The Swans stunned the Lions with six goals to nil in the opening quarter, and essentially maintained that lead for the remainder of the match to run out 34-point winners.
“We were shell-shocked early. But to Sydney’s credit, it was a level of pressure we hadn’t come under for a while,” Reserves Coach Nathan Clarke said.
“It gave us some exposure to AFL-quality pressure, and highlighted to the players exactly where they need to be at.”
“The positive part was that our boys overcame that first quarter pressure to an extent and really worked themselves back into the game.”
The final margin could have been lessened further if not for some more wayward kicking in front of the Lions’ goal.
“I don’t know how we address it (inaccuracy), but it’s certainly plaguing us at the moment,” Clark said.
“I’m at a bit of a loss as to why it happens, because you see the boys working hard on it during the week.”
“It’s no secret that Bryce Retzlaff has probably been the one suffering most from the yips - and he kicked 1.6 again on the weekend.”
“Don’t get me wrong, the bloke has been absolutely terrific for us this season and there’s no doubt about his work ethic or want to improve But he’s converted just 21 times from 53 shots at goal, so it’s clearly worrying him.”
“It must be psychological, because Bryce is usually a beautiful kick of the football.”
Despite resting Ryan Lester and Ben Hudson, and playing Jack Crisp for only a half, the Lions Reserves still fielded a strong line-up featuring plenty of senior experience.
One welcome return to the field was Claye Beams, who got through his first match back since injuring his back last month unscathed.
“Claye was good. He probably ran out of puff a bit in the second half, but you’d expect that after being out for a month,” Clarke said.
“The pace of the game probably got him a bit, but he wasn’t Robinson Cruse in that area. A lot of our guys struggled with that, simply because the intensity of Sydney’s midfield was very good.”
There were still plenty of positives among the playing group, with Aaron Cornelius kicking four goals and rookie defender Stephen Wrigley adding some polish from across half-back.
“Wriggles (Stephen Wrigley) continues to impress. If it weren’t for him being on the rookie list, he would probably be right in line for senior selection,” Clarke said.
“In the last month, I’ve described him as a ‘neat’ player, because he’s clean below his knees and tody with his disposals. But he can also be quite damaging, because he creates overlap and contributes both offensively and defensively.”
“Aaron’s also in good touch at the moment. He had a good patch in the second quarter when he kicked three of his four goals, and has been working harder on his defensive pressure. His talent is undeniable, but like all our players, his game was far from perfect.”
“In the absence of a recognised ruckman, Jordan Lisle took some good marks and looked better with his aggression in aerial and ruck contests. That aspect of his game seems to be improving every week.”
“Josh Green continued to be nippy around the contest, but he’s probably still another pre-season away from being a real power-runner at AFL level and running out four strong quarters in the seniors,” he said.
“Josh is a very good player when he’s around the footy, and on the weekend he was able to get possessions where he got over the back of Sydney’s zone and set up a lot of shots on goal.”
“Elliot Yeo continues to go well and enjoying a good patch at the moment. He was probably a bit spent after playing regularly throughout the NAB Cup, so we gave him a week off. Then he picked up a cold and a bit of the flu, but he’s well and truly overcome that and is looking sprightly again.”
The Reserves will play host to another Eastern Conference side this Saturday at Yeronga when Greater Western Sydney come to town.
The UWS Giants have been in great form of late and will be chock full of confidence after producing two stirring wins over the Gold Coast Suns last week - at both AFL and NEAFL level.
“GWS will be another good test. They knocked over the Suns Reserves and are up and about,” Clarke said.
“We beat them back in Round 2 at Blacktown, but will be expecting a vastly different outfit this time. They had a couple of players out back then, and were still only relatively new. They’ll be a very tough opposition.”
FINAL SCORE
Brisbane Lions 11.20 (86) lost to Sydney Swans 18.12 (120)
LIONS GOALS
Cornelius 4, Bewick 2, Starcevich 2, Buchanan, Green, Retzlaff
LIONS BEST
Wrigley, Stiller, Lisle, Dyson, Bewick, Green
