FORM GUIDE
The Brisbane Lions hosted North Melbourne last Saturday night in what doubled as a farewell to Club legend Jonathan Brown. The Kangaroos are a team that are desperate to prove that they have what it takes to make an impact in September and travelled to their bogey ground, the Gabba, expecting a win.

After a slow start in the first quarter the Lions sprung to life in the second quarter running the Kangaroos off their feet to pile on seven goals to one and head into half-time to a rousing reception from the Gabba faithful.

Jonathan Brown addressed the crowd at half-time and implored them to get behind the team in the second half before setting off for a lap of honour with two of his children Olivia and Jack.

The second half was a tight and tense affair that went right to the wire with the Lions hanging on for a memorable upset four point win.

The Lions currently have a 4-10 record and sit 17^th on the ladder.

Richmond has had a disappointing season after their barnstorming fifth place finish in season 2013 and first finals appearance in 12 years. The Tigers played a rebuilding St Kilda team last weekend at the MCG and ran out comfortable 44-point winners.

The Tigers also have a 4-10 record, but sit 13^th on the ladder due to their far superior percentage.

TEAM SELECTIONS
The Lions Match Committee has been forced to make one change with Jack Redden succumbing to an ankle injury and Darcy Gardiner coming back into the senior team.

Remarkably this is the first game that Redden will miss after 112 consecutive games since making his debut in Round 15 in 2009 against Geelong. It has Redden sitting fifth on the all time list of consecutive games played since debut of all VFL/AFL players.

The Tigers have made two changes to their senior team with Steve Morris missing through suspension and Nick Vlastuin ruled out with a corked thigh.

Coming in to replace them is Daniel Jackson and Brett O’Hanlon.

CONGRATULATIONS RYAN HARWOOD
Congratulations to Ryan Harwood who is set to play his 50^th career game for the Lions.

It is sure to be a memorable occasion playing the game at the home of football the MCG.

KEY MATCH-UPS
The main man to shut down in the Tigers’ forward line, as always, is Jack Riewoldt. If Riewoldt gets early touches and kicks early goals then his confidence soars and as a result his teammates will look for him at every opportunity. We should expect either Matt Maguire or Joel Patfull to go to him throughout the afternoon on Saturday.

Tyrone Vickery has had an up and down year and the Tigers coaching hierarchy are keeping the faith that he is the second tall target to complement Riewoldt in the Tigers’ forward line. There is a good chance that Justin Clarke will go to him with Clarke in terrific form recently.

Brett Deledio has been named on the half forward flank and has a fantastic knack of kicking goals, either on the run or from the set shot. I would expect that Jed Adcock would take on Deledio should he play or rest forward at any stage during the match.

Stefan Martin has had a tough initiation back into the AFL coming straight into the starting ruck role taking on the best in the business, including Will Minson, Aaron Sandilands, Shane Mumford and Todd Goldstein. This week gets no easier for Martin going up against Ivan Maric. Martin has good form behind him and is relishing the challenge in the centre of the ground.

At Martin’s feet will be the combative Tom Rockliff and it would be great to see him run against Tigers Captain Trent Cotchin. Both are prolific ball-winners for their respective teams and Rockliff will be more than keen to let his football do the talking this week.

Pearce Hanley was fantastic last week in the wet weather and with a chance of inclement weather again at the MCG, it will suit him to the ground. Hanley may have someone like Reece Conca running with him to negate his influence for the Lions.

Named to line up on the wing is James Aish and Dustin Martin which would be a great match up to watch. Martin has spent a lot of time forward this year and knows how to kick goals, while last week Aish probably played his best game for the Club, finishing off his good work with two goals. It would be a great test for the young Lion Aish in his first year to face a powerful midfield opponent like Martin.

Daniel Merrett and Michael Close have again been named as the two tall targets after solid performances last week. They can expect to see plenty of Alex Rance and Troy Chaplin, who are the anchors of Richmond’s defence.

Merrett and Close will have great support at ground level from Josh Green, Lewy Taylor, Dayne Zorko and now also Claye Beams getting in on the act.

Bachar Houli, Dylan Grimes, and Ricky Pettard along with Matt Dea will have their work cut out against a Lions forward line growing in confidence with each match that they run out together.

It sets the stage for a fantastic contest with both teams only separated by percentage on the ladder as it stands currently.

STATISTICS
This clash is one that the Tigers have dominated in recent seasons. They have won their past five against the Lions by an average of 34 points, and 11 of the last 12. The Lions solitary win in that time came way back in Round 7 in 2009.

Richmond is in rare company joining Sydney, Hawthorn and Fremantle as the only clubs that the Lions have failed to beat since 2009.

In addition to this, the Lions have beaten the Tigers only once at the MCG since 1989.

Coming off the back of an impressive win against a top eight opponent last Saturday night, the Lions will be full of confidence heading to the MCG. They have the opportunity to rewrite some poor recent history against a Tigers outfit that has played far from their lofty 2013 standard.

LIONS RESERVES
Last weekend the Lions reserves had the opportunity to grace the Gabba turf with a curtain raiser against local rival Aspley Hornets. The final result was a 51-point thrashing by the Hornets, which has severely dented the Lions aspirations of a top six finish.

Jordan Lisle was accurate in front of goal with four straight majors up to halftime but was withdrawn from the game as the Lions senior emergency.

Nick Robertson was good in the middle of the ground picking up 30 disposals along with Jack Crisp who had 34 disposals to go along with three goals.

Other good performers on the evening were Mitch Golby and Zac O’Brien along with big man Matthew Leuenberger who is on the comeback trail.

The Lions reserves travel to Sydney to face the UWS Giants this weekend at Spotless Stadium in another curtain raiser, this time to the GWS and Adelaide game.

The Lions reserves have a 3-8 record and are currently 10^th on the ladder.