Brisbane focused on the Tigers, not losing streak, ahead of blockbuster clash Chris Fagan's Brisbane Lions are "embracing the fact" they haven't won at the MCG since 2014, but aren't letting it consume their focus ahead of a Friday night clash against the Richmond Tigers.
"I understand it's about setting up the story, so the story on Monday if the Lions win will be 'you can win the flag because you won at the MCG' and if we lose 'you can't win the flag because you can't win at the MCG'," Fagan said.
Yet, the always frank Fagan was careful not to overplay the impact of the ground.
"The truth is, we're not playing the MCG, we're playing Richmond," he reflected.
Sitting seven places below the third-placed Lions and fresh off two losses and a debilitating draw, the Tigers' quest to return to the Finals is faltering.
This offered scant comfort for Fagan however, as he strives to breach the final frontier of a grand final. Having led his team to two semi-finals and one preliminary in the last three years, he was very aware of the threat Richmond posed.
"Not so long before they had this run of losses, everyone was saying 'they're the team to beat'" Fagan recounted.
"And that's the team we expect to play at the weekend. They're desperate to make finals, we're desperate to try and finish top-four, there's a lot at stake."
https://www.zerohanger.com/brisbane-focused-on-the-tigers-not-losing-streak-ahead-of-blockbuster-clash-124565/