Week 4 has two games and this is the first! We're at Brighton Homes Arena to take on the Western Bulldogs.

Who: Brisbane Lions vs Western Bulldogs
Where: Brighton Homes Arena
When: Wednesday 18th September at 7:15pm (local)
Gates Open: 6:00pm, entry from gates 1 & 6
Entry Conditions: Please read here

Weekly Notices → None at the moment, check back later!

Tickets → On sale now for just $15!!

We encourage fans to buy tickets online, before arriving at Brighton Homes Arena. Those who are hoping to buy from the ground will need to scan one of the available QR Codes to do so. The event is a Mobile Only Ticketing event, this means your phone is your ticket, for the best experience, we recommend you download, login and add tickets to your mobile wallet via the  Ticketmaster App before you get to the venue. Our enhanced digital tickets means that you won’t be able to use screenshots of tickets to get into the venue, please transfer any additional tickets prior to arrival.

Please ensure your mobile phone is charged to allow your tickets to scan on arrival at the venue. If you do have issues accessing your ticket, please visit our Box Office with your ID and Order Number and our team can assist you on the day. Any other questions on Mobile Ticketing head to Ticketmaster Mobile Tickets.

Parking Tickets → Secure a park at Car Park 3 here

Lions Park → The kids will enjoy face painting, bungee trampolines and footy drills.

Food & Drinks → We took your feedback from last year and added a heap of new food and drink options for the 2024 season! The on-site cafe, Roar Espresso will be pumping out all the fan-favourite footy feeds you all love. PLUS we'll have six epic food trucks parks in the stadium: Joy Turkish Truck, Catch & Kiss Truck, Little Malaysia Truck, Motha Trucka, Miss P Icecream and Brazzo Boys. We also have two shipping container outlets, The Captain's Bar & XXXX Bar. Additionally there is a Coffee Cart and the Youi Community BBQ.

What is the Youi Community Hill and Canteen? This space has been proudly developed in partnership with Youi and Brisbane Lions Football Club to celebrate our passion for footy and community. ‘The Hill’ is a gathering spot for all local players and supporters to come together and roar with pride for our Lions. Our ‘Community Canteen’ helps local clubs raise funds that go directly back to the community. This weekend, you can support local legends  by purchasing sausage sangas and drinks. While Youi and the Lions created this space, we want you to make it your own. Go Lions!

Lions Shop → Our main shop is located near gate 1, inside next to reception. We will also have a Lions Pop Up Shop outside on the concourse available between 4:00pm til final siren for you to get your merch fix! 

Address  → 16 Eden Station Drive, Springfield Central 4300

Train → The easiest way to get to Brighton Homes Arena is by train to Springfield Central Station. Your event ticket entitles you to TRAVEL FREE, to and from matches, on the Queensland Rail City Network (excluding Airtrain). Starting at Redcliffe you can get a direct train to the Springfield Central, stopping right at our Gate 1 entrance. Jump on from all the major stations in the city; Bowen Hills, Fortitude Valley, Central & Roma Street and you'll be out at Springfield Central in roughly 30mins!
^{Remember to always plan your trip: Additional Springfield Line Information - Additional Translink Event Information}

Bus → Several route services service Springfield Central / Orion Shopping Centre including Route 526, 527, 528.

Drive → Our highway exit is 32. Paid parking is available for purchase in Carpark 3. Limited street parking is available on Australia Ave. Alternatively the Springfield Park 'n' Ride located on Springfield Greenbank Arterial has plenty of parks and is only a short walk from Gate 1.

Accessible Parking → Accessible parking is available at Springfield Central Station accessible parking. Spaces are on a first come basis.

Drop Off/Pick Up → Available at Springfield Central Train Station. Vehicles cannot remain here and will need to find parking offsite. 

Bike & Walking → Bike and walking paths are available to access the stadium, including a dedicated path parallel to Mountain Creek. Bike racks are available at Springfield Central Station.

Arena map:

Watch → Free to air on 7Mate or stream on Fox Sport, Kayo, AFLW Official App or AFL Live Official App

Brisbane will uncomfortably wear the ‘favourites’ tag against a struggling Western Bulldogs side without its greatest player for the first time ever. This week’s deep dive into the numbers and statistics reveals more than you may think as an old rivalry resumes.

What were you doing in February 2018?

The last time that Brisbane hosted Western Bulldogs in the AFLW, the competition had eight teams, there was no 5-6-5 rule, and Taylor Smith had not played a game of senior football. It’s been a while.

After playing each other three times in the first two years of the AFLW, the Lions and Bulldogs have met just twice since, Brisbane winning both times by 32 points to claim a 3-2 head-to-head advantage. The second Wednesday AFLW game in history could almost be regarded as a new start to the rivalry between two of the league’s originals.

The originals of the originals

Ally Anderson has played every AFLW game for Brisbane and Ellie Blackburn every game for the Western Bulldogs… until now. Blackburn’s season-ending injury last Thursday forces the Tricolours to face life without her for the first time after 71 consecutive matches. There is no good time for a team to lose its best player, but playing the defending premiers when you’ve won one of your last 14 matches isn’t exactly a Christmas wish.

“Never waste the opportunity provided by a good crisis” - Machiavelli

The injury to Ellie Blackburn can in no way be described as “good”, but the crisis gives every Daughter of the West the opportunity to show that she has another level in her.

Isabelle Pritchard is not your typical AFLW inside midfielder. At 178cm, she is taller than every Brisbane on-baller, has a powerful left foot as displayed by her early goal against the Eagles last Thursday, and has been outperforming Blackburn for uncontested possessions (27), pressure acts (56) and tackles (23). The Lions haven’t faced Pritchard since she was a winger in her sixth match over two years ago. Whatever they learned about her that day will be of no use now.

Elaine Grigg was the player that people who saw last year’s South Australia Under 18 team went home raving about having gone to the match to watch Lauren Young. Grigg averaged 18 disposals per match moving between the midfield and half-forward. In her first year of AFLW, Grigg leads the Bulldogs for tackles inside forward 50 (5 out of 16 tackles overall) but has also shown an ability to keep her feet and follow those tackles with driving kicks for her key forwards. Giving the speedster more time on the ball is not out of the question.

Tall attitude

The loss of Blackburn also provides an opportunity for Season 7 All-Australian ruck Alice Edmonds, currently equal first in the league for hit-outs to advantage (31 - Tahlia Hickie is 8^th with 21). Brisbane’s on-ballers may find that Edmonds varies her hit-outs more than previously as she makes greater use of Pritchard, Grigg, and the tough-tackling Dominique Carruthers (equal 4^th in the AFLW with 27). Pritchard and Carruthers have more pressure acts in 2024 (56 and 52 respectively) than any Brisbane player (Belle Dawes and Courtney Hodder have 47 each) but a new configuration may give them more chances to attack.

Evidence for Machiavelli

Brisbane is Exhibit A in showing what can happen if you make the most of losing key players. With an entrenched game plan built around high pressure, the Lions are in a position where Craig Starcevich can rotate players during the congested fixture period and the team will still play like the Lions.

Evie Long gained a reputation through her Lions Academy, Queensland Under 18 and Sandgate Hawks days as a slick runner through opposition defences, but when ‘Starce’ notes a player’s “work ethic”, that usually means they’ve learned how to use their endurance to maintain pressure for four quarters. If Long has combined that with the skill that saw her bag a four-minute hat-trick for Queensland against the Allies last year, Lions fans are in for a treat.

Making up new numbers

The danger for opponents is that, having long dominated the pressure stats that Starcevich carries as he marches towards each post-match press conference, there are signs that the Lions are improving at the old school stats as well. Against Collingwood, Belle Dawes and Taylor Smith had nine score involvements each, one short of Dawes’ club record set against Hawthorn last year; Sophie Conway equalled the club record for inside-50s with seven; and Nat Grider, on a night when Brisbane’s tackle count was only marginally above its season average, pulled out a personal best with 10 tackles.

Approaching statistical milestones

Belle Dawes averages 8.3 contested possessions per match and needs 8 to join Ally Anderson and Emily Bates with 500 for the Lions. Orla O’Dwyer’s first uncontested possession will make her the fifth Lion to complete 400 (also Anderson, Bates, Sophie Conway and Bre Koenen).

Tahlia Hickie begins Round 4 with 96 marks and 98 clearances in her career while Jade Ellenger needs one more inside-50 entry for a century.

In the AFLW’s only ‘hump day’ match to date, 427 fans watched GWS host St Kilda in season six. That’s one record everyone can help break.

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE

For the second time inside a week, Taylor Smith and Sophie Conway have starred for Brisbane as they cruised past the Western Bulldogs by 47 points at Brighton Homes Arena on Wednesday night.

It was always likely to be one-way traffic against the winless Dogs, who are now missing skipper Ellie Blackburn for the remainder of the season, and the Lions wasted no time on the way to a 11.15 (81) to 5.4 (34) victory.

The now have a 3-1 record and will board a flight to Perth on Thursday to face West Coast on Sunday for their third game in 10 days.

The premier dominated early, recording 17 inside 50s to one in the first quarter to establish a 22-point advantage that was never challenged.

Brisbane played without spearhead Dakota Davidson, who was the latest of late withdrawals with illness, but it made little difference as Smith starred in the front half of the ground.

Just five days after kicking three goals in a win over Collingwood, the languid left-footer slotted a career-high four to continue a fine start to 2024.

Conway backed up her best-on-ground performance against the Magpies with another brilliant performance, kicking 2.2 from her 22 disposals, as coach Craig Starcevich continued to use her in a more midfield dominant role

Conway was damaging by foot, gaining 633m – almost double the next highest on the ground – and mixed in some rugged defensive pressure with eight tackles.

Belle Dawes (20 and a goal) and Ally Anderson (25) were also instrumental in the win.

One of the biggest celebrations of the night came late in the fourth quarter, when Lions players mobbed Luka Yoshida-Martin, who kicked a goal in her first game back following a ruptured ACL last year.

It was far from the perfect performance from Brisbane, as the Bulldogs showed plenty of bite, particularly after half-time.

Trailing by 33 at the half, the Dogs kicked four goals, and conceded just five, in the second half.

Isabelle Pritchard (19 disposals and five clearances) and Sarah Hartwig (two goals) were their team's best players.

No Daks, no worries
Dakota Davidson ran out with Brisbane's team but was pulled from the 21 with illness just prior to the centre bounce, paving the way for Luka Yoshida-Martin to get a game. In Davidson's absence, Taylor Smith played the role of key target inside 50, and the lanky left-footer delivered. Just days after kicking three goals against Collingwood, she bagged another four, grabbing two contested marks and mixing in mobility at ground level to make herself a difficult opponent to cover.

Some bark from the Dogs
This looked like it might get ugly early, but to the Bulldogs' credit, they fought back and threw some punches at the premiers. After kicking just four goals in their first three winless matches to start the season, it looked like being another tough day as they trailed by 33 at half-time. However, following goals by Elaine Grigg and Elle Bennetts in the third quarter, the Dogs grew in confidence and began challenging Brisbane's defence. Isabelle Pritchard was excellent, while Sarah Hartwig (2.2 from 11 disposals) was dangerous from limited opportunities.

Up next
Brisbane is on the plane to Perth on Thursday to prepare for its four-day turnaround ahead of facing West Coast on Sunday at 3.05pm AWST. Likewise, the Dogs have a four-day break, heading back to Melbourne to face Collingwood at Victoria Park on Sunday at 3.05pm AEST.

BRISBANE     3.4       6.5       8.13     11.15 (81)
WESTERN BULLDOGS         0.0       1.2       3.3       5.4 (34)

GOALS
Brisbane: Smith 4, Conway 2, C.Svarc, Hodder, Hartill, Dawes, Yoshida-Martin
Western Bulldogs: Hartwig 2, Grigg, Berry, Bennetts

BEST 
Brisbane: Conway, Dawes, Smith, Anderson, Koenen, Mullins

Western Bulldogs: Pritchard, Hartwig, Fitzgerald, Grant, Ahrens

INJURIES
Brisbane: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Nil

LATE CHANGES
Brisbane: Dakota Davidson (illness) replaced in selected side by Luka Yoshida-Martin
Western Bulldogs: Nil

Reports: Nil

Crowd: 2712 at Brighton Homes Arena