That winning feeling

One of the prevailing themes surrounding the Brisbane Lions’ 2013 pre-season has been developing a winning culture throughout the Club.

In recent years, Senior Coach Michael Voss has probably preached more about ‘competitiveness’ and how important it was for his team to fight out matches – regardless of the opposition, or even the scoreboard.

Now, on the back of a vastly improved 2012 campaign, winning becomes the key focus.

It’s not through any sort of luck that the top AFL sides seem to constantly find a way to get over the line in close games. The same goes with lower-placed sides often suffering the heartbreak of losing matches by less than a kick.

Winning is a habit and once you’ve become accustomed to it, it almost becomes second nature.

Fortunately for the Lions, they seem to have started getting that ‘winning feeling’.

After winning their final three matches of 2012, the Lions have taken that momentum into the pre-season competition and remain undefeated in four NAB Cup games.

That’s not to mention the Lions Reserves’ dominant finish to the 2012 NEAFL season which culminated in two premierships – including the Club’s first State League title in over a decade.

In fact, the Club hasn’t tasted defeat in more than seven months.

Coincidentally, the Lions’ last loss was a significant one against Carlton at Etihad Stadium back in Round 20 last year on Saturday 11 August.

The Lions will get an opportunity to see how far they’ve come in those past seven months when they face the Blues again this Friday night at Etihad Stadium in the NAB Cup Grand Final.

Should the Club succeed, they will enter the season proper on an eight-game winning streak – the perfect springboard for developing that winning culture.

When asked during Thursday’s media conference whether his team could potentially gain “false confidence” as a result of their pre-season form, Voss was quick to point out the Lions' unenviable winning record over the past few years.   

“We have no reason to have false confidence,” Voss said.

“Winning is a habit that is created, just as losing is a habit that’s created.”

“For us, establishing a winning habit supersedes everything for us, and that’s something we’ve been building towards for quite a while.”