Despite the lopsided scoreboard, Saturday’s match against Richmond did have a couple of positives for the Brisbane Lions.
Number one draft pick Cam Rayner had a breakthrough match and finished with 22 disposals (11 contested), six inside
Rayner wasn’t afraid to get physical with the Tigers and will benefit immensely from the experience of playing on the MCG.
New draftee Zac Bailey was quiet in his debut match but did have a couple of nice touches which showed off his future potential.
Bailey collected seven disposals and a kick in the first quarter narrowly missed becoming his first career goal.
Stef Martin had another strong match and won his ruck battle with Toby Nankervis. Martin finished with 20 hit outs and 24 disposals (13 contested).
The team statistics weren’t as dire as the scoreboard suggested, with the Lions winning clearances by three and hit-outs by eight. The Tigers won contested possessions by 12 and the inside 50 count by 14.
So what went wrong?
In damp conditions, turnovers and disposal efficiency killed the Lions early.
The Tigers scored 13 of their 16 goals from intercepts.
The second half was relatively even for inside 50s but the Lions struggled to convert and totalled just five marks inside 50 compared to the Tigers' 20 overall.
Defensive pressure also wasn't great, with the Tigers laying 15 more tackles.
The Lions won't spend much time dwelling on the loss as Sunday's huge QClash with the Gold Coast Suns looms.
NEAFL Stats
Tom Bell had another
Bell collected 30 disposals (18 contested) and had 11 score involvements.
Ryan Lester performed well and also had 30 disposals to go along with two goals.
Down by seven at
Disposal efficiency was strong at 72% compared to the Swans' 62%.
The Lions host the Suns at South Pine Sports Complex this Sunday at
