Brisbane’s dip in form isn’t the only reason Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir is wary of the wounded Lions at the Gabba on Saturday.
The top-of-table Dockers head into the contest full of confidence after 10 successive wins.
In contrast, the Lions have suffered back-to-back defeats, including an embarrassing 78-point loss to the GWS Giants last Sunday.
However, Longmuir isn’t underestimating the reigning premiers, who have won six of their 11 matches this season.
“I don’t know if the weekend makes me any more wary – I’m wary of them anytime,” the Fremantle mentor said.
“They beat us last year here (in Perth), they’ve shown this year already why they’re the reigning premiers, they’ve played some really good footy across the course of the year and I expect them to be at their best.”
Longmuir said the Lions conceding goals in a horror third quarter against the Giants was an “anomaly”.
“I don’t prepare our players (with that in mind). I just prepare for the trends more than an anomaly like that,” he said.
“There are some trends there that we see as real threats, and we see some opportunities. It’s a great challenge for us.”
The Lions will be boosted on Saturday by the returns of Jarrod Berry and Noah Answerth from respective calf and concussion issues.
Brisbane utility Conor McKenna said the Lions would benefit from the “team-first mentality” of midfielder Berry and defender Answerth.
“They’ll bring probably exactly what we need to the team this weekend – put their roles ahead of their personal quests,” McKenna said.
“We’ve had a disappointing few weeks, so we’re just trying to get back on track, play the game we know we can play, get a result and just perform for four quarters.”
The Lions are still without stalwart Dayne Zorko, who is facing up to six more weeks on the sidelines with a quad injury.
It’s a concern, but he is 37 years of age, so maybe that’s got something to do with it,” Brisbane coach Chris Fagan said.
