Almanac Footy: Finals Diary – Chapter 2: Qualifying Final – Brisbane v Port Adelaide

We won.

 

We won well.

 

We won convincingly, compellingly, forcefully.

 

The final score of Brisbane Lions 18.18.126 to Port Adelaide 11.6.72 is definitive.

 

A home preliminary final where we will be short priced favourites to win and proceed to a Grand Final is now confirmed.

 

But I’m still wondering where we fit in the narrative of this years’ finals’ series.

 

If things go to plan, Collingwood are likely and deserved Grand Finalists this year. This is not to be dismissive of the Giants who are suddenly and quite surprisingly leaving their utilitarian franchisee origins behind them and becoming gritty and redoubtable as they forge their way. I’m a proper football fan, I’ve stood in the outer on empty beer cans, I’ve jumped the fence to storm the ground after the game. As a Royboy of old, I’ve stared down the unfeeling side of the national competitions’ economic rationalist agenda and come out the other side as a Brisbane fan. And I rate the Giants – their play, their players their culture and their coach. Go well GWS, go well.

 

It is also not to discount a renewed and revitalised Port Adelaide finding their way to the MCG and being a worthy preliminary final opponent for Collingwood in two weeks’ time. It was a junk time win last night; the eight-goal margin belies how close it was for much of the game. I’m hoping that their strengths and the way that the Lions handled them are a testament to our premiership bona-fides. If this Brisbane team salutes at the end of the year, there will be certain games out that stand out from the Fagan era as a whole. The Hawthorn win in 2018. The final against Melbourne last year. In terms of Port, when Ken Hinkley spoke pregame about his team going out there to terrorise Lachie Neale. It hurt a bit. Knockabout Ken Hinkley. Camperdown Ken Hinkley, Fitzroy’s Ken Hinkley for that matter. But it came from a place of respect. The coda to that moment was Mitch Robinson, uncaged fury on the boundary line, waiting to enter the fray to protect and serve by any means necessary. Anyone wanting to get to his champion teammate would have to come through him first.

 

For much of the Fagan era, it has been the midfield bulls from other teams that have kept us from the absolute upper echelon. Dangerfield, Fyfe, Cripps, Petracca, Dusty, Oliver. As deep and as polished as our midfield has been, their bullocking heft has been hard to handle. Neale’s cleanness and rigour; McCluggage’s silky prefect style, Zorko’s angry ant antagonism have all taken us to within spitting distance of the promised land and given us a credibility and respect we lacked. But there have been games over the past five years where the brutality and line breaking of these bulls has laid bare our fault lines. Enter Josh Dunkley. As a Gippslander, it has been particularly exciting to see Yarram’s finest strongarming opponents at the Gabba this year. I’ve taken a particular interest in him and his season. For different reasons, many of the girls in the year twelve class I teach also seem quite interested in all things Josh Dunkley. Port Adelaide smashed Brisbane in round one of this year, the last time we played them. Jason Horne-Francis, the prodigal son in his first game for the Power played like a reincarnated Chris Judd and treated our midfield like crepe paper. There was a moment in the game last night that gave me, and I’m sure many other Lions fans, cause to cheer like a doe eyed teenage girl. A barnstorming JHF was barrelling through the corridor when he ran into Dunks. His eyebrow split open; blood gushed. I hope he’s still handsome but there are other things to consider.

 

What else did the game say about us? Hugh McCluggage is a princely player. Neale was tagged and had a lesser game as a result, but it gave McCluggage space and a canvas to create a midfield masterpiece of his own. We missed goals we should have got, Hipwood in particular. But the forward line was good overall. Cam Rayner may still become a line breaking forward mid and our most brutal and important player. His big moments and goals seem to occur at times of importance. Harris Andrews is our general. I made an analogy in an Almanac match report some years ago that he was like a Hollywood sheriff, patrolling the plains like Jimmy Stewart or Gary Cooper. He’s evolved a bit. He’s Clint Eastwood now. Just as noble, still on the right side of the law, but there is a hard-earned hardness that he wears in his face. Our sheriff. If you enter his backline unannounced and uninvited, you will be dealt with summarily. Charlie Cameron played his two hundredth game last night and had some moments of magic. It was Joe Daniher’s night though. It seems karma that we will be equal parts blessed and cursed that at some stage this year, one of our finals will come down to him. The game result on his boot. I will feel more confident if this kick is from sixty metres out into the wind while hemmed against the boundary line than if it is from the goal square directly in front.

 

For the next fortnight, I will go quietly. It’s a busy time at work, there are corrections to be done and year twelves to prepare for their all too imminent exams. Thankfully Josh Dunkley has a week off so will be less of a distraction for all of us. We have a fortnight to reflect, a fortnight to consider, a fortnight to hope. It will be Melbourne, or it will be Carlton. If it is Collingwood on the other side of the ledger, most will be hoping for a historically laden rematch that will come from either the Blues or the Dees.

 

 

BRISBANE             3.3    8.4    16.5    19.9 (123)
PORT ADELAIDE    1.4    5.6     9.9     11.9 (75)

 

GOALS
Brisbane: Daniher 5, Rayner 3, Fletcher 3, Cameron 2, Zorko, McCluggage, McCarthy, Lyons, Hipwood, Bailey
Port Adelaide: Lord 4, Marshall 2, Powell-Pepper 2, Byrne-Jones , Rozee, Rioli

 

BEST
Brisbane: Daniher, McCluggage, Rayner, Dunkley, Fletcher, McInerney
Port Adelaide: Rozee, Butters, Houston, Aliir, Lord, Lycett

 

More from Shane Reid can be read Here.

 

 

To return to the www.footyalmanac.com.au  home page click HERE

 

Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.

 

Do you enjoy the Almanac concept?
And want to ensure it continues in its current form, and better? To help keep things ticking over please consider making your own contribution.

 

Become an Almanac (annual) member – CLICK HERE