Match Preview: Round 11 v Brisbane Lions
Where and When: Saturday, June 29 at 2.10pm AEST, Gabba
Last time they met: The Lions notched a 20-point win over the GIANTS on our home turf in round seven last year, kicking 13.10 to the GIANTS’ 10.8. Brisbane made the faster start, kicking the first four goals of the game, and after the GIANTS ground their way back into it scored three in a row at the start of the last quarter to set up the win. While soon-to-be Brownlow Medallist was well held by Matt de Boer, the Lions got plenty from the likes of Dayne Zorko, Jarrod Berry and Jarryd Lyons, while Zac Bailey, Cameron Rayner and Charlie Cameron kicked two goals apiece. Stephen Coniglio, Lachie Whitfield and Josh Kelly were two of the GIANTS’ biggest ball-winners, as Tim Taranto returned from shoulder surgery, while Harry Himmelberg kicked three goals.
Where to watch: https://www.afl.com.au/broadcast-guide-premiership
What it means for the GIANTS: The GIANTS jumped up onto the top eight following last week’s win over the Eagles, one of many gritty victories this year. The Lions will be a tough. It came at a cost – Sam Taylor is the latest GIANT to go down injured – but the midfield is intact, in form and well placed to take on the Lions. After this weekend comes the bye, with games against North Melbourne, Carlton and Hawthorn to follow as the run home begins.
Where’s the opposition at: The Lions sit in fourth spot on the ladder, with seven wins from their 10 games so far. They’ll be coming in off recent wins over Fremantle, Gold Coast and Richmond, and haven’t lost at the Gabba since round one when they fell to Sydney, beating the Tigers, Dockers and Power there in recent weeks. Eric Hipwood and Bailey kicked four goals each in the 29-point win over Richmond, with Hugh McCluggage continuing his excellent season in the midfield.
The number: 2. Not many players have lined up for both the GIANTS and the Lions, and it’s been a while since any of them lined up in orange. Luke Power was of course an inaugural captain of the club alongside Callan Ward and Phil Davis, playing 20 games in 2012 – and passing the 300-game mark overall – before moving into a coaching role. Defender Joel Patfull joined the GIANTS via a trade at the end of 2014 and played the last of his 38 games for the club in the 2016 preliminary final.
In the mix: Taylor’s eight-week ankle injury means the backline will need to be shuffled, with neither Phil Davis (calf) nor Jake Stein (thumb) ready to come back into their senior team, though Irish rookie Callum Brown will be considered having held down a key defensive role in recent weeks for the reserves side. Xavier O’Halloran went unused as the medical sub against West Coast and will push for a recall, as will Tanner Bruhn, Conor Stone and Kieren Briggs, who was excellent returning from the AFL to the VFL side last week. Adam Kennedy is a chance to play his first game for the season, returning from a shoulder reconstruction, but the rest of the troops – de Boer, Brent Daniels, Harry Perryman, Toby Greene, Stephen Coniglio and Jesse Hogan – are still a few weeks away at least.
