BRISBANE veteran Daniel Rich has described the team's dynamic forward unit as special to watch, and he's backing them to break down Melbourne's vaunted defence in Saturday night's qualifying final at Adelaide Oval.
The Demons finished the home and away season boasting the stingiest defence in the AFL, with the minor premiers conceding an average of just 65.6 points per game.
The hot displays of Melbourne duo Steven May and Jake Lever were rewarded with positions in the Therabody AFL All-Australian backline.
Brisbane, which only just scraped into fourth spot, enter the finals as the highest-scoring team in the competition.
The Lions have averaged 96.9 points per game, and they finished the regular season with a competition-best percentage of 133.3.
What makes Brisbane so dangerous in attack is its ability and willingness to share the load.
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Small forward Charlie Cameron (47 goals) and spearhead Joe Daniher (45) have led the way this season, with big helping hands from Lincoln McCarthy (34), Zac Bailey (28), Daniel McStay (28), and Eric Hipwood (26).
Only Hipwood (knee reconstruction) will be missing for Saturday's match, which will pit the best offence against the best defence.
Rich, who was Brisbane's sole player in the All-Australian side announced this week, is backing the Lions to come out on top.
"I back our forwards in 100 per cent," Rich said.
"I'm the one that gets to play on them during the pre-season and during the week, so I see what they can do first-hand.
"Especially when they work together as a unit, they're pretty special to watch. Getting to see it first hand gives me a massive kick."
Melbourne also possesses plenty of attacking weapons.
Former Kangaroos star Ben Brown has found form and fitness in the latter part of the season to kick 11 goals in his past four matches, while Bayley Fritsch has kicked 47 for the year.
Kysaiah Pickett (35 goals), Tom McDonald (30), and Christian Petracca (24 goals) have also been reliable avenues towards goal.
NAB AFL Rising Star winner Luke Jackson looms as somewhat of a wildcard, with his four-goal haul against Gold Coast in round 20 showcasing his potential.
The Demons will be playing in their first finals series since 2018, and coach Simon Goodwin believes his 2021 team is stronger.
"We're certainly a lot stronger defensively and the way we play, and we've been able to prove that over the duration of a full season," Goodwin said.
"We've got enormous belief in how we play, we're in a lot better position in terms of our game.
"So we feel like we're in good shape, but this is a new start, new season."
The Demons enter the match unchanged, while the Lions were able to recall key players Harris Andrews and Mitch Robinson to replace injured duo Ryan Lester and Callum Ah Chee.
