A red-hot Brisbane Lions contingent buoyed by 18 AFL-listed players has put an injury-affected Aspley Hornets outfit to the sword in a 121-point win at Graham Rd on Saturday afternoon.
A barnstorming seven-goals-to-one opening term elevated Brisbane to a 40-point quarter-time lead, which would lay the platform for the Lions’ 25.16 (166) to 6.9 (45) win.
But Aspley had to make do without the services of ruckman Will Wolbers and midfielder Jordan Hayden for the entirety of the second half after they had both succumbed to injury.
It was particularly the loss of Wolbers that hampered Aspley’s cause in a clash in which the Hornets could only compete in patches as the Lions stormed to their seventh consecutive victory.
Brisbane forward Josh Schache snagged his second bag of five goals from his three most recent outings and complemented his blitz on goal with 18 disposals, while midfielder Jarrad Jansen kicked four of his own and found 17 touches.
Forward Jake Barrett was everywhere to be seen in collecting a game-high 34 disposals and slotting a goal, while defender Marco Paparone (31 disposals, one goal) was another of the Lions’ best.
Jansen and co. were ably supported by the silver-class service of Oscar McInerney in the ruck, the prime beneficiary of Wolbers’ second-half absence, who also collected two goals.
It was another Oskar – Aspley forward Oskar Baker, also known as the ‘ginger ninja’ – who impressed in a losing cause for Aspley in gathering 17 disposals and a pair of goals.
Schache and fellow forward Michael Close pocketed two goals each in the opening quarter as Brisbane carved up the corridor with squeaky-clean ball movement.
Close and Schache combined forces at the 12th-minute mark when Close sent a pinpoint bomb soaring inside 50m that Scache would mark before snagging his second six-pointer of the day.
The Hornets were able to keep a tighter leash on the Lions in the second stanza, although things only looked to be going from bad to worse for the hosts early in the quarter.
The visitors stormed to a quadruplet of consecutive majors within the first 10 minutes of the term, the fourth a goal on the run to Irishman Cian Hanley who kicked the first goal of his career in his side’s clash with Sydney University last week.
A goal to Aspley’s Jack Coghlan followed two minutes later, before the Mayne Tigers product added another later in the term in a quarter in which the Hornets managed to salvage a trio of goals.
The visitors took a 64-point lead into the main break before running in five third-quarter majors to Aspley’s two to lead by 85 points at the final change.
It was the Hornets who snatched the first goal of the term when Southport recruit Ed Mallan roved and snapped in the right-forward-pocket in the third minute, although the Lions would respond with the next five.
The second saw Schache clinch his fifth six-pointer of the afternoon in a thrilling piece of play, the Murray Bushrangers product rocketing into the heavens to snaffle a brilliant pack mark in the goal square.
A six-goal-to-zero final stanza would follow as the Lions again did their top-two chances no harm.
They are now set for a bye before meeting the Redland Bombers at the Gabba in Round 17, while Aspley will travel to the Top End to face the NT Thunder next Saturday in an eight-point classic.
Aspley Hornets v Brisbane Lions at Graham Rd.
BRISBANE 7.6 14.8 19.14 25.16 (166)
ASPLEY 1.2 4.4 6.7 6.9 (45)
GOALS – Brisbane: J Scache 5 J Jansen 4 O McInerney 2 J Freeman L Dawson M Close B Sloan C Lyons B Keays C Hanley J Barrett L O’Sullivan M Paparone B Grewar. Aspley: O Baker J Coghlan J Stanley E Mallan.
BEST – Brisbane: J Schache J Barrett J Jansen C Lyons M Hinge B Keays. Aspley: R Toye J Daye G Grose O Baker.
