BRISBANE LIONS 3.6 4.15 10.20 14.23 (107) GOLD COAST 4.2 7.5 12.7 14.10 (94)
GOALS: Brisbane Lions: Hanley 2, Bell 2, Cutler 2, Christensen, Zorko, Green, Schache, Taylor, Bastinac, Bewick, Martin. Gold Coast: Lynch 5, Sexton 2, Hall, Cameron, Martin, Rischitelli, Rosa, Malceski, Day.
BEST: Brisbane Lions: Hanley, Rich, Bell, Zorko, Bewick, Robinson. Gold Coast: Lynch, Malceski, Hall, Ablett, Day, Prestia.
INJURIES: Brisbane Lions: McStay (virus) replaced in selected side by Dawson; Martin (concussion).
REPORTS: Gold Coast: May (charge TBA)
UMPIRES: Donlon, Chamberlain, Wallace. CROWD: 20,041 at Gabba.
The AFL loves local rivalries. Sometimes the animus is real, between both clubs and fans, and goes back decades or even a century. More recently, as the game has expanded, rivalries between new teams are softer, and need a little geeing-up.
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Like, say, the Brisbane Lions and the Gold Coast. The two cities are 80 kilometres apart, have different cultures and frankly don't take too much notice of each other at the best of times – and this in a non-AFL state. But at half-time at the Gabba on Saturday, at what's absurdly known as the QClash, suddenly the rivalry was real.
There was blood, and a bit of thunder too. Dayne Zorko had already left the ground with a towel over his head, the victim of an accidental knee from Tom Nicholls. But that was nothing compared to what erupted just short of half-time, when the Suns' Steven May left the ground and drove his shoulder into Stefan Martin's head.
Martin was unconscious probably before he hit the turf, spread-eagled. The crowd erupted. So did the Lions' players, who ran to remonstrate with May. The defender has a poor record at the tribunal – he's been found guilty four times of rough conduct, and once of striking.
Moreover, in the corresponding QClash last year, he ironed out Lions captain Tom Rockliff. He was probably unlucky to be suspended on that occasion, but there was nothing especially ambiguous about this incident. He was booed for the rest of the match, and is likely to be referred straight to the tribunal.
Ugly as it was, it brought the contest to life. The Lions, unexpectedly, were outplaying the Suns. Yet they were playing catch-up on the scoreboard, victims of their own atrocious kicking for goal.
Several Suns were down. Jack Martin, so good last week against Carlton, was barely sighted. Gary Ablett was quiet by his standards; so too Aaron Hall. The one Sun who continued to shine was Tom Lynch, whose contested marking was so good he might as well have been plucking passing swallows from the air. By three-quarter-time – with the Lions having hit the front by a point – Lynch, already with five goals, looked like the only player standing between the home side and an unlikely victory. The Lions had 10.20 on the scoreboard, 11 more scoring shots than the Suns, and were killing their opponents for contested ball.
So it was that the Lions, despite the obvious skill deficit, entered the last quarter with the momentum, their opponents on the back foot, and the crowd at their backs. In the fourth minute, they split the Suns open, and Allen Christensen found himself loose in the goal square.
It left the Lions five points up; the question was whether they could find the class to finish the job. Alex Sexton and Hall replied for the Suns; then Tom Cutler evened things up for the Lions. Pearce Hanley, whose influence had grown as the match went on, snapped a goal that gave the Lions back the lead.
Finally, it was Ryan Bastinac who drove a dagger through the Suns' heart with a set shot that saw the home side prevail through sheer weight of numbers and opportunities, Hanley again setting up the play. He had 11 possessions in that last quarter, all of them crucial, to take out best on ground honours.