Rookies Sam Michael and Nick Hayes were the exceptions however, with both representing Queensland/NT in the NEAFL’s 82-point loss to the SANFL in Adelaide.
The final margin probably flattered the far more experienced crow eaters, who held only a narrow lead at half-time.
Reserves Coach Leigh Harding still hasn’t seen the entire State match, but has been pleased with the feedback he’s received on the two Lions players.
“I only saw the first 15-20 minutes of the game because it was being played at the same time as our senior match at the Gabba,” Harding told lions.com.au.
“I’ve heard Hayesy was quite good, and Sam Michael obviously had a great day because he won the (Zane Taylor) Medal as best-on-ground.”
“It’s a great effort by Sam. He’s been in great form of late.”
“Sam’s played predominantly in the ruck, mainly because he’s one of our only big guys in the Reserves. But when we’ve had Billy (Longer) in the team, we’ve been able to shift him forward a bit more.”
Meanwhile, Harding and the rest of the Reserves side took advantage of a rare opportunity to closely watch the Lions' senior game against West Coast at the Gabba.
“The rest of the boys had a solid hitout on Friday, then we just watched the game together as a group and took some notes,” Harding said.
“They looked at some of the West Coast players, and some of our players as well, to see if they could learn anything about those guys who play in similar positions.”
“Hopefully it proved a worthwhile exercise, and the boys can implement some of the things they learned into their own game.”
SCOREBOARD (STATE GAME)
SANFL 4.3 7.5 14.10 21.14 (140)
NEAFL 1.1 6.2 8.2 9.4 (58)
BEST – SANFL: Ferguson, Thomas, Boyd, Ryswyk, O’Hara, Parry, Liddle, Thring.
NEAFL: Michael, Ilett, Davey, Stiller, Dzufer.
GOALS – SANFL: Ryswyk 6, Wundke 4, Ainger, Beech, Caire 2, Campbell, Liddle, Gray, O’Hara, Meiklejohn. NEAFL: Dunne, Michael 2, Kiel, Walton, Shelton, Vassal, Davey.
FOS WILLIAMS MEDALLIST – Ryan Ferguson (West Adelaide)
ZANE TAYLOR MEDALLIST – Sam Michael (Brisbane Lions)
