It would have been a foolish team to take the West Coast Eagles lightly at Optus Stadium in Round 18. Teams who have parted ways with their coach, to put it nicely, seem to elevate their game under a new, or interim coach.
Add to the drama the pre-game theatrics of former coach, Adam Simpson, tossing the coin, and you had an emotionally-charged Eagles team ready to give this game their all.
And it was going to take a balanced and composed Brisbane side to combat it.
The game was an arm-wrestle, with the Lions only opening up any sort of decent break in the third quarter, but even then, the Eagles fought back to stay within striking distance. For only a brief period did the margin between the teams stretch over 20 points, making you feel as though the Eagles were close.
But they were never quite close enough.
Powered by another potential three-vote game from Lachie Neale, and a solid, four-quarter performance from Hugh McCluggage, the Lions held off the Eagles to pick up another four points as they continue their roll toward September.
And they probably have a couple of gears left they have not hit just yet.
Here’s The Mongrel’sTalking Points from this one.
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