CHRIS Fagan knows it. The opposition knows it. And anyone watching Brisbane over the past month knows it.

The Lions' third quarters have been horrible.

Much like their 2026 season to date, on the whole the 'premiership quarter' has been bang average for Brisbane, winning it six times and losing it six.

But the numbers from the past four weeks are jaw-dropping, conceding 32.11 and scoring just 9.12. That's a difference of 137 points at an average of 34 a game.

And although Greater Western Sydney's record-breaking 14-goal term in round 11 offsets the average a touch, the Lions have been terrible after half-time in each match.

It began against Carlton, where they conceded 6.3 to 3.3. Six days later against Geelong, the Cats piled on 6.2 to 3.3 to put that game away. Then there was the Giants' rout.

And on Saturday, ladder leader Fremantle put the foot to the floor with another six goal to three burst, including five in a real hurry midway through the quarter.

"It's happened a lot in third quarters this year," Fagan sighed post-match.

"I can't work out the reason why. We changed our warm-up and everything today to try and get them to come out a little different.

"It wasn't there."

It wasn’t a huge change, but the Lions tinkered with their warm-up before returning to the Gabba after half-time, with coaches reminding players the Dockers would see the upcoming term as a chance to strike.

Brisbane was also blasted six goals to two by Melbourne earlier in the year during a third quarter that flipped that match from a nice half-time advantage into an eventual loss.

Although the Lions have more on their plate than a 30-minute patch in each match, it's something they need to get on top of before the season totally gets away.

LIONS' POOR THIRD QUARTERS IN 2026

R6: Brisbane 2.4 (16) to Melbourne 6.2 (38)
R9: Brisbane 3.3 (21) to Carlton 6.3 (39)
R10: Brisbane 3.3 (21) to Geelong 6.2 (38)
R11: Brisbane 0.3 (3) to GWS 14.2 (86)
R12: Brisbane 3.3 (21) to Fremantle 6.4 (40)