Review Semi Final, 2025 - Brisbane Lions vs. Gold Coast

[mattsmob]

Gallop, Allen and Morris gets me horny. Hipwood could play high, potentially even off a wing. Whatever happens for the rest of the year, the young fluff and new additions have me excited.

Side note; GC getting stuck into Will about the Norm Smith only for him to tear them open in a semi final gives me a semi. Pure poetry.

Not sure if we can fit all 4 into the one team but having one in the VFL is great depth and gives them all a reason to keep working on their games

 

[Sproj]

Well might be a moot point if Hippy is out for most of next year anyway. No idea his return timeline but anything with ACL in it is never good.

 

[brutus76]

Bravo Lions.
Bring that next week
Well done Bezza you Wimmera Warrior
Been a good day with the Hawks VFL losing (so they can't do the double) and Lions winning

 

[Section 5]

Not long home from the game and reading through the review.
We had some great players tonight, but an overall team effort got us the win.
We made the Suns know early that this was going to be a harder game to win than the Dockers.

Game was even to quarter time, but the Lions restricted the Suns to just 3 goals in the following 3 quarters
In the end it was a stress-free game for Lions supporters.

Most posters have said who played well so i won't go through them again.

One thing though, us supporters and also the team should be grateful that Berry's shoulder was not season ending.
He was a bit underdone last week in his return but was great tonight.
Also great to see Gallop take 7 marks and lay 3 tackles along with the 1 goal.
That should give him some confidence going into next week's game
The two rucks worked this week, and they will go that way again v Pies.
Oscar sitting forward did help both Morris and Gallop.
Oscars 67% TOG was the 2nd lowest for the Lions which is good, as you don't want two rucks on the ground for large periods of the game

 

[Gadzorks]

I didn't rate us before the game. Thought the mid field was too attack and not enough defence to handle rowell and Anderson.

I was wrong.

Josh dunkley

5

Josh Dunkley

Age

28

Ht

191cm

Wt

87kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.8

5star

K

10.4

4star

HB

11.3

5star

M

4.3

4star

T

5.8

5star

CL

3.2

5star

D

20.7

5star

K

7.0

3star

HB

13.7

5star

M

2.3

2star

T

5.3

5star

CL

2.7

4star

D

14.2

4star

K

7.2

3star

HB

7.0

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

4.0

5star

CL

1.4

4star

to lachie " can't make it? That's OK mate, ill play your role as well as mine and we'll be good". .

That was a norm Smith performance from dunks.

3KZ is Football dunks is what a real footy god looks like.

 

[Gadzorks]

Just had to show them who Daddy was.

That said, that was the lowest pressure final I have ever seen.

And how many points in a row? Can't get away with that from now on.

We've been getting away with it for years. It's just how we footy.

 

[Big Sauce 21]

Think the big thing out of tonight was Berry's confidence. Popping up at both ends again.

 

[Harris Specter]

Yeah it’s pretty rich of them given like most of them haven’t got close to even playing in a GF or achieved anything of note.

What’s this about Will and his Norm Smith talk from Suns? What did they say?

 

[vic_LION]

Epic win, very convincing stuff from the boys tonight. Now we just need to do it again next weeek against the pies and it’ll be anyone’s chance on the day!

 

[Pns_blister]

What’s this about Will and his Norm Smith talk from Suns? What did they say?

In the preseason when they were sniping Levi behind play, they were also getting into Will about the Norm
Smith, saying he wasn’t deserving of it.

 

[LionsOrDieTrion]

(some cricket banter)

Lions father of Gold Coast

The Gold Coast Sons

 

[Tom14]

In the preseason when they were sniping Levi behind play, they were also getting into Will about the Norm
Smith, saying he wasn’t deserving of it.

(Will was good but Lachie was clear best on ground imo)

 

[LionCub29]

I understand that we had pick 1, but from the 2017 draft we got Rayner, Bailey & Starcevich. The first 2 are probably the best 2 players taken in that draft. LDU fine but not great and Brayshaw’s foot skills are horrific.

 

[Leuy LongerCombo]

Not to hang Gardiner out, because the midfield pressure was quite different after quarter time. But Harris absolutely shutting King down after his hot start was huge.

Midfield dominance, last game Rowell, Anderson and Davies combined for 100 possessions, this game 61 possessions. Absolute dominant performance, led by Dunks, McCluggage and Ashcroft.

One of the biggest individual moment was Berry mark in defense, putting concerns of a lingering Shoulder soreness to bed.

Bailey and Rayner played their roles when needed, with big moments. Production and effectiveness not always 100% there, but geez they make a difference.

Good signs with the forwards, Kai brought the pressure early and played well offensively. Great to see Charlie involved, lack the finishing but a huge step forward. Ty was great considering his age.

No passengers this week, which I view as an absolute trademark of the team when up and about.

 

[DERRINALPHIL]

Resting ruckman in the forward line is very 1980’s and very dangerous for opponents.

Matt Rendell in his first season with Ron Alexander being the monster in the middle

 

[PertRoosOsborne]

A loss last night would have been a season fail, with all our injuries it feels like making the prelim is a pass anything further is a bonus IMO.

Whilst beating the pies is always beautiful!

 

[DERRINALPHIL]

What a game to be at, just an awesome performance, should have been an 80 point win, we cruised home in the last.

The crowd were desperate for Country Roads at the end.

Josh Dunkley the tackling machine, what a legend.

Ty Gallop has picked up the pace of the game, he belongs at the level, from the first time I saw him play you knew he had something.
____________________
Bring on the Pies, flights already booked.

The first time I saw Ty play was at Punt Road in the Twos. He got one possession for the day.

I saw Brown get no possessions in his first game. We need @3KZ to inform us on his future,

Ty is big, reasonable quick and likes a contest, what you need as a defender but good forwards are rare.

In the second half he looked the part so lets hope.

 

[dlanod]

Only one I’m slightly worried about after that is Hugh. Think he’s really struggling with that knee and we need him to be somewhere close to his best to be a chance next week I think.

Edit. Just saw his stats but live he didn’t seem to have as much impact as we would come to expect. Not as clean as normal imo.

It's the difference between more often being the first receiver outside Neale and winning it himself. The latter curtails his kicking game and hides his impact to a degree, but can also hamper how much energy he has to get into space around the park. Hugh is doing well enough but it's a very different role.

 

[dlanod]

Is our midfield better without Lachie in the year 2025?

It's better than with the rusty hindered version from last week but Neale in full flight definitely would add to the team.

 

[M Malice]

I love the smell of victory in the morning. It smells so sweet.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

It's better than with the rusty hindered version from last week but Neale in full flight definitely would add to the team.

We're not getting the Neale in 2024 GF full flight back in the next 2 weeks.
Leigh Matthews on Fox after the game said you have to be 100% and train strongly in the week leading in to a final coming back from a muscle tear, especially a calf.
No being nursed through the week and scraping through a fitness test on the morning of the game.

Someone apparently mentioned him picking an injured Nigel Lappin with broken ribs for the GF, and he just did his smile and said '"you don't run on your ribs".

 

[braddsey]

I have a theory. Fages hates the pre-finals bye. Playing 1 game in 27 days sucks. So… sit Rayner at full forward against the cats. Play the ball to the cats advantage. Lose the match against the cats…but the real outcome is a home final against either of Freo or Suns.

Then come out in the semi-final and blow a much weaker opponent off the park. Let the boys play themselves into form amongst the doom and gloom. Get the momentum going through playing footy, rather than running around the training track and getting rehabbed.

…just a theory!

 

[Lazza16]

Matt Rendell in his first season with Ron Alexander being the monster in the middle

Madden n Salmon not a bad combo.

 

[dlanod]

We're not getting the Neale in 2024 GF full flight back in the next 2 weeks.
Leigh Matthews on Fox after the game said you have to be 100% and train strongly in the week leading in to a final coming back from a muscle tear, especially a calf.
No being nursed through the week and scraping through a fitness test on the morning of the game.

Someone apparently mentioned him picking an injured Nigel Lappin with broken ribs for the GF, and he just did his smile and said '"you don't run on your ribs".

I thought Neale was out for the next few weeks regardless. This is our midfield and boy have they made it work.

 

[dlanod]

ZoBlitz there's a bug in the poll, it's only letting me pick five and not nine or ten.