Brendan Fevola started his first season with the Brisbane Lions in astounding fashion. But there’s been little to cheer about since, with Fev apparently being the latest victim of the dreaded yips. It’s been a long way to the bottom for the Lions.
Starting the season with four straight wins, and the forward combination of Jonathan Brown and Brendan Fevola paying dividends, Brisbane were tipped as title contenders from the start.
But the aptly named, ‘Twin Towers,’ collapsed when Jonathan Brown was injured and ruled out of their Round 12 clash against the Western Bulldogs. Though Brisbane had lost 6 of their last 7 matches at this stage, Fevola was still putting in strong performances, averaging 4 goals a game.
But the 2008 and 2009 Coleman Medalist, who had claimed to be happy playing ‘second fiddle’ to Jonathan Brown, was forced to step up as the go-to goal scorer in Round 12.
However, what followed was a serious slump in form.
In Brisbane’s last 5 games, Fevola has scored just 9 goals – 4 of which came in an acceptable performance against St Kilda in Round 15. And in 3 of their last 4 matches, Fevola has scored just 1 goal!
After a solid start to the season and the promise of seven-goal-a-game feats like those we saw at Carlton, this is certainly not a performance befitting of a champion full-forward.
He’s dropped sitters, made poor judgment on the field, displayed negative body language, and most devastatingly, his once lethal accuracy off the boot has been absent, resulting in missed goals left, right and centre. The trademark grit and flair we’ve all come to know and love has also been missing and difficult chances from the boundary have remained chances.
He’s had few disposals, and is very lucky to even get a handball in a game.
It’s an error-riddled mess and almost comical at times, when he fumbles so disastrously. He still sets up the lead successfully, but never finishes strongly with those all important marks and goals.
It leads me to believe that there must be something troubling Fevola. Something is affecting his psychology and it’s having a detrimental effect on his performance on the field.
In April last year, while still playing for Carlton, Fevola was faced with the yips after failing to fully recover from a heel injury. So maybe his groin and abdominal niggles are to blame for this recent spate of the yips.
But a look at the AFL headlines could hold the answer. There’s been a remarkable amount of negative coverage on Fevola and the struggling Brisbane Lions this season, and that’s got to have some impact on their controversial forward.
There are the rumours that Fevola is homesick and wanting to leave Brisbane, Michael Voss threatening to drop half the group, talks of rifts within the team, rumours that Fevola had fought Jonathan Brown at a barbeque, calls for Voss to be sacked, team injuries, the outbreak of staph infections at the club and Voss’s undying defence of Fevola and the team’s lacklustre results in recent weeks.
Then there’s the well-publicised break-up of Fevola’s relationship and gambling problems. His family must also play heavily on his mind, with a rushed trip just last Tuesday from Brisbane to Melbourne to celebrate his daughter’s birthday with family.
This, of course, is not including the loss of confidence one must experience due to heavy team losses.
The 63 point thumping by Geelong, 75 point loss to Hawthorn and the loss to (the then) last-placed Richmond, in his milestone 200th game, which began with a pain killing injection gone wrong, leaving his leg numb.
The Brisbane Lions are well out of finals contention having lost 12 of their last 13 games and with some tough matches to come, including one against the resurgent Melbourne this Saturday, there’s little hope for Fevola to find his form before season end. But it’s crucial that he keeps trying.
Voss is dreaming if he thinks that Fevola’s performance is okay, and that it just requires more of a team effort for the wins to come. Brisbane’s forwards are there to do the most important job of all, and that’s scoring goals. When that starts to happen again, the other areas of their game will lift. The inspiring nature of Brown and Fevola when they’re playing their best, especially Fevola, brings something to the group that is immeasurable, yet vital to the team’s success.
If the Lions are to build any momentum for next season, Fevola has got to find a way to kick the yips, find some form, and lift his team from the depths of the AFL ladder and wooden spoon shame.
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