The West Coast Eagles come off their convincing Western Derby win last week, to make the longest trip in the competition to play the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba. We’ll have live scoring as it happens from 1:10pm AEST.
The Brisbane Lions looked all out of sorts in their first half last week against North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium, with the Kangas running rampant throughout the midfield and the Lions having trouble getting near the goals.
It was very easy to suggest the game was gone and the Lions would lie down and get smashed.
But there was a spark after half time that saw them kick ten goals to four and give North Melbourne a fair shake.
Jonathan Brown and Daniel Merrett were a little quiet last week. Against the Giants they combined for 46 possessions and twelve goals. But last week only managed three goals between them. They will need a massive lift this week against a stingy West Coast defensive line.
They can’t afford to give West Coast a head start today – it’s something that has happened far too often this season for the Lions.
Somewhere West Coast is expected to excel today is in the rucks, with Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui becoming an unstoppable duo to date.
Cox’s five goal haul against the Saints a fortnight ago showing he’s as dominant up forward as he is in the rucks. In fact, both ruckmen will drift forward throughout the match.
The massive amount of injuries West Coast have had means it’s given some of the younger midfield brigade to shine, including Brad Sheppard, Andrew Gaff and Scott Selwood, while Matt Rosa won the best on ground in last week’s Western Derby with a stand out performance.
At the height of their powers in the mid-00’s, West Coast didn’t worry about travelling to Brisbane – with the likes of Judd and Cousins leading from the front. The way the Eagles are going this season, you’d find it hard to believe that the distance will be a factor.
It is a tough task for the Brisbane Lions today. If they start well and put the pressure on the Eagles early, they could spring a surprise. But the Eagles will be heavy favourites. Join us for live scores from 1:10pm AEST as the Lions host West Coast.
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