With Round 12 done and dusted and another bye week upon us, the Brisbane Lions VFL side are now mid-way through the 2022 Smithy’s VFL season.
Sitting third on the ladder with seven wins and three losses, VFL Head Coach Mitch Hahn has plenty to smile about.
“It’s very pleasing to see how our VFL team is travelling at the moment,” Hahn said.
“We’ve been focusing on a few different parts of our game, and it’s been really good to see those different parts of our game start to come together.
“Team defence has definitely been one element that has been working really well so far for us, and you just need to look at the scoreboard to see that.
“If you look across the season, I think we’re averaging around 85.9 points for per game, and about 60.7 points against per game. There’s only been one team that has kicked over 100 points against us this season, while we’ve been able to score over 100 points against three teams so far this season.
“That result is a reflection on our attacking game too and some of the skills we’ve been working on; the tackle pressure, the ability to win contested footy.”
With a mix of emerging and experienced talent in the side this season, there’s been an even spread of contributors across the ground each week for the Lions.
This versatility and spread has seen the Lions emerge as one of the bigger threats in the competition, something that Hahn believes is the result of a team-first attitude.
“We’ve been really pleased with the even contribution we’re seeing across the team too,” he said.
“There’s been a focus on trying to make our teammates better this year, so not what you as an individual are doing, but what you can do to make your teammates better.
“The playing group has really bought into that and we’re seeing the results of their commitment to that on-field at the moment.”
With several players putting their hand up for senior selection off the back of strong performances in the VFL, Hahn is also pleased to see the team playing its role for the Club.
“There’s definitely a bit of a yin and a yang with the AFL and VFL teams, which you’d expect when they’re so interconnected at the Club,” Hahn said.
“We’ve seen some of our younger players like Jaxon [Prior], Dev [Robertson] and Tom [Fullarton] putting pressure on the seniors to get a game which is fantastic to see.
“But for us the pleasing part isn’t necessarily that they’re performing well enough in the VFL to earn a call-up, but that when they are getting selected, they’re playing their role at performing at the senior level.
“That’s been a real positive for us this season because that’s part of our role as the reserve side. So hopefully we continue to see our developing players continue to play well and put the pressure on the seniors to play well too.”
The Brisbane Lions VFL side will return in Round 14 when they face Collingwood at the AIA Centre on Saturday June 25.
