COACH Dennis Pagan says the Blues won't be getting carried away after their crushing 25-point NAB Cup Grand Final win, with the start of the regular season looming large in the eyes of the emboldened Blues.

Pagan paid tribute to his side's determination in coming from behind after half-time to secure their second piece of pre-season silverware, but cautioned the team still had a long way to go before it could compete for September glory.

"It worked out OK didn't it?" Pagan told radio SEN after the game.

"Look, we are still miles and miles off being a top-four side, but we are only going to get better and that's the most important thing."

Pagan said he had "never set out to win" the pre-season competition, but just wanted to ensure his charges improved.

After heading into the main break seven points in arrears, Pagan said he was pleased at how the team rallied in the third to bulldoze the Lions with a six-goal burst.

"We had some concerns but we spoke to them and when they set themselves in the third quarter and we were really pleased.

"You can tell by their determination, the way they played in the first 15 minutes in the third quarter that they really wanted to win it.

"When we were able to play one-on-one it didn't matter if we had eight forwards, or defenders or what the situation was, we were able to play the contest better.

"I couldn't have been more pleased with the way the guys went about it."

Young gun Jordan Russell also received praise from Pagan after restricting dangerous Lions midfielder Luke Power to a handful of possessions.

"He did a terrific job and that goal he kicked left of screen in the third quarter was a great goal," he said.

"He's still learning the game, there's areas that he's going to improve in. He's played 11 games for the club, he's still very young in his football views and experience and I'm sure he's only going to grow from that."