The Brisbane Lions may boast a 5-1 record and sit pretty in second on the AFL ladder, but it has been far from a perfect start this season.
The Lions have had their opening five wins come after trailing at halftime, and despite the heroic label of "comeback kings", it is a nickname the club would prefer to avoid.
Despite escaping with the four premiership points in the opening month and a bit of the 2025 season, the Lions' sluggish first half was made to pay against a rolling Collingwood side, who tallied their own fifth win on the trot since their Opening Round loss.
Poorer contested work and conceding scores at a higher rate have been the leading cause, according to star midfielder Lachie Neale, who admitted the Collingwood loss finally uncovered the cracks that had shown earlier this season.
"It exposed a couple of things in our game that are not quite at the level required at the moment," Neale said on Tuesday.
"Hopefully, it sharpens us up a little bit. We've known for the whole six weeks that we're not absolutely flying yet.
"Contest and clearance has been inconsistent for us this year, we've done it well in halves and in patches, but as a midfield group in particular, we haven't got it done across four quarters, basically the whole year.
"...There's a mixture, but that's a big one."
It's difficult to see a damning reflection of this statement on the stat sheet, but it is currently a core issue for Brisbane.
While the Lions still average the sixth-most contested possessions this season, and record 5.7 more per game than their opposition, their figures have decreased marginally compared to their premiership year.
As Neale mentioned, the Lions have been able to hide this concern by making it up in the second half, however, it was glaring in the Collingwood loss. The Lions recorded just 99 contested possessions for the match, a season-low, and won just 26 clearances, losing the count by 10.
Neale also lamented Brisbane's current defensive structure, believing it has been a factor in conceding higher scores.
"Defensively as well, we were pretty good the first few weeks. We were conceding less scores than the last few weeks, so defensively our shape's just been pulled apart a little bit," the dual Brownlow medallist said.
The Lions have conceded scores over 90 in their past three games, and while their forward line held up their end of the bargain in the first two affairs, its collapse on Thursday night only emphasised Brisbane's backline struggles.
The Lions concede the 10th-most points per game so far this season, but a smaller sample size from their last three weeks sees them concede 97 points per game, which would place Brisbane as a bottom-five defence in the league.
They come up against St Kilda in Round 7, who Neale admits the Lions will have to respect, as the Saints have averaged 116.5 points in their wins at Marvel Stadium this season.
"Hopefully we come out and play with a bit more energy and fire against St Kilda... should be a good contest at Marvel where they've been playing some great footy.
"It's gonna be a tough task."
Well held against the Bulldogs however, it highlighted that St Kilda's attack has been the key to winning as they concede the fifth-most points on average this season.
Therefore, it will be vital for the Lions to sharpen up their defence on Saturday, as a well-oiled backline will provide a prime opportunity for Brisbane to get back on the winners list.
