Lions strategy coach Dany Daly said the missed opportunities in front of goal came back to haunt them in the final quarter in their loss to the Western Bulldogs.

“We couldn’t finish off our work in front of goal and there was quite a lot of missed opportunities,” Daly said.

“One thing in footy is when you have momentum and when you are getting the ball in your forward half you have to take the opportunities.”

In the final 10 minutes defender Harris Andrews was moved to the forward line, a strategy now used when the Lions are closely trailing.

“We thought it was a good idea to throw him forward and hopefully take a few marks,” Daly said.

“These are the things you have to throw up in footy and hopefully you can pinch a goal or two through it.”

This move resulted in Dan McStay dropping to the back line and was secure in defence.

“D-Mac [sic] was pretty good when he went back as well, so that worked well for us,” Daly said.

Hugh McCluggage was a standout on his old TAC Cup stomping ground.

In the opening stanza, McCluggage was unstoppable with 14 disposals, ending with 26 and 14 contested possessions. 

Daly stated that McCluggage handled the conditions better than anyone else on the field.

“He was clean and didn’t fumble, and he showed that he is having an outstanding year so far and the type of player he is,” he said.

“Between him and Zorks [sic] they were probably our two best players on the day.”

Daly said the conditions was another hurdle to overcome. It was a wet, 14-degrees day, making the field slippery for all players.

“A lot of our players were slipping over probably through not wearing the right boots and not used to playing in those conditions,” Daly said. 

“When you have conditions like they were, it’s all about taking territory,” he said 

The Lions are hopeful they will be blessed with a typical Queensland day when they take on the Adelaide Crows at the Gabba on Saturday afternoon.