The Brisbane Lions have shown that they are capable of upsetting the competition’s best teams with a sustained four-quarter effort.

In fact, last Saturday’s stunning 10-point triumph over against second-placed Essendon was the fourth time in three years that the Club has claimed victory against a side that was placed inside the top two at the time.

The Lions famously defeated West Coast (first) and Adelaide (second) at the Gabba in 2012, and also upset eventual Premiers Collingwood midway through 2010 who were second at the time.

But the rest of the Lions’ wins during that period have come against sides that have featured at the other end of the AFL ladder.

At the end of last season, Senior Coach Michael Voss said his team needed to claim more ‘middle-tier’ scalps if they were to improve further.

“We were able to defeat teams that we were probably expected to win against, which might sound trivial, but is a sign of maturity and something that we have struggled with in the past,” Voss said.

“However, if we’re going to get back up the ladder, we have to beat teams that are around us too – and we’ve still got some closing to do there.”

An analysis of the Lions’ wins since Round 4 of 2010 shows that the Club has not beaten a side that sits between positions 3-10 on the AFL ladder in more than three years.

Yet remarkably, four of their 20 victories have come against top two teams.

Of their remaining wins, six have come against teams placed between 11 and 14 on the ladder and nine have been against bottom four sides.

The other win was against Melbourne in the 2012 season-opener, so the ladder positions hadn’t been determined yet.

This Saturday night presents an opportunity for the Lions to finally buck the trend against a team that is ‘around them’ on the ladder.

Carlton currently sits 10^th on the ladder with four wins from eight games – one more than the Lions.

A win would see the Lions share the same win/loss record as the Blues, while a loss would extend the gap to eight premiership points.

It’s these types of games that Voss identified as being critical in the development of the group.

The table below outlines each of the Lions’ wins since Round 4 of 2010, and where their opponent was placed at the time of the match.