{"id":17842,"date":"2026-05-25T03:28:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T03:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/17842\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T03:28:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T03:28:16","slug":"afl-2026-brisbane-lions-defensive-concerns-after-loss-to-gws-giants-david-king-on-first-crack-video-reaction-latest-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/17842\/","title":{"rendered":"AFL 2026: Brisbane Lions defensive concerns after loss to GWS Giants, David King on First Crack, video, reaction, latest news"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s growing concerns Brisbane has \u201clost its aura\u201d and whether the club still possesses the same hunger in its quest for a three-peat after GWS put up its biggest ever score on the reigning premiers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A disastrous third quarter, in which the Lions conceded a record 86 points, was a low-point in their season and symbolises their defensive drop off.<\/p>\n

Brisbane has dropped to the competition\u2019s No. 14 ranked defence (averaging 96 points against) after it was ranked No. 6 last season (78 points) in similar declines to reigning premiers Geelong (2023) and Collingwood (2024),<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

WHAT’S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.<\/p>\n

Watch every match of every round of the AFL Premiership Season LIVE and ad-break free during play on FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n

And so David King revisited last week\u2019s discussion where the Kangaroos great first flagged Brisbane\u2019s defensive worries after a heavy defeat to Geelong.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you slip defensively, you slip on the ladder,\u201d King began on Fox Footy\u2019s The First Crack.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir current ladder position is eighth. But is it eighth and holding or falling? Or eighth and gathering and getting themselves together?<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had 15 minutes in the rooms together tonight, just the players and coaches. is that the powwow? Or is that the challenge to the group to get themselves together over the next few days and work out where they go from here?<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018She\u2019ll be right, we\u2019re the back-to-backers\u2019. Well, you know what? It ain\u2019t right.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ ALSO <\/p>\n

TALKING POINTS: Bombers\u2019 $1m call laid bare amid great\u2019s two-word truth bomb; <\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018BACKED ME\u2019: How star\u2019s connection to \u2018special\u2019 Pendles might\u2019ve saved Pies career<\/a><\/p>\n

Fagan: “Nothing we tried worked!” | 07:25<\/p>\n

Brisbane coach Chris Fagan said post-match his side was \u201cgoing backwards\u201d<\/a> and that third quarters \u201chave been a problem\u201d for the Lions in recent weeks as Giants records tumbled.<\/p>\n

In addition to the GWS producing its biggest ever score (166), the club\u2019s 14-goal avalanche in the third quarter \u2014 for a total of 86 points \u2014 marked the highest-scoring third term in VFL\/AFL history. <\/p>\n

It was also the equal-fourth highest-scoring quarter of all time in any quarter.<\/p>\n

But King looked beyond that third term and showed a series of clips where several Lions stars put in poor defensive efforts that he thinks raises alarm bells. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean enough to them anymore. They\u2019ve got their trophies, they\u2019ve got their stamps, they\u2019ve got their tattoos,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe effort is not there. The desire is not there. I don\u2019t know how you get it back and I don\u2019t even know if you can get it back. Maybe this is just it for the Brisbane Lions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you can understand it, because flags are hard to win and they\u2019ve won two. I\u2019m not having a go at them at all, they\u2019ve been an unbelievable team. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe talk so much about the Brisbane three-peat and Hawthorn three-peat, it must be incredibly difficult to stay motivated.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut right now there\u2019s a call to make for this group. Are we absolutely there, or are we thinking contracts and personal rewards? Are we thinking stats, best and fairests and Brownlows? Or can we gather and go?<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how you do it. But what I\u2019m seeing is not a team united to win the 2026 flag.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kingsley: “That needs to be our level!” | 10:22<\/p>\n

King added that they\u2019ve \u201clost their fear factor right now\u201d and \u201cgood teams are coming back at them with speed\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs good as Harris Andrews is and Ryan Lester and Wilmot have been, they can\u2019t contain that ball coming at speed, no one can,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt becomes an unfair fight really quickly. To me, right now they\u2019ve lost that aura they had for two to three years. Can they get it back? I don\u2019t know. <\/p>\n

\u201cOver to you, Chris Fagan.\u201d <\/p>\n

As Brisbane embarks on a \u201ctough\u201d upcoming stretch, chief Herald Sun reporter Jay Clark noted Fagan has \u201cstuck by his boys the whole time\u201d and \u201cnever made the big drop call\u201d at selection. <\/p>\n

Lynch dissects GWS’ historic 3rd quarter | 01:40<\/p>\n

So, could this be the week the Lions make a bold selection statement?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s interesting whether you think he\u2019ll go down that path,\u201d Clark said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think they\u2019re a wildcard team at the moment. Their spot in the eight, I mean, they\u2019re in a fight. <\/p>\n

\u201cHave a look at their next few games; Fremantle \u2014 best team in the comp. Gold Coast, which is always tough, Richmond, bye, then Sydney and Geelong.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat next five, that is a tough stretch. I think there\u2019s no guarantees here with their situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Brisbane currently sitting in eighth position, Saints great Leigh Montagna declared he doesn\u2019t think Fagan\u2019s side can win the flag from outside the top six.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t finish top six, you can\u2019t win it, even if you\u2019re the Brisbane Lions,\u201d Montagna said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think they can win five games in a row to win a premiership. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s attitudinal, there\u2019s no doubt about that. We\u2019ve been showing it all year.<\/p>\n

\u201cEarly in the year they were saved by Harris Andrews and Ryan Lester. <\/p>\n

\u201cThen I thought maybe after the Carlton second half they might\u2019ve addressed it. Then I thought certainly after what we showed last week against Geelong they might\u2019ve addressed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cClearly, they haven\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There\u2019s growing concerns Brisbane has \u201clost its aura\u201d and whether the club still possesses the same hunger in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17843,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[14247,7357,23,133,531,99,408,1074,3951,17675,17679,17681,17677,368,1311,17682,6641,17676,17680,2945,4857,17678,7380,12231,6636,355,120,212,17683,12227,16764,247,17685,17684],"class_list":["post-17842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brisbane","tag-adam-kingsley","tag-alastair-lynch","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-ben-cotton","tag-brisbane","tag-brisbane-lions","tag-chris-fagan","tag-david-king","tag-defensive-concerns","tag-defensive-decline","tag-defensive-efforts","tag-fear-factor","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-gold-coast","tag-good-as-harris-andrews","tag-greater-western-sydney-giants","tag-growing-concerns","tag-growing-problem","tag-herald-sun","tag-jay-clark","tag-ladder-position","tag-leigh-montagna","tag-lions-players","tag-mark-metcalfe","tag-new-south-wales","tag-oceania","tag-queensland","tag-raises-alarm-bells","tag-reigning-premiers","tag-ryan-lester","tag-sydney","tag-two-word-truth-bomb","tag-worrying-vision"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17842\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}