Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Brisbane Lions star Hugh McCluggage insists the lure of a historic AFL premiership three-peat hasn’t come into focus ahead of the club’s fifth straight preliminary final.
If the Lions beat Hawthorn at the MCG on Saturday, they will have qualified for a fourth consecutive grand final.
Adding to the 2024 and 2025 premiership would put them in rare company – only the Lions’ storied 2001-03 team and Alastair Clarkson’s Hawthorn in 2013-15 have accomplished the feat in the past 69 years.
“Right at this minute, that’s on our mind at all,” McCluggage said on Friday at the Lions’ captains run at the MCG.
“The prelims are always great games because a grand final on the line is enough motivation more than anything else.
“You want to get back there and experience that again, and we’re no different to any other team.
“The Hawks, they’ll be as hungry as ever as well because they lost the prelim last year.”
Brisbane bullied the Hawks when they met at the Gabba in round 22.
McCluggage missed the thumping 67-point win due to another calf injury that has interrupted his season.
“We’ve watched some vision from it, but not a whole lot,” the Lions co-captain said.
“As we’ve shown ourselves, you can play a team one week and not quite be at your best.
“Then the next time you play them, you come out and you’re a lot better.
“We’ve reviewed parts of it, but a lot of what they do changes from week to week.
“So we need to focus on ourselves as much as we do them.”
After being thrashed by Sydney in the qualifying final, a stern review from coach Chris Fagan helped steel the Lions for their semi-final belting of Adelaide last Saturday night.
This September is following a similar script to last, with the Lions having lost badly in the first week of finals before travelling to the MCG for a preliminary final.
“We know that a lot of it for us is our mindset … that probably has ebbed and flowed a little bit,” McCluggage said.
“There’s no guarantees that we’re going to bounce back, so I think we do a good job of actually going and making it happen.”
Without lockdown defender Noah Answerth (ankle), Brisbane will need to find a way to nullify Hawks dynamo Nick Watson.
The small forward lit up Hawthorn’s qualifying final win over Fremantle and is coming off an All-Australian season.
Despite Answerth being unavailable, the Lions opted against making any changes to the side.
Darcy Wilmot looms as the most logical option to play on “The Wizard”.
“Obviously Watson’s an amazing player,” McCluggage said.
“Hopefully we (the midfielders) can do a lot of good work to try and stop it getting down there (the forward line).
“We know that he’s very opportunistic.
“I know that whoever (plays on Watson) will give it their best shot and do a job for us.”
