One down, 22 to go.

The first eight games of the 2021 AFL season didn’t just provide us with our initial set of winners and losers, it raised another series of questions.

With each of the league’s 18 clubs set to do battle again this weekend, we attempted to answer the major issues facing their playing lists and coaches alike.

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Brisbane

How slippery is the banana peel?

Much like Geelong, you would be hard pressed to find many punters that tipped against Brisbane in Round 1, but like the Cats, the Lions were humbled by a team still in the midst of rebuilding.

Reviewing a 31-point loss to a side they were expected to beat at home is going to make for a tough week for Chris Fagan and his roster, but if the Lions are to compete at the pointy end of the season again, the early slide on the season’s first banana peel must be a short one.

With Chris Scott’s Cats waiting for the Lions at Kardinia Park this Friday night, revenge, redemption, and a return to contemporary form should be at the forefront of the Queensland team’s mind.

Should you pair Brisbane’s last two results together, you will find that their average losing margin is a whisker shy of six goals per game. As ugly as the loss to John Longmire’s cygnets was, it was nothing in comparison to the 40 point and 27 scoring shots to 12 loss the Lions were dealt by Geelong in last year’s second Preliminary Final.

Although the stakes will be far lower this weekend, if this fledgling trend of beatings continues to extrapolate against Scott’s wounding Cats, an 0-2 beginning to their 2021 campaign may prove harder to rectify than not.

If Fagan is unable to cease the slide on Friday, there is no telling how long the Lions can expect to skid, as they are fixtured to face three fellow 2020 finalists in Collingwood, the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide between Rounds 3 and 7.

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