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Sport Nation
Find your Sport Nation frequencyHodge: The inner belief that spurs slow-starting Lions
Jaiden Sciberras • April 17th, 2025 9:00 pm
While the ladder suggests that the Brisbane Lions have been perfect in their premiership defence, digging deeper might suggest otherwise.
Within their five victories this season, Brisbane have had to come from behind in four, finding themselves down at half time against the Swans, the Eagles, the Cats and most recently the Bulldogs.
Their Gather Round matchup with the Dogs proved a significant challenge for the reigning premiers, with the positive result requiring 14 majors in the second half, including five from Eric Hipwood, to claim a 21-point victory.
With their slow starts evidently leaving room for improvement, four-time premiership player Luke Hodge suggests that the constant belief to come from behind and win is a direct result of last season’s triumph.
“(Winning a premiership) definitely gives you confidence that you can come back from anywhere,” Hodge told SEN’s Whateley.
“Watching their football, I don’t think they’ve been perfect. They’ve got the perfect record at five and zip, but they have had some really shaky stages.
“The Bulldogs outplayed them on the weekend, their midfield and stoppage stuff, they were quick, the Lions were reactive, they were chasing, but they had the confidence to calm it.
“They had the belief because of where have come from, being behind the eight ball all year last year, in the final against GWS and in the prelim against Geelong, they had the confidence that if they just controlled the tempo of the game (they could win).
“That’s what success does, it gives you the inner belief that you can come back from wherever you can, and clearly the Lions have that at the moment.”
The Lions will need to bring their A-game from the jump as they face an in-form Collingwood side on Thursday night.
