But the final margin probably didn’t do justice to the tightness of the encounter.
The Hornets were actually the better of the two teams early on, taking a three-goal lead into quarter time and maintaining a five-point advantage at the main break, before the Lions asserted their dominance with a 14-goal second half.
“We weren’t slow to start, Aspley were just very, very good,” Reserves Coach Leigh Harding told lions.com.au.
“They cracked in contested-wise and kicked three goals before we could blink.
“Our boys, to their credit, withstood what they had and gave it back. Then, in the second half, we controlled the game a bit more. It was a very good effort by our boys.”
Harding said Aspley’s performance was enough to suggest that the Hornets could stand in the way of the Lions’ NEAFL title defence.
“They’re the best NEAFL side outside of the AFL listed teams that we’ve played against,” Harding said.
“That’s not taking anything away from (second-placed) Southport, but in terms of physicality and the way they move the ball, I think Aspley have been the strongest opposition we’ve faced.”
“They also have terrific leaders on every line – with Nathan Clarke up forward, Cheynee Stiller in the midfield, and Robert Copeland down back.”
The match-up was particularly intriguing for Hornets pair Clarke and Stiller, who lined up against the Lions for the first time since helping guide the Club to last year’s State League premiership.
“There was a bit of lip out on the ground, but it was all in good jest and the game was played in the right spirit,” Harding said.
“They are key players for Aspley, and we were aware of what they could do. So they were definitely at the forefront of our mind.”
Rohan Bewick and Andrew Raines responded to their senior omissions in the best possible fashion by leading the way for the Reserves out on the field.
Bewick booted three goals and was listed as best-on-ground, while Raines wasn’t far behind with a sterling job in the midfield.
“They came back (to the Reserves) with the right attitude. They didn’t go outside the boundaries and just played to their strengths,” Harding said.
“They were obviously disappointed to be left out of the seniors, but played the way we wanted to, and took the young blokes along for the ride. It was great for their development.
“Raines, in particular, is a very good leader both in voice and through his actions on the field.”
Callum Bartlett also played a key role for the Lions, sparking the side with three goals after being moved forward in the second half.
“Cal has been playing between midfield and forward,” Harding said.
“He played forward for the entire second half. We gave him the responsibility of playing on Robert Copeland, and making him more accountable.
“I think he kicked 2-3 goals in the third quarter, and he was really lively up there. He put good pressure on and can really get in the face of the opposition as well.”
Jared Polec also made his first appearance for the Club since injuring his ankle back in Round 3, and got through the match unscathed.
“He basically played the whole game, but was restricted a bit with his rotations in the first half,” Harding said.
“We did nurse him over the whole game. He played wing/half-back and, most importantly, pulled up well.”
SCOREBOARD
Lions Reserves 1.4 5.12 12.16 19.20 (134)
Aspley 4.4 7.5 9.5 13.8 (86)
GOALS – Lions: Green 4, Bewick 3, Bartlett 3, Cornelius 2, Banfield 2, Newell 2, Paparone, Karnezis, Maguire. Hornets: Clarke 3, Stiller 2, Nickerson, Nelis, Reid, French, Toye, Forbes, Lucy, James.
BEST – Lions: Bewick, Raines, Green, Karnezis, Michael, Crisp. Hornets: Satchell, Toye, Matthews, Copeland, Clarke.
