Brisbane Lions raid SCG fortress for tough road trip against Sydney Swans

BRISBANE vice-captain Jed Adcock says playing Sydney at the SCG is one of the hardest road trips in the AFL.

Jed Adcock

BRISBANE vice-captain Jed Adcock says playing Sydney at the SCG is one of the hardest road trips in the AFL.

So nobody at the in-form Lions is getting too carried away ahead of this weekend's watershed showdown.

Brisbane has won three of its past four matches to move within one game of the top eight, but faces a gruellling examination of its finals credentials in the Harbour City this Saturday night when it takes on the high-flying Swans.

While Sydney's gamestyle has opened up under senior coach John Longmire, Adcock said the Swans were still a battle-hardened and physical outfit that prided themselves on winning the contested ball.

"You talk about the big tests in the AFL, the trip to Perth is probably one of them and at the moment, Sydney in Sydney,'' Adcock said.

"Especially in the SCG, a smaller ground, they play it really well and it's tough to beat them.

"They are second on the ladder and playing really good footy. We've had a good month but we've got a long way to go before we are in that same class.

"But hopefully we can take some good strides into the game and you never know.''

Sydney thrashed Brisbane on both occasions in 2011 with a 65-point victory at the Gabba in Round 11 and a 52-point win in Round 24. The last time Brisbane defeated Sydney in Sydney was in 2009 when the Lions were finals-bound.