A very poor first quarter proved to be the Brisbane Lions’ downfall on Sunday against North Melbourne.
North piled on five goals to none in the opening quarter and had 12 scoring shots to the Lions’ four.
Everything went right from the home side who generated 11 scores from their first 13 inside
An improved second half saw the Lions outscore the Kangaroos by one point, and finish the match with just two less scoring shots.
Accuracy in front of goal was a big issue, with the Lions shooting at 41% compared to North at 68%.
The Lions recovered well to even up contested possessions, while North had a slim advantage in marks inside 50 (+2), inside
87 points
Dayne Beams was easily the Lions’ best player on the day, racking up 32 disposals, five goals, six clearances and four inside
Luke Hodge had a season-high 26 disposals and used the ball well at 88% efficiency.
With the Lions down three men for the entire second half, Cam Rayner spent more time in the midfield than usual and tallied 21 disposals and produced career-highs in clearances (five) and tackles (seven).
Zac Bailey also had one of his better matches for the Lions and drew plenty of praise from Coach Chris Fagan post-match.
"I thought Zac Bailey was fantastic, particularly in the first half," Fagan said.
"There are some good young players in our team. As they get bigger, stronger bodies they will get even better."
Dan McStay enjoyed the perfect conditions under the roof at Etihad Stadium and clunked three contested marks in the first quarter.
NEAFL sluggish against Aspley
The Lions’ NEAFL side struggled against the Aspley Demons on Saturday, suffering their second consecutive loss 6.10 (46) to 9.11 (65).
Aspley recorded 12 more inside
Running defender Mitch Hinge was impressive with 23 disposals, four contested marks, eight intercept possessions, seven score involvements and a goal.
Corey Lyons collected a team-high 31 disposals, Rhys Mathieson had 15 contested possessions and Ryan Bastinac kicked two goals.
