Preview Round 3: Brisbane Lions vs Collingwood Magpies, 1st April at Marvel Stadium, 5:40pm AEST

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Another BRAB preview, another COVID cloud hanging over our season.

Just when we might have thought we were out of the woods, and things were looking positive, reality comes crashing down. An all too familiar story in the last year, with another potential outbreak moving this game from QLD to Marvel stadium. When we are back at home again remains to be seen.

Our start to this season has certainly been a reality check. A 0-2 start is something that not many of us predicted, and suddenly we find ourselves up against a Collingwood side away, needing a win to avoid a 0-3 start. In other words, just when we might have thought we were out of the woods, and things were looking positive, reality comes crashing down.

I'm feeling confident that this week will be the week we bounce back. We we extremely close to a big win against Geelong last week and this was driven by a surge in the second half. This was driven primarily by the zest and zeal of Zorko, who seems to have come into this season stronger than I expected.

I still have no idea why we are finding this season so hard, but I really do think it comes down to our midfield failing to fire. This might be out of pure hope, if the rule changes really have caused so much damage to our game plan, I cannot see how we work ourselves out of that this season.

Key Focus: Bring Back the Midfielders, I miss the Midfielders

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  • Lachie Neale: What has happened Lachie? I don't ask for much from you outside of consistent, brownlow worthy form and I just haven't seen it from you in the last two weeks. Once Lachie fires, I suspect we'll fire as well.
  • Hugh McCluggage: What has happened Hugh? I don't ask for much from you outside of consistent, All Australian worthy form and I just haven't seen it from you in the last two weeks. Once Hugh Fires, I suspect we'll fire as well.
  • Jarrod Berry: I need to you turn into Nat Fyfe ASAP Bez. Don't let me down.
Key Forwards: There's two of them now?

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Outside of the complete cluster* of the first two weeks has been these two making an impact early on in the season. Daniher looks pretty good and Hipwood looks to be enjoying that role as a second forward. Expect things to improve as the year goes on. McStay's return cannot come soon enough.

Collingwood Though

Did you guys hear that Collingwood had a scandal? It may not have been apparent that Collingwood had a Scandal. Collingwood are in crisis mode and all the players hate Buckley. It is the end for Collingwood. Eddie Maguire would be sweating bullets right now.

Collingwood had a pretty good game against Carlton last week and are the kind of team that could trouble us with their relatively quick ball movement and speedy medium forwards. This is a big game for the Grant Birchall's of the world as they justify their extra season at AFL level.

Changes

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Just bring Ely Smith in already please. He has been starved of human blood for too long and I fear holding him back much longer will not end well.

Suggest your suggestions below.

Apologies for the average preview it's been a tough COVID day for BRAB.
 
I can't see how we can win this based purely of me supporting us, given last weekend's effort of a robbed win, an awful draw against the worst team in the league, and two absolute floggings - including one by not a very good team missing half their best 22 - across the various codes and clubs I throw support at. I have embraced the futility of 2021 sports.
 

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universalmagnetic
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I am sure they exist but I have never heard of Bears supporters who dumped the club when we switched from Bears to Lions ... conversely I have heard of many a Royboy whose subjective experience was that they lost their team.

The AFL promised us many things as part of the shotgun marriage merger after deliberately torpedoing time and misadventure befell us and while every jot and tittle of the agreement may not be applicable (eg certain stadia not longer hosting AFL matches) the spirit of the agreement to maximise how many games we get in Melbourne most certainly should ... we may not get the promised six but there should never be a year where we are scheduled anything less than equal most games there out of the non-Vic teams.

How is this relevant to the growth concept? There is a large supporter base for us in Victoria among the merger survivors and their descendants who will join with us not because of how well we play in Brisbane but because of how well we honour the tribal ancestry portion of our joint heritage. We are the only team in the league in our situation and to this day there is a BBFFC on our jumpers ... we are Brisbane Bears Fitzroy Football Club (trading as Brisbane Lions).

We will grow the game in Qld with our skill and engagement on the field and in the community ... we will grow the game in Vic with our skill and egagement on the field and the community which includes the rich heritage of the sons of the king...
In business you simply cannot buy a history, so it is actually extremely showing of the shortsightedness and partiality that the Fitzroy history is not held up by the "management" of the AFL. What happened happened, and there is no reason why the Fitzroy side need to be continually punished or relegated to history. It was an amazing history, and always will be, and I love the passionate former Fitzroy connection and it is a tragedy if it will be lost because we are too focussed on pumping up the new franchises or womens game for short term marketing stimulus, lets give it more airtime, right the wrongs, play the right amount of games down there and more, and watch the dollars come: through both the traditionalists in Victoria; those sympathetic to it: and the people all around the country who like everyone else, like a good story. Long live the legacy and the current story of the Fitzroy Football Club.
 
Apr 4, 2015
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I can't see how we can win this based purely of me supporting us, given last weekend's effort of a robbed win, an awful draw against the worst team in the league, and two absolute floggings - including one by not a very good team missing half their best 22 - across the various codes and clubs I throw support at. I have embraced the futility of 2021 sports.
Let's start tanking already.

2021 Draft looks very juicy
 

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universalmagnetic
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So I just posted this in the changes thread before it was shut down. Re-posting for my contribution, adding in my thoughts on opposition:

I've watched the replay and taken into account our travellers and come up with my team for this week.

IN: ADAMS, BALLENDEN, JBERRY/ROBERTSON if JBerry unavailable
OUT: PRIOR, LESTER, MCINERNEY

B: RICH - ANDREWS - PAYNE
HB: STARCEVICH - ADAMS - BIRCHALL
C: MCCLUGGAGE - ZORKO - ROBINSON
HF: BAILEY - HIPWOOD - MCCARTHY
FF: AH CHEE - DANIHER - CAMERON
FOL: LYONS - BALLENDEN - NEALE
I/C: T.BERRY - FULLARTON - COLEMAN - ROBERTSON
EMERGENCY: SHARP

Lester is not in form and turned the ball over too much and didn't redeem himself in any other great way. Prior was slow to react and out of position many times, had his own turnovers and didn't impact the contest in the air on the wing when he needed to. McInerney was good but his ankle is out of whack and we need to drop him on the basis of that alone imo, his ankle is letting us down massively at the moment and is a huge liability.

Adams for Lester. Ballenden has to come in so that we can leave Joe deep and Eric to roam, and Fullarton cannot be prime ruck but is also adding a lot of clean handball through our midfield as well as creating a contest and providing pressure at the level required. Berry comes in automatically if fit and may even take Ah Chee's spot if we think that Sharp will give us more this week which he could well do against the Pies. Gardiner surely doesnt play this week but comes in for Coleman if available, otherwise I am rotating Coleman with Starcevich through HB to provide some pressure yes but get us starting some chains when he can.

Grundy v. Ballenden/Daniher/Fullarton/Noone the obvious one to watch. I'll back him to win the ball against noone 10 times out of 10 but hopefully Ballenden and Fullarton can rip the head of his favourite dolly the manbunned wannabe. He gets paid how much?

I like watching Taylor Adams and Mihocek, really like the way they go about it, and Moore too is in ripping nick, likely to expose us if we are going to be through his identification of targets through the midfield. Need Hipwood to bring the balls to ground this week and for Fullarton/Ballenden to put it all out there. We also need to think about moving a steady ball to halfway and sand-wedging it to that Joe guy, but everyone knows what we need to do. The rest I reckon we can match it toe to toe, LET'S GO LIONS!
 
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I'm hoping the enforced you can't go home period has acted as a major bonding opportunity (without the blindfolded naked bus trip). The boys are all in tune with each other and they'll come out and prove that by being perfectly in sync and smash the pies.

Or not. It's that kinda week.
 

CarterS

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I am sure they exist but I have never heard of Bears supporters who dumped the club when we switched from Bears to Lions ... conversely I have heard of many a Royboy whose subjective experience was that they lost their team.

Personally I was really disappointed at the time of the merger as a Bears supporter, we had been horrible for years and were just starting to play finals and earn some respect and identity with some local boys coming through, Brisbane were bloody proud of the Bears in 96. Obviously I got over it and am even more passionate about the Lions than I ever was the Bears.
 

CarterS

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Top 4 on the line next couple of weeks, would probably take 1 win, 2 wins and we are back in the thick of it, 2 losses and we aren't out of it but not far off. Still confident we could make finals even at 0-4.
 

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FFB1

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Biggest fear I have is not just losing and going 0-3. It’s losing and going 0-3 and Mason Cox pulling out another fluke 2018 prelim effort; made worse by him kicking a goal and signaling ‘sssssh’ whilst looking straight at me in the crowd. Stuff of nightmares.
 

Berrygood

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I'm not overly confident we can win this game. Pies have a very good back 6, probably the best we've faced so far. Will be a real test for hippy n Joe etc. The pies speedy medium fwds will cause headaches, and I don't think we have the medium backs to cover them. Lester n birchall will not be able to handle them. Ah chee can't do the job and starcevich will need to lift. Tom berry or kiddy Coleman may need to spend some time down back. Our midfield needs to be right on their game this Thursday (did show some good signs last week) and whoever rucks needs to at least be competitive. For a basketballer Fullerton just can't jump and doesn't have the frame to push his way around like stef did. I don't want to rob Peter to pay Paul by having Daniher spend too much time in the ruck.

I know nothing I've said has been positive but it will be a real test of character and some true grit will need to be shown. If Oscar, dizzy and j berry are good to go our stocks rise a bit. I'm not saying we can't win, I really hope we do.
 

Berrygood

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Suns will finish this season with a better record than Brisbane.
A long way to go yet mate. I wouldn't be making too many statements like that considering the Sun's tendancy to go missing during the second half of seasons past. I hope the Sun's have a good year, I do, but it's too early to be throwing shade like that.
 

SonnyBoy1

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Collingwood's midfield spread always gets the better of us and with our midfield looking lost so far this year i feel like it could get messy like 2019 easter clash.

Hopefully we have a complete turn around, because we won't be able to save the season at 0-4.

Outs: Payne, Fullerton, Sharp
Ins: Gardiner, Adams, Berry
 
Oct 13, 2015
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Big game. I'm pretty much resigned to 6th being our ceiling after this poor start and the likelihood of us being out of Queensland for an extended period. I can't see any way we get home for the Essendon game with 8 new local cases today, and us playing Carlton in Melbourne in round 6. We will lose at least one home game out of this.

All that being said, my query is whether Collingwood have fixed their scoring troubles, or whether they just got to play Carlton last week. We did ok against Geelong despite conceding so much of the footy, but that can't continue. Berry coming back in will be a big help.
 

Johnny Bananas

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Gees this bloke Ely has built himself quite a reputation. Such adulation?
That's what happens when you're repeatedly cited as the biggest improver in the offseason and your team-mates are losing games without you. Particularly when a big reason for losing those games is getting outplayed in the position you play.
 

jackess

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Big game. I'm pretty much resigned to 6th being our ceiling after this poor start and the likelihood of us being out of Queensland for an extended period. I can't see any way we get home for the Essendon game with 8 new local cases today, and us playing Carlton in Melbourne in round 6. We will lose at least one home game out of this.

All that being said, my query is whether Collingwood have fixed their scoring troubles, or whether they just got to play Carlton last week. We did ok against Geelong despite conceding so much of the footy, but that can't continue. Berry coming back in will be a big help.


Not looking like playing in queensland for a month. I think if we can finish 5th or 6th we'll probably be in as good a position as last season. Playing each week of finals could help if we have a fit list.
 
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