AFTER a Covid interrupted fortnight, the Brisbane Lions well and truly got their season back on track with a 35-point win over Carlton on Tuesday night.

Brisbane was led by Emily Bates (23 disposals) and Orla O’Dwyer (20 disposals), while Greta Bodey, Jesse Wardlaw and Jess Wuetschner kicked two goals each. Meanwhile for the visitors, Madison Prespakis finished with 27 touches while Courtney Jones kicked three goals.

TALKING POINTS

Lions prove they are the reigning premiers for a reason

After their Round 1 loss to Adelaide, many were questioning how the Lions’ premiership defence would go this season. Last night’s performance proved that their opening outing was an outlier, and they are still one of the teams to beat this season.

Brisbane’s win was dominant

Not only was Brisbane’s win dominant on the scoreboard, but it also won many of the key stat counts. The following is just a snippet of the key performance indicators that the Lions won last night:

• Clearances (20-13)
• Inside 50s (11 -5)
• Contested possessions (103-98)
• Tackles (49-32)
• Hitouts (19-14)

Injuries can sour even the best of wins

There was one sour note to Brisbane’s comfortable win. The only real downside from the win, albeit a significant one, was an injury to Taylor Smith. It initially looked like a serious knee injury, but Brisbane is hoping it is just a slight ankle concern. Fans wait with baited breath in the hope that Smith is not the fifth AFLW player to join the ACL club this season.

Lions fans, get excited about Zimmorlei Farquharson

After being drafted in 2020, Zimmorlei Farquharson finally got to make her debut last night, and she certainly proved she belongs at the top level.

Her first kick ultimately set up a Wardlaw goal, and she never looked back. She was zippy on the wing, and finished with 12 disposals and a goal of her own.  

It’s back to the drawing board for Carlton

Carlton need to go back to the drawing board after again falling short against top opposition. They dominated many stats against Geelong last time out that the Lions comfortably beat them in last night. This included hitouts, tackles, inside 50s and marks inside 50. Losing Jess Good late certainly didn’t help, but the Blues’ 2022 season could slip away from them fast with tricky fixtures against North Melbourne, Adelaide, and Fremantle awaiting them.

NEXT WEEK

Brisbane have only a four day turnaround before it faces Geelong at home on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Blues are back at home on Sunday against the Roos.