OF THE issues troubling Brisbane – team defence, injuries and inconsistent form – one has slipped through the cracks.
The Lions have been playing without their role players, their worker bees, their foot soldiers - and they're struggling to plug the gaps.
The scales that have the stars on one side and the helpers on the other is out of balance.
While most of the focus has been on the form of the team's star-studded midfield, as it should be, it's the absence of the lesser lights that has hurt just as much.
At the end of last season, Brandon Starcevich headed home to Western Australia to join the Eagles via free agency.
Callum Ah Chee went to Adelaide.
And so far in 2026, Noah Answerth has played just three games and Jarrod Berry six. Neither has played in the past month but have been recalled for Saturday's clash against Fremantle.
Externally, most would think 'no worries, the Lions have a ton of talent, they'll cover that'.
It was never going to be that easy. Starcevich was a set-and-forget defender for coach Chris Fagan. The man he'd assign the opposition's most dangerous medium to small forward.
His final game in Lions colours was totally blanketing Patrick Dangerfield in the Grand Final, eight days after the champion Cat had almost single-handedly put his team into the decider with one of the greatest individual preliminary final performances in history.
Ah Chee was his equivalent at the other end of the ground. In the premiership triumph, Fagan assigned him the dangerous Ollie Dempsey on a wing, a man who had torched the Lions three weeks earlier.
Aside from some junk time goals, Dempsey had little impact.
Ah Chee was often the go-to to nullify the opposition's most dangerous half-back – a Nick Blakey or Tom Stewart or Lachie Whitfield type.
Berry is the ultimate winger. Not always as prolific as others in his position, he might be the best all-around player at his role in the AFL. A man that can mark outlet kicks above his head. The first back to help defenders as an option for a handball-receive. A powerful runner. A strong contested ball winner. And one that sacrifices anything for his team.
Which is much like Answerth. With Starcevich gone, his defence-first mindset became even more important to complement a backline blessed with the creativity of Dayne Zorko, Keidean Coleman, Darcy Wilmot and Jaspa Fletcher.
But alas, Answerth's knack for bad luck has continued with back-to-back concussions, forcing him to the sidelines for an extended period.
Last week it was Toby Greene kicking five goals. The week before it was Shaun Mannagh kicking five. And the week before that Will Hayward kicked three.
Finding a solution to creative half-forwards has been an issue. Brisbane has used 14 players in its defence in less than half a season.
This is not an excuse for the Lions. They have possibly the ultimate AFL role player in co-captain Josh Dunkley.
Every club deals with injury issues and every individual plays a specific role, but Fagan has had difficulty plugging these gaps.
Wilmot did so successfully against Jamie Elliott on Easter Thursday and Jimmy Tunstill did a solid job against Dempsey a fortnight ago. Conor McKenna has chipped in in the forward half.
However, if Shai Bolton runs wild for Fremantle on Saturday, who does Fagan turn to? If Jordan Clark starts rebounding at will, which forward will sacrifice looking for their own kick to quell his influence?
Brisbane plays Gold Coast the following week. Who will defend Bailey Humphrey? Who can quieten Daniel Rioli if he starts running and bouncing from half-back?
The Lions are two-time premiers for a reason; they have a great system, they're talented, they're tough and they're resilient.
Finding answers to these questions is just another hurdle. It's one they can overcome, but one they'll need to solve before things start really getting away.
