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Carlton players wrap up Brisbane forward Brendan Fevola. AAP Image/Dave Hunt
The Brendan Fevola and Jonathan Brown show was at its brilliant best the other night, and it’s not often Fev plays second fiddle, but for the second week in a row, he was upstaged by his captain.
The duo booted 10 goals between them in the Lions 19 point win, sending yet another ominous warning to the competition of just how formidable this combination is going to be.
Many had questioned if there was room for both egos, or if the game plan would suit two power forwards of such dominance inside the 50metre arc. But how can anyone now argue with a total of 32 scoring shots in two games of footy?
This is not just formidable, it’s going to be lethal.
When the game was there to be won, it was Brown, though, that stood up when it mattered most. His work-rate, strength and ability to take a contested mark in pressure situations and at crucial times in a game are extraordinary.
Brown, for my mind, has joined Riewoldt and Ablett as the most important and influential players in the competition. Not that he wasn’t already a star in previous years – he has been for a long time – but he’s come out this season looking super fit, strong and is having a massive impact.
He took another 12 marks in the match.
As the reigning Coleman Medallist, most expected Fevola to lead the goal scoring. However, it’s Brown that’s been the more dominant of the two, thus far.
While they had six goals between them at halftime, Browny’s four in the second half was ultimately the difference.
Let’s not forget Fevola takes the opposition’s best big-bodied player. This also helps Brown, as he usually will get the opposition’s second best defender.
However, in true Fevola style, he wasn’t to be completely outdone.
There’s no doubt the stage was set: playing against his old side in front of a sell out crowd. Nobody relishes moments like this more than him.
All week he’d been the centre of attention, so much so, even the Courier Mail had the former Carlton bad-boy splashed across the back page of its newspaper.
Clearly it wasn’t just the football public eagerly awaiting this contest, though. Fevola had been waiting, too.
His first goal in the opening quarter was as flashy as it was slightly lucky: the ball spilling to the back of the pack, Fevola’s speed too much for his opponent, at full stretch connecting with a toe poke, his celebration in the end much like his goal, football in style.
Leigh Matthews’ comment said it all: “You’d hate to have him as a son in law, but jeez, you love to have him in your football side”
Those sentiments were echoed by Michael Voss in the build up to the match. The Brisbane coach put a media ban on his star recruit in an effort to help keep the Fevola show on the field rather than off it. The Lions were hoping he would let his football do the talking, and in the end it worked, because he did just that.
The question now is, how long can the Lions tame him for?
Fev’s post match interview was as candid as they come, openly admitting a big piece of his heart was still at Princes Park.
He then paused for a moment, thought about it, and seemed to remind himself he was wearing new colours and declared his new love for Brisbane.
It was classic Fev, and love him or loathe him, at the very least, he always puts on a show. The only difference in this one was the under card, merely providing a support act to the main event on the night: Jonathan Brown.
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