The Brisbane Lions are statistically the poorest starting team in the AFL competition, having won just three of their 16 first quarters so far this season.

The Lions have also kicked the least amount first quarter goals (37) of any team in 2013.

But the Club’s slow starts have never been more pronounced than when playing interstate.

In fact, the differential of points across the Lions’ seven interstate matches has been an astounding 136 points in favour of the opposition – 11.19 (85) to 32.29 (221).

On average, that means the Lions have trailed at quarter time by 19.4 points in each of their interstate matches.

The statistic becomes even more alarming if you take out the Club’s two interstate wins against Essendon (Round 8) and Melbourne (Round 17).

The Lions’ opening quarters against the Western Bulldogs (Round 1), North Melbourne (Round 4), Sydney (Round 6) and Hawthorn (Round 14) have been particularly disappointing; with the Club conceding a combined total of 44 scoring shots and managing just 13 themselves.  

Development Coach Gary O’Donnell said the Lions will need to be switched on from the beginning if they’re any chance of defeating Finals-bound Port Adelaide this Sunday away from home.   

“We just have to start well,” O’Donnell told LIONS TV as part of the Vero Coache’s Wrap segment.

“The interstate games where we haven’t started well, we’ve never been in the game.

“The ones we have, we’ve either won or been really competitive for the whole game. That will be the key to the game.”

But on the back of three straight wins, O’Donnell believes the Lions are well equipped to buck their trend of poor starts to matches.

“It’s going to be an interesting game. It’s another travel, but an eight-day rest which will be good for us after the Darwin game,” O’Donnell said.

“The confidence going into the game is going to be at a high level, with three wins in a row.”

Lions’ First Quarters Interstate