AFL greats blast Brisbane Lions & single out star for letting team down Jonathan Brown Nick Riewoldt

Legendary Brisbane forward Jonathan Brown has lashed his former club, saying they weren’t an AFL preliminary final team and shouldn’t be seduced by their final-four finish.

After the Lions’ 71-point humbling at the hands of Geelong, the 256-game, 594-goal champion said the Lions got lucky in their finals wins against Richmond and Melbourne.

Those victories made them one of the last four teams left standing for the season after finishing sixth on the ladder with a 15-7 record.

Former St Kilda star Nick Riewoldt criticised Brisbane defender Daniel Rich (pictured left) saying he had no desire to join in on team defence 

Brown put the blowtorch on Brisbane’s running ability and said opposition coaches were encouraging their players to exploit that weakness.

‘Brisbane weren’t a preliminary final team … they’re gonna need some big tinkering over the off-season when it comes to their list because I’m concerned about their run,’ he told Fox Sports.

‘It’s no secret clubs can get access to GPS data, there are coaches in the competition that have used that data, and showed their playing group when they come up against Brisbane.

‘Look at the difference. Brisbane are down the bottom when it comes to general running in the competition, and that is a concern they need to address all over the ground.’

Brisbane Lions legend Jonathan Brown has lashed his former club, saying they weren’t an AFL preliminary final team and shouldn’t be seduced by their final-four finish

He suggested their power forward trio of Joe Daniher, Eric Hipwood and Dan McStay made them unbalanced, adding they wouldn’t be able to make a grand final until they addressed the glaring weakness.

‘They’re all goal-kickers, you look at the other top teams, you’ve got three or four half-forwards that can get up and down and help overwhelm in the contest, help your turnover game,’ Brown said.

‘We know if you’re in the bottom three or four teams in the competition at running ability, that ain’t gonna get it done in the last fortnight of the season.

‘They might not like hearing that, but that’s just the reality of the modern game.’

The Brisbane Lions leave the field during the AFL preliminary final match against Geelong at the MCG. The Lions lost by a shock 71 points

Former St Kilda star Nick Riewoldt individualised the criticism, pointing to vision of Brisbane defender Daniel Rich following his direct opponent in defence rather than chasing a Geelong player in a more dangerous position.

‘He had no desire to join in on team defence whatsoever,’ Riewoldt told Fox Sports.

‘It’s alright when he’s got the footy and he looks beautiful … because he’s a great kick, but time and time and time again, you will see that from Daniel Rich having no interest in joining in on team defence.’