AFL Thursday Thought Bubble: Untaggable, unstoppable Neale the difference, but Pies on the right track

I’ll start with a controversial statement: Lachie Neale is quite good at football.

Already starting 2022 in scintillating form, the 2020 Brownlow Medallist first shook and then shredded a tag from Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury that got looser and looser the longer the game went – perhaps a consequence of the Magpies realising the Lions star simply couldn’t be stopped.

In a seven-point win, the 200th-gamer showed that even a quarter of brilliance from the biggest stars can be enough to turn a game.

It was Neale’s second term, involved in just about everything as the Lions surged, that proved the difference as the Magpies put up a spirited challenge at the Gabba. With 15 disposals, more than 200 metres gained and almost more score involvements to count, the Lions rammed on six goals to two to turn a 12-point quarter time deficit into a 13-point half time lead.

From there, momentum swung back and forth like a particularly wobbly pendulum, with the Magpies never completely shaken nor the Lions wilting under the pressure. It felt – and indeed may prove – a clash between finalists. But Neale’s early burst left the Pies always chasing the game.

Making it even more impressive was that in the first term, Pendlebury had succeeded in clamping down on Neale’s influence, particularly at stoppages. With just four disposals, albeit one a goal that was far more Brayden Maynard’s fault than Pendlebury’s – a well-executed block at a boundary throw-in allowing Neale the space he needed to snap truly – the Lions lacked their usual spread and polish from contests.

With the Pies dominating the territory battle, winning 20 inside 50s to 11 at quarter time, it was only a series of spilled marks inside 50 and some occasionally wayward entries that prevented an even greater lead. For all the Magpies’ gains under Craig McRae so far, they remain heavily reliant on Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom’s class on the outside. They’d each find targets inside 50 for opening-quarter goals, the Pies’ imposing height in attack (five players over 200cm and a further at 198cm in the line-up) mattering less than hitting lead-up targets Will Hoskin-Elliott and Reef McInnes.

With only 66 per cent game time, Mason Cox, recalled to the team, found himself spending longer and longer periods on the bench as the match wore on, and was a non-factor in the final term as the Magpies surged.

Bronx-cheered for his first mark of the night in the second term, one of only two for the match – and an ugly knee to the back of Brandon Starcevich that may see him hit with a fine – the American Pie failed to grasp the slick conditions under the Gabba lights. With fourth-gamer Nathan Kreuger impressing with two goals and some incredible leaps, it’s hard to see a place for him in this team moving forward.

With 14.7 for the evening – including some cracking finishes in the final term from Jordan De Goey – the Pies certainly addressed the issue of accuracy that plagued them in losses to Geelong and West Coast. They still sprayed their fair share of gettable shots – McInnes could easily have had himself a big bag if not for some early misses – but the improvement was plain to see.

The debate over Darcy Moore’s best position will grow in volume again after two final-quarter goals when shifted into attack, but that said more about Cox’s lack of influence than anything else. Moore should switch straight back into defence when Brody Mihocek returns from health and safety protocols next week, where his intercept marking will be vital to steel a backline that leaked three crucial goals against the run of play in the final term.

The Lions, meanwhile, were workmanlike outside Neale’s burst of second-quarter magic. Hearteningly, Hugh McCluggagee enjoyed his best game of the season, running hard to create options and using the ball exceptionally all night; while Oscar McInerney matched and nullified Brodie Grundy throughout.

Most impressively of all, the Lions were able to respond to every Pies punch thrown throughout the second half; every time the visitors kicked a goal, the Lions would find one of their own. Even Marcus Adams, once again even more imperious in defence than more acclaimed teammate Harris Andrews, would chime in with a goal of his own from a 50m penalty, his first in Lions colours.

With Darcy Gardiner a chance to cop a week’s suspension for an ugly late cheap shot on Josh Daicos in the first term, Chris Fagan will have to consider whether to back Adams in more of a stopping role in next week’s QClash, on either Levi Casboult or Mabior Chol; or bring in a Jack Payne to allow the intercept king to flourish in a less close-checkinig role.

Currently sitting on 24 intercept marks after five rounds – the most at this point of a season ever recorded – the former Bulldog is in spectacular form, and has become a major asset at Fagan’s disposal.

With four goals, Joe Daniher was again in superb form in attack, with his kicking for goal approaching career-best status. Nipping at his heels was Kai Lohmann, who belied an unimpressive stat line with some moments of magic. How many first-gamers can claim to have hit three no-look overhead handpasses on the same night, or perfectly weighted an inside-out kick to Zac Bailey inside 50 to set up a goal?

There is X-factor in spades with Lohmann, who should provide another dimension in an already fearsome Lions attack as his career develops.

Do we learn much about the Lions tonight? Probably not. Indeed, given the Lions’ excellent home-and-away record in recent years, we might not learn much about them until the finals roll around.

But sitting 4-1, they’re ideally placed for a top-four, or even top-two, berth, with the double effect of home finals galore at the Gabba and (probably) avoiding Melbourne. But all that’s a long way down the track. For now, the Lions are in great shape, with still enough to work on to keep Fagan busy and his team level-headed.

As for the Pies, who are now 2-3, there will be ups and downs with their style of play. For every scintillating burst through the middle, taking the ball end to end for a spectacular goal, there will be a play where Jack Crisp tries too much and is run down by a desperate tackle.

There will be quarters where the Pies can take on any team in the competition, but sustaining it will take time and patience for a young side with talent to burn. At least their final-quarter onslaught, bagging five goals to make a game of it, showed that fourth-term fadeouts aren’t a permanent hazard after what happened against the Cats and Eagles.

It was a nearly night for the Pies. Or, perhaps I should say, a Neale-y night.