Aligning worlds gifts Lions a grand final gig
PANIC, party time then planning mode. The Brisbane Lions rode an emotional rollercoaster yesterday that finished with the club qualifying for its second-straight AFLW grand final.
The Lions will take on the Western Bulldogs in the 2018 season showpiece at Melbourne’s Ikon Park on Saturday after Collingwood upset Adelaide to hand Brisbane a shot at grand final redemption.
Brisbane started Round 7 in fifth place and needed three things to happen to get through to the decider:
To score a big percentageboosting win over GWS on Friday night. Check.
For the Bulldogs to beat Melbourne on Saturday. Check.
And for the Magpies to beat premiers Adelaide. Check.
The Crows were well on top at halftime but scored just two behinds in the last two quarters as Collingwood cruised to a 21point victory.
The final siren sparked euphoric scenes at the Gabba where the Lions players had gathered to watch the match.
But celebrations quickly gave way to the task of getting ready to make amends for last year’s grand final loss.
“I rode every bump, tackle and mark,’’ Brisbane captain Emma Zielke said. AFLW ROUND 7
Bulldogs Brisbane Melbourne GWS Giants Adelaide Collingwood Fremantle Carlton Blues
PWL 752 743 743 733 733 734 734 725
D - - - 1 1 - - -
% 142.5 126.5 115.8 92.6 92.4 110.6 89.8 54.1 Pts 20 16 16 14 14 12 12 8