DAMIEN Hardwick says Ned Moyle's irresistible form - and not an attempt to exploit Brisbane's lack of defensive height - is the reason he's opted for two ruckmen to face the Lions on Saturday.
Co-captain Jarrod Witts has been named to play his first game in a month after overcoming fractured vertebrae, pairing him alongside Moyle for the very first time as a dual-ruck threat.
Hardwick has dropped first-year forward Jed Walter for the QClash, saying 206cm Moyle would spend most of his time inside 50 with Ben King and Jack Lukosius.
Although Brisbane will employ a smaller key defensive unit following injuries to Harris Andrews and Darragh Joyce, Hardwick said it was Moyle's recent form that got him the nod.
"Moyle is in such good form at the moment, and we had to reward that form," Hardwick said on Friday morning.
"Moyle's contested marking has been a feature of his game … what we're going to get up forward we're not too sure.
"We've got a combative guy that's going to bring the ball to ground and compete as best he can."
Moyle has played seven games in 2024, including the past three as Witts has recovered from the back injury he sustained against Collingwood in round 16.
He has accrued AFL Coaches Association votes against Port Adelaide and Greater Western Sydney in the past fortnight, combining a combative contest in the ruck with some contested marking around the ground.
Hardwick expected Eric Hipwood to play in defence for Brisbane after getting intel the Lions' tall forward trained there on Thursday, but said their defensive make-up had nothing to do with his selections.
"I can't control their backs and what that looks like," he said.
"You can sit there and get drawn into that, exploiting a smaller backline, but the ball's on the ground more than it's in the air.
"We've got some talls capable of marking the ball … we've got a great forward mix that turns the ball over in our front half."
Hardwick said Gold Coast had learned some valuable lessons from its round eight loss against Brisbane and was convinced his team would have to score heavily to maintain its perfect record in front of an expected sellout crowd at People First Stadium.
