FORM GUIDE
The Brisbane Lions are coming off a tough road trip to Tasmania in Round One, where they faced the reigning premiers Hawthorn. While the final score showed a 48-point win to the Hawks the contest was close all afternoon until late in the game when the Lions started running out of steam.
The Geelong Cats started their season with a comfortable 38-point win at home against a spirited Adelaide. The game was in the balance at the start of the fourth quarter after Adelaide briefly hit the lead, but the Cats showed their class by kicking a flurry of goals in quick succession to run out winners.
Season 2013 saw two epic contests between the Lions and the Cats.
The Round 13 clash was possibly one of the games of the entire 2013 season. The Lions were facing a Geelong side that had been a dominant premiership-winning team during the past six seasons and the popular consensus was that this would be a regulation Cats win. The script was going the way of the media commentators when the Lions found themselves down by 52 points deep into the third quarter of the match.
The Lions rallied to kick 10 of the last 11 goals to equal the eighth biggest comeback in VFL/AFL history with a 103-98 victory. The win was made extra special with Ash McGrath celebrating his 200th appearance with the match-winning goal after the siren from the 50m arc.
The Round 23 encounter saw the Lions with an outside chance of sneaking into the top eight but they needed a win at the graveyard that is Simmonds Stadium. In an entertaining clash ultimately the Lions finished just short of another win over the Cats going down by a solitary point.
If we get a match resembling either of those two contests then we will be in for a great Sunday afternoon of footy.
MILESTONE MEN
Both Daniel Rich and Jack Redden celebrate their 100th games for the Lions after being drafted on the same night back in 2008.
Rich had a bumper first season in the AFL winning the NAB Rising Star Award as well as the Rookie of the Year at the Lions. His dash through the middle and off the half-back line coupled with a booming left foot has made him a target for the opposition ever since.
Redden will become just the eighth player in VFL/AFL history to play 100 games consecutively from his debut game in Round 15 in 2009. In a twist of fate Redden will face the Cats whom he faced on debut. Redden finished fourth in the AFL for tackles last season (147) and started strongly again last weekend with 11 against the Hawks.
With both Rich and Redden signing new deals to stay with the Club we can enjoy their talents at the Gabba for a few more years to come.
The Cats will also be celebrating a milestone, with premiership defender Andrew Mackie lining up for his 200th AFL match.
No doubt both teams will be doing their best to ensure that their respective milestone men are celebrating after the final siren has sounded.
KEY MATCH-UPS
There are a number of potentially intriguing match-ups that could play out on Sunday, going a long way to determine who will get the win.
The Lions will need to find a way to stop Joel Selwood and the influence that he exerts on matches for the Cats. The Lions may consider running Daniel Rich with him or maybe run a few opponents on him throughout the day such as Brent Moloney or maybe even youngsters Ryan Lester or Mitch Golby.
Without regular tagger Andrew Raines, cutting down Selwood’s presence is an absolute must for the Lions.
Tom Hawkins and Daniel Merrett will get well acquainted on Sunday afternoon for a great match up with the traditional big full forward versus the traditional big full back. The key for Merrett is to drag Hawkins away from the forward 50 when he has the opportunity and have Hawkins collecting possession on the wings and flanks where he can’t hit the scoreboard.
Jonathan Brown will likely face a combination of Tom Lonergan and Harry Taylor throughout the afternoon and it is vital that Brown capitalises on his opportunities. Brown missed a couple of kickable set shots against the Hawks and as the true professional that he is we can expect him to make them count this weekend.
Taylor may switch forward at different stages of the match and when he does venture to that end of the ground Justin Clarke can expect the call to man him up.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
This game will be a showcase for elite young midfield talent from both the Lions and the Cats.
Mitch Duncan, Cameron Guthrie, Josh Caddy, Jordan Murdoch and Mark Blicavs all leading the way for the future midfield of the Cats will be going head to head with Daniel Rich, Jack Redden, Sam Mayes, James Aish, Ryan Lester and Mitch Golby.
It will be something to saviour for both fans and a glimpse towards the future.
The ruck battle looms large with Matthew Leuenberger and Trent West facing Hamish McIntosh, Dawson Simpson and also Mark Blicavs at some stage throughout the afternoon.
Leuenberger is arguably the premier ruckman named for the match, and will be looking to provide first use to a very good Lions midfield.
West snuck forward and kicked three goals against the Hawks last week and hopefully he provides an equally valuable contribution this weekend against his former side.
MISSING IN ACTION
Unfortunately for the Lions, Vice-Captain Tom Rockliff will miss the match after accepting a one-week suspension for engaging in rough conduct.
Half-back Ryan Harwood has also been withdrawn from the match with a shoulder injury.
Another notable omission is Ash McGrath, who proved the hero in both outings against the Cats last season. No doubt Geelong fans will be pleased not to see the Number 9 lining up forward for the home side.
For the Cats, dangerous pair Stephen Motlop and Allen Christensen will be absent through injury, while ruckman/forward Nathan Vardy will miss the entire 2014 season after rupturing his ACL.
SELECTION TABLE
With the final teams set to be finalised at 5pm on Friday, both sides have named a preliminary 25-man squad.
Among the Lions’ potential inclusions are Rohan Bewick, Jack Crisp, Jordan Lisle, Jackson Paine, and Nick Robertson.
Bewick has been named in the starting 18 so looks a certain starter for his first senior match of 2014.
Meanwhile, with Rockliff and Harwood leaving holes in the midfield and defence respectively, you would presume that one of Jack Crisp or Nick Robertson will be named as their replacement. If selected, Robertson would become the four player to make his senior AFL debut with the Club this season.
Another new face, former Collingwood forward Jackson Paine, is also a chance to line up for the first time in Lions colours. However, his inclusion would probably have to come at the expense of one of the big forwards who played against the Hawks last Saturday.
The Cats have added Jackson Sheringham, Josh Walker, and George Horlin-Smith to their extended bench, which will be trimmed later this afternoon.
See full teams.
LIONS RESERVES
The Lions Reserves will open their 2014 NEAFL campaign with a ‘curtain-closer’ at the Gabba against the Sydney Swans reserves.
It is a great initiative from the Club to get the reserves playing some football on the Gabba more regularly.
Too much footy is never enough so having two Lions games on the same afternoon is a huge plus for all Lions members and supporters.
Carl Nimb is an independent writer and Lions Member (#2604559) who will contribute to lions.com.au throughout the season.
You can follow him on Twitter @CarlNimb