Brisbane Lions Captain Tom Rockliff says executing skills under pressure is key to producing an upset against the Western Bulldogs on Saturday at the Gabba.
“Our contested footy was good against the Hawks but our skills let us down from the second quarter and they made us pay,” Rockliff told The Courier-Mail.
“That’s why they have won the last two flags and are flag favourites again. We have to learn from these games when we take on the best in the business.’’
After Brisbane jumped the Hawks to take a 17-point lead into quarter-time in Launceston, Hawthorn kicked 14 of the next 15 goals.
“Our execution under pressure really lets us down. It’s been the story all year,’’ Rockliff said.
“When you have a young group and you lose momentum and you start making mistakes, some heads drop and you don’t take the game on as much.
“When you can’t control the footy and you keep turning it over against these elite sides, the scoreboard gets away from you.
“But we understand where we are at as a football club. We are in it for the long haul, there’s no short-term fixes.’’
Rockliff said Brisbane cannot afford to gift possession to the hard-running and high-scoring Bulldogs.
“The Bulldogs will really take the game on. We need to make sure we get our contested footy right and execute better to keep ourselves in the game for longer,’’ he said.
Rockliff could hold his head high after he finished with 45 disposals, 14 tackles, 11 clearances, one goal and 19 contested possessions against the Hawks.
He had 17 touches to his name by quarter-time to set a new personal best for a quarter.
The 45 disposals equalled the record for the most disposals for a single game in Launceston, which was set by Suns skipper Gary Ablett.
