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In 66 minutes against one another, McCluggage won 10 disposals to Mullin’s four. Per Champion Data, the Brisbane vice captain’s opponents combined tally for the afternoon was only 15 to his 26.
“There was a little bit of stat padding [at the end], and it was nice to get off the chain a little bit, but I was proud of the work I did before that to get that opportunity,” McCluggage said.
“I wanted to be a better teammate today and open up space for my teammates, like Will Ashcroft, and I was trying to be physical, put pressure on and do my part. I had to have a better mindset, to be honest. I let it get to me a little bit last time, whereas this time I was trying to stay in the game, and stay in the moment.”
McCluggage said there was no one “magic formula” that explained the Lions’ tremendous success under coach Chris Fagan – but he did have one theory.
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“Probably the most important thing for us is we’re a really tight-knit group,” he said.
“We’ve got a lot of love for each other, and it sounds a little bit ridiculous, but we speak about being really together when we go away, enjoying each other’s company and being ourselves.
“Our away record this year was crazy – we maybe lost two games, or something, for the whole year. That shows how tight our group is, and that means when you get challenged, and you’re in front of opposition crowds, or big crowds, we stick together.”
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