Brisbane Lions vs West Coast Eagles: Lions upset Eagles 102-58

Match result:

The Brisbane Lions have staged a monumental Round 1 upset, hammering defending premiers the West Coast Eagles at the Gabba by 44 points.

The Eagles might have left some of their big stars at home to start the season, but they weren’t expecting what followed.

With the exception of a ten-minute run during the first quarter, the Eagles were thoroughly dominated throughout the contest by Brisbane.

The Lions started strongly, but poor execution in front of goal cost them, as they went to one goal five for 11 points early in the contest. The Eagles then went on a run, leading by 27 points at the end of the first quarter.

But with Lachie Neale, Lincoln McCarthy, Cam Rayner and Charles Cameron leading the charge, the Lions soon hit the front, and then continued to dominate during the second half.

The Lions barely had to do any defence, as the Eagles went scoreless during the third quarter, while the overall score from the end of the first quarter read 91-20, leading to a thoroughly deserved win for the home side in what is a huge Round 1 boilover.

Final score
Brisbane Lions 15.12 (102)
West Coast Eagles 8.10 (58)

Match preview:

The Brisbane Lions will be out to get their season off to a new start, but will be right up against it when they host defending premiers the West Coast Eagles at the Gabba. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 8:20pm (AEDT).

The Lions start the new season at home, and will be looking to flip the script on their final game last season, which was this exact match-up in Queensland.

On that occasion, the Lions fought hard, but were ultimately beaten by 26 points with the Eagles running away during the fourth term.

While the Lions were at the wrong end of the table come the end of the 2018 season, the trend of fighting hard, but ultimately falling short of the mark was one which followed them around.

The Lions lost Dayne Beams over the off-season to Collingwood, but were able to recruit Lachie Neale in his place. Combined with a promising draft and the upside they displayed during the back-end of 2018, the Lions come into the new season with confidence.

Brisbane have also added Jarryd Lyons and Lincoln McCarthy, which should improve their attack.

The Eagles might be coming off a successful grand final over the Magpies, but this is a new season, and they will face a tough trek to Brisbane.

The trek is made all the tougher against a young team who will be confident early in the season by the losses of Josh Kennedy, Willie Rioli and Jamie Cripps, who will all watch Round 1 from the sideline.

It leaves the Eagles with a vastly inexperienced forward line outside of Jack Darling, who must be extremely good in this fixture.

Outside of Darling, there biggest advantage may be that of Elliot Yeo and Luke Shuey, who were both excellent in 2018 winning the ball out of middifled and transitioning it forward.

By the same token, Luke Hodge will need to leave the defensive effort for Brisbane alongside the always solid Daniel Rich, while Neale needs to match-up well in the middle of the ground and get forward where possible if the Lions are to pull off an upset in forecasted hot and humid conditions.

Prediction
There can be no doubting the Lions need to be at their best if they are to cause an upset, however, at home, and with the Eagles leaving some stars at home, there could be an early-season upset in the offering here.

Lions by 11.

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Game information

First bounce: 8:20pm (AEDT)
Venue: The Gabba, Brisbane
TV: Live, Fox Footy 504, Channel 7 (Western Australia and Queensland only)
Online: Live, Foxtel app, Foxtel now, Kayo Sports, AFL Digital Pass
Betting: Eagles $1.62, Lions $2.20
Overall record: Played 32, Eagles 22, Lions 10
Last meeting: Round 23, 2018 – Lions 11.6 (72) defeated by Eagles 14.14 (98)
Last five: Eagles 5, Lions 0
Record at venue: Played 19, Eagles 12, Lions 7
Umpires: Shane McInerney, Nathan Williamson, Brent Wallace

Brisbane Lions
B: 1. Luke Hodge, 14. Josh Walker, 10. Daniel Rich
HB: 29. Alex Witherden, 31. Harris Andrews, 27. Darcy Gardiner
C: 15. Dayne Zorko, 9. Lachie Neale, 6. Hugh McCluggage
HF: 16. Cam Rayner, 30. Eric Hipwood, 11. Lincoln McCarthy
F: 23. Charles Cameron, 25. Daniel McStay, 46. Oscar McInerney
FOL: 12. Stefan Martin, 7. Jarrod Berry, 17. Jarryd Lyons
I/C: 4. Ryan Bastinac, 5. Mitch Robinson, 33. Zac Bailey, 36. Rhys Mathieson
EMG: 3. Allen Christensen, 28. Lewis Taylor, 35. Ryan Lester, 44. Archie Smith

West Coast Eagles
B: 25. Shannon Hurn, 37. Tom Barrass, 5. Brad Sheppard
HB: 28. Tom Cole, 20. Jeremy McGovern, 23. Lewis Jetta
C: 7. Chris Masten, 4. Dom Sheed, 8. Jack Redden
HF: 34. Mark Hutchings, 12. Oscar Allen, 21. Jack Petruccelle
F: 1. Liam Ryan, 27. Jack Darling, 16. Tom Hickey
FOL: 19. Nathan Vardy, 6. Elliot Yeo, 13. Luke Shuey
I/C: 2. Jake Waterman, 10. Jarrod Brander, 14. Liam Duggan, 18. Daniel Venables
EMG: 30. Jackson Nelson, 41. Brendon Ah Chee, 43. Matthew Allen, 45. Josh Smith