Luke Hodge says dealing with pressure situations in tight games is the next phase in Brisbane’s development.
The Lions finished in 15th position with five wins in 2018 and were left to rue several narrow defeats, losing five games by under a goal.
“I think we saw last year that the group can play some really good football at times,” Hodge told SEN’s KB and The Doc.
“But like a lot of young emerging teams, they’re going to drop games that they probably should win.
“We’ve been playing a lot of games, getting a lot of match time into the guys and trying to get them to understand the Lions system and the way we want to play, and importantly that they’re getting used to playing with one another
"The most important thing on game day is you understand what your mate to the left, right, in front of you and behind you is doing.
“As soon as everyone is in sync - especially in the pressure situations which we probably failed at a lot last year, that’s what we’re trying to work on the most at the moment.”
Brisbane open their 2019 campaign against reigning premiers West Coast at the Gabba on Saturday, March 23rd.
Listen to Luke Hodge’s chat on SEN’s KB and The Doc with Kevin Bartlett and Dr Turf in the player below