The Brisbane Lions VFL side travel to Melbourne this weekend to kickstart their 2024 Smithy’s VFL campaign against Essendon at NEC Hanger on Saturday.
Led by VFL coach, Ben Hudson, the Lions will be looking to go one further this season after falling short in the Preliminary Final against Werribee.
With a few changes to the squad in 2024, the Lions will be after a fast start against a strong Essendon side on Saturday afternoon.
Hudson, who enters his second year as VFL coach, is excited to see how far his charges can go this season.
“We’ve obviously had a little bit of turnover in the group but we feel really connected to the AFL side and the belief they have this year,” Hudson said.
“Our year in 2023 was really good and we want to use that to springboard us in this season.
“Travelling for our first game, I think, is a benefit to us, we can get away as a group, further grow the connection to take on a really strong Essendon side.
These two sides met in Round 8, 2023 at Brighton Homes Arena with the Lions running out 68-point winners.
Jarryd Lyons stole the show with 36 disposals, two goals and eight tackles to lay claims to best on ground.
While former Lions Tom Fullarton bagged six majors, defender Darragh Joyce enjoyed a stellar day down back with 10 marks.
The Lions have played two unofficial games against reigning premiers the Gold Coast SUNS providing some of the new faces in the VFL squad valuable game time.
The Bombers are coming off two solid performances during the VFL pre-season with a win over the Northern Bullants and a close loss against the Box Hill Hawks.
With the first bounce from 12pm on Saturday, Lions fans can catch all the action from NEC Hanger on the AFL app or the live stream on https://www.afl.com.au/vfl.
