Brisbane Lions coach Ben Hudson said his side must use the hurt and lessons learnt from Saturday’s tough four-point Smithy’s VFL Qualifying Final loss to Footscray.
Despite leading for a majority of the match, the Lions were unable to hold on against the Dogs who snatched a late 12.10 (82) to 12.6 (78) victory in the final minutes.
Following the thrilling final in front of a strong crowd at Mission Whitten Oval, a positive Hudson said he believed the Lions would be better for the result.
The Lions, who have a second chance after finishing third on the ladder, now host a home Semi-Final against Williamstown at Brighton Homes Arena.
“We had a young list of players who learnt a lot today and I am very proud of the boys for their effort and the players have to be proud as well,” he said.
“It stings and it should sting, and the boys should be disappointed we weren’t quite able to get the job done.
“A mark here or there or a clean take at times and the game probably goes our way but it was a great effort of the boys.
“It’s credit to the Dogs who played well, played a strong game, were hard at the contest and played the conditions well.”
The conditions at Whitten Oval included a strong wind which the Lions weren’t able to use to full advantage in the first term, despite leading by eight points at the break.
In the second quarter the Dogs fought back to hit the front at half-time with the scoreboard reading 5.8 (38) to 5.4 (34).
A better third term to the Lions had them back in the lead by nine points with a quarter to play, though up against the wind and home crowd advantage.
After several lead changes in a cracking quarter of finals football, the Dogs hung on against a determined Lions outfit to advance through to the preliminary final.
AFL-listed midfielder Jarryd Lyons gave his all once again to finish with 23 disposals, 13 clearances, six tackles and two goals as he tried to lift the Lions to victory.
He received plenty of support from ruckman Darcy Fort who posted huge numbers including 68 hit outs and 12 clearances in a mammoth effort.
While Liam Hude was Brisbane’s leading goalkicker with three majors and at the other end of the ground Jack Payne was strong in defence in his first game back from injury.
Regardless of the result, Payne’s performance and the fact he got through the match is a big positive for the Lions AFL senior coach Chris Fagan ahead of Saturday night’s Elimination Final with Carlton, with Payne set to be available to return.
While for the club’s VFL team, as they got ready to leave Whitten Oval and return to Brisbane on Saturday afternoon, the message to the playing group was to look forward.
Hudson and the leaders in the rooms post-match kept the mood positive as their focus quickly turned to next week’s Semi-Final.
“We can’t sit and dwell on it, we need to move on. We’ve got a double chance so let’s use it,” the Lions VFL coach said.
“We have to get on the plane back to Brisbane and come into the club on Monday being right to go again for our next final.
“We’ll recover well and hopefully we can bounce back and also bring the energy for our AFL side who have a final against Carlton next weekend as well.”
Brisbane is scheduled to host the Smithy’s VFL Semi-Final against Williamstown at Brighton Homes Arena, with date and time yet to be finalised.
