BRISBANE has a chance to create club history over the next month.
If the Lions can win three of their final four matches, they will eclipse Leigh Matthews' 1999 team for the biggest improvement in wins in a single season.
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In his first year in charge, Matthews took the five-wins-and-a-draw outfit of 1998 to a 16-win, third-place finish just 12 months later.
Chris Fagan's men have a chance to do better.
They won five games in 2018 and are already up to 13 this year.
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Three wins from matches against the Western Bulldogs, Gold Coast and Geelong (all at the Gabba), and Richmond at the MCG, would take Brisbane's improvement to 11 wins.
Remarkably, even if – and it's a big if – this were to happen, it would not come close to the best mark set around the competition in the past 20 years.
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That honour belongs to West Coast, who after winning four games and finishing with the wooden spoon in 2010, rose astonishingly to win 17 games and make a preliminary final just 12 months later.
The Eagles of 2010 'won' the wooden spoon before rebounding the following season. Picture: AFL Photos
Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Melbourne, Collingwood and Essendon have all had teams with larger improvements than the red-hot Lions to date, however, Essendon's 2016 team* consisted of 'top-up players' due to several stars sitting out the year due to a doping ban.
Club | Years | Wins | Total improvement | Finish |
West Coast | 2010-11 | Four up to 17 | 13 wins | Lost prelim final |
Adelaide | 2011-12 | Seven up to 17 | 10 wins | Lost prelim final |
Port Adelaide | 2000-01 | Seven up to 16 | Nine wins | Lost semi-final |
Melbourne | 2003-04 | Five up to 14 | Nine wins | Lost elimination final |
Collingwood | 2005-06 | Five up to 14 | Nine wins | Lost elimination final |
Essendon* | 2016-17 | Three up to 12 | Nine wins | Lost elimination final |
Brisbane | 2018-19 | Five up to 13 | Eight wins | Second after 18 rounds |