GOALKICKING has been a headache for Brisbane late in the season, but it's more when the misses are coming rather than how many.

Even in the 28-point hiding of Carlton on Saturday night, where the final score flattered the visitors, there were one or two moments of angst for the Lions.

It continued a trend that has dogged their past month of matches.

After racing to a 60-0 lead with almost flawless play, and close to flawless goalkicking, late in the first half, Carlton made an inevitable push.

Suddenly the lead was reduced to 31 points with more than half of the third quarter remaining.

It was here that Brisbane began to wobble around goal.

First-year forward Logan Morris had the perfect chance to stop the five-goal run, but slammed his set shot from the top of the goalsquare into the woodwork, with Zac Bailey almost missing his boot from point-blank range a minute later.

Following Cal Ah Chee's momentum-stopper, it was Joe Daniher's turn to miss a couple of chances.

The lead was in excess of six goals by this stage, but the full-forward sent one to the right on the run from directly in front and then missed an around-the-corner set shot from the right forward pocket. These were nowhere near as egregious as the earlier pair of misses and when Carlton's short-lived fightback had lost some impetus.

Although this was just a little pocket of an otherwise dominant performance, it picked at a scab that has been forming for a while.

It started in round 22 against Saturday's semi-final opponent Greater Western Sydney when the teams last met at the Gabba.

The game could have been close to buried at quarter-time such was Brisbane's dominance, but 4.7 from an avalanche of inside 50s kept the door ajar.

However, the most concerning period of that contest came either side of three-quarter time.

Leading by 18 points late in the third and keeping the Giants at arm's length, Charlie Cameron had a set shot from 25m almost directly in front, but steered it wide.

Early in the final term, Morris had an opportunity to push the lead to 20 with a kick from 35m, but missed. GWS ran through the open door to kick the final four goals of the game to win by 18 points – 13.4 to 8.16.

The spot of anxiety became a big red pimple seven days later when the Lions travelled to the MCG to confront 2023 Grand Final foe Collingwood.

After a topsy-turvy first half, the Lions had gained control in the third quarter, leading by 17 points when Bailey stepped up from 25m just off centre.

His kick thumped into the post.

Shortly after it was Cam Rayner's turn from 25m directly in front. He missed wide.

Then it was Kai Lohmann, taking a bounce and streaming inside 50 only to pull his uncontested kick to the left.

Three shots within seven minutes that could have effectively knocked out Collingwood, and instead the lead had gone from 17 to just 20.

Daniher had a chance late in the final term to put a nail in the coffin, but his shot from 35m went wide and the Magpies stormed home with three successive goals to snatch the four points and rob Brisbane of a top-four finish.

The Lions have also had their clutch moments in the second half of the season, with Hugh McCluggage kicking a difficult goal very late to thieve victory from Melbourne in round 16 and Cal Ah Chee doing likewise against Sydney in round 19.

But if finals matches come down to "moments" as Chris Fagan, among many other coaches, has said in 2024, Brisbane will have to flip its recent script when the chances arrive against the Giants or their campaign could come to a premature end.