THE BRISBANE Lions have solidified their position in the top eight after beating North Melbourne by 18 points at Docklands on Saturday afternoon.

The Lions celebrated their second trip to Victoria in as many weeks with a 15.9 (99) to 12.9 (81) victory after breaking open the game in the second half and then withstanding a late charge from the determined Kangaroos.

Young gun Daniel Rich was sensational for the Lions with 25 possessions and five tackles. There was an early battle between Rich and fellow up-and-comer Jack Ziebell, but the stocky Lion's composure and accuracy made him stand out.

Exciting forward Rhan Hooper kicked four goals in his third game for the year, while Mitch Clark was terrific in the ruck, Simon Black worked his way into the game after a slow start and Jed Adcock was strong with 30 touches.
 
For the Kangaroos, Ben Warren kicked four goals in his most dominating display in seven games, and Adam Simpson won the early battle against Black and went on for 37 possessions.

The Lions used their opportunities better in the first quarter. They scored the first two goals through Justin Sherman and Hooper, which gave them the biggest lead of the term – 11 points – nine minutes in.

The Kangaroos got their first a minute later when late inclusion Daniel Harris sneaked onto the ground unnoticed and marked within range, but some sure footwork from Jed Adcock after five minutes kept the Lions in front.

The Roos came back late in the quarter and snared two unanswered goals through Warren and Scott McMahon, which levelled the scores at the 26-minute mark.

Cheynee Stiller kicked the final major of the term to wrench the lead back before Harris shanked a chance to again tie the scores after the siren.

The Kangaroos increased their pressure in the second term, and were able to turn their quarter-time deficit into a seven-point lead in the first three minutes.

The Lions rallied but were hurt by inaccuracy in front of goal with a pair of shots going astray before they got their first of the term through a team effort by Albert Proud and Hooper.

A goal to James Polkinghorne increased the Lions' one-point lead to seven, but a straight kick from David Hale evened things up once again.

The Lions' big boys Jonathan Brown and Daniel Bradshaw booted the last two goals of the half, which gave the visitors a handy 13-point advantage at the main break.
 
Hale kicked his second seven minutes in –from just his second possession – to narrow the gap, but the Lions again replied with a pair of majors and the difference was extended to 20 points before Warren managed to pull it back.

Leigh Harding gave away a costly free kick when he was caught holding the ball in the Lions' offensive arc, and Hooper made the Roos pay when he guided his shot through the big sticks.

Another to Polkinghorne blew the margin out to 25 points, the biggest lead of the afternoon, but Drew Petrie calmly slotted his first after the siren to leave the three-quarter time difference at a manageable 19 points.

It took Hooper less than a minute in the final stanza to get his fourth on the board, which was followed up promptly with another from Black.

The Roos refused to lie down and replied with goals through Warren and Petrie that got them within 20 points, but Rich capped off an excellent day out with his first at the 18-minute mark and halted the home side's charge.

The Kangaroos will now play St Kilda at Docklands next Saturday while the Lions will host Carlton at the Gabba that night.

North Melbourne    3.3 6.5 9.7 12.9 (81)
Brisbane Lions    4.2 8.6 12.8 15.9 (99)

GOALS
North Melbourne: Warren 4, Hale 2, Petrie 2, Thomas, Harris, McMahon, Wells
Brisbane Lions: Hooper 4, Sherman 2, Brown 2, Polkinghorne 2, Adcock, Stiller, Bradshaw, Black, Rich

BEST
North Melbourne: Simpson, McIntosh, Warren, Gibson
Brisbane Lions: Adcock, Clark, Rich, Hooper, Henderson, Black, Power

INJURIES
North Melbourne: Nil
Brisbane Lions: Rischitelli (shoulder) 

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Kennedy, Nicholls, Hay

Official crowd: 21,583 at Docklands

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs

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