- Aug 17, 2012
- 13,570
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- AFL Club
- Brisbane Lions
Round 18 - Brisbane Lions v Adelaide Crows
Looking ahead to this game when I signed up for the previews, I had almost pencilled it down as a loss. Reigning grand finalists, adding a few stars to their team in Gibbs and Fogarty, and us with a young team towards the end of the season will likely be fatigued and tired.
How quickly things can change in a month of footy. After enduring close losses throughout the season, Lions supporters can start to feel truly optimistic about the direction of our footy club. It's not just the same old names that are firing for us. Young potential stars like McCluggage, Berry and Rayner are standing up in the big time and taking ownership of the club, aided by senior heads like Beams, Zorko and Robinson. Against Hawthorn on Saturday, the Lions won all four quarters in contested ball to finish the match +37 - the team's best result since 2009.
Taylor Walker will be a big out for them, considering he has had field days against the Lions in years gone by. With many of its best players recently back from injury, it looks like Adelaide will be featuring in finals this year if they can continue on their merry way. Rory Sloane's contract extension has breathed a new life into the club, and it has given their midfield some much needed class and speed.
Last time they met: Round 9, 20 May 2017 @ Gabba
Brisbane defeated by Adelaide 21.14 (140) to 7.18 (60)
Where Charlie Cameron kicked 4 goals in his interview for the Lions. We would have loved seeing him play tricks around Adelaide's defence against his old team, but it's not meant to be..
Forward line
Our forward line has worked surprisingly well with the influx of McInerny and Rayner, both applying solid defensive pressure with their built frames.
Our very own X-factor in Hipwood has been in excellent form the last few weeks. Supporters at the Gabba always have a sense of excitment everytime the ball went near him and it's not surprising to see why. For his height, he's agile, quick and very hard to match up on.
For us to dominate this facet of the game, the midfield will have to lower their eyes and look for smart options. Simply kicking it long to an outnumbered contest won’t do any good for both our tall forwards and small forwards, as the Adelaide defence can mop up with ease. They have quality written all over their backline. They have tormented our forwards in the past with their pace and creative link-ups in the back half last year, and the game still gives me nightmares. Their structures have worked quite well so far, and their defenders are not afraid to run and carry with ease from their backline. It was great to see the midfielders last week pushing up to apply pressure, but we'll need to make sure we make the most of our chances in front of goal. They'll have their work cut out to maintain forward pressure and be able to force a few goals through forward pressure and keeping it in the forward 50. Kyle Cheney is quite underrated in my opinion and will be a tough opponent for whoever has to line up on him. Our forward line has been great in the last few weeks, with the tall forwards creating a contest, and bringing it to ground for our smalls to capitalise on our chances. Rory Laird again posted career-best numbers this season with 43 disposals and 28 handballs. We might have to put someone on him to curtail his influence and generating from the backlne.
Midfield
Rory Sloane had nearly a third of Adelaide’s clearances with eight last week in their win against Geelong. Crows winger Rory Atkins responded after being dropped, racking up 10 disposals (five contested) and kicking a goal in the first quarter.
The slick ball movement of the Crows was reminiscent of their best football from last year, and I'm hoping we can bring them crashing back to reality at the Gabba fortress.
As for the Lions, Beams and Zorko are leading the way so far in 2018, but are well supported by the 3 gun youngsters that are showing why we rated them so highly. Whenever McCluggage has the ball, you can just feel the game slow down as he looks to have so much time. Usually makes the right decision and generates plays from a stoppage situation. Robinson is someone I'm tipping for a big one ths weekend. He cracks in, week in week out to make sure the opponent sweats whenever he's around. With Rich, he possibly had his best game for the club and is really shining in the backline with his toughness and physical presence, not to mention his decision making. Both Hugh McCluggage (29 disposals) and Jarrod Berry (24 disposals) were incredible in the midfield,in just their second year, alongside Dayne Beams who continued his purple patch of form 33 touches, seven clearances and eight inside 50s.
Martin last week showed his dominance in the ruck and judged the bounces to perfection, winning clearance after clearance on his own. It took a while for the midfielders to start taking advantage of his tapwork. These days, games are won and lost in the midfield. On paper, it’s a mouth watering prospect to see 2 exciting midfield groups go head to head. The added extra of the history and passion between these teams complements the fixture very nicely. Expect a high scoring game with a couple of star-studded midfields, one a bit more consistent than the other, but I'm expecting a fiery match up from the first bounce. The spread of contested ball winners on Saturday was very encouraging, with Dayne Beams, Hugh McCluggage, Dayne Zorko, Jarrod Berry, Josh Walker, Stef Martin, Allen Christensen and Rhys Mathieson all collecting 10 or more contested possessions.
Defence
Last week against the Hawks, it looked like we were getting destroyed by the man out the back at certain points of the game, especially in the first half. Walker and Gardiner have done remarkably well in the absence of Andrew and Hodge. Their presenting to the midfield, marking and agility is something the Lions defenders did well to stop, we made them take really awkward shots from the boundary, or long range at the 50m arc. We'll need to ensure that this continues against a much better team in Adelaide, who are ripe for the picking, as they can sniff finals. and are a much quicker side than Hawthorn. From what I saw last week, the Crows are very good at creating pressure in their forward 50 and did well against one of the better sides in the competition, and it will be a good chance for Fagan and co. to observe how they stack up against a team that is perhaps a couple of years ahead on the development curve. Winning the ball helped the Lions restrict the Hawks to just 65 points, making it three weeks in a row the opposition has been held under 70 points. The last time this happened three times in a row was back in 2007.
I would expect Walker to line up on Jenkins with Gardiner to take Lynch. Perhaps Lester will be playing as the loose in defence, and looked quite good and solid. Cox and Cutler are still making a few mistakes here and there, but they are taking the game on which is brilliant to see. Hopefully they can tie in a few more consistent performances out of the backline. Speaking of which, it's great to see Robbo take the game on more this year, and obviously has been encouraged to have confidence in his kicking. His shutdown work on Bruest (who kicked 6 goals the week prior) was outstanding, and no doubt will rank high in the club awards this year. I don't believe we will make any changes again, to reward the winning team, unless there is a late injury. The small defenders will have their work cut out for them to prevent the dangerous Betts and Galluci from having too much space, as they will make you pay with genuine goal scoring chances.
So, what now?
For us to win, we have to have a positive mindset from the get-go and can’t afford to take time to adjust to the conditions. If we let Adelaide get a headstart, they will absolutely keep it. The Crows are a ruthless team and it’s going to take quality to beat them, even if it's at the Gabba. Lions have looked threatening and dangerous when they’re willing to support each other, get numbers around the ball and attack the corridor. Our defence has to stand up strong and look for targets instead of hacking the ball out of the area temporarily. One thing I've noticed compared to previous years is that the defenders are taking their time to make the right decision rather than giving it off straight away. The added composure of Witherden, Hodge and Gardiner has really helped the team. The defensive running has also looked like it was back against the Hawks last week.
This game is going to require a team effort. This year, there's been a breath of fresh air in the way that the Lions have been playing footy. We look re-engergised and are willing to take the game on. If we take it seriously and are focused to start the year strongly, the Lions could pinch an upset. Not many of the AFL media gave us a chance against Fremantle or Hawthorn. We defied the odds and smashed both teams to the ground. We're going to have to work bloody hard if we want this win, as the record against them hasn't been too flashy. Curtail the influence of Sloane, Laird & Gibbs and it'll go a long way in determining the outcome of the game. Saturday night footy is back at the Gabba and it will be a glorious night for the team. Expected to have a season high crowd as well, with strong performances bringing positive media attention back to the Gabba. Let's hope it doesn't distract the team, and that we are still commited to finishing off the season strong. Screw tanking for draft picks, look at Carlton and where it got them. We have pride, and we are the pride of Brisbane town. Let's hear the song once more this weekend, and make it 4 in a row for the first time since 2010.
Jonathan Brown is that you
Lions by 21 points. Rayner and Hipwood to kick 10
(I've got more sections written up, but I'll add to this later)