willie Rioli coming back in.”