In his post-match synopsis of Saturday night’s loss to Sydney at the Gabba, Senior Coach Justin Leppitsch said that developing a young side was “a patient game for an impatient man”.

And after having had a brief taste of that winning feeling one week earlier against St Kilda in Wellington, it’s easy to understand why Leppitsch and his team craves more.

Nobody likes to lose – in particular the coaches, players and supporters – but young teams obviously need time to develop and mature.

Much like what Rachel Hunter said on that famous shampoo commercial in the 90s – “it won’t happen overnight, but it will happen”.

You need only look at the demographic of the Brisbane Lions’ senior side to see where they sit among the competition leaders in terms of their experience (or lack thereof).

The Lions’ Round 7 side featured 12 players with less than 50 games experience, while the Swans had just six.

Meanwhile, Sydney boasted 12 players with 100 or more games (including three 200-gamers) compared to the Lions’ six (with zero 200-gamers).

Although these figures by no means excuse the team’s lacklustre performance, the imbalance of experience between the two sides is evident.

Another good example is Hawthorn, who are largely considered the benchmark of the competition.

The Hawks’ side that demolished St Kilda boasted 10 players with 150-plus games – including a remarkable six 200-gamers.

They also had just two players with less than 20 game of experience compared to the Lions’ six, which was the Round’s equal highest along with the AFL’s newest franchise, the GWS Giants.

Vice-Captain Tom Rockliff told The Courier Mail that there’s bound to be some short term pain when fielding such inexperienced sides.

“Sure, it gets tough at times but that’s what will make the good times so good,” Rockliff said.

“That great Brisbane team of the early 2000s went through tough times as a playing group in the 1990s. I’m not saying we will win three-straight flags but I’d like to think we will have success down the track.

“The young kids are probably playing senior footy before their time but hopefully we will get the rewards in a few years when they have 40-60 games under their belt.

“Ideally, you would like to give them time to develop a little in the reserves but this kind of experience might be invaluable for them.

“A lot of kids come in these days and think it’s just going to happen but our boys know how hard senior footy is and they’ll be better for it.”