Lions study up to tame reigning premiers
BRISBANE picked up one of its biggest wins of its season, defeating Melbourne by 25 points to secure a top four berth and double chance.
Much like Adelaide a month prior, it was clear Brisbane had done its homework on the Dees and again beat the reigning premiers at their own game.
There were many similarities between how Brisbane attacked the game and tried to stop the Dees versus how the Crows did it back in Round 6.
| Round 6 | Round 10 | ||||||
| Adel | Mel | Difference | Bris | Melb | Difference | ||
| Disposals | 264 | 219 | 45 | 246 | 201 | 45 | |
| Kicks | 149 | 140 | 9 | 155 | 124 | 31 | |
| Handballs | 115 | 79 | 36 | 91 | 77 | 14 | |
| Inside 50s | 36 | 28 | 8 | 42 | 24 | 18 | |
| Disposal Eff | 63.3 | 53.9 | 9.4 | 68.3 | 59.2 | 9.1 | |
| Inisde 50 Eff | 38.9 | 39.3 | -0.4 | 33.3 | 45.8 | -12.5 | |
| Hit Outs | 35 | 36 | -1 | 27 | 39 | -12 | |
| Clearances | 25 | 36 | -11 | 28 | 33 | -5 | |
| Centre Clearances | 5 | 8 | -3 | 8 | 6 | 2 | |
| Stoppage Clearances | 20 | 28 | -8 | 20 | 27 | -7 | |
| Contested Possessions | 127 | 126 | 1 | 110 | 113 | -3 | |
| Uncontested Possessions | 139 | 88 | 51 | 133 | 75 | 58 | |
| Turn Overs | 59 | 69 | -10 | 50 | 59 | -9 | |
| Marks | 46 | 27 | 19 | 51 | 27 | 24 | |
| Marks I50 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 4 | |
| Contested Marks | 8 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 7 | -1 | |
| Tackles | 86 | 73 | 13 | 81 | 57 | 24 | |
| Tackles I50 | 19 | 6 | 13 | 27 | 10 | 17 |
The biggest factor – which should ring alarm bells for those at AAMI Park – is the handball game. Melbourne are renowned for it for a reason, but on Saturday night Brisbane restricted its ability to execute their normal game plan, restricting their ability to get the ball on the outside and move forward.
Melbourne normally averages over 100 handballs a game, but only recorded 77 on Saturday which is the lowest it has recorded all season.
Combine this with an increase in the number of tackles Brisbane laid compared to most of Melbourne’s opponents this season, this led to the Dees being adversely affected in other areas just like back in Round 6, including inside 50s, uncontested possessions and turn overs.
Heading into finals, this win could not have come at a better time for the Lions. They have certainly had their ups and downs this season, but a big scalp like this on the eve of the finals is going to significantly boost the morale of the Lions.
The Dees on the other hand should be a little worried. This is twice now they have been caught out in the same way and come up short. It is time to add to the list of plans at the ready.
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