Two words summed up what was missing when the Brisbane Lions reviewed their gutting one-point AFL loss to Melbourne.
“Still being bold and brave when we needed to be when, especially in the last seven minutes, (we) fell away from what got us into that position ,” Lions veteran Dayne Zorko said on Tuesday.
Brisbane were 27 points clear in the final quarter on Friday at the MCG only to be mown down, Jake Melksham slotting the winning goal for the Demons with 30 seconds remaining.
A slow start and horror final seven minutes were offset by some of the Lions’ best football of the season, making their debrief this week a peculiar one.
“A fair portion of it was good … unfortunately we weren’t able to fall over the line,” Zorko said.
“We just got a few things wrong; skill, execution, and game management as well.”
Opting to kick down the sidelines rather than continuing to attack the corridors of the MCG cost the Lions, Zorko said, as the Demons kicked the game’s final four goals.
“Kicking long down the line is, more often than not, what the opposition want you to do,” he said.
“There were a number of times in that last quarter, especially in that last seven minutes, we just didn’t take the right option.
“I’m glad we’re getting the learning now and not later in the season, but there was still plenty to like out of that game.”
The loss kept Brisbane two wins behind second-placed Port Adelaide ahead of a testing return to the Gabba against the in-form defending premiers Geelong on Saturday.
The Cats (9-7) pulverised Essendon on Saturday to move into fifth and are undefeated in four games.
“They’re absolutely flying at the moment, playing that football that gave them that success last year,” Zorko said.
“We’ll be wary.”
Two games back from his latest soft-tissue setback, Zorko said his calf was no longer causing him grief and that relinquishing the captaincy had made it slightly more palatable to sit on the sideline.
“There’s always that pressure as captain – you want to be out there helping,” he said.
“Not having that, you can focus on yourself a bit more.
“I’m starting to get my touch back and covered the ground well (against Melbourne).
“My body’s in good shape (for) this time of year, which is probably a blessing in disguise.”