The Lions will look to continue their assault on the biggest black mark on the club’s head-to-head record books when the West Coast Eagles visit the Gabba on Saturday afternoon.

Despite having won the last four meetings between the clubs the overall record in 52 meetings since Brisbane and West Coast joined the competition together in 1987 is 16-1-35 to the Eagles.

Before Brisbane won their only meeting in 2019-20-21-22 the Eagles had won eight in a row from 2012-18 and seven in a row from 2003-06. And that was after West Coast won 13 of the first 14 meetings – and the other one was a draw.

Brisbane’s 31.7% win ratio against West Coast is the lowest any opposition team.

The Eagles will head to Brisbane with a 1-15 win/loss record this year, having beaten only GWS in Perth in Round 2, but a spirited showing against fifth-placed St.Kilda last week should ensure the Lions players are on the job.

The Eagles led the fifth-placed Saints by 31 points just before halftime and were still 21 points up late in the third quarter. The visitors had to kick the last four goals to win by eight points.

The record books show Brisbane’s first win over West Coast did not come until Round 2 1996 at the WACA, when Alastair Lynch and Darryl White kicked four goals and Matthew Clarke (15 possessions, 41 hit-outs), Michael Voss (25 possessions) and Adrian Fletcher (26 possessions, two goals) took the Brownlow Medal votes.

It was John Northey’s second game as coach after Robert Walls stood down at the end of the 1995 season, and Tristan Lynch’s AFL debut. Queensland cult hero Danny Dickfos played his second game and West Australian Troy Johnson his second and last game.

Simon Black and Marcus Ashcroft have played most games for Brisbane against West Coast with 20 apiece, with Black’s 7-13 record slightly better than Ashcroft’s 6-1-13 after he played in the 1993 Carrara draw when Queenslander Ray Windsor kicked a goal after the siren for the Bears.

Nigel Lappin (7-12), Shaun Hart (6-1-12) and Michael Voss (6-13) each played 19 games against West Coast, and Luke Power (8-10) played 18 games.

Ground by Ground

Brisbane, 2-2 against Fremantle at the new Perth Stadium but to play the Eagles there, have not often enjoyed the long flight to Perth, going 3-13 at Subiaco and 1-5 at the WACA. They never beat the Eagles at Carrara, with one draw and four losses in five meetings there, and its 12-13 at the Gabba, with the home side looking to square the ledger on Saturday.

Brownlow Medal Votes

West Coast’s strong overall record against Brisbane is also reflected in aggregate Brownlow Medal votes in games between the sides. It’s 179-122 overall to the Eagles and 32-19 for three-vote ratings. The Eagles have polled 88 times overall to Brisbane’s 63.

Ironically, Brisbane’s highest vote-getter against West Coast is a player who could and probably should have played for West Coast – Simon Black.

The East Fremantle junior, who grew up a big Eagles fan, was drafted by Brisbane at #31 in the 1997 National Draft after West Coast overlooked him to take Jaxon Crabb at #12, Callum Chambers at #13 and Rowan Jones at #28.

Even when they followed up with Andrew Williams at #34, Todd Holmes at #37, David Antonowicz at #44 and Phillip Read at #60 they might have been asking themselves ‘what have we done?’

That the six Eagles draftees played a combined 321 games for the club – one less than Black’s 322 games for Brisbane – wouldn’t make those same people feel any better.

Black polled five times in games against West Coast for 11 votes to head the Brisbane count from Michael Voss (9), Jason Akermanis (9), and Hugh McCluggage, who has polled three times in five games against them for seven votes.

West Coast’s leading vote-getters against Brisbane have been Peter Matera (13), Chris Judd (11), Matt Priddis (8), Ashley McIntosh (7), Ben Cousins (7), and Chris Lewis (7), Chris Mainwaring (7) and the only current player in the top 15 – Andrew Gaff (7).

Big Possession-Winners

Dayne Beams holds the single-game possession record for Brisbane against West Coast, having had 41 touches in a 68-point loss at Subiaco in 2017. West Coast’s best is Matt Priddis’ 43 at Subiaco a year earlier.

Nigel Lappin had four games of 30 or more possessions against West Coast to head the list from Beams (3), Adrian Fletcher (3), Simon Black (3) and Tom Rockliff (3). Current Eagles’ veteran Andrew Gaff (5) has most overall from skipper Luke Shuey (3), Ben Cousins (3) and Chad Fletcher (3).

Leading Goal-Kickers

Alastair Lynch often didn’t travel to Perth with the Lions in the early years after his battle with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but took full toll on them at the Gabba and boasts the club’s biggest two hauls against them. He kicked eight in 2003 and seven in 2000. Jonathan Brown, Jason Akermanis and Warwick Capper each kicked bags of six against the Eagles.

The West Coast record is shared between Josh Kennedy and Quinten Lynch at eight, from Don Holmes, who only played 23 games and kicked 40 goals in total but booted seven at Carrara in 1987.

Player Turnover This Year

The Eagles have used 40 different players this season – six more than the competition average of 33.94 and 12 more than St.Kilda, who sit at the other end of the list. And even before this week they’d made a total of 48 selection changes – despite going unchanged in Round 3 after their only win over GWS in Sydney in Round 2. The average is 31.8 and, again, StKilda are at bottom of the list at 18.

Brisbane have used 35 players and made 30 changes, but have a League-high 15 players who have not missed a game. The average is 8.2, and only Brisbane, St.Kilda (14), Collingwood (12) and Fremantle (10) are in double-figures.

Coaches Votes

Voting in the AFL Coaches Association Player of the Year Award, in which each coach votes 5-4-3-2-1 in each of their games, has become the new ‘buzz’ measurement of quality performance in recent years. This year is no different.

Overall, Collingwood (297 votes) lead the way from Port Adelaide (282), Brisbane (279) and Melbourne (249). Hawthorn (160) is 16th and North Melbourne (104) 17th. And at the bottom of the list are West Coast (69). Only once have they polled more than 10 of the 30 votes on offer – 25 votes in Round 2 against GWS.

Tim Kelly, a late withdrawal with illness last week, is a runaway leader in the Eagles vote-count with 26 – but 22 of them came in Rounds 2-3-4. Jamaine Jones (8) and Bailey Williams (7) are next, but polled their entire vote in one game. Oscar Allen has polled three times for six votes and Luke Shuey twice for five votes – in Rounds 1-2.

Highs & Lows

Brisbane have topped 150 points three times against West Coast, with a high of 27-11 (173) at the Gabba in 2000, when Daniel Bradshaw kicked seven goals, Alastair Lynch four and Damian Cupido three goals.

Remember Cupido? Originally from South Africa, he was pick #6 in the 1999 National Draft but played only 13 games with the club before being traded to Essendon in a deal that brought premiership player Blake Caracella to the Lions. Cupido played 40 games with the Bombers and was dropped not just to the club’s VFL side but their VFL Reserves side before being delisted.

The Lions’ biggest win over West Coast was 100 points at the Gabba in 1999, when the kicked 25-16 (166) to 9-12 (66). They had 13 different goal-kickers, led by Michael Voss and Jarrod Molloy with five each, while Adam Heuskes polled three Brownlow Medal votes.

Brisbane’s lowest score against West Coast was 6-9 (45) at Subiaco in 2017, and their biggest loss was 131 points at the WACA in 1992. It was 29-12 (186) to 8-7 (55) – with Rod Owen kick five of Brisbane’s eight goals. West Coast’s highest score against Brisbane was 29-18 (182) at the WACA in 1988, when they won by 118 points. Oddly, that was despite another one-man Brisbane effort, with Warwick Capper kicking six of the Bears’ 10 goals.

Eagles Stats Leaders

Despite missing last week Tim Kelly has been the Eagles’ No.1 possession-winner. He has 399 possessions at 28.50 per game to head Dom Sheed (275 at 25.0ppg) and Liam Duggan (318 at 22.71).

Oscar Allen is even more dominant in the Eagles goal-kicking. He’s kicked 37 in 15 games to rank equal 7th overall and has 28.5% of the Eagles’ goals. Only other players in the competition have kicked more than 20% of their team total – Carlton’s Charlie Curnow (27.3%), North’s Nick Larkey (26.8%), Adelaide’s Taylor Walker (21.5%) and GWS’ Toby Greene (21.1%).

In the Brisbane camp, Joe Daniher, with 39 goals, has kicked 18.2% of the total, and Charlie Cameron (37) for 17.3%. Eric Hipwood (28) is at 13.1%, so the ‘big three’ between them have kicked 48.6% - a figure that represents a good overall spread of goal-kickers.

Don't forget, kids go free to our West Coast match this Saturday afternoon. Get your tickets here.