It was a tussle until the end, but the Brisbane Lions remain undefeated following their 17.9 (111) to 10.9 (69) triumph over the injury-ravaged GIANTS on a greasy Maroochydore deck.
The visitors played out the final quarter with 17 men on the park, losing Jye Caldwell, Zach Sproule, Kieren Briggs, Shaun Driscoll, Callum Brown and Jai Reed all to injury.
The Lions took a 26-point lead into quarter-time, but first-year midfielder Jackson Hately (36 disposals, six tackles, 10 clearances) lead the GIANTS through a six goal to two second quarter to tie the match at the main break.
However, the GIANTS’ injuries had left them with one man on the bench at half-time, and the Lions just proved too strong in the second half.
Maroochydore local and Lions Academy member Tom Wischnat made an impact in his NEAFL debut, slotting three goals from three marks.
The Lions were expecting a tough contest and got one, and coach Mitch Hahn was impressed by his side’s efforts.
“Really pleased with today’s performance,” he told neafl.com.au.
“They obviously beat Southport last week who were undefeated, and in round 2 we got on top of them pretty easily, so there’s no doubt that they would’ve come back and wanted to respond to that game. Just really pleased for the whole group today.”
Former Geelong Cat Allen Christensen had a stellar outing with 27 disposals, four tackles and two goals, as did defender Jacob Allison, with six inside 50s amongst his team-high 28 disposals.
Though the GIANTS walked away without the four points, Adam Schneider, “couldn’t be prouder,” of his team’s efforts.
“It’s surprising to lose by seven goals and be so happy of our effort, it’s a credit to some of our guys,” he said.
“Great challenge, great contest. Unfortunately, we were down to 17 guys by the fourth quarter. That’s the way footy is.
“Jacko Hately was really good for us on the inside, and a couple of our small forwards just looked really dangerous in Bobby Hill (18d, one goal), Zac Langdon (13d, one goal) and Dylan Buckley (15d, two goals).”
The GIANTS will seek redemption next week against the Gold Coast at home, while the Lions go for 8-in-a-row against the Swans at Southpine.
Brisbane Lions V GIANTS at Maroochydore Multisports Complex
BRISBANE 5.4 7.5 12.8 17.9 (111)
GIANTS 1.2 7.5 9.9 10.9 (69)
GOALS – Brisbane: T Wischnat 3 T Cutler 3 C Lyons 2 S Skinner 2 A Christensen 2 T Wooller 2 T Joyce T Jeffrey B Keays. GIANTS: M Flynn 3 D Buckley 2 I Hill A Bonar J Buckley Z Langdon X O’Halloran.
BEST – Brisbane: J Allison A Smith A Christensen R Bastinac C Lyons T Wischnat. GIANTS: J Hately M Flynn L Keeffe A Bonar M Buntine X O’Halloran.
