HALF THE Brisbane Lions side that copped a 23-goal hammering from Adelaide "shouldn't even be playing" at senior level but the club's dire injury situation had forced its hand, coach Justin Leppitsch says.
The Lions were on the receiving end of a 138-point drubbing at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night, with Leppitsch saying the team he assembled was not at AFL standard.
"It's boys against men. Half our team shouldn't be playing ..." Leppitsch said.
"We're wounded as a footy club, there's no doubt, because we don't even have replacements to bring in.
"We've got young kids just looking for the finish line.
"Just look at those (player) names individually. Half of that group was playing NEAFL a few weeks ago."
Leppitsch maintained he was still the man to take the Lions forward and spruiked the potential of their list, but said he feared the big losses his club had endured could test the resilience of his senior players.
Five talking points: Adelaide v Brisbane Lions
"I feel for our senior guys," he said.
"Particularly guys like 'Rocky' (Tom Rockliff) and Dayne Zorko, they've been at this club a long time and we haven't given them a lot of success. They've got to hold up a lot. They've got to play with a lot of young kids and it must be draining.
"I guess what I ask our fans is to look for the positives in the young boys we've got out there. This is not a team which is ready for AFL footy ... but one day they will be.
"Our youth talent is probably twice as good as it was since I've been here."
Leppitsch also criticised the AFL for playing a role in the club's predicament, saying the League had favoured the expansion clubs ahead of the Lions.
"We've been given nothing as a footy club," he said.
WATCH: Justin Leppitsch's full post-match press conference
"No extra concessions and money. GWS bought Heath Shaw and (Shane) Mumford with the extra concessions ... You've got to understand there's a system behind what you see on game day.
"Coaching is only one part of a very big picture."
Adelaide kicked the highest score of 2016 and came within two goals of a club record score and one point of a club record winning margin.
However Leppitsch said he didn't believe putting extra numbers behind the ball and implementing tactics to slow the Crows' scoring would have worked.
"We've tried all of those things that haven't worked," he said.
"We tried an offensive game style today. We wanted to keep the ball boundary side and they pushed us out of the way and we still got smashed on turnover.
"Last week (against Port Adelaide) we opened up the game and we got smashed because we missed kicks."
