Round 24 – Brisbane Lions v Hawthorn Hawks
Disco Monagle
Sunday Night Thunderdome
Two Teams Enter – One Team Leaves
With Fremantle surprising the Dogs at Marvel and guaranteeing themselves a home final, the stakes at the Gabba-Dome between the Lions and Hawks are humongous, and then some. The winner gets a double chance, while the loser will either be on a plane to Western Sydney or Perth in the first week of the finals, depending on the result of the Suns versus Bombers game on Wednesday night.
Never have the stakes been higher in 2025 for Brisbane and Hawthorn in the AFL’s penultimate game of the home and away season, deciding which team gets a double-chance in September.
So, who will be the hero, who will be the villain, and who wins?
The Amazing Zorko
Congratulations to evergreen Dayne Zorko, who chalks up his 300th game in the famous Fitzroy/Bears/Lions jumper, despite not debuting until 23nyears of age. One hell of a player and one hell of a personality – bravo.
Round 24 Gabba-Dome
Score
Lions: 00:08:08 / 06:10:46 / 08:19:67 / 11:23:89 defeated the
Hawks: 03:03:21 / 06:05:41 / 08:08:56 / 11:13:79
Goals:
Lions: Lohmann 2, Cameron 2, Rayner 2, McCluggage 2, Fletcher 1, Morris 1, Reville 1
Hawks: Chol 3, Gunston 2, Ginnivan 2, Lewis 1, Meek 1, Moore 1, Watson 1
Best:
Lions: McCluggage, Dunkley, Wilmot, Rayner, Will Ashcroft, Fletcher, Zorko, Marshall, Bailey
Hawks: Amon, Hardwick, Impey, Newcombe, Ginnivan, Battle, Sicily, Nash
Gabba-Dome – One Team Leaves
The Irony of Inaccuracy
This game was decided by inaccuracy, but not so much by the errant Lions as one may think inreading the scores. Rather, it was the inaccuracy by the Hawks in the first ten-minutes of the last quarter when the game was on the line that had a massive say in this one. For all the Hawks’ dominance in that ten-minute period in the last quarter, they got the ‘yips’ and could only score one goal and five behinds before the Lions steadied and scored a rebound goal.
The Hawks had the chance to make the Lions pay for their ‘blazing saddles’ approach to kicking at goal in the first three quarters, but in the last quarter one missed shot by the Hawks begot another miss, begot another miss, and so on. They blew their double-chance chances out of their rear end (I have really cleared this up for a PG audience).
Bad Kicking is Bad Football
The consensus of most football pundits is ‘bad kicking is bad football’ and even allowing for the odd critic who doesn’t agree with that maxim (and there are some), the Lions were lucky to escape this game with a win, however, in an ironic twist, it was the Hawks’ last quarter inaccuracy that cost them the win and the double-chance.
On every measurable metric, the Lions should have won this game easily, but for all their good work they kept the Hawks in the game by kicking eight behinds in the first quarter, and matched that with two goals and nine behinds in the third quarter. Think about that for a minute, that is two goals and seventeen behinds in two quarters of football, yet somehow or another, they still won.
Putting all the Lions missed shots behind them, it was the A-Grade class of Hugh McCluggage, Josh Dunkley, Zac Bailey and Cam Raynor who stood up when the game needed to be won in the home stretch.
After the Lions got a lucky free kick when Karl Amon handballed the ball out of bounds, which was ruled as insufficient intent, and Bruce Reville kicked truly from the boundary line to extend the Lions narrow lead, it was in the very next play when McCluggage and Raynor put on the afterburners that sealed this game for the Lions.
Whether the free kick was there or not is debatable, but great teams take advantage of that luck, and they will punish a team, especially a team which is still arguing with the umpires as the game moved forward. At the very next centre-bounce McCluggage surged the ball forward to Kai Lohmann, who handballed to Sam Marshall, who handballed to Cam Rayner who kicked truly on the run from 30 metres out.
McCluggage’s clearance and Rayner’s brilliance was the best set play of the night, but it was on the back of a lapse of concentration by the Hawks.
In one thirty-second burst of class, the Lions put the Hawks to the sword and Gabba-Dome was over.
This Game was Tighter than Warrick Capper’s Shorts
There was a real finals intensity about the Lions and the Hawks Gabba-Dome clash, as both teams wore each other tight all night. Players on both sides were given very little room to move, however, this type of match plays right into the Lions hands, as they have the ability to work in a phone box better than any other team in the competition.
Brisbane 2024 and now 2025, like Geelong in 2022, have players who are battle hardened and simply don’t drop marks. they have soldiers who break tackles under pressure, and their general ball handling skills in tight hits the mark. When the star players at the Lions lead the way with these non-negotiables it becomes contagious for newer, mid-tier and fringe players brought into the system to follow suit.
With Lachie Neale, Jarrod Berry and Conor McKenna, who are all considered hard nuts at the ball, missing from this game, it would be fair to assume the Lions team structure and ethos may lost a bit in their absence, but that is not the Lions way.
In the absence of one, others step and play their role.
Chris Fagan acknowledged as much in the post-game interview, speaking glowingly about his “young side”, which gives an indication as to the way Brisbane conduct themselves. This was a young team out there – plenty of inexperienced warriors learning how to get down and dirty, and fight it out.
Sam Marshall, Bruce Reville and Levi Ashcroft, as well as the slightly more experienced Darcy Wilmot and Jaspa Fletcher, all stepped up and adequately filled the breach in the absence of their missing star midfielders and runners.
Jaspa Fletcher
The less heralded of the Lions father/sons now playing at the Lions, Jaspa Fletcher flies under the radar with it comes to platitudes external to the inner sanctum of the Lions (his worth would be highly valued internally, especially by Dayne Zorko, who obviously sees the best of him across half-back), but with 64 games experience now under his belt he has developed into a very reliable footballer with a real tough edge.
With the career of the Zorko the Magnificent slowly winding down in the next year or two, Fletcher is being primed and readied to take on his role when he does finally retire. Jaspa has quietly but skilfully crafted his apprenticeship under Zorko, while picking up a Premiership Medal and nourishing his thirst for the game along the way.
Master Zorko believes his little Grasshopper Jaspa is almost ready to take over his mantle. And we must not forget that at some stage, Brisbane will be able to welcome Keidean Coleman back into the fold. Talk about an embarrassment of riches!
Sam Marshall
In the absence of Lachie Neale, a young gun by the name of Sam Marshall not only stood up, but he played the Lachie Neale/Jarrod Berry role to perfection; gathering 22 possessions, taking five marks, for an impressive 405 metres gained. For a player I honestly knew nothing about before this game, he slipped in and out of the Neale/Berry role with aplomb.
Young Sam Marshall might have done enough to maintain his position in the team when Neale and Berry return for the Qualifying Final at the MCG in the first week of the finals.
Darcy Wilmot
Darcy Wilmot is much like Jaspa Fletcher, as he had sailed well under the radar outside the walls of the Lion’s den. Like Fetcher, he has a Premiership Medal, and for a player who is still under the age of 21, he has almost anonymously accumulated 80 games.
Wilmot might well fly under the radar, but he is a ripper.
Levi Ashcroft
Another father/son addition to the Lions, Levi has not only had to live up to the expectations of his family name and legacy of his father Marcus, but he has also had to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Will who is the reigning Norm Smith Medallist.
Talk about pressure.
Levi, to his credit, has slowly developed his own personality throughout the course of this season, and it is a credit to him that he has played all 23 games in his first season in the big league, especially given the weight of the Ashcroft name.
Ashcroft-the-younger has averaged 20 disposals, four plus marks and 2.4 clearances per game in his first year, making him an exceptional young talent in his own right, and a vital cog in the Lions ambitions of back-to-back flags.
Studying the Lions forensically, they are getting the next generation of stars ready to take over the mantle as the senior players gradually retire. Brisbane is following a very Geelong-esque model of player management from the kids right through to the veterans.
Is Hawthorn Far Away?
Amongst all the gloom and ‘what ifs’ that the Hawks would be discussing on the flight home, they need to remember they are still in the finals hunt, with a quality team that belies their current position on the ladder.
In an unusual season when 15 wins is only good enough for an Elimination Final, it raises a tantalising prospect for what may unfold in September, as all the teams still in the hunt are very evenly matched, and with a good run of form and/or luck, any one of the eight could win the flag, including Hawthorn.
Credit must be given to the pressure the Hawks applied on the Lions from the start of this match to the very end when Nick Watson kicked a goal with three minutes left on the clock which still left the Hawks with a late chance to snatch victory.
The Hawks backs, Karl Amon, Blake Hardwick, Jarman Impey and Changkuoth Jiath, accompanied by the big men mates Josh Battle and Tom Barrass all had good games, albeit with the odd error here and there, and it is the errors that cost them dearly.
In the second quarter Jiath ran the ball into the Hawks forward line for what looked like a certain goal opportunity, but he hesitated for a split second, and the ball rebounded the length of the ground for a goal to Cam Rayner, who had had no impact on the game to that point.
Jiath’s mistake awakened the behemoth that is Cam Rayner from his slumber, and from that point on the behemoth was one of the Lions best players and he was to prove pivotal in the Lions victory.
Yes, Jack Ginnivan kicked a goal from the next centre break, but momentum was lost in this break-even scenario.
A lot has already been said by the Talking Heads about Karl Amon’s errant handball in the dying minutes of the last quarter which led to goals to both Reville and Rayner, but it is a moot point after the siren. It certainly looked like the ball slid out of Amon’s hand badly, however, mistakes like that anywhere near the boundary line always stand a chance of being penalised.
Amon was the Hawks best player on the night, and it is unfortunate that his sudden lapse of concentration may have cost the Hawks win (I, for one, don’t believe it did). Little mistakes and acts are well and truly deconstructed under the forensic glare of post-match scrutiny in finals or finals like matches, and this week it was Amon’s bad luck to be in the hot chair under the microscope.
In the final analysis, I haven’t heard one expert discuss the Hawks’ setup at the next centre bounce after Reville’s goal, with the Hawks momentary lack of concentration at that centre bounce being more costly than Amon’s disputed handball.
While some Hawthorn players were still arguing with anybody who would listen when the ball was bounced, they were not concentrating on the next passage of play, and it cost them. Such lack of concentration is fatal when playing a team like Brisbane, especially with Hugh McCluggage and Cam Rayner being right in the ‘zone’ to be ‘that’ player when the time cometh.
McCluggage and Rayner play for decisive moments, and they demand to be involved when the game is on the line, so it raises questions as to why Sicily and other senior players did not calm the situation down and demand their players shut down on the likes of McCluggage and Rayner?
Sadly, for the Hawks, they lost this game by abysmal kicking at goal in the last quarter and by not keeping their emotions in check when the game demanded it. Not for the first time, either.
The Hawks’ loss is amplified as it also means they are missing out on the much-heralded double-chance.
In games such as this it is a fine line between pleasure and pain, and the Hawks walked the wrong side of the fine line too many times in the last quarter, but heart should be taken from their overall performance.
If the Hawks can travel to either Optus or Engie Stadium in the first week of the finals and snatch a victory against the odds, then momentum and confidence may carry them a very long way in September, circa Brisbane last year and the Dogs in 2016.
Jack Ginnivan
Jack Ginnivan has gone from being a fringe, 13-possessions per game player at the start of the season, to being a vital player for the Hawks, gathering 20 plus disposals each week, as well as kicking as a goal or two aong the way.
Ginnivan is no longer all about the goals (he still loves a good goal celebration – his tearing open his jumper/Superman celebration was a ripper), rather he is more about being a true team-first player, and the Hawks are a far better team for it. Ginnivan is one of the smartest players in the league with ball in hand.
I have watched Jack closely in the second half of the season and his skills with ball in hand are exquisite, and it is rare he does not find a teammate when he has ball in hand.
Ginnivan has been a slow burn for the Hawks, but arguably he is the most improved player in the AFL this year, with a great football brain.
Hawthorn’s Forward Line Gulf between Jack Gunston and Mabior Chol
At halftime, Mabior Chol was the Hawks best player with three goals from seven possessions and six marks, a super smother, as well as being competitive when he was thrown in the ruck. It was an amazing half of football from the much travelled and enigmatic forward.
The ability of Chol to get off the chain for patches and kick goals is what is expected from a third or fourth tier forward and herein lays the problem with the Hawks forward line. The veteran Jack Gunston is the head of the Hawks forward line, while Chol being is a handy third or fourth option, but who fills the gulf between Gunston and Chol?
Is it Calsher Dear? That is a lot to expect from a young man who in many ways, is still pretty raw.
The Hawks forward shortcomings have become more noticeable in the absence of Josh Weddle who usually frees up Jai Newcombe to spend more time up forward, thus wallpapering over the gaps the Hawks have up forward.
While the Hawks small forwards like Dylan Moore, Nick Watson, Luke Breust, and Jack Ginnivan (when he is played as a genuine forward) are good for three or four goals between them per match, the question still remains, where (or who) is the imposing Riley Thilthorpe figure in the Hawks forward half?
Calsher Dear is young and not only is he still developing his craft as a forward, but he is also developing his body, so he is the not the imposing player at this stage of his career he may well be in a year or two, and nor should it be expected he is. Calsher Dear is good, but he needs time and games.
With Gunston probably only having another season until he retires, the Hawks need to find another key forward who can be relied upon week to week for consistent efforts and grunt.
Mitch Lewis, who should be in the prime of his career has been disappointing, not only in this game where he was subbed off at halftime with only a solitary possession, but all year. You can put it down to coming back from long-term injury, but at the pointy end of the season, excuses don’t go too far. Lewis has been given multiple chances to be the key big forward over the years, but suffice to say, injuries and inconsistent form means he is currently more a fringe player, in and out of the team, rather than the mainstay key forward he once promised to be.
The Hawks need to start thinking of life after Gunston and start filling the gaps in their forward setup over the offseason.
Darcy Fort versus Lloyd Meek
I have the upmost admiration for Darcy Fort as he was only included in the Lions Premiership team last year at the last minute because the Big O was injured. However, that game has changed the trajectory of his entire career. With the opportunity which was afforded him last September, Darcy is now the preferred first choice ruck over the struggling Big O this year, and he is establishing himself as one of the most surprising ruckmen in the competition.
The ruck clash of the Goliaths at the Gabba-Dome between Darcy Fort and Lloyd Meek was a fascinating battle within a battle, and one worth mentioning. Each scored goal, Fort won the hit outs 38 to 32, while not to be outdone Meek took nine marks to Fort’s seven.
Meek won on points over Fort, but only just.
Hugh McCluggage, Zac Bailey and Josh Dunkley (add Lachie Neale to the mix)
Hugh McCluggage, Zac Bailey, Josh Dunkley and Lachie Neale when he is back from injury, are all the reason/s the Lions will be hard to conquer in September.
‘If Lillee doesn’t get you, Thommo will’, is the best maxim I can find to sum up the Lions big guns. Shutdown McCluggage and Lachie Neale will get off the chain, and/or Zac Bailey and/or Josh Dunkley – mix it whatever you want, but the conundrum remains the same.
Shutting down Hugh, Zac, Josh and/or Lachie is the kind of selection dilemma/s that keeps opposing coaches awake at night as it is near impossible to shut down all four at once, and even if you can then the next layer of players like Will Ashcroft, Jarrod Berry and others will pick up the slack.
The Lions list run very deep.
James Worpel
From the outside James Worpel seems like a pretty handy player, but I get the impression he is a bit of a punching bag for the Hawks faithful, and it is not so much what he does, but from what I can gather it is more what he doesn’t do.
From my neutral perspective, Worpel had a handy 22 possession game and while he is not in the upper echelon of Hawks players, he is an essential type of reliable mid-tier player who plays his role within the team structure.
From all reports, he will be doing that for Geelong next season. Let’s hope he can end his tenure at Hawthorn, where he is a Peter Crimmins Medallist, on a high this season.
Harris Andrews is the Best Defender in the Competition
With Nick Vlastuin, Callum Wilkie and the Great Wall of Keane and Worrell at Adelaide all pushing for All-Selection as defenders, they are still in a line behind the Master, Harris Andrews.
Andrews had 18 possessions up back in this match, along with ten marks in what he would consider just another day at the office, but that is the strength of the man. From week to week, he is the backline General who, along with Zorko the Magnificent, demands the players around him never take a backward step.
I have no doubt Darcy Gardiner, Ryan Lester, Darcy Wilmot, Jaspa Fletcher and Brandon Starcevich are all better players who walk taller because of Harris and Zorko.
Massimo D’Ambrosio and Nick Watson
Both Massimo D’Ambrosio and the Nick ‘the Wizard’ Watson had break out seasons in 2024, and while they haven’t fallen the edge of a cliff this year, they have plateaued a bit.
Both players are young, not only in age, but they are also young in terms of game experience so the upside for the Hawks in years to come is two exciting players who both have the potential to raise their games to the level of being considered true A-graders in the future.
D’Ambrosio has a graceful style of game that is capable of catching the umpires eye, and don’t be surprised if he polls well in a Brownlow Medal count in the future, especially if he keeps on improving from one year to the next.
Like most, I forget Nick Watson only debuted last year, and it is easy to slip into the trap of treating him like a player who has played 100 games or more such is his ability, profile and popularity. The Wizard is still a kid, and he will mature slowly into his natural ability and talent more with each game he plays.
Next Up
The Lions will travel to the MCG to take on Geelong in a Qualifying Final. Given the Cats relatively easy fixture leading up to September, it is hard to get a read on them, other than they finished second on the ladder. Not being able to read exposed form surrounding Geelong, the Lions will either be taking on a Cats team which has softened up a bit by easy matches, or a Cats team which has used their spare time sharpening their claws and getting ready to rumble.
There was a time a coupel of years back when everyone talked about Brisbane’s lack of success at the MCG. Remember that?
Those days are long gone. The Lions will be hunting in week one of the finals, and the MCG is now a place where they have the fondest of memories.
Whether the Hawks travel to Engie Stadium to take on the GWS or Optus Stadium to take on the Dockers is up in the air until the result of the Suns versus the Bombers is known. Hawthorn is capable of causing an upset interstate no matter which team they face, and from there the rest is up to them coupled with an ounce of luck.
This was a very enjoyable game to review, and I look forward to reading your comments.
As always, please buy our Fearless Leader HB Meyers a coffee or three. The man wrote five reviews this weekend – I’ll repeat that, five reviews as well as editing four other reviews.
Thanks Disco – I go alright – HB
