Preview Brisbane Lions vs North Melbourne – Saturday 20/07/19, 7:25pm at the GABBA

[martinson]

Optimism on the Lions is getting to the euphoric level. We're undoubtedly a good side but we need to focus totally on this week's game ,don't read the paper, do what we've been doing with everyone playing their role.

I see this as a danger game,they've got nothing to lose and they've generally been playing a very good brand of footy with some standout players.

We need everyone to be fully fit ,full confidence in the replacements we brought in last week , not thinking about finals ,double chances or anything else until we get there.

 

[Dalions]

Optimism on the Lions is getting to the euphoric level. We're undoubtedly a good side but we need to focus totally on this week's game ,don't read the paper, do what we've been doing with everyone playing their role.

I see this as a danger game,they've got nothing to lose and they've generally been playing a very good brand of footy with some standout players.

We need everyone to be fully fit ,full confidence in the replacements we brought in last week , not thinking about finals ,double chances or anything else until we get there.

Personally I don’t get the feeling that the Lions will take North lightly this week!

Veteran enjoying Lions' rich vein of form ahead of 200th

Daniel Rich says his younger teammates are building depth and strength at Brisbane

www.afl.com.au

Chris Fagan and Hodgey will be doing all they can to keep the boys grounded.
And it doesn’t really matter what the fans and media think anyway!
I agree that North will Not make it easy and the boys will have to be on their game, that is for sure!

 

[WhiteLionFeva]

One thing's for sure. Shaw won't be telegraphing his moves, a la Kenny.

 

[Kernel Kurtz]

Optimism on the Lions is getting to the euphoric level. We're undoubtedly a good side but we need to focus totally on this week's game ,don't read the paper, do what we've been doing with everyone playing their role.

I see this as a danger game,they've got nothing to lose and they've generally been playing a very good brand of footy with some standout players.

We need everyone to be fully fit ,full confidence in the replacements we brought in last week , not thinking about finals ,double chances or anything else until we get there.

I just can't see our side let that relentless pressure cooker off the boil with all the players from the twos coming in and doing their fair share and more.
I thought Keays added some pressure as an example.
Our players aside ,we will still be vulnerable to poor officiating , where we lose the momentum and the other team finds another cog.
Just don't see that happening this weekend, but could very much expect it for the Richmond game, where everything we do in a fifty fifty goes their way.
So far since the buy we have improved every week, we are getting to the pointy end of the season , I think the boys are even more hungry and exited to play and stay or get in the team .
I don't think there is any harm for us to look ahead, the players are different , they have to be focussed on the game in front, i reckon they all know that.

 

[Tassie4ever]

I just can't see our side let that relentless pressure cooker off the boil with all the players from the twos coming in and doing their fair share and more.
I thought Keays added some pressure as an example.
Our players aside ,we will still be vulnerable to poor officiating , where we lose the momentum and the other team finds another cog.
Just don't see that happening this weekend, but could very much expect it for the Richmond game, where everything we do in a fifty fifty goes their way.
So far since the buy we have improved every week, we are getting to the pointy end of the season , I think the boys are even more hungry and exited to play and stay or get in the team .
I don't think there is any harm for us to look ahead, the players are different , they have to be focussed on the game in front, i reckon they all know that.

Surely you've overlooked the performance of Umpire 41 [?] in the V Collingwood game. This was the worst effort [sic] I've seen in many years. I'm not that fixated to have followed his no doubt illustrious career but if this nob wasn't sent back to umpire outer Woop Woop seconds I'd be surprised.

The thing is it wouldn't have in any way changed the result, but it was still totally appalling officiating.

 

[Kernel Kurtz]

Surely you've overlooked the performance of Umpire 41 [?] in the V Collingwood game. This was the worst effort [sic] I've seen in many years. I'm not that fixated to have followed his no doubt illustrious career but if this nob wasn't sent back to umpire outer Woop Woop seconds I'd be surprised.

The thing is it wouldn't have in any way changed the result, but it was still totally appalling officiating.

I remember that nightmare .
That's probably who I'm talking about.

Can definitely turn a game even with our improvement.
thanks for the heads up I'll be looking for umpire 41, but as I've said before , I've banned myself from abusing umps.
So only words of encouragement .

 

[martinson]

Surely you've overlooked the performance of Umpire 41 [?] in the V Collingwood game. This was the worst effort [sic] I've seen in many years. I'm not that fixated to have followed his no doubt illustrious career but if this nob wasn't sent back to umpire outer Woop Woop seconds I'd be surprised.

The thing is it wouldn't have in any way changed the result, but it was still totally appalling officiating.

The umpiring has been truly baffling this year with unpublicised reactionary reinterpreting of the rules on a week by week basis.

You only need to look at the stats to see Collingwood,Essendon,Geelong ,Tigers ,the SA clubs ,WA clubs getting the rub of the green on their own turf and in the case of the premier Vic Clubs away.

Unfortunately it never seems to apply to us. We should see Neale get a good go this week though,should be interesting

 

[Gadzorks]

Optimism on the Lions is getting to the euphoric level. We're undoubtedly a good side but we need to focus totally on this week's game ,don't read the paper, do what we've been doing with everyone playing their role.

I see this as a danger game,they've got nothing to lose and they've generally been playing a very good brand of footy with some standout players.

We need everyone to be fully fit ,full confidence in the replacements we brought in last week , not thinking about finals ,double chances or anything else until we get there.

I think the pressure on places coming from the twos means players won't get complacent. It's not about beating the other team, it's about keeping their place in the team. And the players know this means being team focused - all the ingredients for a three-peat.

 

[Brett C]

The umpiring has been truly baffling this year with unpublicised reactionary reinterpreting of the rules on a week by week basis.

You only need to look at the stats to see Collingwood,Essendon,Geelong ,Tigers ,the SA clubs ,WA clubs getting the rub of the green on their own turf and in the case of the premier Vic Clubs away.

Unfortunately it never seems to apply to us. We should see Neale get a good go this week though,should be interesting

The whole rub of the green argument is really tin foil hair stuff, if people truly believe the umpires deliberately pay or not pay free kicks depending on the side they have no idea.

Yes umpires make mistakes but it happens both ways in every game all season, it’s happened for years and will never disappear.

 

[Section 5]

Hope the boys can again win when it's someone's milestone game. Congratulations Daniel Rich on your 200th a great achievement for any player. It is also Jarred Berry's 50th game.

We won the previous two weeks with players playing milestone games. Cameron 100 last week and Neale 150 the week before.
The following week Gardiner plays his 100th in an away game against Hawthorne.
If Dan McStay plays the next 5 games his 100th comes up against Geelong in round 22.

If the boys can produce the goods during these 3 games and win against the Suns things will be looking good for the Club and fans.

 

[Gadzorks]

The whole rub of the green argument is really tin foil hair stuff, if people truly believe the umpires deliberately pay or not pay free kicks depending on the side they have no idea.

Yes umpires make mistakes but it happens both ways in every game all season, it’s happened for years and will never disappear.

My view is when the players stop making mistakes we should expect the umpires to not make mistakes. The umpires actually make more decisions in the game than the players so no way are they going to be perfect.

 

[dlanod]

The whole rub of the green argument is really tin foil hair stuff, if people truly believe the umpires deliberately pay or not pay free kicks depending on the side they have no idea.

Yes umpires make mistakes but it happens both ways in every game all season, it’s happened for years and will never disappear.

That's making it more simplistic than it appears by including the word "deliberately" (yeah, I know that's what the post you're responding to was implying which I do disagree with).

There's very strong evidence that crowd cues affect how umpires perform in all sports. I'm not going to claim umpires consciously take that into effect, but it's been documented in at least soccer, baseball and basketball IIRC, so why is AFL going to be different?

If you get a very aggressive and loud crowd that has more impact than the alternative, and games like Essendon v GWS and Port v us are extreme examples of that where both ended up with lopsided free kick counts. West Coast has a very strong home crowd advantage and is frequently shown to have one of the best free kick differentials, year in and out.

 

[martinson]

The whole rub of the green argument is really tin foil hair stuff, if people truly believe the umpires deliberately pay or not pay free kicks depending on the side they have no idea.

Yes umpires make mistakes but it happens both ways in every game all season, it’s happened for years and will never disappear.

Don't agree at all .

Bias /crowd umpiring is a big factor in many of the games I've seen this year .

Then you have the evening up factor

 

[M Malice]

1- Crowd noise affirmation umpiring is a thing IMO.
2- Pre conceived perceptions surrounding certain players.
3- I also think as a general rule the "bigger" clubs/players seem to get a better rub of the green, probably has something to do with point 1.
4- However I in noway see it as biased or cheating umpiring, they are human and are open to mistakes and outside subconscious influences.

 

[martinson]

That's making it more simplistic than it appears by including the word "deliberately" (yeah, I know that's what the post you're responding to was implying which I do disagree with).

There's very strong evidence that crowd cues affect how umpires perform in all sports. I'm not going to claim umpires consciously take that into effect, but it's been documented in at least soccer, baseball and basketball IIRC, so why is AFL going to be different?

If you get a very aggressive and loud crowd that has more impact than the alternative, and games like Essendon v GWS and Port v us are extreme examples of that where both ended up with lopsided free kick counts. West Coast has a very strong home crowd advantage and is frequently shown to have one of the best free kick differentials, year in and out.

Btw I never implied or said it was deliberate.

All to do with psychology and pressure. Responding to directions which are not possible to interpret accurately on the spot.

Plus certain umpires do have biases. Certain gun players get dream runs , other players constantly get pinged.

They're human beings , they respond like most human beings would to criticism , loud and unmitigated pressure and their own quirks.

Fairly self evident.

 

[martinson]

So when I say the umpiring is 'worse' this year my main beef if that we get constant reinterpretations of holding the ball/ruck contests/protection for player going for the ball/ducking ,round the neck etc , deliberate out of bounds,what constitutes in the back,what constitutes a mark, many other things on a week to week basis but the public and I daresay the coaches are never informed what the interpretation is going to be that week.

Keystone Cops running the show. The umps to me often appear confused themselves.

 

[3KZ is Football]

The Kangas have dined off being able to bully us around the ball for years. I think finally we should have the midfield to at least neutralise that. If we turn up it should be a good game.

On present form, we are the best midfield in the competition. The thing I love about our midfield group is how hard they tackle. Have a look at our midfield group / players that had a run through the midfield against Port Adelaide and look at the tackle count. Lyons in particular is a tackling machine and he had the happy knack of turning some of these into goals.

I count 40 tackles out of our midfielders alone. Amazing numbers!

 

[Nunez]

On a side note, how bloody good is Answorth? Such an impressive kid - plays his role, takes the game on and has a good kick to boot.

 

[3KZ is Football]

Re: Umpiring

What about the “forgotten rule” PUSH IN THE BACK?

In a marking contest, if you breath too heavily on an opponents back or just happen to touch them in the back it is a free kick. In general play on the deck, you can push a bloke in the back, fall all over him and it’s “play on!”

I know there was a problem with players “cheating” by throwing themselves forward or deliberately losing their legs as soon as they sensed pressure from an opponent behind them, but this “non ruling” has gone too far the other way.

 

[3KZ is Football]

On a side note, how bloody good is Answorth? Such an impressive kid - plays his role, takes the game on and has a good kick to boot.

... and a bit of mongrel too.

 

[Daniels Riches]

On a side note, how bloody good is Answorth? Such an impressive kid - plays his role, takes the game on and has a good kick to boot.

As Bert Newton would say: “I like the boy.” At times I forget that he is a first year player. Will be an absolute ripper for us and can see him as a 200 game player for the club. Apparently he also has a great attitude towards his diet, sleeping patterns etc. A real professional already.


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[3KZ is Football]

Get them in: Veteran Luke Hodge had the feet up for a rest last week but is ready to return against North Melbourne. The NEAFL team had a bye at the weekend.
Under the pump: Only two matches in, and he was part of a strong back-seven against Port Adelaide, but Marcus Adams is still finding his feet. Zac Bailey is also struggling a touch.
Medical room: Classy midfielder Hugh McCluggage (hamstring) and tall forward Eric Hipwood (knee) both have to pass tests but are a chance to play after missing last weekend.
Verdict: A lot will depend on the fitness of McCluggage and Hipwood. If they're available, it would come at the expense of either Bailey or the unlucky Ben Keays to cover McCluggage and Josh Walker for McCluggage, who both performed admirably against Port. Hodge's return will mean either Adams or Ryan Lester will have to make way, depending on defensive match-ups. – Michael Whiting

From the AFL Website. Could someone please tell Michael Whiting that there is ZERO chance that Ryan Lester will be dropped. ZERO! Also WHITING ... get the AFL to provide you with a decent editor. I know McCluggage is good, but he won’t replace two players you goose.

 

[lionshine]

Get them in: Veteran Luke Hodge had the feet up for a rest last week but is ready to return against North Melbourne. The NEAFL team had a bye at the weekend.
Under the pump: Only two matches in, and he was part of a strong back-seven against Port Adelaide, but Marcus Adams is still finding his feet. Zac Bailey is also struggling a touch.
Medical room: Classy midfielder Hugh McCluggage (hamstring) and tall forward Eric Hipwood (knee) both have to pass tests but are a chance to play after missing last weekend.
Verdict: A lot will depend on the fitness of McCluggage and Hipwood. If they're available, it would come at the expense of either Bailey or the unlucky Ben Keays to cover McCluggage and Josh Walker for McCluggage, who both performed admirably against Port. Hodge's return will mean either Adams or Ryan Lester will have to make way, depending on defensive match-ups. – Michael Whiting

From the AFL Website. Could someone please tell Michael Whiting that there is ZERO chance that Ryan Lester will be dropped. ZERO!

Yep zero chance. As a collective unit, Andrews, Gardiner, Rich and Lester are in fantastic form and have some great chemistry. They are elite as a group of core four defenders in our backline.

 

[LongLion]

On a side note, how bloody good is Answorth? Such an impressive kid - plays his role, takes the game on and has a good kick to boot.

Must agree & he is only a youngster. Looks to have a great career ahead of him. 200+ games player for the mighty lions.

 

[3KZ is Football]

Yep zero chance. As a collective unit, Andrews, Gardiner, Rich and Lester are in fantastic form and have some great chemistry. They are elite as a group of core four defenders in our backline.

Absolutely lionshine! Can I also take the opportunity to say how great it is to see some of our longtime posters like yourself in our game threads. It reminds me of all the hard years we went through after the “Glory Years” and how we have stuck with our team. Like many, I went to the Richmond game last year with my kids (Family Member) and for me, that was an absolute low point. I knew I could never support another team, but in a moment of despair I did say the boys could barrack for whoever they like. Nunez will remember that because he voted to lynch me. Anyway, the boys elected to stay with my team and stick with Brisbane. Great choice as it turns out. I knew we were going to improve this year, but never in my wildest dreams did I think we would turn it around so quickly. Fagan is an absolute genius and we are so lucky to have him as a coach. Despite our occasional niggles about selection and a few personality clashes, our board is a really good one and as we head towards September, let’s all celebrate what we have achieved and come together and pool our Good Karma to get the Lions a Premiership in 2019. Our players have such amazing character and they deserve it.

Cue Kumbaya.

P.S. If you are not a member this year, it’s not too late. Otherwise, we all need to make sure we renew memberships for 2020 and join up if you haven’t been a member or have lapsed.