Brisbane Lions v West Coast Eagles
Eagles to the Slaughter?
OR
Welcome to the Jungle
A week after one of the Eagles’ worst performances in their illustrious history, the boys from the west have the misfortune of traveling across the nation for a date with the reigning Premier, the Brisbane Lions. Such an arduous journey to the Gabbatoir will test the mettle of the Eagles players, support staff and newly appointed Coach Andrew McQualter.
Nobody in their right mind expects the Eagles to win, so what is an honourable loss?
That is a really good question, as Richmond suffered a 12-goal loss to the Power on Saturday, but there was a lot of positives to come from the match for the young Tiger cubs, while on the other hand, the Bombers are being scorned for their lacklustre capitulation to the Crows. I dare not answer that question until I see what the old and young Eagles dish up today.
Brief History of the Lions v Eagles
Both clubs have won four Premierships in the modern AFL era, and both clubs, along with Geelong, would rate just under the Hawks as the most successful clubs since 1990, yet they have never met in a final during that period. It is rather bizarre that when one of these clubs is going through a successful period, the other club bottoms out. Further, I cannot think of one Lions v Eagles match that sticks out in my memory as being a classic.
So, we come to 23rd March 2025, whereby the Lions are expected to win this match by well over 50-points and further demoralise a Weagles outfit which is already demoralised. The forecast of hot and very humid conditions will test the fitness staff of both teams.
How to review both teams
Unless there is a miracle in Brisbane today, the Lions should easily slaughter the Eagles, so what am I looking for from teams?
The Lions will unfurl the 2024 Flag before the start of play today, and it would be expected they would want to honour their success with a win. For the Lions I will be reviewing the 2025 Lions as a club trying to gain early season victories and percentage for later in the season.
Last season the Lions started the season like they had been shot, and as a result they finished outside the top four and they had the win the Premiership the hardest way possible. It was a great performance, but the hierarchy at the Gabba would be aware they need to finish top four if they are to go back-to-back.
As for the Eagles, where do I start? Last week against the Gold Coast the senor players did not lead the way for the youngsters coming through the system. Tim Kelly, Liam Duggan, Liam Baker, Jamie Cripps, Oscar Allen, Jayden Hunt, Matthew Owies (you are a senior player in this team) and even the ever-reliable Jeremy McGovern let the team down last week, and while anybody can have a bad game, that doesn’t excuse lack of effort and leadership.
Players like Reuben Ginbey, Ryan Maric and Ellijah Hewitt all tried hard last week, but they were looking for on field leadership.
A pass mark for the Eagles at the Gabbatoir cannot be based on winning, but rather the effort of all players and the leadership of the senior group.
As for Harley Reid, the darling of the Western Australian media, he neeeds to show something that justifies the number of headlines and publicity you receive each week.
Eagles to the slaughter?
At the end of the day the Lions won this match by 19-points, and they move on to next, however they nearly let this one slip against a gallant Eagles team lead tirelessly by Tim Kelly and Jeremy McGovern for the whole match, and for three quarters by Liam Baker and Liam Duggan. So, let’s break it down.
Defence wins games
In the opening quarter the entire Lions backline was nullified by a spirited opponent lead by Liam Ryan and an unknown hero, Tyrell Dewar, as they put the Lions defence to the sword and dominated the first quarter and a bit, leaving Dayne Zorko publicly dressing down his fellow defenders at quarter time.
Mind you, Zorko had only one possession for the quarter, so his outburst may have been some self reflection as much as it was directed at Andrews, Fletcher, Dunkley or whoever else was in ear shot.
In the second quarter, Harris Andrews and Ryan Lester lifted their work rate which brought Zorko and Jaspa Fletcher into the match as the game evened out.
In the second half, Harris Andrews, Ryan Lester, Dayne Zorko, Jaspa Fletcher and Darcy Wilmot put up an impenetrable wall to thwart the Eagles onslaught, time after time. It seemed like Andrews and Lester had the ball on a string with Andrews taking 12 marks, Lester taking nine, while the free roaming Fletcher also clunked nine marks, and Zorko ran amok. After quarter time this highly talented defensive unit got to work and put down the foundations for the Lions win.
I could concentrate on a lot of aspects of this game as to why the Lions eventual won, but it was the ability of the defence to shut down the Eagles forwards who had exposed them early in the match.
Oscar Allen needs to be a Leader
Before I get hate mail from the west, I am a fan of Oscar Allen, however, he is not the type of player to stand up when the team needs a leader to go above and beyond to win a match. With Waterman out of the team, Allen needed to do more to support a red hot Liam Ryan and his other forwards.
Liam Ryan is an enigmatic player. When he is on, he is great to watch, and for a least three-quarters he was on today and he took youngsters Tyrell Dewar, Tyler Brockman, Clay Hall and Elijah Hewitt along for the ride with him. Having said that, the young Eagles needed Allen to fulfill his role as leader, instead of dumb leaps to try and take mark of the year while giving away critical freekicks.
Fully Fit Players are a Non-Negotiable
In the middle of the third quarter when the game was on the line a lot of Eagles players cramped up or completely or faded in the hot humid conditions. Big Oscar McInerney was having an intriguing battle with Bailey Williams in the ruck, and if Williams had played out the match, I would have highlighted the duel as a great man-on-man battle. Alas, Williams succumbed to cramp so bad he had to be subbed off.
Next in line to tackle the Big O was second game player Archer Reid, who lasted about twenty-minutes before he succumbed to muscle soreness and cramp, and in the end, the undersized Reuben Ginbey, who was having a good game down back, was sacrificed to take on the rucking duties.
At the same time, Liam Baker, who was probably best on ground in the first half looked totally distressed by the conditions with his shorts halfway down his bum with his Reg Grundies showing, as he also failed to run out the match. Other players, including Liam Duggan and Tom Cole, looked spent by the last quarter. As one Eagle player after another succumbed to the conditions, the chances of the Lions winning the match became inevitable.
Hats off the often-maligned Tim Kelly, who played one of the best games I have seen from him in a time. Also, special mention to Tyrell Dewar, Ryan Maric, Reuben Ginbey, Liam Ryan, Jayden Hunt and Mr Reliable in defence, Jeremy McGovern for fighting the game out to the end.
I watched the Eagles in Round One, and I thought they looked underdone, which was confirmed this week. This was a game of attrition in the conditions, and by games end the Lions preparation and match hardened bodies survived the conditions better than the Eagles
How Good are Lachie Neale, Josh Dunkley, Hugh McCluggage and Dayne Zorko?
It is a rhetorical question, as we all know, they are sublime.
Lachie Neale
Neale dropped his colours last week to James Jordon, but like a true champion he fought back this week with skill and determination. Early in the match it looked as if Liam Baker was going to be the game changer, but the longer this match went on the stronger and more influential Neale became, and by the end of the game he probably secured three Brownlow votes. Some of his pinpoint passing on the run is simply brilliant.
Josh Dunkley
Josh Dunkley is a beast who is dangerous in all positions on the ground, he can kick goals, go back and defend and seemingly he never wastes a possession. Dunkley has an uncanny ability to dominate a game before the opposition players and coaches even realise his dominance.
Hugh McCluggage
I am not sure if McCluggage rubs oil or grease over his body before a match as he is a hard man to stop in a tackle and bring to ground. His speed and peripheral vision, matched with ability to pinpoint a teammate is surreal. Hugh is central to the Lions success.
Dayne Zorko
Travis Boak, Scott Pendlebury, Tex Walker and Dayne Zorko are all players who are not defined by age as week after week they are in their teams’ best players. Zorko, like his cohorts, can be grumpy occasionally, but when he is his teammates stop and listen, they will follow his example. I watched with interested how the Lions back six performed after Zorko’s quarter time spray, and to a man they all played their role and lifted as a unit.
Reuben Ginbey v Harley Reid
Ginbey and Reid (of the Harley variety) are similar in age and in games played, and while one comes with an enormous price tag, the other is bargain-basement special who has delivered more than expected.
Similarities between Reuben and Harley; both are at the starts of their careers, both are very tough and will not take a backward step, both belong in the big league, and both have skillsets that are the envy of others.
Ginbey has developed into a strong, team-first type of player who is patiently learning his craft from Jeremy McGovern, and he is relishing his opportunities in the big time. Ginbey will be one of those solid, backbone of the club type players who plays 200 game or more, and he will be feared and respected by his opponents.
Harley Reid, on the other hand, is currently a Ferreri being driven by kid who doesn’t quite understand the power he has in has in his hands. Harley knows he is a class player in the making and when the flopping, or kneeing Neale in a tackle, or similar like behaviour disappears from his game, the full talent of Harley will be realised. At this stage of his career, he has only shown glimpses of the talent within, but there must come a time (sooner rather than later) when the theatrics disappear and talent within surfaces.
Reuben Ginbey as a player is like Glenn Archer; fearless, tough and always willing to put team first, and it wouldn’t hurt Harley to be more like Reuben in his attitude to the game. Also, it wouldn’t hurt the club to let Harley have a few one-on-one sessions with Chris Judd about leadership.
How big a loss is Joey Daniher?
In the third quarter today, Callum Ah-Chee kicked three goals in quick succession to bring the Lions back into the match in a similar burst that was the trademark of Joey Daniher. It was exciting to watch Callum as he kept on getting out the back running to the loose ball and kicking the goals that matter, but is Ah-Chee the long-term answer?
The answer is probably ‘yeah nah’, as Joey was a unique kind of player. Ah-Chee will be that player occasionally, but on any given weekend, it could be Logan Morris, Cam Rayner, Zac Bailey, Kai Lohmann, Charlie Cameron, or one of the midfielders having a blinder.
Personally, at some point this year the loss of Joey will hit home for the Lions coaching staff and how Chris Fagan and his staff shuffle the decks will be one of the more interesting conundrums they will ponder as the Lions attempt back-to-back success.
I have left Eric Hipwood out of the above group on purpose, mainly because Eric is a unique forward in his own right, at times maligned, but capable of winning a game of his own boot in his own way.
Tyrell Dewar
Honestly, I have never seen this kid play before, but what I saw today was breathtaking. Two goals and 20 possessions doesn’t quite sum how impressive Dewar was today. This kid has a huge tank, and he can run all day. He was meant to be in the forward line but he chased the ball from one length of the field to the other, gathering possessions along as he goes, and giving off quality possessions that hit the mark.
Tyrell Dewar would be my choice for the Rising Star this week.
What have I left out?
Ryan Maric is starting to string a few good games together and he is becoming a player the Eagles can rely on for consistency week to week. Maric didn’t tire when others around him did today, as he gathered 26 hard-earned possessions.
Until three-quarter time I was going to suggest Logan Morris may need a break for a week or two, but in the last quarter he took the necessary contested marks in the forward line and kicked two goals which put the Lions in front. He played the last quarter with a maturity not expected from one so young. With a Premiership Medal already his neck, this kid has a great future.
Brady Hough was impressive for the Eagles, but he has to learned to stay on his feet. A few times he went to ground at critical times.
Next weekend the Lions host the Cats at the Gabbatoir, who would be smarting a bit after having their pants pulled down by the Saints. A win for teams is vital.
West Coast fly back home as the home team for the Derby against their cross-town rivals, the Dockers. As I write this piece, I do not know the result of the Swans v Dockers match. So, it could be a case of two winless teams squaring off, or the Dockers with a win under their belt. Given the Swans haven’t fired a shot in the first quarter, I dare say the Dockers will have a win under their belt.
