The UWS Giants showed why there were the top-ranked team in the NEAFL with a crushing 26.11.167 to 11.4.70 win over the Brisbane Lions Reserves at the Gabba on Saturday afternoon.
The Lions Reserves would have been keen to put on a strong display for their fans as they played in a curtain raiser for the senior side against the University of Western Sydney Giants.
The Giants were too strong however for the young Lions, combining for a dominant 97-point victory which saw Jonathon Patton finish with 5 goals and Sam Reid with 32 disposals.
The Lions managed to hit the scoreboard first but it was all one-way traffic from there. The Giants were dominant in contests and managed to maintain possession for the majority of the term, adding eight straight goals to finish the first quarter with a healthy 43-point lead.
The second term unfolded in similar ways to the first with the Lions slotting the first before UWS kicked into gear and continued where they left off. The Lions simply could not contain the run and carry of the UWS midfield as they put on another seven goals for the quarter to the Lions two which saw them enter the main break with a whopping 73-point lead.
The Lions found they were able to slow the play down slightly in the third and had a period of strong possession and kicking efficiency however were unable to convert on the scoreboard. After the slow start to the quarter, UWS were unable to be contained any longer and kicked seven straight before the Lions were able to pull one back. The Giants finished the quarter with a goal after the siren which pushed their lead out to an unreachable 127 points going into the final term.
With the game almost certainly decided, Brisbane went into the final quarter playing for redemption and pride. After starting the quarter with a goal for Leigh Harding, the Lions Reserves demonstrated freedom and composure to generate some impressive run and carry from half-back. The momentum stayed with the Lions for the majority of the final quarter with the hosts managing to add five unanswered goals to double their scoreboard total before UWS hit back. The final siren sounded with the Giants triumphing by 97 points.
Zac O’Brien worked hard in the final quarter to score two goals and finish with 33 disposals but the early scoreboard damage from the Giants was ultimately too much.
The Lions Reserves will take on the fourth-ranked Sydney Swans Reserves at the SCG next weekend in Round 17 of the NEAFL.
BRISBANE LIONS RESERVES 1.1 3.3 4.3 11.4 (70)
UWS GIANTS 8.2 15.4 23.8 26.11 (167)
GOALS
Lions: McGuane 3, O’Brien 2, Harding 2, Daye, Yabsley, Milford, Pendlebury
Giants: Patton 5, Stewart 4, Pickett 3, McCarthy 3, Townsend 2, Golds, Bugg, Tiziani, Addison, Marchbank, Plowman, Reid, Mahady, McDonald
BEST
Lions: O’Brien, Cutler, Smith
Giants: Reid, Patton, Townsend
