Brisbane’s strength lies in their tight-knit group and tighter defence

Brisbane midfielder Hugh McCluggage believes the tight-knit chemistry the Lions have developed has been the secret to their success.

Hugh McCluggage after he kicked the sealer in Brisbane’s qualifying final win over Richmond on Friday night at the Gabba. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Brisbane midfielder Hugh McCluggage believes the tight-knit chemistry the Lions have developed in recent years has been the catalyst for recent successes that have seen them claim premiership favouritism.

The 22-year-old, who kicked the sealing goal in Brisbane’s qualifying final triumph over Richmond on Friday night, is excelling in his fourth season as a Lion.

His starring role against the Tigers, which saw him gather 20 disposals and lay five tackles, is scarcely surprising considering the quality of his form throughout 2020.

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McCluggage was nominated for All Australian selection and would have been among the first players chosen for the AFL Players’ Association under-22 side.

He credits the assistance he has received from the Brisbane coaching group led by Chris Fagan and more senior Lions as key factors in his development.

“(My time in Brisbane) has probably been better than I expected, to be honest. With the people who have been here and the help I have received, we are such a tight-knit group,” he told The Australian.

“You come into the system and you probably think that maybe the older players might be a little separated from the younger players and you might have to earn your stripes, little things like that, but it has been absolutely nothing like that. We have fitted in so well.”

The Lions found their radar in front of goal on Friday night, with McCluggage delivering at a critical moment in a season where he has been wayward in attack.

But a key factor in Brisbane’s triumph was their ability to tame the Tigers by restricting them to 54 points.

The quality of their defence is stark in contrast to when McCluggage first arrived at the Lions at the end of 2016.

“The on-field success, we have come along so far since when I got drafted,” he said.

“I think we were averaging 138 points against in the year before I came, then 117 or 18 in my first year, to now where we are probably giving up 50 to 60, or 70 to 80 in the normal games.

“The improvement has been very quick and (it has) probably surprised me a little, but at the same time, seeing the people we have around us, I can see how it happened.”

McCluggage was selected with pick three in the 2016 national draft after playing the latter stages of his junior career with the North Ballarat Rebels.

It is believed up to 12 clubs considered him the best player in that year’s draft and the Lions were happy to have the opportunity to select him.

Heading into last Friday’s final, McCluggage had kicked 7.21 for the season. It mirrored his accuracy rate in his first season.

But he demonstrated his capacity to be a damaging midfielder capable of regularly kicking goals last season and delivered in style in the qualifying final.

“I think (with) the mental side of it, when things are not quite going your way and all of a sudden you have 30,000 people watching you, you have got people critiquing you in the media, that is probably a big life lesson there to put that to the side and really listen to the people who are important,” he said.

“We speak a lot about holding your perimeter and not getting sucked into the ball. Just adjusting those things and learning that it is not about the individual, it is about the team and what you can do.

“You might not have a huge possession game, but you might impact in other ways. That is what I have really learned to thrive off, helping the team and the great leaders (around the club) have shown me how to do that.”

McCluggage, who worked on his family’s dairy farm near Warrnambool in southwestern Victoria during the season suspension, is grateful for the opportunity ahead.

The Lions await the winner of a the Geelong-St Kilda semi-final on Friday night on the Gold Coast. They will host the preliminary final at the Gabba on October 17.