BRISBANE absorbed the early heat, wrestled control of the contest then put the foot down in a clinical performance from the reigning back-to-back grand finalists against a young Port Adelaide side at Brighton Homes Arena. The Lions trailed by four points at quarter time, but got on top kicking eight goals to two in the final three terms to come away with the 9.8 (62) to 4.9 (33) victory.

Lions coach Craig Starcevich described the performance as “solid” having now strung together a fourth straight victory since going down the Kangaroos back in Round 5 almost a month earlier.

“Still some bits and pieces where maybe overused the ball a fraction at times just trying to invent another running handpass that might not have been on and we could have got in there quicker, but there were a lot of bits and pieces there today that we’d be pretty happy with,” Starcevich said.

Having kicked five of the last six goals in the match heading into the final break, Starcevich gave an insight into what was said at the three quarter time huddle.

“We thought we’d done enough work to wear the opposition out a bit so there was an opportunity there to put some scoreboard gap on them, so we were talking a little bit about them, how we’d set the game up really well,” he said. “The game with us was high pressure and higher contested marks means we’ve had good pressure and good control and now there’s a chance to go forward and score.”

In-form Lion Courtney Hodder continued her sensational season, picking up 24 disposals, two marks, six tackles, two clearances, six inside 50s and a goal, as well as providing 422 metres gained, the fourth most in the match.

“She’s a bit of a firelighter for us at times which is pretty obvious to everyone, but you’d like to have one in the middle and one forward at all times, but she’s having a wonderful year,” Starcevich said. “She just plays with a pace and intensity that others don’t so she’s always dangerous, she’s always creative, she’s popping the ball out of situations where others can’t squeeze the ball out of so she’s been really, really good.”

Brisbane got the job done in captain Breanna Koenen;s 100th game, with former Lion now Port Adelaide coach Lauren Arnell praising the winners for their four-quarter performance while still showing pride in her own group.

“I thought the scoreboard didn’t reflect the game and we were really gutsy with the way we went about that last quarter especially,” Arnell said. “To have Piper Window (concussion) go down as early as she did, a couple of girls were crook over the last couple of days, I thought it was a really gutsy way we played and I thought we had the game on our terms for chucks of it, so credit to the Lions, but our group was good.”