LAST season could not have gone much better for Brisbane. After the heartache of 2022, everything came together and they emerged from the 2023 season with yet another premiership.

But, can they back it up and go all the way again in 2024?

TEAM LIST

#1 Eleanor Hartill

#2 Tahlia Hickie

#3 Breanna Koenen

#5 Jade Ellenger

#6 Lily Postlethwaite

#7 Ellie Hampson

#8 Jennifer Dunne

#9 Orla O’Dwyer

#10 Natalie Grider

#11 Shanae Davison

#12 Sophie Conway

#13 Kate Lutkins

#14 Dakota Davidson

#15 Poppy Boltz

#16 Evie Long

#17 Isabel Dawes

#18 Ally Anderson

#19 Luka Yoshida-Martin

#20 Shannon Campbell

#21 Courtney Hodder

#22 Sophie Peters

#23 Dee Heslop

#23 Rania Crozier

#24 Jade Pregelj

#25 Cathy Svarc

#27 Indiana Williams

#28 Charlotte Mullins

#29 Ruby Svarc

#30 Jacinta Baldwick

#31 Taylor Smith

* Inactive

SQUAD CHANGES

In: Kate Lutkins, Luka Yoshida-Martin (off inactive list), Eleanor Hartill, Shanae Davison, Evie Long, Sophie Peters, Rania Crozier, Indiana Williams

Out: Sharni Webb, Caitlin Wendland, Phoebe Monahan, Bella Smith, Zimmorlei Farquharson, Ella Smith, Mikayla Pauga, Courtney Murphy, Kiara Hillier, Analea McKee

FIXTURE

Match 1: September 1 vs North Melbourne at Brighton Homes Arena

Match 2:  September 7 vs Melbourne at Casey Fields

Match 3: September 13 vs Collingwood at Brighton Homes Arena

Match 4: September 18 vs Western Bulldogs at Brighton Homes Arena

Match 5: September 22 vs West Coast at Mineral Resources Park

Match 6: September 29 vs Adelaide at Brighton Homes Arena

Match 7: October 5 vs Carlton at Ikon Park

Match 8: October 12 vs Gold Coast at Brighton Homes Arena

Match 9: October 20 vs Geelong at GMHBA Stadium

Match 10: October 27 vs Sydney at Brighton Homes Arena

Match 11: TBC vs St Kilda at RSEA Park

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Can they go all the way again?

It is never easy to be the reigning premiers, and the Lions are the ones who are blessed with this problem this season. No reigning premier has ever made the Grand Final of the following season, but will Brisbane buck that trend this year?

How do they keep flying under the radar?

For a long time, one element that has plagued Brisbane is that they keep flying under the radar, and are not always talked about as a contender the same way as the likes of Adelaide. Melbourne and North are, even though they have been consistently as strong as those other sides. It is time they get the respect they deserve and surely cannot fly under the radar again in 2024.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Evie Long

One of the more highly touted draft prospects heading into the 2023 draft, there was enough interest in Long that Brisbane had to match a bid for her. However, she now finds herself trying to fit into a reigning premiers’ side that has not changed too much at the top since that flag win, and for Long herself, she has to find a way to beat the likes of Orla O’Dwyer to a spot in the side, which is easier said than done.

PREDICTION

It is very hard to see how Brisbane will not be at the pointy end of the year again in 2024. They are the reigning champions for a reason, and very little of their best 21 left at the end of last season, so there is that continuity there.

Top four should be the bare minimum for the Lions this season, but history is not in their favour for going back to back, simply because it has never happened before.