Razor-thin margins at the top of the AFL ladder essentially mean finals football is here as far as Brisbane coach Chris Fagan is concerned.
The third-placed Lions are entrenched in the race for a top-four spot, with just four points separating them from seventh-placed Carlton ahead of Sunday’s clash with Richmond.
A win over the Tigers would not only end an eight-year wait for a win at home, but would continue to keep the Lions ahead of the chasing pack.
Lose and the door can open to his rivals and it’s a scenario Fagan is all too aware of.
“To be honest it’s just about winning this weekend,” Fagan said.
“It almost becomes now, it’s a final every week, and it is if you look at the ladder. The ladder is so tight.
“So the motivation for us, our agenda, is to do well this week and let the future take care of itself.
“You find yourself looking at the stairs and wondering who’s going to win here and who’s going to lose there.
“It’s just about us trying to win our games because that’s the only thing we control.”
The Tigers are staring down the barrel of a second straight season without finals football after going three games without a win.
Having suffered back-to-back defeats against Gold Coast and North Melbourne by less than a goal, last weekend’s draw with the Dockers has Damien Hardwick’s side 10th in the table and two points outside the top eight.
In response, Hardwick has dropped ruckman Ivan Soldo for the visit of the Lions, while key attack Tom Lynch will return from a hamstring injury.
Fagan says the Tigers’ recent results were no indication of their performance and the threat they will pose on Sunday.
“Their win-loss record isn’t great the last four or five weeks, but if you really look at the games they’ve lost because they haven’t played directly in front of goals or given up decent leads,” Fagan said. .
“Not so long ago, before we had this little losing streak, everyone was saying ‘they’re the team, they’re going to come’, and that’s the team we’re looking forward to playing at the weekend.
“They’re desperate to get to the final. We’re desperate to try and finish in the top four.
“There’s a lot to play for and we hope you see the best of both teams.”
Brisbane have made one forced change from the team that beat Gold Coast last weekend with Keidean Coleman returning from a hamstring injury in place of concussed defender Daniel Rich.