Dons tame weak Lions

AN injury and illness-ravaged Brisbane Lions narrowly failed the depth test, after a Peter Wright-inspired Essendon claimed a 10-point triumph at the Gabba on Sunday.

Brisbane had nine firstchoice players ruled out of the match with Covid and injury.

And the Bombers seized the opportunity, Wright kicking five goals after dominating the aerial contests.

It was Brisbane’s first loss at the Gabba since the semi-final against the Western Bulldogs last season, and their first home-and-away defeat at the ground since the loss to Sydney in round 1 this year. The Lions lost 887 games of experience as captain Dayne Zorko, Daniel Rich, Harris Andrews, Dan McStay and Jarrod Berry headed the long list of absentees, but welcomed in 559 games of senior footy.

But they lacked any sort of defensive pressure and efficient ball movement, dropping to 11-5 to put pressure on their top-four aspirations.

The Bombers have now won three of their past four outings to improve to 5-11.

Brisbane closed to within four points of the Bombers after a Lachie Neale point with two minutes left on the clock.

But Essendon’s Matt Guelfi booted a goal after the siren from a free kick to extend the final margin.

After going goal-for-goal for the opening two quarters, Essendon kicked the last three majors before the main break to take a 16-point lead into halftime, racking up 80 more disposals than Brisbane.

The Bombers had 67 more uncontested possessions than the Lions, who lacked fluency with the ball and accountability in defence.

A better side than the 16thplaced Essendon would have put the Lions to the sword much earlier, after having 10 marks inside 50 compared to Brisbane’s three.

THE WRIGHT STUFF

PETER Wright enjoyed the perfect conditions for football as he controlled the air in Essendon’s forward 50, especially in the third term when he kicked three goals.

With such clean hands and a true boot at 203cm tall, Wright gave Brisbane headaches in their first meeting in 2022, strongly outmarking Jack Payne as the Bombers pumped the ball inside 50 under little pressure.

He booted his fifth in the last quarter to underline his best-on-ground performance.

LIONS LACK ATTITUDE

YES, Brisbane was incredibly undermanned, especially in a backline that understandably lacked cohesion - but defence is still all about attitude.

And the long list of outs for the Lions was no excuse for the poor defensive display in the first half. There was simply no defensive pressure from the home side as the Bombers moved the ball with ease.

Essendon players found themselves in wide-open space far too often. Brisbane did not have the intent to work back and pick up a man, which comes down to hard-running and desperation, not resumes.

FANTASTIC FOUR

KYLE Langford’s career-best haul of goals was three before the first bounce at the Gabba.

Langford equalled that mark in the second term alone with three majors to help the Bombers to a healthy lead.

He grabbed four marks for three goals and one behind before halftime, and a scoring assists in his 10 disposals. He set a new personal best with his fourth goal in the fourth term.

ROBINSON RIPS IN

HE MAY give away the odd free kick and turn the ball over, but Mitch Robinson, with his aggression and physicality, showed why he needs to be among Brisbane’s 22 in the back-half of the season.