THE Brisbane Lions are saying all the right things to ensure there is no slip-up against much-improved Melbourne in Darwin on Saturday night.
With three wins in their past four, including remarkable comeback victories over Geelong and North Melbourne, the Lions will enter the match as red-hot favourites.
The last time they entered a match with such expectations was round one and were swftly put in their place by the Western Bulldogs who demolished the NAB Cup winners by 63 points.
It was a reality check that the Lions took a while to recover from.
Directly after Saturday night's win over the Kangaroos, coach Michael Voss said he was already focusing on the Demons and looking no further.
On Wednesday, it was the turn of impressive rookie Sam Mayes to front the media and say how locked-in the Lions were ahead of their main training session.
"I think our form has been quite good the last few weeks, but it's important we go up there with the right mind-set … play good contested footy and hopefully win the game," Mayes said.
Since sacking coach Mark Neeld and replacing him with Neil Craig mid-season, Melbourne has seen a spike in its competitiveness over the past month.
The stretch has included a win over the Western Bulldogs and a meritorious loss to the Sydney Swans.
It hasn't escaped the Lions.
"They've gone to a lot more one-on-one, contested style [of football], and their tackling has improved a lot in the last couple of weeks, especially since Craig's taken over," Mayes said.
"It'll be a good challenge this week and we look forward to it."
Mayes dismissed the notion of a late tilt at finals, saying the Lions were only concerned with "playing the best footy we can on the weekend."
The 18-year-old has been a major reason in the club's form reversal, with a stellar showing against North on Saturday night.
The NAB Rising Star nominee had 21 disposals, three goals and four goal assists to continue his outstanding season.
Brent Moloney (calf) and Simon Black (groin) both ran freely during warm up and appear strong chances of being selected.
Michael Whiting is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_mikewhiting
