Shadeau Brain, fresh from one of the most decisive and important 60 seconds of football from a fifth-gamer in club history, will head to the Gold Coast on Sunday for the next instalment of a power-charged introduction to the AFL.
Brain’s first taste of the hot local rivalry in QClash #27 comes after a pivotal role in the dying moments on the Lions’ nail-biting two-point Gabba win over the ladder-leading Sydney Swans last week.
With the Swans up by five points inside the last five minutes the 20-year-old pulled off two match-winning saves inside a minute.
In a contest that was as hot and pressure-packed as any final and will long be remembered for Callum Ah Chee’s match-winning left-foot snap from 35m, the twin effort of Brain in total defiance of his inexperience was phenomenal.
In the first, Sydney’s Logan McDonald marked in front of the interchange area on the Stanley Street side of the ground and kicked long towards the main scoreboard end looking for Joel teammate Amartey in a one-on-one match-up with Darragh Joyce.
The Brisbane alarm bells were going off as Sydney’s Isaac Heeney, closely pursued by Josh Dunkley, pushed forward looking to crumb the ball if it came to ground. Brain made the brave and early decision to leave his opponent and help out 15m from the Sydney goal.
Any fifth-gamer could have been excused for spoiling, but so calm was he, and so good was his judgement, he sailed in from the side to take a magnificent intercept mark behind Amartey. The clock showed 4:17 to play.
Mindful of the game situation, Brain pin-pointed a brave short kick back into the corridor to Dayne Zorko, who sent the Lions forward in search of the go-ahead goal.
When Zorko’s kick landed in open space Lachie Neale soccered it off the ground for Oscar McInerney to mark. He quickly played on but when his would-be kick inside 50 was smothered the Lions were under the pump again.
This time Sydney’s Errol Gulden sent it towards the hot spot and a one-on-one marking contest between Will Hayward was Brandon Starcevich. Again Brain pushed over, and this time his flying effort from the side saw in mark in front of the Sydney forward.
Again he went in-board, this time to Darcy Wilmot, and after a few moments of indecision Brisbane went forward again. The clock read 3:38sec to play. And this time there was no stopping them.
McInerney again marked on the wing and kicked long to a huge pack. Cam Rayner, who already had been the most impactful player on the ground, got his hands to it but it spilled inboard. Ah Chee was first to it, and on his non-preferred foot could not have been more perfect.
Publicly, Brain, who had copped a heavy knock earlier in the fourth quarter, was an unheralded match-saver, but not internally. Coaches and players alike were fully aware of his heroics.
It was Brain’s fifth game, but only his second start. He’d been the Lions sub and played minimal time in Rounds 9-10-15 against Adelaide in Adelaide, Richmond at the Gabba and Port Adelaide in Adelaide. He was recalled and started on the ground against West Coast in Perth in Round 18, and held his spot against Sydney in Round 19.
In five games he’s played twice in front of wildly parochial Adelaide Oval crowds against the Crows (40,278) and Power (32,862), split by a 27,200 home turnout against Richmond, before 41,489 mostly Eagles fans gave him a taste of Perth Stadium, and a 33,924 Gabba sellout against the Swans that was as good as it gets at home.
For a player largely unknown by the passes three months ago it’s been an extraordinary introduction. And now on Saturday he’ll get his first taste of AFL rivalry Queensland style and a boisterous Suns crowd at People First Stadium down the highway.
The Lions will take a 19-7 record against the Suns into QClash #27 and a 12-2 record under Chris Fagan, but will be mindful of the corresponding game in Round 20 last year.
It was the 3rd-placed Lions at 13-5 coming off a tight win over Geelong against the 14th-placed Suns at 8-10 who’d lost badly the week before to GWS in the same Saturday afternoon timeslot.
The Suns led by three points at halftime, but kicked 10-3 to 3-7 to win by 41 points. Touk Miller won his fourth Marcus Ashcroft Medal as best afield and picked up three Brownlow Medal votes from Ben King (five goals) and Matt Rowell (19 possessions, one goal, 13 tackles and seven clearances).
It’s a similar situation this week as the 12th-placed Suns look to defend an unbeaten home record this season, and the third-placed Lions desperately look to end it and further their top four hopes.
As is inevitably the case going into a QClash, Dayne Zorko will be front and centre.
Two games clear of the Suns’ David Swallow on the QClash games list, Zorko will play his 24th game between the two clubs, and needs 13 possessions to become the first player to 500 QClash possessions.
Ryan Lester, suddenly the Lions’ tallest defender, will play his 19th QClash to move to equal third on the list with Daniel Rich, and Brain and second-gamer Henry Smith will play their first QClash.
And, with so much on the line for both sides, it will surprise and disappoint if the game does not top the record attendance for a Carrara Q-Clash of 16,593 set in 2014.
