Preview Finals Week One: Brisbane Lions vs Richmond Tigers @ The Gabba, Friday Oct 2, 7:50pm

[martinson]

Dusty in the midfield does his damage with his spread from clearances. It'll probably be up to one of the wings to act as a defensive sweeper at clearances.

Up forward nobody can match it with him in a one-on-one. Again we will need to get an extra to help which will probably require us to pressure hard and slow their midfields ball movement.

He's absolutely smashed us when we've played them of recent times . Stopping him should be a priority to win this game. I get it that his feed comes from further afield but being more particular and proactive about him specifically surely should be an option.

Not that I know what that is.

Have to come with a different mind set and game plan. We cannot allow Dusty to roam free and gather 25 disposals and 3 goals. He has killed us every time. We need to be less predictable.

I want to see Robbo go straight to Dusty and make his night as difficult as it can be. Will be impossible to stop him completely, he is the best player in the AFL by a long way but if you can diminish his impact to less than 18 touches and just a goal.. that goes a long way to stopping Richmond. For every goal he kicks he also gives off 3/4.

Obviously keep Neale and Lyons in the centre for the night but I would rotating Zorko - Berry - Robbo - Rayner - McCluggage - Bailey all night. Throw something different at them. Keep our midfield refreshed. Last year in the final against them we were went so hard early we were gassed by HT.

Gardiner on Riewoldt - has the pace to go with him. When Dusty goes forward either Lester or just let Robbo go with him. I don't care if Robbo doesn't get one kick.. just harass all night.

I would be inclined to keep Coleman in the side. I like the tackling/defensive pressure he applies and if we can stop their run off half back that will save us a lot of trouble.

We really need to get 5+ goals out of Hippy - McStay and Oscar. Right now I'm not so sure we will. Hippy is capable of kicking multiple goals on a good night but McStay is one a game at best. We need these two guys to go up another level. Stef Martin being back is good in that it allows Oscar to play deep forward for longer and means the Tigers won't be able to zone off two players onto Hippy as often.

I think this will be a lot closer than Richmond fans expect. If we play to our very best for 4 quarters not 2 than we can beat them. But we need to play better for longer than we have been. We are lot stronger than we were the last two times we played them.

Martin has had a picnic just about every time we've played the Tigers so one thing I agree with is that we need a better plan than overall M/F pressure ,whatever. He kills us when we don't have a plan that focuses solely on his impact.

Stop him and we're a good chance.

 

[Dalions]

Hopefully the QLD border closures will mean only the QLD based Tigers fans attend and are a bit more civilised than those from Melbourne

The borders will remained closed to Victoria and parts of NSW.
But the Tigers supporters from most of the rest of the country can still come In I would think.

 

[fugitive]

Both teams are pretty even statistically with all the talk about our inaccuracy, Port & Tigers are 2nd and 3rd in terms of inaccuracy but having watched a lot of Tigers games season this season, they just seem like scoring every time they get an inside 50 entry even though statistically they are actually inferior to us in inside 50 efficiency. If we convert most of our opportunities (which I anticipate to be a lot!) we will get’em.

 

[Ralphy2017]

Dusty, Dangerfield, Fyfe, Cripps - when they go forward they usually give us a lesson as forwards but we hold them as midfielders. Dusty has really showed us one-on-one footy and he doesn't miss many against us where we always have the yips against the Tigers, well we have the yips mostly against everyone this season. I think we need Payne down there for this game. Last game against Richmond Harris for the first Qtr and a half dropped off Lynch to help Payne out in his first game and Lynch got out the back and scored. That doesn't need to happen now Payne can hold his own on Reiwoldt or Dusty and Harris will win/equal his battle. Plus previously against Richmond we were a bit of a one trick pony with our reliance on Charlie but he hasn't been at his best, maybe not even half best, and we have multiple avenues now from short or long range. The pressure from Richmond will be a level up as they are the best and I think as long as we committee to the challenge and don't go hugging the boundary for safety we will do fine, Fagan is right we learned a lot last year in the finals about crawling into our shell. To be the best, we have to beat the best, and that is the Tigers. Just some tinkering in the backline to get it right when Richmond make their changes resting Dusty and we are good to go.

I too think we need Payne, but he would probably mark Riewoldt and then Chol when he moves forward as per the round 10 game. Dizzy has to take Dusty, with support from Robbo who has been coming back to help out the backline. I am actually a little concerned about the lack of pace of Birchall and he won't get the easy stats that he usually gets in a game, he also tends to spend more time on the bench then a lot of the other backs. However he came to the side for his experience and we will need it, but he is no Hodge that's for sure.
McStay has to fire up and continual to provide that link and start crashing some packs. He gets a chance to impact on the game with Balta taking Hippy and Grimes taking Charlie. Perhaps if we got some games into some young guys he might be under genuine pressure to hold his spot, but we have to go with McStay.
Can't help but think that Payne would be better equipped for this final (if selected), if he had of got a couple of games earlier in the season. Takes more than the regular 22-25 to win a comp and hopefully guys like Hinge, Ely Smith, Payne, Fullerton, Ballenden, Prior, B.Smith, Coleman get a few AFL games throughout the year and not just because of suspensions or injuries. If Payne plays would drop Birchall (won't happen) so Lester 'managed' but doubt that will happen, then how do we fit Answerth in? All of this is subject to Harris being fit and playing

 

[DERRINALPHIL]

Hopefully the QLD border closures will mean only the QLD based Tigers fans attend and are a bit more civilised than those from Melbourne

They couldn't be less civilised surely.

Out two losses after the break have both been matches where Andrews was well beaten, reflecting both the run of play and the quality of opponent. Harris has to step up and pay like the AA full back he is rated.

IMO Dusty is the key as he the one constant in the last times they have beaten us in that he hasn't attracted a hard tag and he has ripped us apart.

On a positive note, we have some difficult decisions on selections. Coleman or Answerth seem to be the final decision, given Berry and Andrews are right to go. Can't make up my mind as I rate Answerth, who many forget has played under 30 games. He will be a much better player with another season. Coleman seems to have the X-Factor and who knows how good he may be.

 

[PertRoosOsborne]

Reporting that Andrews likely to play

https://www.afl.com.au/news/510289

 

[Lazza16]

The guy who chewed us up and spat us out last game was Bolton out of the middle.........his pace and step and elusiveness with his inside 50s,,,, we had no answer to him. Out injured I am not sure who we put on him if he plays....Bailey perhaps?

 

[Kernel Kurtz]

He's absolutely smashed us when we've played them of recent times . Stopping him should be a priority to win this game. I get it that his feed comes from further afield but being more particular and proactive about him specifically surely should be an option.

Not that I know what that is.

Martin has had a picnic just about every time we've played the Tigers so one thing I agree with is that we need a better plan than overall M/F pressure ,whatever. He kills us when we don't have a plan that focuses solely on his impact.

Stop him and we're a good chance.

It's hard to stop him when the officials refuse to pay incorrect disposal when he just drops the pill or stiff arms to players throats.
They know how to work the rules , entitled bunch.

 

[martinson]

It's hard to stop him when the officials refuse to pay incorrect disposal when he just drops the pill or stiff arms to players throats.
They know how to work the rules , entitled bunch.

I think we accept that the in the backs and throws just aren't going to be paid.

I couldn't believe the coaches of other teams wouldn't be bringing it up with the umpiring group because it gives them 3 or 4 every week.

Love to know the inside story on all this. To watch 2 umps comotose when Reiwoldt jumped all over a guys head when the ball was 30 yards away was a real head scratcher.

 

[davemc_lions]

The guy who chewed us up and spat us out last game was Bolton out of the middle.........his pace and step and elusiveness with his inside 50s,,,, we had no answer to him. Out injured I am not sure who we put on him if he plays....Bailey perhaps?

The cats actually did well on Bolton.. He got caught holding the ball a few times.
Although depends how the umps paying frees first week of finals.
We need to stick more tackles you notice when we play sides with bigger bodies they get past 2-3 guys sometimes.
If we go negate this or negate that we not kick enough to win.

 

[Section 5]

They say lots of things are heredity
The start of our kicking woes v Richmond started a long time ago

Taken from a Swamp tweet

In 1957 R04 FITZ lost RICH by 15 points - 10.31 (91) to 16.10 (106) If they had scored with 100% accuracy (and RICH score remained unchanged) FITZ would have won by 140 points

 

[lioninthesand]

Went and read the Richmond thread, hasn't improved at all since last year. Its a shame for their educated posters who actually want good chat.

Some of their laughable narratives

- We are cocky. We literally could not be less cocky or confident.

- The AFL want us to win. Yes, because having the second smallest membership base and a team with no commercial value in a GF is what they would want LOL

- The media ham us up. I have never seen a team be more maligned in the eyes of the media going into a home final.

- We are s**t. We might not be at their level but we are the second youngest team in the league doing amazing things.

Their thread is just so low IQ - mind numbing. And it's not true for all teams, in before that comment comes.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Went and read the Richmond thread, hasn't improved at all since last year. Its a shame for their educated posters who actually want good chat.

Some of their laughable narratives

- We are cocky. We literally could not be less cocky or confident.

- The AFL want us to win. Yes, because having the second smallest membership base and a team with no commercial value in a GF is what they would want LOL

- The media ham us up. I have never seen a team be more maligned in the eyes of the media going into a home final.

- We are sh*t. We might not be at their level but we are the second youngest team in the league doing amazing things.

Their thread is just so low IQ - mind numbing. And it's not true for all teams, in before that comment comes.

Live footage from the Richmond match thread.

 

[Tom14]

Live footage from the Richmond match thread.

Tigers fans feel a lot more like loyal members of Vichy France to me. The ones that don’t even pretend they were in the resistance.

 

[Toffee Lion]

Went and read the Richmond thread, hasn't improved at all since last year. Its a shame for their educated posters who actually want good chat.

It's a fun read.

Personally they've had 30 years of s**t, so I understand why they're a bit arrogant and cocky now that they're good. Certainly are a select few who offer good posting though!

 

[The Zork]

They truly believe they have some sort of invincibility about themselves and communicate as such. A real toxic entitlement. It comes with success, I get it.
There are probably as many decent posters of theirs than we have here, they are just drowned out by the sheer number of unreasonable ones.

 

[royboys4eva]

Looking for a sensible post on the Richmond board is mission impossible. They just talk utter nonsense and think they are unbeatable.. but get the worst of the umpiring every week. They neglect to mention the blocks / diving / throwing disguised as handballs that they have been getting away with for years.

Lions win is well over due and time to knock the cocky Tiger fans down a peg.

 

[mpal6]

Have to come with a different mind set and game plan. We cannot allow Dusty to roam free and gather 25 disposals and 3 goals. He has killed us every time. We need to be less predictable.

I want to see Robbo go straight to Dusty and make his night as difficult as it can be. Will be impossible to stop him completely, he is the best player in the AFL by a long way but if you can diminish his impact to less than 18 touches and just a goal.. that goes a long way to stopping Richmond. For every goal he kicks he also gives off 3/4.

Obviously keep Neale and Lyons in the centre for the night but I would rotating Zorko - Berry - Robbo - Rayner - McCluggage - Bailey all night. Throw something different at them. Keep our midfield refreshed. Last year in the final against them we were went so hard early we were gassed by HT.

Gardiner on Riewoldt - has the pace to go with him. When Dusty goes forward either Lester or just let Robbo go with him. I don't care if Robbo doesn't get one kick.. just harass all night.

I would be inclined to keep Coleman in the side. I like the tackling/defensive pressure he applies and if we can stop their run off half back that will save us a lot of trouble.

We really need to get 5+ goals out of Hippy - McStay and Oscar. Right now I'm not so sure we will. Hippy is capable of kicking multiple goals on a good night but McStay is one a game at best. We need these two guys to go up another level. Stef Martin being back is good in that it allows Oscar to play deep forward for longer and means the Tigers won't be able to zone off two players onto Hippy as often.

I think this will be a lot closer than Richmond fans expect. If we play to our very best for 4 quarters not 2 than we can beat them. But we need to play better for longer than we have been. We are lot stronger than we were the last two times we played them.

My worry on Robbo is he tries that one big lunging hail mary effort and then goes to ground after. Never doubt the endeavor but as an opposition player if you manage to avoid that diving Robbo tackle / effort then you're free to rebound and on the outside.

 

[JasRulz63]

C'mon Lions! If you're not going to win for yourselves, at least win for me on my birthday .

Last time a match was played on October 2nd, Collingwood won a premiership (replay GF in 2010).

 

[DERRINALPHIL]

My worry on Robbo is he tries that one big lunging hail mary effort and then goes to ground after. Never doubt the endeavor but as an opposition player if you manage to avoid that diving Robbo tackle / effort then you're free to rebound and on the outside.

I am pleased that someone has brought this up as it has been a problem for a long time. It would be interesting to be on the inside and hear if anything is said at training to get him out of this habit. It appears, on the surface, to be a simple problem to fix. We would all like to hear what specifically was being done when our goal kicking became farcical.

Dan McStay has patches where he stops watching the ball hard enough and drops simple marks. I assume they have ways at training to direct players to attack their weak spots.

One thing I have missed this year is going to the training they have when they arrive down here in Lock downville. While it was only a light run you often see important thing being done. Testing Lappins ribs (2003 Grand Final?) was probably the most memorable

 

[LionsOrDieTrion]

Outside of Richmond’s top 10 or so players they fall away rapidly. We have the better team of players no doubt, but their bash ball system certainly stands up.

 

[CarterS]

If Charlie is off the pace (I'd move him up the ground to try and negate Grimes) and hard to rely on Hipwood/McStay then time for Rayner or McCarthy to step up and break the game open - Rayner is due. Goals from midfield will be important too... kick straight number 6.

 

[Leuy LongerCombo]

Yeah I really hope we have something different up our sleeve for this game. It’s all well and good to have a plan A but to beat good teams especially in finals you need a trump card/move.

Look at the other top 4 teams for example, all have a player (Danger, Dusty,Gray) capable of playing as well up forward as they do through the middle.

If we are down 2 goals late in the third term what’s our “trump move” going to be?

If there’s one criticism of the Fages era (and there isn’t many and shouldn’t be many) but it’s that we are a very “Plan A” team. I think we need to now see a Plan B to beat the likes of Richmond.

We shall see...

We simply don’t have that type of player yet, it obviously the player we want Rayner to become, but that’s a few years away yet. We do have a few Fowards that can be thrown in the middle for some impact, but our starting midfield is our main strength.

Fages doesn’t seem like a Hail Mary type of coach, more methodical. I know commenters love it when there’s a major structural change i.e. Bombers swinging Hooker forward / Pies moving Moore. Obviously opens up other potential headaches, and backing the structure that got us to where we are makes sense.

With that said our game plan has change quiet a lot of two years IMO, we were play fast footy, then went to a boundary side team, now started using the corridor more often this year. I think we’re actively tweaking our style to find the right balance, especially against Richmond. They seem like the last hoodoo we have to overcome, to be considered real contenders.

A couple of examples of what we’ve done to prepare for Richmond over the year. Birchall was brought in to control the ball in the back half, Richmond pray on turnover.
Charlie since overcoming his injury has played lot higher. Against a few of those teams we could have had a field day playing one out in the square, but that tactic hasn’t worked against Grimes. I think this role is a way to get Charlie involved more, will definitely be different to the way we played them previously.

 

[Gadzorks]

They truly believe they have some sort of invincibility about themselves and communicate as such. A real toxic entitlement. It comes with success, I get it.
There are probably as many decent posters of theirs than we have here, they are just drowned out by the sheer number of unreasonable ones.

There are decent Richmond posters; even some who recognise that the Lions are actually playing well and might be a chance.

I think our close games this year (hello north) show that on any day, any team can get it together and have a decent crack. I hope I remember that if we end up with sustained success.

 

[Gadzorks]

Tomorrow morning we are going camping for four days with no power and limited internet. Stressing out about missing out on the email re tickets for this game.

Two family members are staying home but there's no way I'm leaving them to sort the ballot out. Fingers crossed it comes out today, else it will daily trips to the closest pub. Hmm...