LOCKDOWN defender Brandon Starcevich says there’s a simple fix to Brisbane’s recent inconsistency ahead of Saturday night’s date with a rested St Kilda at the Gabba.
After an 8-1 start to their season, the Lions have been slightly off the boil in recent weeks, with narrow losses against Hawthorn and Fremantle punctuated by a close win over GWS.
The previously frugal Lions have conceded an average of 104 points over the three weeks, but Starcevich said there was no reason for concern.
He said there were “little lapses” of defensive pressure that were proving costly.
“That pressure maybe falls off a little bit around the ball and teams get good looks out of stoppages,” he said.
“When our pressure is on, we’re really, really good at it.
“We’ve seen over the last couple of years we’re one of the best pressure teams in the comp, especially around the ball. We know we can do it.
“It’s probably just doing it all the time. Maybe we just lapsed in a couple of moments in games.”
Fremantle opened up Brisbane with a devastating third quarter burst at Optus Stadium on Sunday, slamming on six goals in the opening half of the quarter, many directly from centre bounce.
Darcy Gardiner, who came off in the second quarter with a rib injury, has been cleared of any damage and trained on Wednesday morning and appears a chance to face the Saints.
The Lions arrived home from Perth in the early hours of Monday morning, with the players given two days off to recover ahead of facing a Saints team coming off the bye.
Starcevich said there was no fatigue despite trips to Perth, Launceston and Adelaide in the past month.
“Maybe it messed up our schedule a little bit, but a day off yesterday freshened everyone up.
“The energy is definitely there and we’re ready to go.”
