The NEAFL Lions shaky title defence has continued following a 68-point thumping from ladder leaders the NT Thunder. The typical humid and greasy Darwin conditions wreaked havoc with the Lions ball control, and ill-discipline in the back half resulted in the Thunder kicking plenty of goals from turnovers and poor checking.
Xavier Clarke’s men gained the ascendency early and catapulted to a 40-point quarter time lead on the back of 7 goals, led by spearhead Darren Ewing who kicked 4.0 for the quarter.
Lions Academy product Isaac Conway was the only goal-kicker for the Lions in a forgettable opening quarter for Brisbane. The Lions sought the cool air of the sheds at quarter time, looking to plug up the hemorrhaging of goals and work their way back into the contest.
The Lions came out in the second quarter in promising fashion, generating some run and carry in contrast to their stagnant style in the first stanza. However the encouraging start came to a screeching halt as the Thunder kicked back into gear and kicked the last three goals of the term.
A deft blind turn from the returning Stefan Martin set up former Sandgate junior Liam Moseley for the Lions solitary goal for the quarter. After a quiet start Martin worked his way into the game, providing a big presence up forward in his first match since an injury plagued 2013 season.
But he was no match for the three pronged Territorian attack of Ewing, Dunne and Willy Rioli, who kicked 9 of the home side’s 11 goals in the first half.
The Lions trailed by 59 points at the main break.
After the mascots and kids had been cleared from the playing surface of a carnival-like half time, the Lions burst out of the blocks with renewed vigour and kicked the first two goals from quick clearances, including a strong solo effort out of the ruck from Martin, who bombed the ball to Archie Smith at full forward who took a strong grab and kicked truly.
But the Thunder soon arose from their slumber as former Gold Coast livewire Liam Patrick kicked 2 goals in 3 minutes to get the boisterous TIO Stadium crowd on their feet. Not to be outdone, both Willy (a soccer out of mid-air to set up a goal) and Shannon (a running goal from the arc) Rioli weaved some magic to put the game beyond doubt.
The last quarter was merely a formality as both teams took the foot off the gas pedal and the Lions slipped back into their errant ways to gift the NT a percentage boosting win.
The Thunder had stars all over the park, whilst Lions reserves Moseley, Crisp, Bewick and Stefan Martin were shining lights on a dark night for the away side.
A positive to come out of the loss was that the Lions continued to put games into youthful legs. Eight of the players that made the trip to the top end are currently members of the Brisbane Lions Academy.
The Lions will have yet another bye next week to make way for the representative weekend.
NT THUNDER 7.4 11.9 16.10 19.14.128
NEAFL LIONS 1.0 2.4 6.7 8.12.60
GOALS
Thunder: Ewing 6, Dunne 5, Patrick 2, S Rioli 2, W Rioli, Musgrove, Djerrkura, Farrell.
Lions: Conway, Moseley, McStay, Smith, Martin, Michael, Bewick, Bertoli-Simmonds.
BEST
Thunder: Ewing, W Rioli, Dunne, Beugelaar, Ilett, Patrick.
Lions: Crisp, Bewick, Moseley, Martin.
TIO Stadium, Darwin.
