Brisbane
Season record
Win-loss: 3-1
Ladder position: 5th
Season overview
Along with the Crows, the Lions are one of the powerhouses of the competition - last season’s premiership was a deserved breakthrough having previously lost two grand finals by a combined 13 points. Their premiership defence got off to a horror start, humbled by the Crows to the tune of 30 points having lost veteran Kate Luskins - best on ground in last year’s grand final - to a season-ending ACL injury in the opening minutes. They recovered from the unideal start to the season well however with a three-match unbeaten run, and sit fifth on the ladder with a game in hand over the teams above them. Two of those wins came against Carlton and Geelong, who have won just two games between them this season, but the win at the weekend over Collingwood showed the Lions are back to something near their best. A big positive is that, on paper, Brisbane have a favourable run home - while they face fellow contenders Melbourne and North Melbourne, four of their six remaining games are against St Kilda (0-4 so far this season), West Coast (1-4), Richmond (1-4) and the Western Bulldogs (1-3).
Grade: B+
It was a shaky start but they’ve since gone undefeated and look on track to defend their premiership.
