Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan confirms Big O diagnosis, says Geelong Cats have had tough run

BRISBANE will be without ruck Oscar McInerney for Saturday’s AFL grand final after he twice dislocated his shoulder during his side’s thrilling preliminary final win on Saturday.

Lions coach Chris Fagan confirmed McInerney was certain for next week’s selection, with Darcy Fort or Henry Smith likely replacements to face Sydney’s Brodie Grundy.

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“He’s full of heart and he’s a guy who gives of himself to the team,” Fagan said of McInerney after the game.

“He just does that and that’s why he’s admired so much, so it will be a bummer for us that he can’t play in the Grand Final, but I know the boys will probably find a way to use that as a dedication. and for the game.

“Obviously the shoulder dislocated, it came back pretty quickly, but unfortunately it took another hit and it went out again. So I think that’s a signal that there’s a little bit of laxity in the ligaments around the shoulder and that’s going to put it out for next week.”

Fagan believes he helped his side get past Geelong, who won straight through to the preliminary, after playing one game in three weeks.

“That’s not Geelong’s fault, but if you look at their last game of the season against West Coast, they were 100 points ahead at half-time. It was a low pressure, poorly contested game. Then they have the week. off, and then play Port in a final where it was a similar, low-pressure, low-competition game. Then they have another week off,” Fagan said.

“I felt it’s good to have time off, but you need the games you play to be really hard, hard, and maybe at the end it showed. Our harder preparation allowed us to finish the game and I would have thought it would have been a real challenge.”

Fagan is pleased with the resilience his side have developed over the past 12 months, helping them qualify for a second consecutive grand final.

After a poor start to the season that saw the Lions sit 13th after eight rounds with a record of three wins and five losses, they were forced to get creative.

Serious knee injuries to first-choice quartet Lincoln McCarthy, Darcy Gardiner, Keidean Coleman and Tom Doedee made matters worse but opened the door for a new breed of Lions to gain some much-needed experience.

“If you had told me midway through the season (that) we would be playing in the Grand Final at the end of the year, I would probably have said ‘you’re crazy’. Fagan said.

“I feel very proud of our group, not just for the resilience they showed tonight, but for the resilience they’ve shown throughout the year.

Kai Lohmann was one of those Lions, who earned his opportunity in the face of injury earlier this year and grew more and more as the season went on. The 21-year-old proved crucial to Brisbane’s fortunes in the second half, in which he restored Geelong’s 19-point half-time lead.

“He played a tremendous game,” Fagan said of the young forward.

“And I’m just too pleased with all of our young guys, what they’ve been able to contribute pretty much most of the year. A lot of them look like they’ll be pretty good footballers for the Brisbane Lions. for a long time to come. So these experiences they have now are worth their weight in gold.”

The other player Fagan credited with leading the comeback was former No. 1 draft pick Cam Rayner, who finished the game with two goals from 18 disposals, including the sealer.

“He pitched magnificently in the second half. I thought he (was) probably the best player on the field in the second half … he was hugely important tonight,” Fagan said.

Now, with a grand final against another non-Victorian side in Sydney on the horizon, Fagan and his Lions will tweak their planning during the week, taking lessons from past years’ experience.

“It will be interesting to be involved in a grand final where you are not playing a team from Melbourne and they are sitting back and waiting for you to fly in and play the game. We both have similar training ahead of us. next week,” Fagan said.

“Sydney who have clearly been the best team of the season, we had a very close battle with them not too long ago and it will be a very tough game next week and hopefully we can put on a good show. as we did tonight.”

Fagan confirmed Brisbane will travel to Melbourne on Wednesday – a day earlier than they did ahead of the 2023 Grand Final – to settle into the week.

Co-captain Lachie Neale, who has been playing through a foot injury, has also been confirmed to play but will have another easy week on the training track.

“I’m telling you now, he’s playing next week,” Fagan said with a wry grin.

Neale was among the Lions’ best players, recording 31 disposals and 12 disposals to provide an important presence around the contest.

“He had a good practice on Thursday, he actually trained fully, he did very little earlier in the week. The reason he didn’t train yesterday is because he trained on Thursday, so (we) didn’t want to put him out there three days on end,” Fagan said.

“He can deal with injuries. He’s played a lot over the last three or four years with things most human beings wouldn’t consider playing football with, but that’s just him.

“He’s got those thick legs that are so strong, that’s what helps him get through.”