Chris Fagan's Brisbane Lions are "embracing the fact" they haven't won at the MCG since 2014, but aren't letting it consume their focus ahead of a Friday night clash against the Richmond Tigers.
The Lions have lost their last ten matches at the home of football, including a humiliating 64-point thrashing at the hands of the Melbourne Demons just five weeks ago.
With success at the 'G a common measuring stick for interstate teams, Fagan acknowledged the significance of the match in an interview with AFL.com.au's Michael Whiting on Friday.
"I understand it's about setting up the story, so the story on Monday if the Lions win will be 'you can win the flag because you won at the MCG' and if we lose 'you can't win the flag because you can't win at the MCG'," Fagan said.
Yet, the always frank Fagan was careful not to overplay the impact of the ground.
"The truth is, we're not playing the MCG, we're playing Richmond," he reflected.
Sitting seven places below the third-placed Lions and fresh off two losses and a debilitating draw, the Tigers' quest to return to the Finals is faltering.
This offered scant comfort for Fagan however, as he strives to breach the final frontier of a grand final. Having led his team to two semi-finals and one preliminary in the last three years, he was very aware of the threat Richmond posed.
"Not so long before they had this run of losses, everyone was saying 'they're the team to beat'" Fagan recounted.
"And that's the team we expect to play at the weekend. They're desperate to make finals, we're desperate to try and finish top-four, there's a lot at stake."
As the top seven teams are separated by just two wins with only a month of football remaining, Fagan acknowledged the need to win every game. He was also keen to say that a loss on Friday wouldn't be the end of the story.
"We're trying like hell to win on the weekend and that's our goal. But if we don't, it won't stop us from trying to achieve the ultimate this year, it's as simple as that."
Having only played two games at the 'G since they returned to the finals in 2019, perhaps this is the moment the Lions break the curse.
