Nothing too tough for the Brisbane Lions to overcome in their quest for back-to-back flags

Having overcome a host of problems to win last year’s AFL premiership, the Brisbane Lions continue to show a steely mentality in their bid for another flag.

Brisbane’s premiership “mindset” has the Lions willing and able to cope with any adversity set to be thrown at them during their flag defence.

The proof of that, according to Lions star Hugh McCluggage, came in the club’s first-round four-point win over the Swans at the SCG on Saturday.

Brisbane’s build-up to the game was compromised by Cyclone Alfred, while morale also took a hit ahead of the match with popular forward Linc McCarthy suffering another ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and the death of new recruit Sam Day’s father.

Then on the day of the game, livewire Charlie Cameron withdrew because of a calf problem, fellow forward Kai Lohmann was forced off with an ankle injury and defender Brandon Starcevich suffered a third concussion in eight months.

The Lions also made a slow start to the contest, with the Swans kicking the first four goals.

However, Brisbane didn’t panic and recovered to win the grand final rematch 12-14 (86) to 12.10 (82).

Brandon Starcevich receives attention after suffering another concussion on Saturday. Picture: Darrian Traynor/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

“Our mindset didn’t really change whether we were down or whether we were up … (and) definitely the experience that you get from all the things that we’ve been through helps,” said McCluggage in reflecting on not only Brisbane overcoming its recent hurdles but also the club’s ability to bounce back from a spate of injuries last season and a poor start to win its first premiership since 2003.

“You gain confidence from winning the competition, but at the same time, you’ve got to stay humble, and you know that any team on their day is really hard to beat.

“We’ve got to keep focus, keep everything in the now, not look too far back or too far forward, and that’s going to be the biggest challenge for our group.”

McCluggage said it had been “deflating” when McCarthy told his teammates last week that he would need a second knee reconstruction in less than 12 months, and in the past the Lions had not been good at dealing with such hardship.

“I’d seen how much work he’d done, and for it just to be taken away from him like that was really disappointing for him as a footballer but also for him as a mate,” he said of McCarthy’s plight.

“It impacts his family and his ability to be around his kids when he’s got to get surgery.

Starting the way we finished 💪 pic.twitter.com/mkZsNlqxWZ

— Brisbane Lions (@brisbanelions) March 17, 2025

“What we do well is wrap our arms around players when something like that happens, same with Sammy Day with the news about his old man passing away.

“We all got around him, and he was back in (on Monday), so we support those guys.

“Probably in the past when things like that have happened, we haven’t really dealt with it as well as what we’ve been able to last year and this year as well.

“You’ve just got to try and park it. Those guys know that we care for them, but we’re going to move on, and we’ve got a job at hand, and that’s what we were able to do against Sydney.”

McCluggage promised the Lions would not underestimate West Coast Eagles – who were thrashed by 87 points by Gold Coast in round 1 – at the Gabba on Sunday.

“One thing I’ve learned from my time playing in the AFL is that the week before just does not matter,” he said.

“There are so many times when you play a team, and the week before they’ve had a disappointing result and probably not brought the effort, and then when they’ve come out (the week after) they’re a completely different side.”

Cameron trained lightly on Tuesday at Springfield, while Lohmann, who is set to miss at least one match, was restricted to laps of the pool.