THE BRISBANE Lions were unable to send retiring champions Chris Scott and Chris Johnson out as winners but gave further indication of future potential in a 42-point loss to Geelong at the Gabba on Saturday night.
Most of the season-high 34,107 fans who turned out for the final game of the season would have dearly loved to farewell Scott and Johnson in a victorious fashion.
And although that didn’t transpire, courtesy of a 22.13 (145) to 15.13 (103) Geelong win, Lions fans will at least have gone home comfortable in the knowledge that their side will be a September threat for years to come.
While Scott and Johnson were given a standing ovation on last post-siren lap of the field, Jonathan Brown kicked seven goals, including four in an enthralling final quarter, to put the seal on his first Coleman Medal.
The Lions, who had their finals hopes cruelled when Adelaide beat Collingwood on Friday night, could easily have thrown in the towel when Cats kicked the opening four goals of the game.
But the home side dug deep, registering goals of its own through Jed Adcock and Jared Brennan, and then went about taking the game right up to the runaway minor premiers in the second quarter.
The Cats led by 19 points at quarter-time but the Lions hit back within two minutes of the re-start, when Josh Drummond ran forward from defence to pin-point a spearing pass to Brown.
When Robbie Copeland capitalised on a brilliant piece of defensive pressure from last-gamer Johnson, the difference was back to five points and Geelong was looking vulnerable.
As has been the case all season, the Cats were able to muster an answer when required, as evidenced by a miracle Cameron Ling goal from deep in the left forward pocket.
The Lions, however, lost no fans with a second stanza in which they outscored the visitors by three points to trail by 16 points at half-time.
Things didn’t fall the Lions’ way at the beginning of the third term and successive goals to Paul Chapman and Brad Ottens had Geelong threatening to bust the match wide open.
But the Lions stuck manfully to their task and consistently gave the crowd something to cheer about.
Brennan kicked a pair of second-half goals, the first following smooth set-up work from Tim Notting, and the second a fine piece of individual finishing on the run.
Brown, meanwhile, marked strongly and kicked truly to boot five goals after half-time.
The last of them was a freakish effort from the boundary line on his non-preferred left foot and gave the big forward 77 for the season – only one short of Alastair Lynch’s club record.
The industrious Nigel Lappin again led the Lions’ possession-count with 33 disposals, including five hard-ball gets, while Adcock was prominent early and Cheynee Stiller, Troy Selwood and Colm Begley all saw plenty of the ball.
Brown’s goal-haul was accompanied by 11 marks and 17 touches and Daniel Merrett battled manfully in defence, despite the steady flow of supply coming from the Geelong midfield.
Enright had a team-high 27 disposals for Geelong, but the Cats’ real eye-catcher was Joel Selwood – the brother of Lion Troy – who looks every bit the Rising Star that most commentators are tipping him to be.
GEELONG 5.2 9.4 15.10 22.13 (145)
BRISBANE LIONS 2.1 6.6 9.10 15.13 (103)
GOALS - Geelong: C Mooney 4, B Ottens 4, S Johnson 3, M Stokes 3, P Chapman 2, S Byrnes 2, C Ling 2, N Ablett, J Kelly. Brisbane: J Brown 7, R Copeland 3, J Brennan 3, J Adcock, C Johnson.
BEST - Geelong: J Selwood, S Johnson, N Ablett, M Stokes, C Enright. Brisbane: N Lappin, T Selwood, J Brown, J Adcock.
INJURIES - Geelong: M Egan (ankle). Brisbane: Nil.
Umpires: S Grun, S Wenn, D Woodcock.
Official crowd: 34,107 at the Gabba.
