Any danger of the Brisbane Lions becoming comfortable in their quest for a third straight AFL premiership is gone after losing to Melbourne.
Chasing a fourth successive victory, Brisbane lost by two points to the Demons at the MCG on Sunday.
If the Lions are able to win another flag this season, they might look back on their loss to Melbourne as a turning point.
“The weekend was a great wake-up call for us,” Brisbane co-captain Harris Andrews said ahead of his team’s clash against Adelaide at the Gabba on Sunday.
“Probably when you get on a little bit of a streak of winning and you have three wins in a row, some of the things that you really value as a team might start to slip.
“No one means to do it on purpose or anything like that, but it’s a great reminder just how hard this game is and how you have to be on edge going into each week.
“It was a great effort by the ‘Dees’ on the weekend. I love the way they play the game, and it’s disappointing that we weren’t able to come away with the points, but it’s another great opportunity for us to learn.
“The season’s a long one, so you’ve got to make sure you make the most of those learnings.
“I know that the lads will be super excited for Sunday against Adelaide, another really great challenge and one that the boys will be on edge for.”
Andrews said there was a “lot to like” about Brisbane’s performance against Melbourne but also “stuff we didn’t enjoy”.
”To (Melbourne’s) credit, their pressure was good, and they play a really offensive style, which caught us out at times, but it did feel at times that we also contributed to that by some of our ball use as well,” he said.
In a positive for the Lions, star backman Andrews was again impressed by the performance of 20-year-old Ty Gallop in defence.
The premiership-winning forward has been shifted to Brisbane’s backline in recent weeks to cover for the losses of injured pair Jack Payne and Darcy Gardiner, and Andrews, who was absent for three games due to suspension before returning earlier this month.
“He’s made of the right stuff, Ty – he’s such a competitor,” Andrews said.
“It’s been great in that bit of time away not playing working with him to get him upskilled playing as a backman.
“I don’t think there’s any negatives in regards to him playing in the backline for his forward craft in the future.
“He’s learning things on the fly now, seeing things from a different angle. I’ve really enjoyed playing with him.
“To be alongside him is really invigorating for me. I love having him down there (in defence).”
