You may think that the pressure is off a team that has won the premiership.
But quite often you see the flag winners struggling the season after - most recently Collingwood and Geelong missed the finals after winning the grand final.
Brisbane will face this unique situation in 2025, but also have a swag of players coming back from injury to put pressure on some premiership players.
The Sporting News examines some of the scenarios facing the Lions and Chris Fagan as they attempt to go back-to-back.
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Dayne Zorko - can a reigning All Australian be under the pump?
When you are coming off an All Australian season, it's hard to find yourself under pressure for your position - but Dayne Zorko is in a unique situation.
Zorko will be 36 years old when Opening Round starts for the 2025 AFL season.
And while he was arguably in career-best form through 2024 as he secured an AA blazer as half-back flanker, father time can come for any ageing player.
In Zorko's case, there is also hot competition for the half-back rebounding position he made his own last season.
He was elevated into the role Keidean Coleman tore his ACL in the first game of 2024 and then became a crucial piece of the Lions premiership winning machine.
Coleman returns in 2025 from his injury, while Darcy Wilmot and Conor McKenna are also adept at playing across the half-back line.
It will be interesting to see how Fagan sorts through this positional dilemma initially.
Maybe one of the rebounders can be pushed up to the wing or Coleman can be eased back in from his injury?
But Zorko will want to maintain his strong form as there is plenty of competition for his position if he doesn't.
Will Lincoln McCarthy get back into the team?
After eight games and eight goals in 2024, Lincoln McCarthy suffered an ACL injury and missed the rest of the Lions' season.
The 31-year-old is expected to be fit for the 2025 season, but the Brisbane forward line excelled in his absence, leaving question marks over his best 22 selection.
Kai Lohmann stepped up to kick 36 goals in McCarthy's role and also nailed four goals in the grand final win over Sydney - even getting a vote in the Norm Smith Medal.
While McCarthy is a small leading forward, who is good overhead, Lohmann looks like he could be an upgrade at 185cm, possessing a strong mark but also elusiveness at ground level.
Logan Morris chipped in with 24 goals in his first AFL season, meaning the Lions didn't really miss McCarthy through the second half of the season.
McCarthy faces a battle to make his position in the best 22 indispensable, especially with the likes of Levi Ashcroft and Sam Marshall also looking for game time in 2025.