WATCH out Gary Ablett – the Brisbane Lions are coming for you.
Ahead of Saturday's QClash at the Gabba, Lions ruckman Stefan Martin said despite Gold Coast's rapid improvement, curbing Ablett's influence was still the key to defeating the Suns.
He said although there was no foolproof tactic to slowing Ablett down, the Lions would have to be aggressive.
"No-one’s got the real answer for that do they?" Martin said when asked how to stop Ablett.
"On a given day you could probably dilute his influence a little bit.
"We need guys to hit him throughout the day.
"Team defence is important. Often one guy gets the role on him, but he's so good he can often overcome that."
That one man to follow Ablett is likely to be Mitch Robinson, who waged a one-man war with Geelong skipper Joel Selwood on Sunday.
Selwood was sublime with his 35 disposals a best on ground performance, but Robinson battled hard himself to have 31 touches and be the Lions' best.
"We're no different to any other team. We're fast. If our kids go into their shell we're just going to be playing slower & less defensive."
— Brisbane Lions (@brisbanelions) April 12, 2016
Martin paid tribute to the Suns' midfield, saying they were "deep" with the likes of Aaron Hall starring in the first three rounds.
The winless Lions are desperate to break their duck.
"Pride's on the line and they've had a good start to the year and we've had a poor start," Martin said.
"If we can get a win this weekend, it could go some way to turning the ship.
"It's funny how it's all panned out. I guess now we're 'Little Brother' in some ways.
"I don't know the stats, but we've probably got a younger team going out on the park, so it's sort of flipped."
Martin said that despite a bit of a confidence "whack" to the younger players after their loss at the weekend, the coaching staff and group are "pretty positive".
"We know we had a pretty tough fixture at the start of the year but if we can ride this out and play some good footy when we're at home, then we might get through it and have a good part of the year."
Martin said captain Tom Rockliff was 'doubtful' to play, while the Lions expect Daniel Rich to recover from a hamstring niggle and take his place.
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