BRISBANE’S finals chances have been dealt a blow with Hawthorn defeating the Lions by 24 points – 17.13 (115) to 13.13 (91) - at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
The Lions had the edge in the first half but faded in the second, conceding seven goals to two in the third quarter that took the game away from them in front of 39,007 spectators - a record attendance for a home-and-away match between the two sides.
Jonathan Brown had the better of his much-anticipated ‘gorilla’ duel with Trent Croad, finishing with 18 disposals and six goals, although the Hawk did take a huge mark over the top of him in the last quarter.
Luke Power (34 possessions), Nigel Lappin (29 touches) and Jed Adcock (25 disposals) were the prime-movers for Brisbane with Lappin also laying 12 tackles.
Luke Hodge had 33 touches for the Hawks and Lance Franklin booted five goals.
The Lions had the better of the early exchanges, jumping out to a 15-point lead on the back of some ferocious tackling.
Power started the scoring after a 50-metre penalty brought him well within range and Jamie Charman put through a long-range effort after Brown found him on a strong lead.
The Hawks did well to absorb the early pressure and return fire with their first three goals coming as a direct result of Brisbane turnovers with Hodge, Ben Dixon and Clinton Young doing the damage.
Tim Boyle converted a difficult set shot after the quarter-time siren to give his side its first lead of the day by five points.
Both sides suffered casualties in the first term with Charman dislocating a finger, Rick Ladson copping a nasty gash on his face and Richie Vandenberg spending most of the match on the bench after straining his knee.
The two star forwards on each side, Brown and Franklin, took centre stage in the second quarter with the Lion booting all of his side’s four goals and the Hawk all of his team’s second-quarter total of three.
Brown left Croad trailing in his wake as he led and marked strongly for three of his majors with the other an impressive left-foot snap after gathering the loose ball.
A stunning left-foot snap from Franklin after the siren made the margin five points at the main break with the two sides coming together for a bit of push and shove as they left the ground.
The Lions were slow out of the blocks after the restart and the Hawks made them pay, establishing a stranglehold around the stoppages that saw them skip away from Brisbane.
Jarryd Roughead gave his side the lead for good in the first minute of the third quarter with Franklin and Tim Boyle adding two goals each as Hawthorn held a 28-point break at the last change.
Brown speared through his fifth to try and halt the slide and Cheynee Stiller booted his first, but that was it for the Lions who had a mountain to climb in the final term.
Rhan Hooper slotted a classical rover’s goal to start the quarter, but the Hawks put on a three-goal burst that effectively sealed the result.
Brisbane never stopped trying and kicked the last three goals of the game, including Brown’s sixth, but it wasn’t enough as the Lions eventually went down by 24 points.
HAWTHORN 4.3 7.4 14.8 17.13 (115)
BRISBANE LIONS 3.4 7.9 9.10 13.13 (91)
Goals
Hawthorn: L Franklin 5 B Dixon 3 J Roughead 3 L Hodge 2 C Bateman T Boyle B McGlynn C Young.
Brisbane Lions: J Brown 6 L Power 2 C Stiller 2 J Charman R Copeland R Hooper.
Best
Hawthorn: L Hodge S Mitchell J Lewis L Franklin G Birchall S Crawford C Brown.
Brisbane Lions: J Brown L Power J Adcock J Charman N Lappin C Begley.
Injuries
Hawthorn: Vandenberg (knee), Ladson (cut head).
Brisbane Lions: Charman (finger).
Reports: Nil.
Umpires: B Allen S Wenn M Avon.
Official Crowd: 39,007 at MCG.
