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It takes only a fine Lion
24 March 2004___Herald Sun
By Damian Barrett
TOO old. Too slow. Too sore. According to Leigh Matthews, the football world would have used that description of the Brisbane Lions had his team, as expected at three-quarter time, gone on to lose last year's preliminary final against Sydney at Telstra Stadium.
It would not be lauding it as almost unbeatable before Round 1 of 2004 and bookmakers would not have it about $3.20 for the premiership, Matthews said.
"Look at it in these terms. At three-quarter time against the Swans, most people, the outsiders, thought we were going to lose, and if we had a bad quarter against the Swans, you and others wouldn't be sitting here with the outlook you have," Matthews said.
"People would be saying, 'They are old. They are on the slide. Where to now?'.
"The fact is we played a good quarter against the Swans and four good quarters against Collingwood.
"Just because you are the premiership team . . people take too much notice of one game, the Grand Final, and, to an extent, the second-last game. The difference between winning and losing a game isn't dramatic."
To many, Matthews' view will sound too simplistic, given the courage, confidence and mental and physical toughness required by the Lions to win their third consecutive premiership.
But it is typical Matthews. As is his analogy that uses a two-up game to highlight Brisbane's chances of equalling Collingwood's efforts between 1927-30 and winning a fourth consecutive premiership.
"If you throw six heads when you are playing two-up, you reckon the seventh one is more chance of being a tail; it's not," he said.
In other words, if you win three successive premierships, there's no reason you can't win another.
"We have mentioned it (the pursuit of a fourth) way back in November, when we were about to embark on our summer training program, when you have no one to play for about three months," Matthews said.
"OK, it was late. What tends to happen to me is a natural human consequence -- when you win a premiership there is a really comfortable feeling for the next month. When pre-season training starts, you are not necessarily breaking your neck to get there.
"Don't worry about it if you are not enthusiastic; just turn up and do it. The reason you are doing it is trying to give ourselves the best chance to win it, and if we should win it, it is something really unique in our sport.
"The task we have of winning the premiership is the same for all 16 clubs; the prize we have would be real uniqueness if we can win four in a row.
"From this point onwards and from that point last November, we haven't (mentioned it) and I don't think we will.
"I don't think it is more motivation to win. I don't think there is any more motivation than the other 15 clubs."
Matthews has come to regard most of his players not just as fine footballers but as fine men.
"As a middle-aged man, you think to yourself, 'There are young guys here who you would be happy enough to have as a son-in-law'," he said.
"That's how highly we rate them and there are heaps of them like that.
"They are just so driven themselves. We have 37 on the list, and OK, some of them are young boys who have to earn their stripes, but there are enough elite performers within the 37, and what makes them elite is they have a lot of drive. Just because they won last year doesn't change anything about what they want to achieve this year."
Matthews, 52, is contracted to Brisbane until the end of 2006 and will probably not seek to address his future with the club, or in the city, until the middle of next year.
24 March 2004___Herald Sun
By Damian Barrett
TOO old. Too slow. Too sore. According to Leigh Matthews, the football world would have used that description of the Brisbane Lions had his team, as expected at three-quarter time, gone on to lose last year's preliminary final against Sydney at Telstra Stadium.
It would not be lauding it as almost unbeatable before Round 1 of 2004 and bookmakers would not have it about $3.20 for the premiership, Matthews said.
"Look at it in these terms. At three-quarter time against the Swans, most people, the outsiders, thought we were going to lose, and if we had a bad quarter against the Swans, you and others wouldn't be sitting here with the outlook you have," Matthews said.
"People would be saying, 'They are old. They are on the slide. Where to now?'.
"The fact is we played a good quarter against the Swans and four good quarters against Collingwood.
"Just because you are the premiership team . . people take too much notice of one game, the Grand Final, and, to an extent, the second-last game. The difference between winning and losing a game isn't dramatic."
To many, Matthews' view will sound too simplistic, given the courage, confidence and mental and physical toughness required by the Lions to win their third consecutive premiership.
But it is typical Matthews. As is his analogy that uses a two-up game to highlight Brisbane's chances of equalling Collingwood's efforts between 1927-30 and winning a fourth consecutive premiership.
"If you throw six heads when you are playing two-up, you reckon the seventh one is more chance of being a tail; it's not," he said.
In other words, if you win three successive premierships, there's no reason you can't win another.
"We have mentioned it (the pursuit of a fourth) way back in November, when we were about to embark on our summer training program, when you have no one to play for about three months," Matthews said.
"OK, it was late. What tends to happen to me is a natural human consequence -- when you win a premiership there is a really comfortable feeling for the next month. When pre-season training starts, you are not necessarily breaking your neck to get there.
"Don't worry about it if you are not enthusiastic; just turn up and do it. The reason you are doing it is trying to give ourselves the best chance to win it, and if we should win it, it is something really unique in our sport.
"The task we have of winning the premiership is the same for all 16 clubs; the prize we have would be real uniqueness if we can win four in a row.
"From this point onwards and from that point last November, we haven't (mentioned it) and I don't think we will.
"I don't think it is more motivation to win. I don't think there is any more motivation than the other 15 clubs."
Matthews has come to regard most of his players not just as fine footballers but as fine men.
"As a middle-aged man, you think to yourself, 'There are young guys here who you would be happy enough to have as a son-in-law'," he said.
"That's how highly we rate them and there are heaps of them like that.
"They are just so driven themselves. We have 37 on the list, and OK, some of them are young boys who have to earn their stripes, but there are enough elite performers within the 37, and what makes them elite is they have a lot of drive. Just because they won last year doesn't change anything about what they want to achieve this year."
Matthews, 52, is contracted to Brisbane until the end of 2006 and will probably not seek to address his future with the club, or in the city, until the middle of next year.
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