Why Lions upbeat after wet-weather lesson

Lions coach Chris Fagan has dismissed his team’s weekend loss to Geelong as a wet-weather aberration, insisting the mood was still high in Brisbane’s camp ahead of Thursday night’s battle with the GWS Giants in Canberra.

The Lions’ fourth loss from six matches this season came in appalling conditions at the Gabba last Saturday night, with the unbeaten Cats playing smarter football in the wet to win by 26 points.

However, while admitting the Lions “don’t like losing”, Fagan didn’t seem overly concerned with the defeat and was confident of a better display from Brisbane in Canberra, where despite being cold, rain isn’t on the radar.

“We had two terrific games in the lead-up (to the loss to Geelong),” the Lions coach said on Tuesday.

“We shot ourselves in the foot a little bit, (but) there’s always good that comes out of a disappointing situation, and for us it’s just a good reminder of wet-weather footy.

“We just haven’t played in a wet game like that for such a long time, and I thought early in the game when it wasn’t that wet, we were pretty good.

“Then when it got really wet, Geelong were superior in that regard. We had a good chat about if we find ourselves in that situation again what would we do differently, so as disappointing as it was to lose, there’s a silver lining to that.

“It’s just a good reminder that you’ve got to be ready for whatever comes your way when you play AFL footy.”

And that included contingency plans for the loss of ruckman Oscar McInerney, who missed more than half of the defeat after being concussed.

It led to forward Joe Daniher and midfielder Josh Dunkley sharing rucking duties in a makeshift capacity.

“Losing him (McInerney) in the early part of the game … it’s very hard to adjust in game when you’ve really only got the one recognised ruckman (in the line-up),” Fagan said.

However, the Lions will make that adjustment in the absence of McInerney on Thursday night by including the club’s second-choice ruckman, Darcy Fort, in the team.

“When you know that you’re not going to have him you can pick a ruckman, and Darcy Fort has always been a great replacement for ‘O’ over the course of the last two or three years,” Fagan said.

“He’ll get the nod there. He’s been in good form in the reserves. It’s just a like for like (change).”

Fagan said the Lions were planning for Giants pair Toby Greene and Jesse Hogan – who will challenge respective charges of rough conduct and striking at the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night – to be playing on Thursday.

“You plan for those players to be available, and then you’ve got to plan for the fact that if they don’t play, they’ll replace them with like players,” he said.

“They’re both deep forwards, and it won’t change their system. They’ll still play the same way.”