BrisLions4Life
Rookie
- Feb 10, 2018
- 22
- 81
- AFL Club
- Brisbane Lions
Round 2 Preview - Brisbane Lions vs Melbourne
Match Details:
Saturday, March 31st
6:25pm AEST
@ Gabba
After an emotional day for all Lions fans last Saturday, I think we are all in need of some comforting and cheering up from our boys. This could obviously come in the form of a win, but being a touch more realistic, a good, hard contest where we leave the Demons (and the rest of the competition) thinking, “Bloody hell, better watch out for those Lions, they are going to be a very good side!”
Last week…
I think there was a general consensus when watching our Round 1 game, with most of us pulling our hair out and thinking ‘Why would you kick/handball there? Stick your tackles! Lock them in! Keep the pressure up! and the good old ever famous, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!!!!’ And although I’m sure these thoughts crossed the minds of many of the Lions faithful, it would have even in a much smaller capacity with less frustration than in past years as when seeing our quick and direct ball movement, fierceness at the contest and the incredible team bond our boys share, we know we aren’t all that far away.
One way to define the Saints game was turnovers. And lots of them. I’m almost certain that 12 of St Kilda’s 16 goals came from Lions turnovers, and 6 of those were kicked from 15 metres away from their goal line. This is the one area that we need to fix in order to shoot up the ladder. It cannot be fixed overnight, as we know, but small improvements each week will see the big losses become smaller and small losses become wins.
One last comment on Round 1, welcome home Mr Charlie Cameron! He had an incredible game, not only kicking 3 goals (and 2 behinds), but his sheer pace made such an improvement to our forward 50 movement it was amazing to see. His arrival has been a little bit downplayed due to our securing of the one and only Hodgey, but Charlie’s impact on this game and going forward will prove that he was well worth that pick 12. (Also, can you even talk about the Lions if you don’t mention Hodgey and Cam Rayner? We all know Luke Hodge hasn’t come to Brisbane because of his current footballing ability, but to teach our backline for the future. In just this one game seeing the directions and talk out on the ground that he brings would have brought a tear to every Lions supporters heart. Next, our number 1 draft pick demonstrated in his debut game that he is a ready made AFL player who is not scared of the contest and will impose himself on a game. )
This week…
I am not one to player bash, however this is an exception. If Tom Bell is in the side for this game I will not know what to do. He has all the right intentions but doesn’t use his assets well. He has a huge frame, yet doesn’t impose himself on the game, his disposal (although it has slightly improved) is still for the most part shocking and may be keeping out a younger player (Keays, Mathieson, Cutler, Allison) who could be using this experience to develop their games further.
Richy’s ankle injury looks like it will keep him out this week, leaving the door ajar for a Tom Cutler or Jacob Allison to take his place in defence. And to throw a spanner in the works, Mitch Robbo has been suspended for striking Seb Ross. Who comes in for him? Maybe Mathieson or Keays?
The Demons haven’t travelled to the Gabba for 5 years, proving a small advantage for us as the majority of their players wouldn’t have experienced it before, and hopefully in front of a big home crowd!
We could possibly be catching Melbourne at a bad time, after losing the game they should have won against the Cats, but it presents a good challenge for our Lion cubs as the intensity will be up and the contest will be fierce as the Dees want redemption.
The battle between Stef Martin and Max Gawn may be key to the match, as our midfields are similar, with some old heads and many young bodies, however our young bodies (Berry, McCluggage) are a little bit slimmer than the bulls of Petracca and Oliver.
And, who could forget the difference between our two sides when we met in Round 22 last season, the one, the only, Jesse Hogan. From my distant memory I recall Harris Andrews and Dan McStay sharing him, but he got the better of them both, kicking 6 goals in his return game from injury. Hopefully now with another preseason under their belts and with the guidance of Luke Hodge, Hogan won’t seem too much of a task. But, it all goes back to the midfield. If our boys can win the centre clearances and get the ball going towards our forward 50, then the threat of Hogan isn’t so ominous.
But, getting the ball forward is one thing, kicking goals is another. I believe one of our major issues is kicking inside 50. We struggle to find the right option when we go in there and kicking accurately to a leading target is a rare, but delightful, occasion. Once Hippy can put some size on and figure out his running patterns we will be one step closer, but we also need (the dreaded excuse I know!!), time. Our new players Rayner, Cameron, even Christensen need time to gain cohesion and bond to know how each other play, and then we will see huge improvements.
Ok, time to wrap up!
This is just such an exciting time to be part of the Lions. Watching the boys shouldn’t be a dreaded task but a cause for genuine excitement to see where we could be in a couple of years and watching our players develop week by week. Hopefully we can begin to transform the Gabba into the Gabbattoir once again. It all starts this week…
My tip:
Demons by 12
(Head says yes, heart says no)
Match Details:
Saturday, March 31st
6:25pm AEST
@ Gabba
After an emotional day for all Lions fans last Saturday, I think we are all in need of some comforting and cheering up from our boys. This could obviously come in the form of a win, but being a touch more realistic, a good, hard contest where we leave the Demons (and the rest of the competition) thinking, “Bloody hell, better watch out for those Lions, they are going to be a very good side!”
Last week…
I think there was a general consensus when watching our Round 1 game, with most of us pulling our hair out and thinking ‘Why would you kick/handball there? Stick your tackles! Lock them in! Keep the pressure up! and the good old ever famous, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!!!!’ And although I’m sure these thoughts crossed the minds of many of the Lions faithful, it would have even in a much smaller capacity with less frustration than in past years as when seeing our quick and direct ball movement, fierceness at the contest and the incredible team bond our boys share, we know we aren’t all that far away.
One way to define the Saints game was turnovers. And lots of them. I’m almost certain that 12 of St Kilda’s 16 goals came from Lions turnovers, and 6 of those were kicked from 15 metres away from their goal line. This is the one area that we need to fix in order to shoot up the ladder. It cannot be fixed overnight, as we know, but small improvements each week will see the big losses become smaller and small losses become wins.
One last comment on Round 1, welcome home Mr Charlie Cameron! He had an incredible game, not only kicking 3 goals (and 2 behinds), but his sheer pace made such an improvement to our forward 50 movement it was amazing to see. His arrival has been a little bit downplayed due to our securing of the one and only Hodgey, but Charlie’s impact on this game and going forward will prove that he was well worth that pick 12. (Also, can you even talk about the Lions if you don’t mention Hodgey and Cam Rayner? We all know Luke Hodge hasn’t come to Brisbane because of his current footballing ability, but to teach our backline for the future. In just this one game seeing the directions and talk out on the ground that he brings would have brought a tear to every Lions supporters heart. Next, our number 1 draft pick demonstrated in his debut game that he is a ready made AFL player who is not scared of the contest and will impose himself on a game. )
This week…
I am not one to player bash, however this is an exception. If Tom Bell is in the side for this game I will not know what to do. He has all the right intentions but doesn’t use his assets well. He has a huge frame, yet doesn’t impose himself on the game, his disposal (although it has slightly improved) is still for the most part shocking and may be keeping out a younger player (Keays, Mathieson, Cutler, Allison) who could be using this experience to develop their games further.
Richy’s ankle injury looks like it will keep him out this week, leaving the door ajar for a Tom Cutler or Jacob Allison to take his place in defence. And to throw a spanner in the works, Mitch Robbo has been suspended for striking Seb Ross. Who comes in for him? Maybe Mathieson or Keays?
The Demons haven’t travelled to the Gabba for 5 years, proving a small advantage for us as the majority of their players wouldn’t have experienced it before, and hopefully in front of a big home crowd!
We could possibly be catching Melbourne at a bad time, after losing the game they should have won against the Cats, but it presents a good challenge for our Lion cubs as the intensity will be up and the contest will be fierce as the Dees want redemption.
The battle between Stef Martin and Max Gawn may be key to the match, as our midfields are similar, with some old heads and many young bodies, however our young bodies (Berry, McCluggage) are a little bit slimmer than the bulls of Petracca and Oliver.
And, who could forget the difference between our two sides when we met in Round 22 last season, the one, the only, Jesse Hogan. From my distant memory I recall Harris Andrews and Dan McStay sharing him, but he got the better of them both, kicking 6 goals in his return game from injury. Hopefully now with another preseason under their belts and with the guidance of Luke Hodge, Hogan won’t seem too much of a task. But, it all goes back to the midfield. If our boys can win the centre clearances and get the ball going towards our forward 50, then the threat of Hogan isn’t so ominous.
But, getting the ball forward is one thing, kicking goals is another. I believe one of our major issues is kicking inside 50. We struggle to find the right option when we go in there and kicking accurately to a leading target is a rare, but delightful, occasion. Once Hippy can put some size on and figure out his running patterns we will be one step closer, but we also need (the dreaded excuse I know!!), time. Our new players Rayner, Cameron, even Christensen need time to gain cohesion and bond to know how each other play, and then we will see huge improvements.
Ok, time to wrap up!
This is just such an exciting time to be part of the Lions. Watching the boys shouldn’t be a dreaded task but a cause for genuine excitement to see where we could be in a couple of years and watching our players develop week by week. Hopefully we can begin to transform the Gabba into the Gabbattoir once again. It all starts this week…
My tip:
Demons by 12
(Head says yes, heart says no)
Last edited:
, but reading between the lines I'm thinking there could be a rapid increase if Tom Bell gets named. 
