Round 9 – Brisbane v Adelaide: Letting ourselves down

 

It’s a beautiful evening in Brisbane. Clear skies, no rain and I am waiting for John to turn up at our meeting spot outside Gate 2. We’re 3 game members for a second year and this is our first game for 2017. He’s just spent two weeks with his beautiful wife and some friends in Las Vegas seeing Human Nature, Elton John, Celine Dion and a variety of other acts and activities. I’ve just spent 3 weeks home seeing family and friends around SA and VIC (Mum and Dad live in Mount Gambier – half way between Adelaide and Melbourne) but had no room for some Barossa riesling or sauvignon blanc or Coonawarra shiraz or cabernet sauvignon in my suitcase, much to the displeasure of my work colleagues and housemate.

 

John finally turns up and we make our way to our seats near the Lions interchange bench. This is my first night game at the Gabba. We’re not expecting much but just want to see a sustained effort as the Lion cubs have had enough of the football this year just poor kicking for goal and ineffectiveness going forward is killing us. John goes on and on about Vegas and how awesome it was and that in two weeks he still didn’t see everything. I think he’s trying to make me jealous (and it’s working).

 

Finally, the teams run out and the game starts. McCluggage and Barrett miss gettable shots in the first 3 minutes. Zorko finally gets the Lions on the board, then adds a second… and a third? No –  he’s missed (should have kicked that one). Lynch and Walker open their accounts. Barrett misses again but McGluggage makes up for his earlier one to ensure the Lions have the lead at quarter time. Our tackling pressure and intensity have been great. Let’s hope we can sustain it.

 

The second quarter sees Eddie Betts factoring into the game with a couple of quick goals but Barrett finally jags one to keep the scores close. But more bad kicking sees the Crows kick 5 unanswered majors to end the half. 4.11 in a half of footy is not good enough. There’s been the same amount of shots – the Crows are just slotting them through with ease. Our confidence looks shot and no-one wants to take responsibility now to kick for goal.

 

Half time sees the obligatory toilet stop followed by a pie stop. Mmmmmmmm. We check to see who the forwards coach is for the Lions. Ben Hudson? Kicked 19.17 his whole career. It’s like having Shaquille O’Neal as your free throw coach. They need an actual forward to teach these boys how to run and play up forward- we need to lure Aaron Hamill from St Kilda as he’s done a great job with their young crop of forwards.

 

The third quarter is an avalanche. Sloane finally shakes the tag (young Robertson had done ok until then) to help the Crows pile on 7 goals to 1, including some spectacular highlights from Charlie Cameron and Eddie Betts as they combine for 7 goals in total and could have had more if not for unselfishness. The lone Lions highlight is Hammelman’s goal from outside 50. He was always going to make it as we watched him kick half a dozen in the warm up from 55 metres plus.

 

Things aren’t any better in the last. The game peters out and the Lions have enough of the ball but only kick 2.6 to finish with a miserable 7.18. We have 5 goalkickers and 7 players who contributed points and not goals. The Crows are no doubt great to watch – but we let ourselves down. The future is bright even if Schache goes (Hipwood has passed him anyway). The next 5 years of watching McGluggage, Berry, Barrett, Hipwood, Keays, Robertson, Cutler, Taylor, Andrews, Cox and others should be delightful if they can add some experience and skill to the team. I only hope Rockliff stays.

 

John leaves as he has to go to work in the morning. I wander down to the Wooloongabba Station to look for a bus ride home. Our next game that we get to watch here isn’t until after the bye so hopefully we’ll have some players back and the young cubs will have been rested. Send an SOS to Warwick Capper  – he’d be an OK goalkicking coach!

 

BRISBANE LIONS 3.6 4.11 5.12 7.18 (60)
ADELAIDE 3.3 10.5 17.9 21.14 (140)

 

GOALS
Brisbane Lions: Barrett 2, Zorko 2, Hammelmann, Walker, McCluggage
Adelaide: Cameron 4, Betts 3, Walker 3, Lynch 3, Greenwood 3, Otten 2, Milera, B.Crouch, Gallucci

BEST
Brisbane Lions: D.Beams, Rich, Taylor, Zorko
Adelaide: Lynch, Laird, Sloane, Cameron, M.Crouch, Walker

 

My votes: 3 – Rory Laird     2 – Matt Crouch     1 – Charlie Cameron

INJURIES
Brisbane Lions: C.Beams (hamstring)
Adelaide: Hampton (ankle)

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Deboy, Kamolins, Harris

Official crowd: 13,802 at the Gabba

About Brent May

A lifelong fan of Essendon and the Melbourne Storm. Having spent 21 years in a quiet country town just outside Ballarat and 15 years in the South East of South Australia in Mount Gambier (half way between Adelaide and Melbourne) he now resides in tropical Brisbane where a winter's day is still above 10 degrees. You can't take the Victorian out of the boy and he's about ready to don the Lions colours but not the Broncos (yet!).

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