LIONS’ SCORING WOES CONTINUE
Poor kicking nearly costs Brisbane against lowly Roos
IT was supposed to be a case of not whether Brisbane would win but by how much.
However, the Lions were forced to dig deep to outlast a gutsy North Melbourne by one point — 7.11 (53) to 8.4 (52) — at Metricon Stadium on Saturday and grab a share of the AFL ladder leader, albeit unconvincingly.
Brisbane appeared to be a shoo-in to grab a ninth win in 11 games and all but secure a top-four finish when it lined up against a second-last Kangaroos outfit ravaged by injuries.
But the Lions didn’t look like flag contenders as they were out-enthused by a North Melbourne outfit that made seven team changes after losing eight of its last nine games.
The Roos also had an 18strong injury list after the late withdrawal of key defender Robbie Tarrant (calf).
After leading by just 12 at the final interval with coach Chris Fagan’s halftime spray no doubt still ringing in their ears, the Lions somehow held on for a narrow win with Lincoln McCarthy nabbing two goals.
The rebuild may have already started for North Melbourne.
Kangaroos coach Rhyce Shaw this week claimed he would “find out about a few players” as he looked to the future ahead of what loomed as the biggest overhaul in the club’s history at season’s end.
He clearly liked what he saw on Saturday, finishing the game screaming encouragement from the sidelines.
Injuries have taken their toll on the Kangaroos, sabotaging their 2-0 season start that must seem a lifetime ago for Shaw.
But Shaw also made some bold selection calls for the Lions clash by dumping the likes of the experienced Jared Polec, Aaron Hall, Jasper Pittard and Majak Daw, and showing faith in his youngsters.
And North’s young brigade stepped up, with the likes of Nick Larkey, late inclusion Tristan Xerri, Marley Williams and Luke Davies-Uniacke showing encouraging signs for the future.
It will provide Shaw plenty to ponder as he mulls over some big calls with off-contract forward Ben Brown under the microscope, along with the likes of Jamie Macmillan, Pittard, Daw and Taylor Garner.
The Lions would be tempted to kick themselves over their inaccuracy this season — although they may miss.
Brisbane has again emerged as a flag force this year, but the Lions started Saturday’s Metricon Stadium clash ranked last in the league for goalkicking accuracy.
Only one team since 2010 has made a preliminary final after being in the bottom four for accuracy.
Brisbane’s 2020 yips have spilt over from last year when the club kicked a total of 19.31 in its two home finals losses.
Brisbane’s radar was again off early, kicking five straight behinds before Dan McStay finally broke the goal drought in the 18th minute in what became an ominous sign for the game.