BRISBANE is winless after five rounds and is likely to lose again when it travels south to take on Greater Western Sydney on Saturday, but the Lions are far from the lost cause many supporters seem to think they are.

After finishing with the wooden spoon in 2017, the acquisitions of Luke Hodge from Hawthorn, Charlie Cameron from Adelaide and No. 1 draft pick Cam Rayner upped the hype around the club during the off-season.

But coach Chris Fagan was still at pains to say improvement in 2018 wouldn't be measured on wins alone. Development in other areas was more important at this stage than wins and losses and ladder position, he was quick to remind us.

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And fair enough, too. Brisbane has the second youngest list in the AFL.

Following last Sunday's five-point loss against Gold Coast, Lions fans took to social media to express not only their displeasure with the result, but their despair at another wasted season as part of what is now a very long rebuild.

Supporters have been told for a decade now to have patience, so their frustration at another lost year is somewhat understandable.

This is by no means a cheerleading exercise, but it's pertinent to lay out some facts, data that should point to improvement beyond the win-loss record.

Brisbane's defence has improved markedly. The Lions are conceding 98 points a game, down from 114 last year and 130 in 2016. That’s a decent start.

The Lions’ work at clearances has also improved. They've lost the clearance count just once in five rounds and are an average five better than their opponent each week.

Compare that to last year, when they won the count eight of 22 times and were an average of two clearances down each week.

Their contested footy has also improved.

Melbourne (in round two) and Richmond (round four) caned the Lions in parts of those matches. But even with those lopsided efforts factored in, Brisbane is averaging only seven fewer contested possessions than its opponent each week.

Last year, the Lions averaged 11 fewer across their 22 matches.

Yes, these are just raw numbers, but numbers that are indicative of improvement in areas where the game today is won and lost: the contests.

Perhaps another reason to think this season and the next under Fagan still have so much promise is the profile of the list.

Against the Suns, the Lions played seven players aged 20 or younger.

Alex Witherden, Jarrod Berry, Hugh McCluggage and Eric Hipwood were among the team's best. They also played Jacob Allison, Rayner and Zac Bailey.

Hipwood is the eldest of the group at 20 and has played just 35 games. Those players average a paltry 15 games apiece yet make up one third of the squad.

Rayner almost pinched a draw with his shot on the run from 50m on the siren.

If his kick was a little straighter and Allen Christensen had snapped truly from 35m against Port Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval in round three, Brisbane would have a win and draw from five rounds.

They're not far off.

Assuming Dayne Beams recaptures his 2017 form, Dayne Zorko learns to consistently break tags and Daniel Rich returns from injury and plays as we know he can, the blend of top-end talent and exciting youth should result in continued honest performances and some wins.

All through 2016 and for the first half of 2017, the Lions were getting flogged on a routine basis; they had 12 losses of 10 goals or more and a number of others that exceeded 50 points.

This year, they had chances to win in four of the opening five rounds, without getting over the line.

Small steps, but necessary ones.

Don't put your membership cards in the microwave just yet, Lions fans.