Roar Guru
The Brisbane Lions have joined the Adelaide Crows and Melbourne Demons as winners of the first ever week of AFLX, defeating the Sydney Swans in the grand final at Allianz Stadium.
Final score
Brisbane Lions 67
Sydney Swans 41
The third and final day of the AFLX tournament is in Sydney, with the Brisbane Lions, Sydney Swans, Gold Coast Suns, GWS Giants, Western Bulldogs and Richmond Tigers taking part. Join The Roar for all the action from 4:10pm (AEDT).
Saturday’s games will be played between four of the interstate squads and the previous two flag winners and while none are at full strength, there is still star power on show.
The new, fast-paced action that the AFL promised before the launch of the competition was evident in the first two dayss, however it didn’t live up to the excitement of a normal game of football gives the viewer.
Goals went back and forth like a basketball game, lacking the build-up and tactics of the real game.
The jury is still out on Zooper goals, which award extra points for kicking it outside the arc – which is 40 metres this year, as opposed to the normal 50 –while the silver balls were scrapped on Day 1 due to poor visibility.
Whether the teams will even bother taking this serious is an issue, too. AFLX really doesn’t give them much of work out, it may help with basic skills, but not in the way a proper game would.
It’s basically just some lighthearted fun, and if it gets people wanting more footy ahead of the seasonp proper, it will be deemd a success.
Prediction
The Giants look to have a better side than most, especially in the midfield – they should flourish in this competition.
A midfield dominant side is the best option in this fast paced end to end game and GWS have it covered.