1. When will the Lions get a win on the board?
So close, yet so far. It's been a familiar story for Brisbane, who have yet to get a win on the board from eight attempts. The Lions have lost matches by five, five and seven points this season. This latest loss, by 14 points to the Western Bulldogs, wasn't through a want of trying, either. Down by four goals at three-quarter time, the Lions looked hungrier in the last term, kicking six goals and causing some nervous moments for the Dogs. It doesn't get any easier for the Lions, with matches against Hawthorn, Sydney and North Melbourne to come.
2. Slow but steady improvement from young pups
After finishing round five in 16th position on the ladder with just one win to its name, the Western Bulldogs have recorded three consecutive wins to sit 13th (halfway through the round). The wins have come against strugglers Carlton, Gold Coast and now Brisbane, but you can only beat who's in front of you. It was a team effort from the Dogs, with the young midfield trio of Jack Macrae, Toby McLean and Lachie Hunter leading the way. In fact, the Dogs had just one player over the age of 25 (Matt Suckling), while the Lions fielded eight.
3. The rise and rise of Jack Macrae
At 23 years old, Jack Macrae is asserting himself as one of the quality midfielders in the competition. Following his 40-disposal, one-goal effort against Gold Coast last week, Macrae was one of the most dominant players on the ground. His hard-running effort yielded him a career-best 47 touches at 79 per cent efficiency, along with 10 clearances and eight inside-50s. With Marcus Bontempelli often either injured or playing at full-forward this year, Macrae's improvement couldn't have come at a better time for the Dogs.
4. A bit of the yips from Hips
Rising Brisbane forward Eric Hipwood came into the match with a nine goal, one behind record from his seven games this season. But his steady nerves deserted him for much of the match against the Bulldogs, kicking two behinds and three out on the full in the first two and a half quarters. Matched up against Lewis Young for most of the night, he eventually slotted his first towards the end of the third term. Despite the Lions having most of the play in the last quarter, he was rarely sighted.
5. Needed: a fit key defender
The Bulldogs have struggled dreadfully with injuries to key defenders this season. Captain Easton Wood (hamstring), Marcus Adams (ankle), Dale Morris (knee) and Keiran Collins (ankle) are all currently on the injury list, while Jackson Trengove has also spent time on the sidelines with a cracked shoulder blade. Unfortunately for the Dogs, one of their revelations for the season, first-year defender Aaron Naughton, looks set to spend some time out with an injured right ankle, rolling it badly in the first quarter.
