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- Aug 12, 2016
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Preview – Round 19, 2023, Brisbane Lions v Geelong Cats
WHERE AND WHEN: The Gabba, Saturday 22nd July, 4.35PM AEST
Another preview after a loss, I am cursed.
Just a smallish review of Friday nights efforts:
I havent had much of a chance to read through the review thread after Fridaynights loss to Melbourne.
But, I am assuming the doomsayers are out in force, Sack Fagan, sack the whole coaching staff, we need Damien Hardwick or Chris Scott to take over from Fages at the end of the year, Gunston is cooked, Zorks is half baked, Oscar is not good enough, Top 2 chances are gone, Premiership chances are gone. Lester is a God, And all that!
I am going to steel the now infamous words of Paul Keating and say “It was the recession/loss we had to have”.
Some may also be sick of the word “Learnings” but as far as I am concerned, WE NEED TO “LEARN”, THAT IS NOT THE WAY TO CLOSE OUT A GAME.
The defend the game mindset, is not a bad one if the midfield are still winning the ball and moving the ball forward, but when you have a midfield that refuses to do the hard stuff, that result was bound to happen at some point and for me I am glad that it has happened now and I really hope they get to work in not allowing the negative game style to come in, late in games in the future.
Ultimately I thought it was our midfield that lost us that game, they were terrible to start the game and ended the game the same way. The midfield numbers were pretty sad, Clugga 22 disposals, Neale 19, Lyons 19, Bailey 19, Ashcroft 17, Zorko 16, Berry 8, Rayner 8 disposals. That is not a profile that is going to win you many games of football.
Clearances and contested possessions were equally as poor with 45 clearances to 32 and 146 to 125 contested possessions, both way in Melbournes favour. Once again not a formula that is going to win many games of Afl Football. We evened the numbers up during the second and third quarters and played some bloody good footy off the back of it.
The work of our defensive players with ball in hand is what gave us the spark during our brilliant run in the second and third quarters, where I honestly believe was the best football we have played under Fagans tenure and Premiership winning quality, if only we can play that way for a full 4 quarter effort.
Looking at the game as a whole I don’t really think we defend the larger spaces of the ‘G’ very well and it took us a little bit to get into the groove of the game. But when we did we were all over them, until we stopped.
Anyway onto Geelong:
The team that for me, is the one team that we really haven’t matched up on well in previous games and come September is the team I feel will be hardest for us to beat, especially in Melbourne and at the dreaded MCG. This game thankfully is at the Gabba, but to be honest I am not sure if that is enough, Geelong have built their year from being comprehensively beaten by Collingwood in Round 1, it was only 22 points in the end but it felt much bigger.
Didn’t get their first win until Round 4, against the Hawkers which was tight until half time before they blew them away in the second half to win by 82 points. Bit better than win loss from there to be 9w and 7 losses and a draw 0n 38 Premiership points and into 5th on the ladder. Coming into some real form at the right time as you would expect from Geelong.
Lions are 12 wins 5 losses On 48 Premiership points and 3rd on the ladder.
So should really be a cracker of a game and building to a perfect night atmosphere with the twighlight kickoff. Love the atmosphere of the night games most of all.
I feel this will be the game where we will find out if the Dunkley acquisition has really paid off, he has done extremely well until this point matching up on the oppositions best for most games. Must have been one hell of a corky for him to be out for a couple of weeks but I am truly hoping that he will be back in this week because we missed him big time last week inparticular.
Geelong after a slow and injury hit start to the year are just getting all of their most important players back and into form just in time for this game, unfortunately for us, we have typically been beaten up by Geelong over the years and this will be a big test for our new look midfield and defensive outfits. The inclusion of Dunkley into our midfield was exactly what we were after and I really hope that he is fit and good to go. Which I think it looks like he will be.
I am hoping with the rise of Jack Payne we will now finally have someone who can match up on Hawkins which is an area we have struggled in previously, Harris has continually been belted by him and with Adams out of the team this year Payne will have the job to keep him quiet. Leaving Lester to run with Cameron and Harris to float around from Ollie Henry to a resting ruckman. Starce to take Gary Rohan leaving Stengle, Close and Miers to our other defenders. Their forward line will be a handful.
Daniher has been in pretty good form mostly and will need to be this week and if we are any chance of stopping Stewart marking everthing, Daniher, Hipwood and Gunston will need to compete in every arial contests to stop his influence.
Or, alternatively we put someone, like Rayner on him to play as a defensive forward so he doesn’t just rome free.
Rayner played in the defensive half for a reason earlier in the year and maybe this was the reason? Just a thought.
LIKELY TEAM CHANGES from the last time we played each other:
In the prelim last year which Geelong won 18-12-120 to 7-7-49
GEELONG: Outs: Selwood, C. Guthrie, J. Bews
Ins: Bowes, Bruhn, O. Henry
LIONS: Outs: Gardiner, Rich, Answerth, AhChee, McStay, Matho
Ins: Lester, McKenna, Dunkley, Fletcher, Ashcroft, Gunston.
Best 22 for this game imo:
B: Starcevich, Payne, Harris
HB: McKenna, Lester, Coleman
C: Berry, McCluggage, Fletcher
HF: Rayner, Hipwood, Bailey
F: Cameron, Daniher, McCarthy
Followers: Oscar, Neale, Dunkley
Int: Ashcroft, Wilmot, Zorko, Gunston
Sub: Robertson or AhChee
As with most games it will come down to contested ball and clearance.
If we can get the ball moving into our forward line quickly they we will be hard to stop and that is why we must compete strongly and atleast match them in the middle of the ground to stand any chance In this game. And try and create some more forward half turnovers off midfield and forward pressure.
ODDS: Lions $1.48 Cats $2.66 WTF!
PREDICTIONS: Think they have got that completely wrong the game will be much closer than those odds suggest. Yes, the game is at the Gabba but if we are to lose a game at the Gabba this year, it will likely be this one.
I am hoping we can really bounce back after a loss that shouldn’t have happened with some smarter play, maybe our best hope is that Geelong still haven’t quite hit their straps. Hopefully we will take the game on and not resort to the down the line tactics especially when under a bit of pressure late in the game.
LIONS BY 7 points.
Go the LIONS!!!!!
if you know what I mean!
