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A few weeks after a nail biting loss to Collingwood in last year’s grand final, Harris Andrews and his partner packed their bags and headed overseas for the first time since COVID-19 hit.
The Lions co-captain and his teammates had worked hard to put the events of September 30, where Brisbane fell to Collingwood by four points, behind them as swiftly as possible.
In a soul-searching 72 hours following the grand final, coach Chris Fagan and the rest of the Lions reviewed the decider in detail, identifying what went right and what they felt cost them.
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“I said to them, ‘Is there a moment that you’d like back?’” Fagan said last month.
“I went around the room and I talked to them about the idea that there’ll be no reprisals here and that ‘You’re human. You’ll make mistakes and there will be things that you regret’.
“But it was important to talk about them before they went on leave, so they didn’t carry (those mistakes) around for the next six months.”
It was a critical step in the healing process, with the Lions to take another on Friday night when they host Carlton at the Gabba in their season-opening match.
But Andrews concedes that falling narrowly shy of claiming the Lions’ first premiership in two decades when beaten by four points is something that “still burns” Brisbane.
“It does. I mean, you’d be naive to think that you don’t think about those moments from time to time,” he said.
The defender believes the post grand final sessions put in place by Fagan worked wonders for a team devastated at having falling marginally short.
“We did a great job at the end of the year reflecting on the game, what guys could have done differently,” Andrews told foxsports.com.au.
“We were all upfront and really honest about that as players, and coaches as well, about things that we could have done differently on Grand Final day.
“But I think it is something that … we were able to identify that early on so that guys could go into the off-season not carrying any luggage with them, any sort of mental strain. That was a really great session to do.
“We were also able to identify that the season, as a whole, was a great success. Obviously we fell short but we were able to have a good year and get to a grand final.”
The trip to Europe with his girlfriend Emily Halverson was a blessing from an individual sense, he said, as it assisted him put the loss into perspective.
The pair explored museums in Berlin, caught trains throughout Europe and spent time in cafes and at markets, though the cooler climate was admittedly a challenge for the Queenslanders.
“I certainly enjoy the weather over here more. The cold weather over there was pretty unbearable,” he said.
“But it was really nice. I had not been away since COVID hit, so it was great timing. We were really able to get away from it. Obviously over there, you are not really seeing any of the media or footy stuff, which is nice.
“We went to Berlin in Germany, did a bit of Sweden, Portugal and Spain as well, Copenhagen in Denmark, so there was plenty of plenty of travel, which was good.
“I had a great time and came back really refreshed and just hungry and ready to go. I feel like that’s left me in a good headspace.”
The Lions and Collingwood enjoyed a shorter break than their rivals as a result of playing the longest in 2023 and then resuming in Round Zero.
Andrews, 27, said reality struck again in early January when the Lions returned to their Springfield base after a brief Christmas break, with a warning sharpening their focus.
“There was a little bit of a wake-up call, or more a little bit of awareness early in January when the strength and the conditioning coach walked in and said, ‘We’ve got 15 or 16 sessions until we play in Round Zero against Carlton’,” Andrews said.
“But everything’s going well. Everyone’s pretty healthy. We got a pretty fit list other than a couple of guys who are coming off long term injuries. But it’s been enjoyable.”
The Lions tailored their pre-season as a result while training in Springfield, which tends to be four to five degrees celsius warmer than the Gabba depending on the winds in Brisbane.
“We have done things a little differently this year. In years gone by we would probably spend a bit more time doing full ground, match simulation stuff,” he said.
“We’ve spent probably a little less time doing that and more time doing short-sided games which are, from what I’ve experienced over the last couple of months, they’re nearly harder than what a normal game would be.
“There’s a lot more space and less numbers, so that’s been really enjoyable. I feel like we’re all really fit. (That’s what) all of our GPS indicators that the data guys look at tell us.
“So they’re all pretty happy with that stuff. Everyone’s pretty excited, I think, from a player’s perspective, and we’re just keen to rip into
the season and just keep improving.”
The key defender, who was raised in Brisbane and is a graduate of the club’s football academy, noted that leading into the grand final, there were only three Lions with experience of playing on the day.
As they seek to go one better in 2024, their shared experience of the day is among their strengths, with Andrews also identifying a number of younger Lions he expects will add to the depth at Brisbane this year.
“Now we’ve got 23 guys and we feel like that experience … some of those moments we have taken away are important and we will look to implement them during the year,” he said.
“We’ve got quite a settled line-up, but we’ve got some guys who will potentially get a chance and need to make the most of that. Guys like Harry Sharp, who is a young guy who plays on the wing, and Jimmy Tunstall, a boy from Busselton down south, those guys have been chomping at the bit all pre-season.
“Kai Lohmann is the same. They have been chomping at the bit to get a chance. They’ve been putting their hand up in all the match simulation and they’ve been training really well. Guys like that I’m sure will probably get a good look throughout the year.
“We’re going to lean on a bit of continued development from some of the guys who have been in the team for a little while, guys like Zac Bailey, Cam Rayner, Keidean Coleman.
“You hope that there is a bit of organic growth there from those guys. Those are some of the names that I would sort of throw up.”
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