Forget the ladder – the Lions have never been further away from a flag

A top-two finish means nothing for Brisbane unless they change the way they play heading into September.

This is a team celebrated as nearly unstoppable at home and the working idea seems to be that securing the home qualifying final this weekend is a one-way ticket to the Grand Final.

That’s simply just not the case.

It’s not that the Lions are a bad team: they’re really pretty good. In a power rankings scenario, they’d be fourth in the competition – I’ve never suggested otherwise.

It’s impossible though, to watch them play and come away from any game with full belief…