After dancing on thin ice, Brisbane Lions say they are ready to roar again

Josh Dunkley insists that the Brisbane Lions will not stop pushing forward despite facing difficulties in their quest to defend their Australian Football League (AFL) premiership. They will continue to maintain a proactive and ambitious spirit as they embrace new challenges.

The Brisbane Lions will officially kick off their new season on Thursday at the Gabba against Geelong. It has been 159 days since they reached their peak with a dominant victory over Sydney in the Grand Final. That victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) capped off a brilliant season in which they climbed from 13th place to fifth, overcoming significant deficits in the finals to ultimately win the championship.

When the team was at a low point, head coach Chris Fagan told the players, "If you're on thin ice, you might as well dance." This quote resonated strongly and became a theme for their eventual victory. After a relatively smooth pre-season, midfielder Dunkley expressed his confidence that the team can continue to maintain this courageous attitude on a solid foundation.

Dunkley told reporters after training on Sunday, "Mindset is a choice, and we have the right to choose. We've been a very good team for the past few years, so there's no reason for the mindset to change this year just because we won the premiership. It's all about the present and maintaining the right mental state. We've conveyed the right message to the players this year, and we're not looking beyond this week's game. Success won't happen if you think everything is easy."

After narrowly missing out in the 2023 Grand Final, the Lions' goal is to buck the trend of recent AFL premiers struggling to defend their title. Collingwood became the fourth defending champion in the past eight seasons to fail to make the finals last year. Richmond's three-peat was an exception, with Dunkley's former team, the Western Bulldogs, starting this trend in 2017. He said, "That was a long time ago, my second season. We've discussed it and know some teams have gone through it. But it's up to us. It's our responsibility; everyone at the club wants to reach the heights of last year again, and it all starts this week."

Defender Harris Andrews has fully recovered and returned to training after missing Thursday's pre-season game due to illness. Lachie Neale, Jack Payne, Eric Hipwood, Callum Ah Chee, Hugh McCluggage, and Lincoln McCarthy participated in some light training and are expected to return to full training on Tuesday. Defender Brandon Starcevich (concussion) is the only confirmed non-long-term injury absentee for Thursday's game, while rookie Levi Ashcroft is in line to make his AFL debut.