A sweeping club review may be about to start following the Brisbane Lions' abysmal 2010 AFL season.

But they could do worse than simply look at their final opponent, Sydney, for inspiration.

The season mercifully ended for the Lions with a 38-point loss to the Swans at the Gabba on Saturday night.

For the record, the Lions finished with an ordinary 7-15 win-loss tally - one made all the more shattering considering their 4-0 season start.

While players drown their sorrows on Mad Monday, coach Michael Voss, chief executive Michael Bowers and independent experts John Reid and Terry Coyne will officially launch a "thorough and extensive club review".

"As representatives of all Lions members, it is the board's responsibility to ensure that the review achieves it's stated aim of improving our overall performance," Lions chairman Angus Johnson said.

Experts tipped the roles to be reversed for Sydney and the Lions in 2010.

Following a swag of retirements and Barry Hall's switch to the Western Bulldogs, Sydney were expected to struggle - instead they finished with fifth place and a home final.

After finishing sixth last year, the Lions recruited experienced players such as Brendan Fevola and Brent Staker to push for a premiership in 2010.

It initially went to script, but the wheels fell off spectacularly with 13 losses in 14 games.

An unprecedented review was called - but they would be tempted to just run the rule over Sydney following their spectacular year.

Sydney coach Paul Roos has shown the benefits of having a senior assistant, working closely with his eventual successor John Longmire.

Certainly Voss liked what he saw at the Gabba on Saturday night after Sydney booked a home final against Carlton next Sunday.

"Witnessing the Swans ... they are genuine finals contenders," he said.

"Any team that comes up against them, they've got to be willing to get through a contest because they're pretty sharp at the moment."

Roos attributed their 2010 comeback to keeping things simple.

"The players' willingness to play their roles within the team and not worry too much about kicks, marks, handballs - that was the biggest difference," he said.

Indeed the final match rammed home for Voss that improving on "little things" in their game will make a big difference come 2011.

"They're not big, ugly things. They're just things you can get better at," Voss said.

"But they're the real basis of the game we have to get better at to compete against the top sides.

"The little things like being able to stick your tackles, work through your tackles and keep the footy and keep your feet in the contest.

"Certainly our kicking has got to improve."

Unlike Essendon's much maligned coach Matthew Knights, Voss' future is safe after surprisingly being asked to head their internal review.

But the jury is out on who will tackle the 2011 season with him with speculation that chief operating officer Dan Collins will be a casualty.

And in the player ranks, arguably their best for 2010 - Michael Rischitelli - has been linked with newcomers Gold Coast Suns, along with Jared Brennan.

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