The Brisbane Lions will return to Brighton Homes Arena on Saturday fresh off the bye to take on the Geelong Cats in the VFL.
A rested Lions outfit will look to their last game in Round 16 as source of inspiration, a 128-point demolition of the Northern Bullants in Melbourne.
It was a win which VFL coach Ben Hudson was proud of and acknowledges that it provides his side with a great platform coming into the second half of the season.
“We were really impressed with the strength of the win, the boys were hungry after the Richmond loss to put in a strong performance,” Hudson said.
“It was great to see all our VFL-listed guys like Wylie Buzza and Kyle Dunkley, perform really well.
“A nice week off for our group and it set us up to really attack this back end of the season.
“Geelong this week will be a test after they had a tough loss last week but the group is excited to get back out on the park.”
Geelong travel to take on the Lions following a close loss to Essendon at home last week.
Currently sitting third on the VFL ladder, the Lions sit half a game behind Werribee due to the draw with Sandringham in Round 14.
Players to watch
Rhys Mathieson
After playing the Lions first eight matches, Mathieson has been unavailable due to a hamstring industry.
Before his injury, Mathieson had been in sublime form averaging 31.9 disposals and 7.9 clearances per contest.
Mathieson will return to strengthen the Lions engine room further with Jarryd Lyons also named to play.
Darragh Joyce
The Irishman has enjoyed a stellar run over the last three weeks, including an eye-catching game against the Northern Bullants last time out.
The key defender amassed 22 touches and an incredible 11 marks to help the Lions keep the Bullants to 17 points for the match.
Joyce will be tasked with keeping the Geelong forwards at bay on Saturday.
Last time we met
The Lions travelled to Geelong’s GMHBA stadium in 2022 to take on the Cats, before going down by seven points.nick brown
Two goals each to Kai Lohmann and Blake Coleman helped the Lions fight back from an early 24-point deficit.
Mathieson found plenty of the footy with 26 disposals, while Darcy Wilmot was solid with 22 touches and seven marks.
