Ah yes, the Big Statements. It was Brisbane making the biggest statement of all, heading down the highway (once they got off the plane) to face Geelong on their home deck on Friday night.
Coming into the contest at Kardinia Park in Round 15, you could have been forgiven for thinking the game was a formality.
I mean, people were there to celebrate the individual, weren’t they?
It was Patrick Dangerfield’s 350th game, and really, it became pretty obvious the Brisbane Lions, given the way the game played out, could not give a rat’s ass about his milestone. They were focused on the task at hand, and that was recording a win at a venue they had not won at in a generation.
With an intensity befitting the reigning premiers, the Lions carved the Cats up, humbling them in the first half, as they continually ripped the footy away from the contest and left the Geelong superstars appearing flat-footed on turnover.
Defensively, the Lions were on. If you get a chance to look at this game again, watch their defensive positioning. They were ready to stop the Cats in their tracks should they get going… only, they never really got started.
So good were the Lions that it took multiple 50-metre penalties to give the Cats a sniff. Had it not been for those, and a standalone effort from Jeremy Cameron, this really could have been ugly.
Know what’s funny?
Coming into the game, nobody spoke of just how good the Lions have been on the road. All the attention seemed to be on other things. Brisbane had won five away games. They made it six in this one, which was the number Sydney reached in 2024 home and away season to be the best road team in the game.
The Lions are on their way back to September, people. If you are wise, you’d be keeping a very close eye on them.
Let’s jump into The Mongrel’s Big Statements.
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