The Brisbane Lions might not have come away with the four points from Saturday night’s match against Essendon at the Gabba, but the young side will gain plenty of confidence from a far more competitive showing.

The Lions were in a winning position and seemed to have the momentum early in the final quarter, before Essendon kicked the final two goals of the game – the only goals in the final term – to run out eight-point winners.

Although the loss hurt the Lions, emerging star Marco Paparone said the team would take some positives from their performance.

“We really brought our pressure to Essendon. If we keep playing that way, and giving that sort of pressure, we’ll definitely win some games,” Paparone told LIONS TV after the game.

“We just have to keep executing the game plan. We all have confidence, especially coming out of tonight. We just have to hold on in red time and make sure we go through the whole game.”

Paparone had a career-best night against the Bombers, and along with a number of other Lions teenagers, gave fans a glimpse into the Club’s exciting future.

“Playing on the wing there was a lot of space,” Paparone said.

“I was just doing my role, and was pretty happy with it. But obviously it was not the result I wanted.”