Despite yet another AFL loss, Brisbane coach Chris Fagan feels the tide turning.
The Lions were sunk by Port Adelaide by 40 points on Saturday and remain last on the ladder.
But Fagan senses a shift at Brisbane.
"It feels like the tide is turning," the first-year head coach said after Port's 18.13 (121) to 12.9 (81) win at Adelaide Oval.
"I have only been there for a short time but that is the feeling around. There's a lot of belief around the young boys that they can see some blue sky at the end of it all."
The Lions were plucky yet outclassed by Port, who took fourth spot on the ladder with the victory.
But Brisbane's stoic effort - they could have crept within three goals midway through the last quarter - heartened their coach.
"We are on a growth pattern," Fagan said.
"At this point of time last year, the team had suffered somewhere around seven or eight losses by more than 10 goals.
"At this point of time for us, it's two. So they're little things we look at."
Dayne Zorko inspired the Lions with 32 disposals, a dozen tackles and two goals.
But Brisbane ultimately couldn't counter Port's upper-class - Ollie Wines was superb with two goals and 29 disposals, Chad Wingard kicked three majors.
Port's Brad Ebert (24 disposals) and Sam Powell-Pepper (two goals, 16 touches) impressed but the Power lost winger Jared Polec to a hamstring injury in the last quarter.
"It looks like a pretty natural hamstring injury ... if it is, he'll miss two to three weeks. That is just the way it goes in footy," Port coach Ken Hinkley said.
Hinkley was satisfied with the victory, noting Port weren't in peak form.
"We found a way to win by 40 points against a side that has improved a fair bit," he said.
"We are just in that patch where we are not quite at our absolute best.
"Sometimes that is opposition-driven, sometimes that is certainly us and at the moment we are just a tiny bit off sharp."
Port started brightly, kicking the initial three goals of the game.
Yet they couldn't shake the Lions, who were three points down late in the second quarter.
Port then went on a match-defining scoring burst, booting seven of the next nine goals but only landed knockout blows on Brisbane late in the game.
Share
