Horrible kicking at goal had as much to do with the Eagles’ terrible start to the season as their injuries - particularly in the Port Adelaide and Carlton games where they managed a combined 17.43. Although still looking far from the much-fancied flag contender they appeared before the season, their kicking woes look behind them at least after consecutive efficient games in front of goal. They needed it here as the Lions led in most statistic categories.
2. Browny can’t buy a touch
Eric Mackenzie had big Jonathan Brown in his pocket most of the afternoon keeping him to just six touches. Two goals in the second half flattered the co-captain’s day but it is a telling stat that eight of his 12 goals this season have come against Gold Coast and Melbourne as he struggles to beat the attentions of the better backs in the league - a club Mackenzie may now belong in. His man-marking master-class allowed Darren Glass to run around free for much of the game and ensure the Lions could not make their Inside 50 advantage count.
3. Kennedy a predator
Like his opposite number Brown, Josh Kennedy saw little of the ball but when he did he was ruthlessly effective once more. Chortles ran around the Gabba as the stuttering marksmen’s elongated run-up came to an end but the Eagles fans were the ones laughing the moment the ball left his boot and sailed unerringly through the posts. His 4.1 sees his season tally lift to 24.7, level with Jack Riewoldt in the Coleman Medal race.
4. Leuey up where he belongs
Competing against Nic Naitanui and his hero Dean Cox, Matthew Leueberger showed he belongs in the company of the game’s premier ruckman. Competitive in the ruck throughout, especially against Cox, Leuenberger impacted around the ground, often leaving Naitanui exhausted in his first full game back. His best moment came as he used his body to ease fellow East Perth alumni Cox out of the way in the right pocket, and scored a grubber to bring the Lions level at the end of the third quarter.
5. Black impacts in belated return
A gloomy day in Brisbane was brightened when Simon Black entered the fray in the third quarter, and the frustrations of the first six games lifted when the champion kicked home from 30 yards. Eyebrows were raised when Michael Voss selected Black as the substitute. The explanation being that Black missed training on Friday with an illness, but it was a move that could have backfired if the Lions were out of the game at half-time like last week. As it was, Black’s 12 touches in just over a quarter were not enough to stop the Eagles’ fourth-quarter charge.
