Who saw that coming?
All week, we’ve heard about how this game was going to be poor. We heard how this game was going to be boring. And we heard that this was a poor selection for Friday Night Footy.
And I have to admit, on paper, it should have been a poor one. The Saints usually play a dour, defensive style, and the Lions at the Gabba are a tough nut to crack. Early on, it looked as though the predictions would come true, as Brisbane quickly notched three goals to jump out to a lead and looked like a far better team.
At quarter time, Ross Lyon stormed to his huddle and gave his Saints a spray. From that point onward, although Brisbane seemed up for the challenge, the Saints just kept coming, and it made thing very uncomfortable in the last quarter.
You have to wonder – how much did that slow start cost St Kilda?
Brisbane piled on seven goals to two in the first quarter. The final margin was just 20 points.
Joe Daniher was on-song for the Lions, snagging five goals, whilst Hugh McCluggage had a big impact with his 26 touches (21 of them were kicks, and two of those kicks were goals). Meanwhile, Jarrod Berry shut down Jack Steele, and Marcus Windhager did an admirable job for the Saints, limiting the influence of Lachie Neale.
A heap to get through in this one – not all good for the Lions, and not all bad for the Saints. Time to jump into The Mongrel’s Big Questions.
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