If any club is to claim this year’s NEAFL flag, they’ll have to get past a Brisbane Lions side beginning to get back to their premiership-winning best.

After a month of virtual finals and battling for sixth spot with the Giants and the Suns, Brisbane secured a spot in this year’s finals series last Saturday with a convincing 91-point victory over a depleted Gold Coast outfit.

The Lions had a wobbly middle of the season, losing six matches in a row, but “have gotten back on track” in the last month according to Brisbane Lions coach, Mitch Hahn.

The Lions have been treating their last four games – all against fellow AFL side – as finals-like contests, and it has worked a treat with the Lions currently on a five-game winning streak.

Hahn said Brisbane became a little complacent in the middle of the season, but it was the wake-up call they needed.

“We got a little bit sloppy in our processes, and at some points, we probably thought it would just happen,” he told neafl.com.au.

Hahn is happy with his side’s last month and is excited about the opportunity that playing finals brings his players, after they defeated powerhouse Sydney by three points in an epic Grand Final at the SCG last year.

“The finals in the NEAFL is the closest you get to AFL standard. We want those games as often as we can, so we can develop our players and see how they play in high-pressure games,” he said.

“We have been trying to build a winning culture as a footy club, and playing finals is another great opportunity to develop it because you don’t always get to play finals.”

It is especially a great opportunity for academy players looking to get picked up by AFL clubs in a couple of months to show their ability.

Hahn wants his academy players to enjoy this period though, as he believes playing finals will hold them in good stead, whether or not they get drafted.

“For our academy players to play some really high-quality games is gold, and we want them just to enjoy this period, whether or not they get drafted,” he said.

It is also an excellent opportunity for their senior players to test themselves, especially considering there will be some players who will have to be delisted at the end of the year.

Hahn’s advice to those players who might be facing that unfortunate fate is to just take the opportunity that finals brings.

“There are always people watching, especially for high-quality matches. You never know what could happen, so you have just got to keep buying into the team plan,” he said.

Matthew Eagles was a prime example of what can happen if you play well in the finals, as he was awarded a contract extension due to his form in the NEAFL finals series last year.

Although it is exciting for the club that they have qualified for finals again this year, their focus is on winning this week against the Giants and treating it as another finals clash.

“This week’s game against the Giants will be a challenge, as will finals, but we just need to concentrate on winning this week,” he said.

“We knew for our last month every game was a final, so we will be treating this game no different.”