The Tigers have not won an elimination final since they beat South Melbourne in 1977, but they will take heart from knowing they played four finals on the way to winning the 2020 flag. They have also won 10 of their past 12 finals while the Lions have won just one of their past six finals, with four of their losses at the Gabba. The Lions’ only finals win in those matches was against the Tigers at the Gabba in 2020.
Lynch expects a tough battle but said they won’t be engaging in unnecessary verbal sparring with Lions captain Dayne Zorko who had to apologise for an inappropriate comment he made to Melbourne defender Harrison Petty last week.
“What I do know is Dayne Zorko is a classy player and you probably don’t want to fire him up too much,” Lynch said.
“I’ve played against him quite a number of times, especially [when] at Gold Coast, and he’s a proven performer.”
The Tigers reeled in a 42-point deficit to beat the Lions in round 20, but Lynch said both sides would be hoping to improve on that performance as there were positives and negatives to come out of it.
“Brisbane are a tough side up there and they’ve proven over the last four or five years at the Gabba they’re tough to beat,” Lynch said.
“We won’t be daunted by going up there because we’re familiar with it but we’ve got to respect them.”
Source: The Age
