Only six of the last 57 teams to start the season 0-3 have made finals.
It was the most talked about statistic of the season, lingering in the back of Lion minds like a nightmare waiting to happen.
They only lead against Collingwood for three minutes and twenty seconds all night, but you wouldn’t dare call Brisbane lucky.
Last week against Geelong, an umpiring blunder robbed Zac Bailey of a chance to put the Lions in front with seconds left. They fell to 0-2.
A Coronavirus outbreak in Brisbane forced the Lions to stay in Melbourne, and then their home game at the Gabba was changed to an away fixture at Marvel Stadium. Backs against the wall was an understatement.
When they trailed by 25 points in the second quarter, they were staring at the dreaded 0-3 start.
And that stare remained unwavering, all the way until Zac Bailey’s nerves-of-steel after-the-siren conversion secured a one-point victory for the ages.
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Season-defining moments don’t come bigger and better. And rarely does a single kick carry so much weight.
Zac Bailey misses and all of a sudden 0-4 is a serious possibility as they trek to Ballarat low on confidence to face an up and about Dogs side.
But like all good teams do, Brisbane found a way.
If they can win in such trying circumstances, with so much at stake, when can’t they win?
They’re now a serious chance to knock off the Dogs next week and stabilise a shaky start to the season at 2-2, gearing up for another premiership tilt.
Self-belief is a dangerous weapon, and one the Lions have armed themselves with an abundance of.
After all this is a team that transformed themselves from cellar dwellers to premiership contenders in the space of a season.
Plenty were willing to write Brisbane off two games into the season, and Brisbane will be willing to make the naysayers pay.