Darcy Gardiner told The Roar Deal podcast this week that Saturday’s comeback win against West Coast shows how far the team has come in 12 months.
The Lions were down after the first quarter but managed to find their way back into the game.
“I guess a lot of times last year we were in this position where we were down a fair bit early on at The Gabba,” he said.
“We were able to crawl our way back into the game but just never sort of got that final hurdle where we could really put the foot down and take over the opposition.
“It was a pretty good feeling to get back into the game, get back on top and not let them in.”
Gardiner, one of the Lions’ toughest defenders and recent addition in the eight-man leadership group, was a late addition into Fagan’s team for Round 1.
After injuring himself with a PCL injury at the Tasmanian pre-season camp, Gardiner was racing the clock to be ready. He did not play in any of the Club’s intra club games, scratch match against the Gold Coast or JLT Community Series.
“It’s not the ideal preparation,” he said.
“I was pretty confident in the program I had with Selwyn Griffith and the rehab team that I’d be primed and ready to go.”
Gardiner said the victory was a proud moment for him and his teammates. The added external pressure to perform is a positive in his eyes.
“It’s good thing that we have that there, it means we’re doing the right things at the Club,” he said.
This weekend they play their first game in Victoria against North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium.
“We love going down there,” he said.
“It’s terrific history for the Club.”
Despite the Kangaroos thumping in the West by the Dockers in their first game in 2019, Gardiner said they will be a challenge.
“They like to play that pretty tough brand of footy,” he said.
Gardiner said the team would need to bring the same emotional intensity they did in Round 1, to have the same result over the Roos.
Following Gardiner’s chat with Mike and Dom, General Manager of Infrastructure, Strategy and Government Relations Jake Anson fills listeners in on the latest developments of The Reserve at Springfield, the Cross River Rail project and how that will benefit Lions fans, as well as plans for a Docklands office in Melbourne.
