Weekly Prize - Join Any Time - Tip Round 10
The Golden Ticket - MCG and Marvel Medallion Club tickets and Corporate Box tickets at the Gabba, MCG and Marvel.
Brown, Bomber united in Origin feeling
Jennifer Witham
12:55 AM Sun 11 May, 2008
THE THEME in Victoria's rooms following its 17-point triumph on Saturday night was one of consistency.
Coach Mark Thompson described the experience as "just a great week". Captain Jonathan Brown said the match gave the players a "great feeling". And Allen Aylett medallist Brendan Fevola claimed it was "the highlight of my career".
That's why Thompson, when asked if there is a home for regular State of Origin football in today's professional world of AFL, didn't mince his words.
"It's only a personal opinion, but I'd like to think judging on the players and how they approach the game … they're sending a message that they'd like some opportunity to play for their state," he said.
"Whether it's every year or every second year … I haven't got the right answers, but I just know they appreciated playing for their state."
Brown said the experience would be up there with the three premierships he has won with the Brisbane Lions after enjoying the social nature of the week leading into the game.
"It was a very special night, and outside the premierships, we definitely won't forget that one," he said.
"It was an arm wrestle for us, and Bomber asked us for a big effort in the last quarter and the boys delivered in front of the home crowd."
Brown had kind words for the Geelong coach, who took control of the representative side along with former Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy.
"Bomber has been tremendous with the way he's handled us over the three or four days, and he's been ably assisted by Sheeds," he said.
"He's been fantastic, and he won me over straight away when he said, 'I hate long meetings'.
"I was pretty happy with that, and he obviously runs a well-oiled machine at Geelong and did the same this week.
"It's been a privilege to have been involved with Bomber."
Mark Thompson and Jonathan Brown hold the Hall of Fame Trophy aloft
Brown not only led his state on the field, he also fronted the AFL's marketing campaign, and his undoubted excitement at the opportunity to don the Big V sent a clear message that the players took the concept seriously.
Yesterday, after a long night of celebrating with his new teammates, he described the week as one of the greatest of his career and urged the AFL to consider staging the event "every few years".
Brown said anyone had only to watch the teams training to realise the players were desperate to play well, and the ferocity of the contests could have left no doubt both sides were giving their all.
"It was 100 per cent," he said. "As an individual you want to play well on the big stage.
"There were some big hits out there. Everyone was committed to every contest. Not for a minute did any player treat it like an exhibition."
Brown fond of Fev
12/05/2008 3:35:56 PM
Paul Gough
Sportal
Brisbane co-captain Jonathan Brown says he has a new appreciation for Carlton spearhead Brendan Fevola after the pair combined to lead Victoria to victory over the Dream Team in Saturday night's AFL Hall of Fame tribute match.
And after watching Fevola kick six goals and win the Allen Aylett Medal for best afield on Saturday night; Brown is in no doubt as to how big a threat Fevola poses to his own Lions outfit when they take on the Blues at Telstra Dome this Saturday night.
Brown, who booted three goals on Saturday night as he captained the Big V to a 17-point win, said he revelled playing alongside Fevola.
"He was terrific, we played close together and we worked well together," he said on Monday after returning to Brisbane.
"It's always difficult when you have key forwards from opposition teams (playing together for the first time) but we blended together and mixed really well."
And after seeing Fevola at close-range; Brown described the 2006 Coleman Medallist as "a great player."
"He is so dangerous anywhere within 60 metres of goal because he is such a good kick (for goal)."
"And even though he is shorter than some of the other key forwards, because he judges the ball so well in the air he plays more like a six-foot-five marking forward."
Brown said the other player the Lions would have to shut down on Saturday night is another of his Victorian team-mates in Chris Judd because the Blues skipper "is capable of putting it on Fevola's chest at any time."
Meanwhile Brown says he is ready to go for the Lions this week after admitting he carried an injured quad into Saturday night's game - such was his desperation to represent Victoria for the first time.
"The body feels good and I feel better off for (playing) the (Victorian) game," he said.
"If I had missed the state game I would have been a risk for the Carlton game but I feel better for having played (for Victoria) and I feel like I am back to 100 percent."
But Brown said while he was happy to risk worsening his quad injury because of the one-off nature of Saturday night's game, he doubted players would do the same thing if state of origin matches were again played on a yearly basis as was the case in the 1980s and 1990s.
"Every four years would be good," Brown said, when asked on Monday how often state football should be played after what was the first such match for nine years.
"If it was played every year it would probably put too much strain on the players and the clubs."
"Last week I was one of the guys fighting injury (to play) but if you had to go through that emotional commitment every year, players might not give it everything to get up for the game but if it was only once every three or four years - like the Olympics - players would do more to get up for it."
Brown: I was not 100 percent fit
11/05/2008 11:04:18 AM
Angus Morgan
Sportal
Victorian captain Jonathan Brown has admitted he went into Saturday night's Hall of Fame Tribute match less than fully fit, but backed himself not just to get through the match, but to make significant contribution to a victory for the Big V.
That's exactly how it turned out as Brown finished with three goals including two when leading from the front in a tense final term as the home side got up by 17 points.
Brown had been in serious doubt going into the match after pulling out of the Brisbane Lions' lead-up clash with Geelong at Skilled Stadium with a strained quadriceps.
"Actually I felt better in the game than what I did at training so that was a nice little surprise."
"I was always going to be my own man on this one and I thought I would approach it like a club game."
"I kept going back to the question, if I was playing for Brisbane, would I play this week … and obviously I didn't make a mistake by playing, I got through nice and healthy."
Brown said he rated the victory, sparked by Allen Aylett Medalist Brendan Fevola's six goals, as the next best thing to playing in a winning grand final."It was a very special night and outside the premierships, we definitely won't forget that one," said Brown.
"It was an arm-wrestle for us and 'Bomber' (coach Mark Thompson) asked us for a big effort in the last quarter and the boys delivered in front of our home crowd."
"'Bomber' asked Fev and myself to put our hands up in that last quarter and we were able to isolate ourselves a little bit more and probably push the other forwards up the ground a bit."
"We work well in tandem and the boys really banged it in - it was set-up up the field, the boys really cracked in hard and tackled well."
"It was a good team effort but Fev was the one that really got us rolling for most of the night."
Brown said he was looking forward to celebrating with his new team-mates, not with isotonic drinks and glucose bars, but in a more traditional way.
"I'm from the old school. I like to have a beer with the guys you played against after a game growing up back in Warrnambool," Brown said with a smile.
Had the Blues run into Brisbane at the weekend, Brown might have been a doubtful starter with a tight quad.
But inspired by the Big V captaincy, he played through pain and had an excellent game, scoring 3.2 plus a couple of key assists.
"He (Brown) is just a terrific player, and one of the players I was keen to get out there and play alongside," Judd said.
LIONS kingpins Leigh Matthews and Jonathan Brown have called for the AFL to implement two split rounds from 2009 to help preserve players' increasingly battered bodies.
Brown spoke from his own experience in missing the Lions' last match against Geelong with quad tightness to deliver a valuable freshen up and help revive his form and fitness against the Dream Team.
"You definitely need those spells during the year," the Brisbane captain said.
"I had my bye last weekend against Geelong and I felt a hell of a lot better going into this week's game than going into the previous two or three weeks.
"That was only six weeks into the season, my body was banged-up."
Brown, the reigning Coleman Medallist, would rather see the pre-season NAB Cup reduced to add an extra week in the 22-round premiership.
"Maybe they should shorten the pre-season comp so you don't have so much pressure to get up for games in early February and we have longer holidays to get over all the injuries," he said.
"I definitely think that two byes, even if there's not a (Hall of Fame) game next year, would be good.
"It would keep the quality a lot better and the players would be able to sustain that quality throughout the season."
Somehow I don't think that it will happen. I was only asking a question because there are some rumours going around on other boards that he will come back to victoria....
The Lion king returns
17/05/2008 10:04:53 PM
Angus Morgan at Telstra Dome
Sportal
Brisbane Lions powerhouse Jonathan Brown roused from hibernation to do what comes so naturally to him - putting Carlton to the sword - in Saturday night's clash at Telstra Dome.
Brown, who so far this year has played second fiddle up forward to Daniel Bradshaw, scored six to double his season's goal tally (WTF??? he had kicked 15 goals going into this game) in leading the Lions to an easy 33-point win - 18.17 (125) to 12.20 (92).
The Victorian captain, who seems to delight in tormenting the navy blue as much as he loves wearing it, came into the match having earned three Brownlow votes in each of his past three encounters with Carlton and must surely be in the mix to make it a perfect 12 from 12.
Brett Ratten elected to start Jarrad Waite on Brown but, three goals and 20 minutes later, opted for 'Plan B' - O'hAilpin to Brown releasing Waite to play spare across half-back.
Brown tormented O'hAilpin much as he had Waite, but Waite was able to get into a groove by picking off passes bound for the chests of Brown and Bradshaw.
Setanta's mission impossible
Article from: Sunday Herald Sun
Tony Sheahan
May 18, 2008 12:00am
SETANTA O'hAilpin played his 40th senior game of AFL football last night and was given the toughest job - curtailing the game's best forward, Jonathan Brown.
A veteran of 146 AFL games, Brown was awesome, with Carlton forced to put Jarrad Waite deep in defence in an attempt to stop the unstoppable.
"Waite played the loose man, which made it much more difficult, so we had to negotiate that better through the middle," Brown said.
The Lions captain kicked three first-quarter goals and provided a brilliant spectacle, with delivery from the likes of Luke Power, Simon Black and Travis Johnstone into the forward 50 giving Brown first hit at the Sherrin.
Less than a week ago, Brown captained Waite in the Hall of Fame match at the MCG. Last night, he disposed of him in the first quarter.
O'hAilpin made some timely spoils in the second, his close checking earning him the wrath of Brown.
The Lions captain made sure the umpire was well aware of his close checking.
"We were having a bit of fun and games behind the play and I managed to get a free kick, so I was pretty happy about that," Brown said.
The third quarter played out much the same for the pair, with Brown kicking the second goal of the quarter.
At the 22-minute mark Brown gathered at the Coventry end, 40m out, turning on an acute angle to split the big sticks.
O'hAilpin and Waite were left stunned, 10m away, both with their hands on their hips.
"Waitey tripped over so I knew I had some space after I had taken the mark. I had it in my mind that I'd wheel around straight away and have a ping and it managed to go through," Brown said.
"I was pretty happy with that."
Last week it was Fevola's turn to star, kicking six goals alongside Brown in Victoria's win over the Hall of Fame team.
Last night it was Brown's turn with six.
O'hAilpin certainly earned his match payment.
Playing on the best in the land can only make him a stronger and better player.
