Coach Chris Fagan feels Brisbane's mid-season AFL bye may have come at a good time after his side's seven-match winning streak was snapped by Melbourne.
The Lions held a 20-point halftime lead but had few answers in Friday night's second half at Giants Stadium, when the Demons dominated every facet of the game to claim a 22-point win.
"It's probably the first time in seven weeks we've had a bad half of football. I can't fault the application and work ethic of our players," Fagan said.
"We worked our backsides off and probably should have had a bigger lead at halftime.
"For some reason after halftime, we lost our energy.
"No matter what we tried, it didn't seem to work. So maybe the break has come for us at a good time."
Ryan Lester re-injured his hamstring late in the final quarter of his return game.
"I don't think it's as bad," Fagan said.
"He felt a slight tweak and came off the ground towards the end.
"But we have the bye, so hopefully he'll be OK in a couple of weeks."
Reigning Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale, who returned from an ankle injury, got through the match unscathed.
"It was a great effort by him to come out and play," Fagan said.
"He showed some good form. Hopefully he will benefit from that.
"He will be a bit sore tomorrow, which is what we expect. He has a couple of weeks to get over it and get going again."
