Recently appointed Senior Coach Chris Fagan has praised his players for adapting quickly to the Lions' new game plan.
The Lions returned on Saturday from a week-long, team-building camp in Tasmania with an approach that Fagan hopes will underpin the side's success in future years. The camp also provided an opportunity to welcome the Club's ten new players.
“We did a lot of education and practice around that game plan and the guys showed a pretty good understanding in a short space of time,’’ Fagan told The Courier Mail.
“It will take a while before we nail it. You don’t stand up, show some vision, practice it three times and you’ve got it. It’s a work in progress.
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“We’ve got the rest of the pre-season and the season itself to nail it. They certainly have the gist of it judging by our match practice and drills.
"The way the players have embraced everything we are trying to do across the board has been outstanding. The energy and effort has been fantastic.’’
Fagan says Brisbane must master both elements of the game if they want to be successful in the long-term.
“You need to strike a balance between attack and defence … that’s what the best teams have got. If you want to win a premiership you have to be able to do both,’’ he said.
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Fagan said on top of the knowledge he’d gained from his Hawks tenure, looking at the methods of reigning premiers the Western Bulldogs, the defensive mindset of Sydney and the collective strengths of the Brisbane list all combined to formulate the 2017 plan of attack.
“The way you attack can influence the way you defend and vice-versa. I was lucky enough to be at Hawthorn for nine years and I learned a lot in that time.’’
Brisbane will have its final training session of the year on Wednesday before resuming in two weeks and the players are on notice to not overindulge in too much festive cheer.
“The expectation is that the fitness level you leave at, is the fitness level you arrive back at,’’ Fagan said.
“You don’t want to spend a week building back up again. The players have done well to this point.’’
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