Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss keeps lid on big expectations

LIONS coach Michael Voss says the prospect of a finals berth is not even remotely on his radar, despite being just one win outside the top eight.

Greg Davis

2 min read

July 7, 2012 - 12:00AM

BRISBANE coach Michael Voss says the club is living for the moment. The prospect of a finals berth is not even remotely on his radar, despite the Lions being just one win outside the top eight ahead of tonight's clash with Sydney at the SCG.

But the club's history is shaping its future.

A couriermail.com.au headline from a story on their 91-point thrashing by Carlton in round 2 is stuck to the wall of the club's meeting room at the Gabba.

Under the headline, "Carlton hands Brisbane Lions a 91-point annihilation", it reads: "The gaping gulf between a side pushing for a top four finals berth and a team fighting its way out of the AFL's bottom four was there for all to see."

But three months is an eternity in footy. Before the start of round 15 last night, Carlton and Brisbane both had 6-7 win-loss records.

Nobody would have thought that was possible after round 2.

Photos of the journey from whipping boys to finals contenders also line the wall of the meeting room.

The club preaches the mantra that "perception is reality". The perception of the Lions has changed dramatically since that Easter Thursday massacre when Brisbane appeared to be on the cusp of another winter of discontent.

But Voss refuses to get carried away by the Lions' climb up the AFL ladder.

"Fortunately I've never lived in a world eight weeks ahead and I've never lived in a world eight weeks behind," he said.

"I've always lived in what we need to be able to do next. The reality is that, at the moment, we've got to be good in the contest.

"We've got to be able to do that over four quarters. For me, when we talk 24 hours ahead of the game, that's all I care about, not a world eight weeks ahead."

Brisbane should beat Gold Coast, Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs while the assignments against Sydney, West Coast and Adelaide appear too tough.

The match-ups against Carlton, St Kilda and Richmond hold the key to the finals. They are 50-50 games and will define the Lions' push for finals.

The Lions may well fall short of the 12 or 13 wins required to sneak into September action.

Regardless of their overall finish, the foundations have been set for a serious top eight bid in 2013 with the young core of players beginning to take ownership of the club and showing significant improvement.

Voss said Brisbane's record against Sydney was not lost on the Lions coaching staff.

Sydney smashed Brisbane twice last year, with a 65-point win at the Gabba in round 11 and a 52-point thumping in round 24. The Lions have not beaten the Swans in Sydney since 2009.

The Swans will be heavy favourites again, especially with Brisbane losing veteran Ash McGrath (hamstring), Mitch Golby (foot) and Jared Polec (foot) from the side that beat Melbourne last Sunday.

"We've had a look (at video of last year's losses)," Voss said. "But I guess we go in with a little bit different form to what we've done the last couple of times.

"They've been able to roll us a little bit too easily on occasions. It's something we want to be able to rectify.

"If there is a benchmark in the way you can execute, be disciplined and have the hunger to want to take the ball off the opposition, they've been able to do that for a long period of time."

BRISBANE'S RUN HOME

Rd 15: Sydney (SCG)

Rd 16: St Kilda (Gabba)

Rd 17: Gold Coast (Metricon Stadium)

Rd 18: West Coast (Patersons Stadium)

Rd 19: Richmond (Gabba)

Rd 20: Carlton (Etihad Stadium)

Rd 21: Adelaide (Gabba)

Rd 22: Port Adelaide (AAMI Stadium)

Rd 23: Western Bulldogs (Gabba)

Three likely wins: Gold Coast, Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs

Three likely losses: Sydney, West Coast, Adelaide