A BRAVE Brisbane Lions outfit made Hawthorn work hard for its 42-point win at Aurora Stadium on Saturday.
The Lions refused to lie down all afternoon but were clearly outclassed by the Hawks who claimed a 16.9 (105) to 9.9 (63) win.
A howling cross-field wind made conditions tough for both sides early, but it was Hawthorn who settled better with five goals and a 24-point lead at the first break.
Hawthorn superstar Lance Franklin managed two goals for the quarter and looked dangerous despite coming in under an injury cloud, and the contrast with an often double-teamed Jonathon Brown was stark.
With 11 first-quarter possessions, Hawthorn defender Josh Gibson was doing an outstanding job in nullifying Brown while setting up plenty of rebound for busy half-backs Brent Guerra and Grant Birchall.
But Brown came into his own during the second quarter as possession began to dry up for the Hawks, the Lions' skipper finally receiving better service from the midfield and inspiring his side with two goals in a minute, one a classy snap and the other a bomb from long-range.
When Luke Power kicked a goal following a free-kick in the goalsquare, the Lions had kicked three in three minutes and were back to within 13 points at half-time.
Brendan Whitecross pounced with a goal shortly after the re-start, and when David Hale and Paul Puopolo joined the party soon after it looked like the Lions would be blown away.
But the Lions were spurred into action and produced their best footy of the day during the closing stages of the third term, pulling the Hawks' lead back to 15 points following a goal from the busy Patrick Karnezis after the siren from 55m.
The final quarter was a one-sided affair as the Hawks piled on six goals to one, including two to the impressive Whitecross, and ran out 42-point winners.
Influential players
Much of the pre-match talk revolved around Hawthorn forward Lance Franklin and his troublesome ankle, but it was another Hawks tall that proved just as dangerous. David Hale kicked three goals, as did Franklin and Brendan Whitecross, but it was Hale's two contested marks close to goal and his ability to take turns in the ruck that set him apart.
What it means
For the Lions, things do not look like getting any easier with their next assignment against Geelong at the Gabba. Michael Voss said post-match he could not fault the endeavour his players show week after week, but they will have to play out of their skins to even challenge the Cats.
Dream Team highlight
Brisbane Lions: Jack Redden booted a couple of goals to go with his 32 disposals and seven tackles against the Hawks. Not a bad afternoon's work in a losing side and with 130 points to his name, surely a highlight for Dream Team coaches with the talented South Australian in their team.
What the coach said
Michael Voss (Brisbane Lions): "I can't fault our group every single week. It's nice when you come to the footy and you don't have to worry whether the group wants to have a go. That's what I feel like at the moment as their coach. They're getting themselves ready for the contest and that's a really pleasing aspect of what they're producing at the moment."
Quarter by quarter summary
First quarter
The Lions won the toss and elected to kick towards the city of Launceston, with the strong breeze set to make kicking difficult but not appearing to favour either end. It took over five minutes for the first score after the Lions' defence repelled several forward forays before they failed to stop Luke Hodge as he cut through traffic and kicked a goal. After the Lions missed an opportunity through Patrick Karnezis, the Hawks had five unanswered scoring shots for a return of 3.2, which pushed them 25 points in front. Karnezis then marked and converted for the Lions' first goal, with the power of the wind on show when the ball dramatically changed direction and sailed through the goals after initially heading right. Simon Black missed a set shot before Lance Franklin - after embarking on his second long run - won a 50m penalty for a late tackle from Ash McGrath and kicked his second shortly before the siren.
Hawthorn by 24 points
Second quarter
The Hawks kicked the first goal of the quarter through Liam Shiels after he collected a quick handpass from an under-pressure Paul Puopolo, and it looked as though the game was slipping away from the Lions. But then the goals dried up for the Hawks with Brendan Whitecross missing a couple of shots, although the Lions weren't much better with Jonathan Brown, Todd Banfield and Black sending shots wayward. When Banfield's second shot fell short and Brown marked on the goal line, he kicked an impossible goal from a sharp angle that defied the challenging wind. It gave the Lions some momentum, and they booted the next two through Brown and then Power after Brent Guerra gave away his second costly free kick for the quarter. Sam Mitchell had a chance to peg one back in the dying stages but only managed a point, which left the Lions right back in it after a three-goal-to-one quarter.
Hawthorn by 13 points
Third quarter
The Lions arrived on the ground eight minutes before the Hawks, but it was the home side that emerged from the half-time break better as they nailed the first two goals of the quarter and shot back out to a 26-point lead. Sam Sheldon and Jack Redden were able to keep the Lions in it although Puopolo split their goals with his first for the afternoon. It appeared as though the wind had dropped although it still favoured the non-city end. The Hawks benefited through Michael Osborne goal as the quarter neared red time but after Grant Birchall shanked a kick, the Lions managed to end the term with the last two goals through Redden and Patrick Karnezis. The 12-point punch set up an interesting conclusion to the game with the visitors to come home with the breeze. Rohan Bewick - the late inclusion for Jesse O'Brien - was subbed on midway through the term for Bryce Retzlaff.
Hawthorn by 15 points.
Fourth quarter
After ending the third quarter on a high with Karnezis' goal after the siren, the wind was knocked out of the Lions' sails early in the fourth when David Hale opened the scoring with a goal that pushed the margin out beyond three goals. A couple of forward forays didn't result in goals to the Lions, and when the Hawks booted the next three through Brendan Whitecross, Guerra and Puopolo, the magnitude of the task began to inflate. Brown kept the Lions' slim hopes alive when he booted his third to get the difference back to 32 points but the Hawks pushed harder and ran out the game with a six-goal-to-one final term, despite the breeze. Clinton Young was subbed off for Riley Milne and looked sore, while the Lions lost McGrath to a nasty lower leg injury.
Hawthorn 5.2 6.5 10.8 16.9 (105)
Brisbane Lions 1.2 4.4 8.5 9.9 (63)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Franklin 3, Hale 3, Whitecross 2, Puopolo 2, Hodge, Smith, Shiels, Hale, Osborne, Guerra
Brisbane Lions: Brown 3, Redden 2, Karnezis 2, Power, Sheldon
BEST
Hawthorn: Gibson, Hodge, Mitchell, Franklin, Whitecross, Bailey, Ellis, Hale
Brisbane Lions: Rockliff, Black, Redden, Hanley, Karnezis, Brown, Power
INJURIES
Hawthorn: Nil
Brisbane Lions: McGrath (lower leg), O'Brien replaced in selected side by Bewick
SUBSTITUTES
Hawthorn: Milne subbed on for Young (leg) in the fourth quarter
Brisbane Lions: Bewick subbed on for Retzlaff in the third quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Kennedy, Grun, Pannell
Official crowd: 14,604 at Aurora Stadium
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the clubs or the AFL
