Brisbane star midfielder Lachie Neale says the club needs to quickly improve its late-game fadeouts ahead of its top-four clash with Hawthorn at the MCG.
For the second straight week, the Lions failed to capitalise on their dominance, allowing North Melbourne to tie up the contest in Hobart, before yielding to Melbourne's fourth-quarter pressure.
The two-time Brownlow medallist said there's no need to panic, as the reigning premiers sit second on the ladder, but did acknowledge the need to refine their game.
"It feels like the last couple of weeks we've been frustrated," Neale said.
"Not playing our best footy when we feel we should be playing better against a couple of those teams. Maybe it's in our heads. So we just got to release the shackles a bit.
"We've been through far worse periods than this, so we're not panicking."
In recent years, Brisbane has faltered against the Hawks, losing their past five encounters.
The trip to the home of football will be the second of the year for Chris Fagan's men, and they will get the opportunity to play at the MCG in Round 21 against Collingwood.
"It's good to go down to Melbourne and play at the MCG," Neale added.
"Against a really good team, against the Hawks, who are top four as well, so it's come at a good time for us to get away together and try and improve.
"It's a long year, but we don't expect to be at our absolute peak, but we want to start improving a fair bit."
Neale also spoke on his fellow co-captain Harris Andrews' form, after being denied by defensive forward Jake Melksham.
Melbourne deployed the job to good effect in the shock victory, with Melksham kicking four goals and curbing Andrews' influence. Hawthorn's Jack Gunston has done the role in the past, and after he was managed for the trip to Darwin, he could return for Saturday's game.
"I think Harris, at his best, is not worrying too much about what the opposition are trying to do with him," Neale said.
"He's such an aerial threat, he's so good for us defensively as well. He reads the game so well.
"I feel like when he's playing a little bit below his best, he might be too consumed with what's going on around him.
"For him, if he's just reading the game like he always does, it doesn't really matter who plays on him. He's had it before and he's dominated.
"I just urge him to get back to reading the game like he does and backing himself in."
