Second-year Brisbane talent Hugh McCluggage is wary of his side getting caught up in the hype of three straight AFL wins but says it's important they celebrate the club's turnaround.
The Lions beat Hawthorn in Tasmania on Saturday in a statement-making victory that has created plenty of buzz ahead of this weekend's clash with Adelaide at the Gabba.
The Lions lost their first eight games of the season but have since won four, including tough road wins against Fremantle and the Hawks, to give the young side genuine belief heading into 2019.
McCluggage says the team is "trying to keep a lid on it" but that they now genuinely believe they can beat anyone.
"I think we always believed we could; we have been playing good football and just weren't making the most of the key moments," he said.
"But now we definitely feel like we're going out there and playing to win."
The languid midfielder agreed it was potentially a trickier task to manage hype than it was to fend off criticism amid a losing streak.
"There definitely is and we're trying to keep a lid on it," he said.
"But you've got to celebrate the success, especially after a few hard years.
"Everyone's very excited ... it (three straight wins) hasn't happend for a while and especially for the older guys, there's a lot that don't have the greatest win-loss record."
McCluggage has only known AFL under Lions coach Chris Fagan so wasn't part of the club's struggles under former club greats-turned coaches Justin Leppitsch and Michael Voss.
But he has still noticed a difference since first joining the club.
"It just feels more settled to be honest," he said.
"They've got their grips on the club now ... when they came in they were finding their feet just like we were."
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