By Janet Linn reporting for AFANA from Subiaco Oval
A 40,763 strong home crowd was stunned as the unfancied Brisbane Lions outplayed and outwitted the West Coast Eagles at Subiaco Oval on Saturday night. Not only had the Lions lost their last seven games in a row, they had not beaten West Coast in Perth for the past six years. After hitting a mid-season slump and losing top place on the AFL Premiership ladder, the Eagles regained some form in Round 13 against Adelaide and were widely tipped to beat the Lions handsomely on their home ground. So confident were the locals in the week leading up to the clash against Brisbane that there was little attention paid to the upcoming game. Instead most talk focused on the return of Ben Cousins after his suspension and subsequent stay in rehab. Having Cousins cleared by the AFL to play in Round 14, West Coast Eagles supporters were expecting their hometown hero to take the field in a blaze of glory. Ironically, Cousins strained a hamstring at training on Friday and was ruled out for at least two more games. Whatever the fans were expecting at Subiaco this round, it was not the lackluster and sluggish display put on by the Eagles. Nor was it the spirited hard work of the Brisbane Lions whose three teenage rookies and 14 players with less than 50 games each took the Eagles on at their own game and provided the upset of the round.
Brisbane’s Simon Black gave his team a dream start by kicking a goal within the first 20 seconds of the opening quarter. Eagle Marc LeCras replied quickly and the stage was set for a competitive and tight game. West Coast dominated the ruck hitouts and center clearances and Dean Cox was earning lots of possessions as a loose man in defense. Jared Brennan scored a second goal for the Lions but the Eagles got on top in the middle of the quarter as Brisbane became sloppy and indirect. Their forward line was congested and the ball was not being delivered effectively to full forward Jonathan Brown. At the other end of the ground, the Eagles’ forwards were handling the ball better. Daniel Kerr and Marc LeCras scored West Coast’s second and third majors but other scoring opportunities went begging. Poor finishing robbed West Coast of the chance to take a substantial lead and at quarter time they led by a slim margin of ten points.
The Eagles were quick into attack in the second quarter through Cox, Judd and LeCras who brought up his third goal. Brisbane replied quickly through Robert Copeland who goaled after taking a great mark in the square. Embley and Cox scored goals for the Eagles and Brisbane answered through Copeland and Brown. West Coast made many more skill errors than usual as the Lions began to dictate the terms of the play with their fierce tackling and persistent pressure. In spite of their endeavor, Brisbane’s inaccuracy in front of goals cost them the chance to be in front at half time and West Coast entered the break with an unconvincing seven point advantage.
The third quarter was an entertaining one as both sides competed ferociously to win the ball. Brisbane closed the gap through a goal by Brown and suddenly the prospect of a “boilover” (Australian slang for an unexpected win) loomed large. When Jared Brennan put Brisbane in the lead for the first time since the opening quarter, Eagles’ fans sensed trouble. Just as it seemed the game had swung the Lions’ way, Shannon Hurn broke the drought for the Eagles and scored a major. LeCras followed suit minutes later. This could have been a turning point for the Eagles but the Lions threw down the gauntlet. Goals to Notting, Brennan and Brown late in the quarter gave them an eleven point lead at the major break.
It was a scrappy start to the last quarter with West Coast players upping the ante and running harder. Brisbane would not give in and the pace of the game intensified, as did the pressure. The first goal was scored at the seven minute mark to give the Lions a lead of 18 points, the biggest margin of the game so far. With ten minutes left to play, a heavy knock to Eagle fullback Darren Glass saw him taken from the ground and Jonathan Brown took advantage of his new opponent to lead, mark and score another six pointer. The Lions continued to stifle West Coast’s customary run on game and in spite of a late goal to Seaby, they had no answer to Brisbane’s discipline and determination. At the final siren, it was the Lions by 17 points.
After the match, euphoric Brisbane coach Leigh Matthews compared bringing his young squad to do battle against the Eagles in their home state to “bringing lambs to the slaughter”. He was elated at the Lions’ outstanding display of teamwork saying that this was the proof that “miracles do happen”. In marked contrast, the Eagles were shell-shocked by their defeat. In spite of dominating the center breaks and clearances, they were eclipsed by an inexperienced group of players who had only effort and youthful exuberance on their side. West Coast officials will be concerned by the team’s inability to use the football with its habitual skill and precision under pressure as well as by injuries to key players Chris Judd and Darren Glass. In spite of earning 35 possessions, Judd failed to make his usual impact on the play and was noticeably slower, indicating that his groin injury is still an issue.
In Round 15, the Lions have a home game against second bottom team Melbourne. A win in that game would give Brisbane an outside chance of making the Finals in September. The Eagles will hit the road to play Port Adelaide in South Australia in a dangerous, must win encounter. Season 2007 is proving to be an unpredictable but interesting ride.
Goals
Brisbane: Brennan, Brown 4, Copeland 3, Black, Notting 1
West Coast: LeCras 4, Cox, Hurn, Kerr, Seaby 1
Best
Brisbane: Black, Brennan, Brown, Copeland, Lappin, Power
West Coast: Cox, Kerr, Glass, Wirrpunda, LeCras
Umpires: L Farmer, B Allen, S Meredith
Injuries: Nil
Reports: Nil
Crowd: 40, 763 at Subiaco Oval, Perth
A 40,763 strong home crowd was stunned as the unfancied Brisbane Lions outplayed and outwitted the West Coast Eagles at Subiaco Oval on Saturday night. Not only had the Lions lost their last seven games in a row, they had not beaten West Coast in Perth for the past six years. After hitting a mid-season slump and losing top place on the AFL Premiership ladder, the Eagles regained some form in Round 13 against Adelaide and were widely tipped to beat the Lions handsomely on their home ground. So confident were the locals in the week leading up to the clash against Brisbane that there was little attention paid to the upcoming game. Instead most talk focused on the return of Ben Cousins after his suspension and subsequent stay in rehab. Having Cousins cleared by the AFL to play in Round 14, West Coast Eagles supporters were expecting their hometown hero to take the field in a blaze of glory. Ironically, Cousins strained a hamstring at training on Friday and was ruled out for at least two more games. Whatever the fans were expecting at Subiaco this round, it was not the lackluster and sluggish display put on by the Eagles. Nor was it the spirited hard work of the Brisbane Lions whose three teenage rookies and 14 players with less than 50 games each took the Eagles on at their own game and provided the upset of the round.
Brisbane’s Simon Black gave his team a dream start by kicking a goal within the first 20 seconds of the opening quarter. Eagle Marc LeCras replied quickly and the stage was set for a competitive and tight game. West Coast dominated the ruck hitouts and center clearances and Dean Cox was earning lots of possessions as a loose man in defense. Jared Brennan scored a second goal for the Lions but the Eagles got on top in the middle of the quarter as Brisbane became sloppy and indirect. Their forward line was congested and the ball was not being delivered effectively to full forward Jonathan Brown. At the other end of the ground, the Eagles’ forwards were handling the ball better. Daniel Kerr and Marc LeCras scored West Coast’s second and third majors but other scoring opportunities went begging. Poor finishing robbed West Coast of the chance to take a substantial lead and at quarter time they led by a slim margin of ten points.
The Eagles were quick into attack in the second quarter through Cox, Judd and LeCras who brought up his third goal. Brisbane replied quickly through Robert Copeland who goaled after taking a great mark in the square. Embley and Cox scored goals for the Eagles and Brisbane answered through Copeland and Brown. West Coast made many more skill errors than usual as the Lions began to dictate the terms of the play with their fierce tackling and persistent pressure. In spite of their endeavor, Brisbane’s inaccuracy in front of goals cost them the chance to be in front at half time and West Coast entered the break with an unconvincing seven point advantage.
The third quarter was an entertaining one as both sides competed ferociously to win the ball. Brisbane closed the gap through a goal by Brown and suddenly the prospect of a “boilover” (Australian slang for an unexpected win) loomed large. When Jared Brennan put Brisbane in the lead for the first time since the opening quarter, Eagles’ fans sensed trouble. Just as it seemed the game had swung the Lions’ way, Shannon Hurn broke the drought for the Eagles and scored a major. LeCras followed suit minutes later. This could have been a turning point for the Eagles but the Lions threw down the gauntlet. Goals to Notting, Brennan and Brown late in the quarter gave them an eleven point lead at the major break.
It was a scrappy start to the last quarter with West Coast players upping the ante and running harder. Brisbane would not give in and the pace of the game intensified, as did the pressure. The first goal was scored at the seven minute mark to give the Lions a lead of 18 points, the biggest margin of the game so far. With ten minutes left to play, a heavy knock to Eagle fullback Darren Glass saw him taken from the ground and Jonathan Brown took advantage of his new opponent to lead, mark and score another six pointer. The Lions continued to stifle West Coast’s customary run on game and in spite of a late goal to Seaby, they had no answer to Brisbane’s discipline and determination. At the final siren, it was the Lions by 17 points.
After the match, euphoric Brisbane coach Leigh Matthews compared bringing his young squad to do battle against the Eagles in their home state to “bringing lambs to the slaughter”. He was elated at the Lions’ outstanding display of teamwork saying that this was the proof that “miracles do happen”. In marked contrast, the Eagles were shell-shocked by their defeat. In spite of dominating the center breaks and clearances, they were eclipsed by an inexperienced group of players who had only effort and youthful exuberance on their side. West Coast officials will be concerned by the team’s inability to use the football with its habitual skill and precision under pressure as well as by injuries to key players Chris Judd and Darren Glass. In spite of earning 35 possessions, Judd failed to make his usual impact on the play and was noticeably slower, indicating that his groin injury is still an issue.
In Round 15, the Lions have a home game against second bottom team Melbourne. A win in that game would give Brisbane an outside chance of making the Finals in September. The Eagles will hit the road to play Port Adelaide in South Australia in a dangerous, must win encounter. Season 2007 is proving to be an unpredictable but interesting ride.
Final scores
Brisbane 2.1 5.7 10.9 13.13 (91)
West Coast 3.5 6.8 8.10 9.10 (64)
Goals
Brisbane: Brennan, Brown 4, Copeland 3, Black, Notting 1
West Coast: LeCras 4, Cox, Hurn, Kerr, Seaby 1
Best
Brisbane: Black, Brennan, Brown, Copeland, Lappin, Power
West Coast: Cox, Kerr, Glass, Wirrpunda, LeCras
Umpires: L Farmer, B Allen, S Meredith
Injuries: Nil
Reports: Nil
Crowd: 40, 763 at Subiaco Oval, Perth
Article last changed on Monday, July 09, 2007 - 5:19 PM EDT
