Lions lament lapses as killer quarter curse strikes again

BRISBANE could be even further away from a flag than they think after their "premiership quarter" flop against Carlton.

BRISBANE could be even further away from a flag than they think after their "premiership quarter" flop against Carlton.

The Blues steamrolled the lacklustre Lions in the third term at Melbourne's Etihad Stadium on Saturday night, kicking 7.5 to the Lions' 1.2 to seal the crucial four points and stay in the hunt for a finals berth.

The Lions led by four points at the first change and trailed by just seven points at the main break.

However the curse of the killer quarter struck again with the Lions blown off the park after the resumption of play.

For all the improvements made mid-season when the Lions edged to within two games of the top eight, they still suffer from critical lapses that cost them games.

The road from pretender to contender requires teams to be competitive over four quarters on a consistent basis.

The Lions' inability to remain in the battle remains the club's achilles heel.

Lions utility Jordan Lisle said the third-quarter fade-out was all the more disappointing given how hard the Lions had worked in the opening two terms.

"We felt like we were the better side in the first half but we just couldn't hit the scoreboard," the former Hawk said.

"We went into halftime thinking we were still in the game but the third quarter really let us down. It was a pretty disappointing effort that cost us the game."

The Lions bounced back to win the last quarter and cut the margin from 46 to 36 points but Lisle said the strong finish was of little comfort.

"It's a good sign that we were able to keep fighting and that can give us some confidence going into next week but the damage had already been done in the third quarter," Lisle said. "That's when they won the game."

Taking over the key forward/backup ruck role from Daniel Merrett, Lisle had 19 touches and 10 marks against the Blues.

Midfielder Jack Redden had 27 disposals for the Lions in another eye-catching individual display.

The Lions host the Crows at the Gabba on Saturday night

and the round 21 game is a chance to make a statement about the club's intentions for 2013.

Brisbane finish the year with games against cellar dwellers Port Adelaide and Western Bulldogs.

"We need to finish off the year well and we need to put in a good performance on our home deck this weekend," Lisle said.

"We feel as a club we have made some good ground this year and that the season hasn't been a waste."