Your Sunday feast of football starts with a danger game for the home team as they host the new boys on the block. It’s the Brisbane Lions at home to Greater Western Sydney Giants at the Gabba. We’ll have live scores and a blog kicking off at 1.10pm AEST
It’s not been a pretty start to the 2012 season for Michael Voss and his Lions line-up. There’s been just the two wins from seven and the losses they’ve had have been heavy, even if the scoreboard doesn’t necessarily say so.
Strangely enough though, the coach has not been talked about as being under pressure. The idea of Voss being in the gun for the season isn’t a new one – it was talked about heavily in the pre-season.
But with the horror run from Melbourne, troubles at the Gold Coast and the roasting of Michelangelo Rucci (who seems to be the only writer in the whole of South Australia), Voss has flown under the radar.
That was until this week, when Brisbane Lions chairman Angus Johnson decided to put the pressure on the club internally.
He has said that the commitment levels of some of the players is not adequate, but was quick to point out the coach’s position was safe and secure.
Uh-oh.
In our experience, when the head-honcho of the club comes out in support of the coach, there’s trouble abounds. It’s as if Johnson’s handed Voss the reigns as the pilot of the flight through the Bermuda Triangle – you know that the future’s bleak.
So how do you save the coach’s future? Simple – start winning some games and today should (and I stress, should) be the catalyst for the Lions to start getting some positivity not just on the ladder, but in the club too.
Before their bye in round eleven, they’ll travel to Melbourne to play the Kangaroos and host the West Coast Eagles.
The way North Melbourne’s been playing in the last fortnight and the host of injuries at the Eagles, you just never know what could happen if the Lions hit their straps. Plus, Melbourne is on the horizon at home.
But it must start today.
Daniel Merrett must start getting more of the footy up forward to provide support for Jonathan Brown.
The midfield has to start getting the ball forward as well – the Lions only average 45 inside 50’s throughout the first seven weeks of the season, a stat that is seriously not good enough.
They have to get their hands on the football more overall – they’re average disposal count is less than the Giants. Plus they need to be more efficient with it – again a stat GWS actually beat the Lions in this season.
Getting Jed Adcock is a positive. He’ll provide plenty of rebound off half back and hopefully launch some handy forward sortis.
On the other side of the coin – a simple question. You’ve had the GWS Giants theme song in your head all week, haven’t you?
It’s catchy once you hear it sung by the players. And thankfully that happened last week. If you missed it, watch it here. Let’s be honest, it was fun!
Not many people gave GWS a chance to win any matches this season. Now, they’re a decent chance of having two wins next to their name by 4pm today.
Now that the boys have had a taste of victory, it’s something they’ll want to experience again quickly. However today will be a vastly different line-up.
Coach Kevin Sheedy has decided to rest a few of his key players from the last couple of weeks – Tomas Budd, Dylan Shiel, Devon Smith… there were Dream Team and SuperCoach players pulling their hair out on Thursday night wondering what they should be doing!
They do get some good injection of youth into the team though with Adam Tomlinson, William Hoskin-Elliot, Matthew Buntine… they’re progressing well and get their chance today.
Sheedy knows what he’s doing. He’s planning for 2014 and having a dynamite team then, so getting game time into these young legs is crucial, resting players when required.
But, if the sniff of success comes into the nostrils, don’t think the Giants will let it go past. No, not at all. Today is a realistic chance of getting another win under their belt against a Lions team that has been well and truly below par.
Who knows, by day’s end, we may be singing “…and we will never surrender, we’ll fight until the end, we’re greater than the rest!” And you’ll probably be doing a Cossack dance at the same time.
So make sure you join us for Brisbane and Greater Western Sydney from Gabba with live comments from the game. Have your input too below as we get ready for bouncedown at 1.10pm AEST.
StormGal
Guest
lol
ItsCalled AussieRules
Roar Rookie
The attendance of 16,059 is the lowest AFL crowd in Brisbane for 14 years.
ItsCalled AussieRules
Roar Rookie
Giants back to true form. Geez how bad were the Gold Coast and Karmichael Hunt to lose to this team.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Crashy, GWS could have copied Fremantle and the Brisbane Bears, and sold their long-term future for five or six wins this year. But they didnt, because no-one cares about your early record when you win your first premiership.
Crashy
Guest
Starting TO grate!
Crashy
Guest
These blowouts are starting the grate. There are some ordinary teams in the comp this year and GWS are one of them. Sheedy can only talk up this team for so long.
TomC
Roar Guru
Good blog, by the way.
TheSportsFreak
Roar Guru
FINAL | Brisbane Lions 19.18 132 def. GWS Giants 5.10 40 So the Brisbane Lions go to a 3-5 record. They’re still a long way from making the finals, but at least today they showed that they can be competitive. Winning the forward battles by as much as they did today won’t happen many weeks against good teams. But there could be a little bit of confidence to take from today’s win. Next week it’s North Melbourne, who’ve been shaky of late. They say the first hangover can feel mighty bad. These youngster at the Giants found that out today! GWS looked flat after the massive high of last week’s debut win. They will hit the track this week knowing they have their first real home game at Skoda Stadium against one of the form teams of the competition – Essendon next week. The Lions comfortable winners today by 92 points. Thanks for joining me today. Don’t forget, we’ve got live blogs going on right now for Carlton vs. Adelaide as well as the final game of the round West Coast vs. St Kilda. I'll be back again next week for more. You can follow me on Twitter (@TheSportsFreak) and don't forget to follow The Roar on Twitter and Facebook too.
TheSportsFreak
Roar Guru
FINAL | Brisbane Lions 19.18 132 def. GWS Giants 5.10 40 Quarter by Quarter Brisbane Lions 7.3 10.9 13.14 19.18 132 GWS Giants 1.2 3.5 4.5 5.10 40 Goalscorers BL (6) – Daniel Merrett 7, Jonathan Brown 5, Tom Rockliff 3, Patrick Karnezis 2, Dayne Zorko 1, Daniel Rich 1 GWS (5) – Nathan Wilson 1, Tom Scully 1, Jonathan Giles 1, Adam Phillips 1, Dom Tyson 1 Player Stats Tom Rockliff (BL) 20 kicks, 16 handballs, 15 contested possessions, 5 marks, 3 goals, 15 score involvements Pearce Hanley (BL) 18 kicks, 11 handballs, 10 marks, 4 tackles, 4 clearances, 4 inside 50’s Daniel Rich (BL) 18 kicks, 8 handballs, 5 marks, 8 inside 50’s Jack Redden (BL) 9 kicks, 17 handballs, 10 contested possessions, 9 tackles Daniel Merrett (BL) 17 kicks, 6 handballs, 10 contested possessions, 12 marks, 5 inside 50’s, 7 goals, 15 score involvements Jonathan Brown (BL) 15 kicks, 8 handballs, 16 marks, 5 goals, 15 score involvements Team Stats Disposals: BL 432-292; Contested Possessions: BL 141-116; Marks: BL 128-68; Tackles: GWS 56-54; Inside 50’s: BL 65-32; Time In Forward Half: BL 62%-38%; Marks Inside 50: BL 23-7
TomC
Roar Guru
'Reckon Merrett ends up with 7 for the match.' Great call!
TheSportsFreak
Roar Guru
FINAL | Brisbane Lions 19.18 132 def. GWS Giants 5.10 40 There was a lot talked about the Lions leading up to this game today. Plenty of pressure applied internally. But they responded in the best way possible and were very good today against a disappointing GWS Giants. The forwards combined for 12 goals today – Daniel Merrett a personal best seven and Jonathan Brown booted five. And Tom Rockliff was untouchable with close to 40 possessions today. The impressive thing to note from the Lions is that they did put the Giants away. Stats to come…
TheSportsFreak
Roar Guru
Q4 0:30 left | BL 19.18 132 | GWS 5.10 40 Jeremy Cameron has another chance on goal... nope - not his day. From the goal square too... fourth behind today.
TheSportsFreak
Roar Guru
Q4 1:05 left | BL 19.18 132 | GWS 5.9 39 Dom Tyson takes the mark on centre wing... then goes for a run. Takes about four of bounces, gets to 50. Launches... OH WOW - what a fantastic goal that is! Consolation, but very very good
TheSportsFreak
Roar Guru
Q4 1:59 left | BL 19.18 132 | GWS 4.9 33 A goal for the Giants has been a long way away - 10 minute mark of the third quarter in fact. Callan Ward tries to rectify that... dribbles it along the ground, but misses.
TheSportsFreak
Roar Guru
Q4 2:34 left | BL 19.18 132 | GWS 4.8 32 Kick on goal from Rohan Bewick also misses. Brings up the magical 100-point margin figure though...
TheSportsFreak
Roar Guru
Q4 3:10 left | BL 19.17 131 | GWS 4.8 32 Ash McGrath runs free... he's come from the backline to try to add to the party. Goes long from 50m out... only a behind.
TheSportsFreak
Roar Guru
Q4 7:18 left | BL 19.16 140 | GWS 4.8 32 A bit of a scrap up forward, with Jonathan Brown having about 3 chances to get the footy in the teeth of the goals, Karnezis had a chance... finally comes out to Tom Rockliff - he's kicked the last three goals now!
TheSportsFreak
Roar Guru
Q4 9:24 left | BL 18.16 124 | GWS 4.8 32 Bullet-like pass from Daniel Rich. Good to see him hit his straps today. Finds Tom Rockliff. Could make it two in 90 seconds - BANG! Galloping away now the Lions
TomC
Roar Guru
Most forwards go better when there's another forward up there forcing the defenders to be accountable. Very few teams would decide to deliberately make their forwardline more one-dimensional, particularly when there's another proven option up there. Thankfully Voss chose not to be astute. Doubt this game has harmed Brown's confidence.
TheSportsFreak
Roar Guru
Q4 10:11 left | BL 17.16 118 | GWS 4.8 32 Tom Rockliff wins a free kick. A bit reckless from Matthew Buntine. Rockliff had turned his body to win the footy, got cannoned into. Rockliff finally gets on the board after 4 behinds - GOAL to the Lions. 6th goal kicker today