Chris Fagan has lauded his side’s response to Melbourne’s eight-goal barrage in the second quarter, and revealed he put three of his star players on the spot during the main break.
Speaking during his post-match press conference, Fagan noted his half-time discussion with his group as one of the turning points that eventuated in their five-point win, highlighting the statistical output of Josh Dunkley, Lachie Neale and Hugh McCluggage for them and teammates to see.
Fagan rode the topsy-turvy game from the coaches’ box much like viewers at home, and at one point down by four goals in the third term, it looked more unlikely than likely that Brisbane would come back given their high number of wasted opportunities in front of goal.
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“It was a rollercoaster ride of a game — probably, in the end, it would’ve been unlucky for us if we hadn’t have got there, because we had so many opportunities,” Fagan told reporters late Friday night.
“We had some great (opportunities) that we butchered, and it looked like (they were) going to be goals and then the handball would go long, or someone would fall over.
“But the good thing is we found a way. Sometimes, after you have those big wins like we did last week (against Port Adelaide), you can get performances like that (on Friday).
“We started well but we kicked 3.7, and then they had a massive second quarter where they just dominated us at contested possession and used the ball really efficiently.
“That was a disappointing quarter, but outside of that, the rest of the game was at an acceptable standard for us, outside of our kicking for goal.”
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After an eight-goal second-quarter onslaught by Melbourne, Fagan put the challenge to his star midfielders at half-time.
Dual Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale had just 10 disposals and zero tackles to his name at the main break, while Hugh McCluggage had nine disposals at 44.4 per cent efficiency and zero tackles.
“To be honest, I put Hugh, Lachie (Neale) and Dunks’ (Josh Dunkley’s) stats up on the board at half-time (against) the opposition’s and said ‘boys, we need a lift’,” Fagan said.
“And, to their credit, they gave us a massive lift in the second half — so that just goes to show you what great character they have.
“They’ve been up and firing for three weeks in a row now and probably had a bit of a downer tonight, but the good thing is they found a way in that second half and ended up being our best players.”
While Dunkley was arguably prolific all match, the output of Neale and McCluggage was notably higher in the second half — despite just one tackle between them all match.
The veteran Lions mentor said he doesn’t usually single players out but felt it was a necessity on Friday night with the game fading away.
“I very rarely do it, to be honest,” he said.
“But tonight, I thought it was necessary, because what I do know about those blokes is they do respond when you do that to them, particularly when you don’t use it as a method every single time things aren’t working out.
“I thought it was appropriate and they responded, so it just shows their character.”
On McCluggage’s match-winning goal at the 25-minute mark, Fagan praised the ball-winner’s ability to step up and slot a difficult kick.
“Set-shot kicking is not his forte — he’s good on the snaps and things, and has been a challenge for him, but I thought it was, again, great leadership — he would’ve got a lot of confidence from that.
“You couldn’t wipe the smile of his face after the game, because he probably has missed some of those shots over the years, but tonight, when it counted, he put it through the middle.”