The first five are outlined below. Stay tuned for the second installment during grand final week.
Luke Power – Mr Ubiquitous:
Luke Power had another fine campaign, narrowly beating out Simon Black to be the Lions’ leading possession winner for the season. But in the round 13 win over Adelaide at the Gabba, the popular midfielder took it to another level. Throughout the night, Power was seemingly everywhere that the ball was, finishing with a club record 40 possessions. And when the going got tough, Power certainly got going – 14 of his disposals came in a fourth quarter in which the Lions turned a two-point three-quarter time deficit into a 13-point victory.
Jonathan Brown puts on the Superman cape:
If ever there was a need for Jonathan Brown to demonstrate his ability to dominate a football match, then the round 10 win over North Melbourne would have provided indisputable evidence. Quite simply, Brown looked a man among boys in dominating North defenders Josh Gibson and Michael Firrito. Brown eventually kicked 6.7 and could just as easily have had 10. He struck the post three times flush with set shots and also spent a chunk of the third term off the ground with what initially looked to be a nasty knee injury. The cheer that reverberated around the ground on his return spoke volumes for Brown’s popularity.
Friday footy and a win over the Pies:
Friday night footy returned to the Gabba for the first time in seven years in round two and the Lions marked it in the best possible fashion – by recording a thrilling victory over long-time rival Collingwood. A healthy crowd of more than 33,000 got value for the price of admission and then some, as the Lions came from 15 points down mid-way through the final quarter to get up by just two points. Plagued by inaccuracy in the first half, the Lions kicked the final three goals of the game through Anthony Corrie, Jonathan Brown and Jed Adcock – Adcock’s deftly-taken snap ultimately proving decisive.
Fortress Gabba:
In the end it wasn’t enough to help the Lions snare a finals spot, but the Gabba was certainly a place where opposing sides feared to tread in 2008. The Lions won eight of their 11 matches at the Gabba, with the three losses coming by a cumulative 35 points against preliminary finalist Hawthorn, perennial September participants the Sydney Swans and the much improved Carlton. Four of the wins came by 30 points or more and five were against top-eight sides – Collingwood, St Kilda, North Melbourne, Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs. If the Lions can come close to matching that record in 2009 under new coach Michael Voss, then a finals berth would almost certainly beckon.
A more consistent Jared Brennan:
Lions fans got their first glimpses of the “new” Jared Brennan in 2007, when the athletic utility played centre half-back and full-forward and kicked 24 goals, including seven in an MCG thrashing of Collingwood. But the Brennan on display in 2008 was an even more improved version. With a bigger endurance base built up during the pre-season, Brennan spent long periods in the midfield and had double figure possessions in every game – including a career-high 31 touches against Adelaide and eight other games of 20 or more. He was the Lions’ best against Geelong in round seven and produced match-turning fourth quarters against both Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs (round 20). Given Brennan is still only 24, the Lions can look forward to even more in the future.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
