Source :- THE AGE NEWS
The Brisbane Lions lost their first final last year. What happened next? A barnstorming run through their semi-final and preliminary final, back to the big dance, and another premiership to top it all off.
They’re on track for a repeat dose this year after obliterating the Crows at the Gabba in what became Adelaide favourite son Taylor Walker’s farewell game.
Scott Spits (Brisbane Lions) and Steve Barrett (Adelaide) run their eye over every player in from the semi-final.
Brisbane Lions
(1) Kai Lohmann: He was creative for most of the match, kicking the opening goal after only 30 seconds. Just as importantly, he put a block on and allowed Zac Bailey to kick his opener after four minutes. 8/10
(2) Sam Draper: Tried and tried but was not among Brisbane’s best as the club’s second ruck. Had close to 60 per cent game time. 4.5/10
(3) Jaspa Fletcher: A good game by the 22-year-old, who is fast approaching 100 matches. He got plenty of early touches (seven in the first quarter) as Brisbane set up their impressive victory. 6/10
(4) Oscar Allen: There could be a “watch” on the former Eagle after tonight. He had just five touches by the final break and two behinds. The Lions will want a bit more out of him in their flag push. 4/10
(5) Josh Dunkley: One of the Lions’ best and typically strong at the coalface. He did the one-percenters regularly (no surprise there), and spent time on Izak Rankine and nullified his influence. He got plenty of the ball himself, too. 8/10
(6) Hugh McCluggage: Yet again, he didn’t get a lot of the ball for a player of his class. It was notable that Chris Fagan came to his defence during the week. McCluggage has had his injury woes this year, but importantly he was up and going early when the Lions stoned the Crows with five goals in eight minutes. 7/10
(7) Jarrod Berry: He finished with 19 touches and was a solid contributor. Unfortunately, Berry was off-line with an early shot at goal when the Lions were heaving. By that stage, Brisbane had 10 forward entries to Adelaide’s zero. 6/10
(8) Will Ashcroft: Despite their qualifying final loss, the Lions have again set themselves up perfectly for another flag push, and Ashcroft’s form reflects that. He got better and better as the match wore on, as the Lions found their groove ahead of next week’s preliminary final against the Hawks. The two-time Norm Smith medallist finished with 30 touches. 8.5/10
(9) Lachie Neale: The veteran star was not among Brisbane’s match-winners, but he still picked up 21 possessions as others lifted around him. That’s probably a good sign for the Lions as they eye off a hat-trick of flags, and needing a multitude of contributors 6.5/10
(10) Levi Ashcroft: Quiet by his standards, he spent time on star Crows skipper Jordan Dawson and was probably shaded by him. 5.5/10
(13) Logan Morris: He slotted a brilliant snap goal after eight minutes in the third quarter when he finally got on the board. It gave the Lions a 50-point lead – basically snuffing out any Adelaide hopes. He left the game in the final quarter with injury. 5.5/10
(15) Dayne Zorko: It was a strong game from the super-veteran. Zorko was the other Lion (aside from Zac Bailey) to re-sign during the week, and he showed why they still want him in the side. The 37-year-old kicked a ripping goal in the third quarter and led the Lions for metres gained. 7/10
(16) Cam Rayner: He was oozing with confidence throughout and was involved in plenty of key moments. By midway through the second quarter Rayner already had five score involvements. Go back and witness his goal – Brisbane’s fifth – when he took Alex Neal-Bullen on and kicked beautifully. It gave the Lions a 31-point lead and the tone was set. 9/10
(22) Ty Gallop: He came into the side to replace the injured Noah Answerth. He did his bit with at least 10 touches. 5/10
(23) Charlie Cameron: A non-factor in the Lions’ qualifying final loss to the Swans, in this sudden-death clash he proved his worth and much more. He had his first goal after 90 seconds (Brisbane’s second) and his second after 23 minutes. Cameron is clearly an “energy” player, and with a return of 5.3 against his former side, the Lions and coach Fagan will be rapt. 8/10
(26) Conor McKenna: He had a real crack but was in and out of the game. He finished with 13 touches and 1.2. Look back to his early “toe-poke” pass to Lohmann for a goal. 5.5/10
(27) Darcy Gardiner: The big man was largely quiet but typically handy for Brisbane’s team defence. 5/10
(30) Eric Hipwood: I quite liked his game. He regularly gave the Lions something to kick to and played an important role with Morris and Allen both a bit hot and cold. He kicked a goal in the last quarter and finished with 2.1. 7/10
(31) Harris Andrews: He played an intriguing game. The star defender didn’t hit his usual heights, but with so many teammates in hot form against the Crows, that mattered less. He manned Riley Thilthorpe for much of the game and won. Strangely, Andrews picked up a shot at goal in the first quarter after a double 50-metre penalty. His rare chance to score was offline. 6/10
(32) Darcy Fort: Solid and dependable as Brisbane’s first ruck. He split the points with Adelaide’s Lachlan McAndrew. 5.5/10
(33) Zac Bailey: What a game by the newly re-signed gun. Ever classy by foot, he was nothing short of brilliant – ironically against the club that desperately wanted him. He had a stack of score involvements and was one of the five Lions to get on the board in the first eight minutes. He finished with 23 touches and kicked 3.3. 8.5/10
(35) Ryan Lester: A quality contributor, Lester was heavily involved in the win from the start. Witness a strong defensive effort on the wing (a punch from behind) that helped set the mood. Quirkily, like Andrews, Lester had a rare shot at goal in the first term, but missed. 8/10
(44) Darcy Wilmot: He did his bit. He got enough of the ball and was more than solid in defence and playing as a link player. Thumbs up for an important player in Fagan’s all-conquering side. 6.5/10
Adelaide
(2) Ben Keays: Two consolation goals in the first half almost masked a forgettable night for the defensive forward. Normally such a spark plug in attack, Keays was unsighted when the whips were cracking and was soundly trumped by Zorko. 4/10
(3) Sam Berry: The hardworking onballer was one Adelaide player who could hold his head high. Berry did his best to stem Brisbane’s early onslaught, chalking up five first-quarter clearances by himself. He finished with a game-high 31 disposals. 7.5/10
(4) Callum Ah Chee: Other than a sprayed shot out on the full early, Ah Chee struggled to get involved early doors at his old stomping ground. He had just three touches in the first half before spending time on the wing in the third term and getting more involved. 5/10
(6) Daniel Curtin: A big second half saw him finish with 22 disposals and seven clearances. Curtin booted the Crows’ first goal and played predominantly on the ball, but he – like many of his mates – wasn’t able to stop Brisbane’s game-breaking mids. 7/10
(7) Riley Thilthorpe: Had his hands full with Andrews in the first half before playing much better footy after the main break, booting two goals and using his body well against the Lions’ skipper. Thilthorpe’s contest was strong, but his ball use wasn’t quite up to scratch. 5/10
(8) Josh Rachele: Enjoyed a second-quarter purple patch when he slotted a major and then handed another one off to Darcy Fogarty. But otherwise, Rachele – fresh off a three-goal haul against the Bulldogs – had a poor evening. He conceded an early 50-metre penalty and was thrashed in the air by Lester. 2/10
(12) Jordan Dawson: He gave it everything he had with 30 touches and 512m gained, but his normally pristine ball use was missing, going at 50 per cent disposal efficiency. Dawson’s six first-quarter tackles said as much about the Lions’ dominance as it did about his own never-say-die approach. 7.5/10
(13) Taylor Walker: Ended his AFL journey with two fourth-quarter goals – to finish with 715 for his career – after being frustrated throughout the first three terms. Not an ending he wanted in his 319th and last top-flight game, but what a star he has been. 4/10
(14) Jake Soligo: Adelaide needed more from him – for much of the home-and-away campaign and in both finals. Soligo was part of the midfield rotation, but struggled to get his hands on the footy. 3.5/10
(15) Brayden Cook: The crafty wingman’s usually clean ball use was a touch ragged and, aside from one neat goal assist early, he struggled to influence the match. 4/10
(16) Max Michalanney: There’s no lonelier place on an AFL field than one-out against Cameron in the mood he was in. Michalanney, normally a reliable stopper, was absolutely torched by the Lions’ brilliant goalsneak in the first half, before being mercifully moved to the wing. 1/10
(19) Zac Taylor: After missing the elimination final with a hamstring injury, Taylor ratified his recall instant by providing pressure and contest, while splitting minutes between half-forward and the centre-square. All up, 10 of his 17 possessions were contested. 6.5/10
(23) Izak Rankine: The highest-rated player in the AFL since round 17 was due a downer – and a downer he had, thanks chiefly to the disciplined, iron-fisted glove of Dunkley. Rankine was kickless at quarter-time and still had just two at the half. He was given more room to roam after half-time, but it just wasn’t his night. 5/10
(24) Josh Worrell: After enjoying the game of his life against the Bulldogs, when he racked up an AFL finals record 19 intercept possessions, Worrell wasn’t allowed anywhere near the same the influence to make plays. Although he still finished with 18 touches, he had just four of them by half-time. 5/10
(27) Luke Nankervis: He played major minutes on the wing before taking on the Cameron job late. Nankervis snared a magnificent mark over Levi Ashcroft and goaled to give the Crows a glimmer late in the first period, but otherwise was quiet. 4.5/10
(28) Alex Neal-Bullen: Splitting time between wing and half-forward, the experienced ex-Demon didn’t have a huge impact, particularly in the first half. 5.5/10
(29) Rory Laird: The experienced half-back flanker never waved the white flag, but didn’t give the Lions too many major headaches either. 6/10
(30) Wayne Milera: The dashing All-Australian half-back wasn’t afforded the same time and space that he enjoyed a week earlier against the Bulldogs. Normally so calm and creative, his disposal was hurried thanks to the Lions’ pressure. Kicked a neat late goal. 6/10
(32) Darcy Fogarty: Conceded a horror 100m penalty in a forgettable opening term before springing to life in the second quarter, spearheading Adelaide’s revival by booting two goals and assisting another one to Rachele. But he was unsighted too often. 4.5/10
(35) James Borlase: Quiet for four quarters, he rarely intercepted and struggled to have much involvement, despite how much time the Sherrin spent in Brisbane’s attacking area. 3/10
(40) Hugo Hall-Kahan: The unsung half-back has barely put a foot wrong since being picked up in the mid-season draft. He wasted very few of his 27 disposals, racked up plenty of metres of rebound and contested well in the air and on the ground. A real find. 7.5/10
(42) Lachlan McAndrew: After shading Tim English last week, the towering ruckman had his hands full with Draper and Fort. McAndrew matched them both in the air, but it was harder for him on the deck. 6/10
(48) Mark Keane: He struggled all night with an aggressive Hipwood, finishing with four kicks and virtually no impact. 2/10
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