If you’re on thin ice, you might as well dance: Fagan’s all or nothing message to Lions
The dancing boots are back on the Brisbane Lions’ feet as they head to Sydney pledging to play with freedom in a crunch AFL semi-final.
Lions coach Chris Fagan heads out during a Brisbane Lions AFL training session at Brighton Homes Arena in Brisbane. (AAP Image/Jono Searle)
Greater Western Sydney will host Chris Fagan’s side on Saturday night, the winner through to an MCG preliminary final against Geelong.
The Giants are slight favourites after finishing one spot ahead of the Lions in fourth, thanks largely to a comeback win against them in round 22 at the Gabba.
That loss, as well as a similar slip against Collingwood a week later, cost Brisbane a top-four spot and has left them seeking to become just the second team to win from the bottom four since the finals format changed at the turn of the century.
It’s why Fagan insists his side don’t have a “hell of a lot to lose”, especially after recovering from 13th and won just four wins from their first 11 games.
It was at that point that Fagan put to his side, “If you’re walking on thin ice, you may as well dance”.
Coach Chris Fagan says “playing with enjoyment” was key to the Lions’ turning their form around. (Murray Wenzel)
It resonated and they responded to win their next nine games.
The coach, noticeably upbeat and cracking jokes during Thursday’s captain’s run press conference at the Gabba, said they had revisited that chat later in the season.
“When we played the Giants and Collingwood we were back to trying too hard,” he said.
“We’d moved away from that, ‘walking on thin ice, you may as well dance’ thing.
“Started to become too aware of where we were on the ladder and playing to protect our spot, rather than prior to that, with a bit of freedom and a ‘see what happens’ attitude.
“We’ll continue on down that path because we don’t feel like we’ve got a hell of a lot to lose (because) we came from a long way back to play finals.
Brisbane jumped out of the blocks against Carlton last week, scoring the first 60 points of the game to rewrite finals records before recording a 28-point victory.
The Giants led their Sydney rivals for the majority of their SCG contest before losing by six points.
Fagan remains confident Jack Payne (knee) will be fit to face the Giants – his assignment will likely be containing Coleman Medallist Jesse Hogan – after the key defender ran freely on Thursday.
