Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan says his team is the second-best in the AFL after poor start

Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan has issued a veiled warning that last year’s grand finalists are coming hard for another tilt declaring the “stats don’t lie” and all the numbers indicate his team is a legitimate premiership threat.

While he conceded the Lions were “in a bit of trouble” after winning just two of the opening seven games, with four wins in a row and a move in to the top eight Fagan said the continued belief from his players was fuelling another run to the finals.

Ahead of a second clash with Adelaide for the season, Fagan said the round 10 draw with the Crows was a “turning point” for his team which has only lost one of six games since, buoyed also by continued player re-signings with Charlie Cameron and Jarrod Berry the latest to commit their future to the club.

“We looked like we were in a bit of trouble at two and five after we got beaten by the Giants,” Fagan said on Thursday.

“So yeah, it was an important draw because the week before we had beaten the Gold Coast, but we’d lost I think three or four players from that team going into the Adelaide game. So there’s a bit of disruption in the team.

“We played a lot of young blokes that night and to come away with at least a couple of points was a little bit of a confidence builder. If you look at our performance, pretty much since the first three games, I think if you do a ladder from round four onwards, you might find that we’re second. Our performance has been pretty good.”