THE BRISBANE Lions have made two changes ahead of Saturday night’s Gabba clash with Hawthorn – a match for which midfielder Travis Johnstone believes the home side will be perfectly prepared, courtesy of last week’s comeback win over Port Adelaide.
The Lions have included crumbing forward Ash McGrath for his first game of the season, while ruckman Jamie Charman has been recalled following a calf injury.
The Hawks, meanwhile, are at close to full-strength, having included key defender Trent Croad, skipper Sam Mitchell and tough midfielder Jordan Lewis.
Johnstone isn’t keen on the Lions finding themselves 47 points in arrears in the third quarter, as was the case in the 20-point win over the Power.
But he says Port Adelaide’s hard-running style will have given the Lions an idea of what to expect against Hawthorn.
“Hawthorn is right up there with Geelong and they are definitely playing some great footy at the moment,” Johnstone said.
“There are some similarities there with Port in the way they move the ball and the key is going to be for us to win the ball as well.
“We didn’t do that well in the first half last week and it was reflected on the scoreboard.
“We improved a lot in the second half and that showed that other teams can’t run away from you when you are winning the ball.”
TEAMS
BRISBANE LIONS
B: Troy Selwood, Daniel Merrett, Joel Macdonald
HB: Anthony Corrie, Joel Patfull, Colm Begley
C: Tim Notting, Jed Adcock, Travis Johnstone
HF: Luke Power, Jonathan Brown, Nigel Lappin
F: Daniel Bradshaw, Jared Brennan, Rhan Hooper
Foll: Jamie Charman, Simon Black, Michael Rischitelli
I/C: Cheynee Stiller, Matthew Leuenberger, Ashley McGrath, Justin Sherman
EMG: Robert Copeland, Scott Harding, James Polkinghorne
HAWTHORN
B: Campbell Brown, Stephen Gilham, Brent Guerra
HB: Rick Ladson, Trent Croad, Grant Birchall
C: Clinton Young, Sam Mitchell, Chance Bateman
HF: Shane Crawford, Lance Franklin, Michael Osborne
F: Cyril Rioli, Jarryd Roughead, Mark Williams
Foll: Simon Taylor, Brad Sewell, Luke Hodge
I/C: Robert Campbell, Tim Clarke, Xavier Ellis, Jordan Lewis
EMG: Ben McGlynn, Jarryd Morton, Cameron Stokes
On the punt:
In a nod to Hawthorn’s strong start to the season, the Hawks are listed at $1.65 favourites in UNiTAB betting, with the Lions set to start at $2.15. For a team on home soil, coming off a confidence-boosting victory, those are handy odds.
From a seasonal perspective, the Lions were big shorteners in the market for a top-four finish following last week’s win over Port, trimming from $9 to $5. Hawthorn, meanwhile, are at an almost unbackable $1.07. Saturday night’s game will feature three of the four top fancies for the Coleman Medal – Lance Franklin ($2.25), Daniel Bradshaw ($6) and Jonathan Brown ($6.50).
Key match-up:
Joel Patfull (Lions) v Lance Franklin (Hawthorn): Franklin has been in red-hot form this season (21 goals) and showed against the Lions in round 19 of last year what a tough match-up he is. Daniel Merrett stood him on that day, but the versatile and underrated Patfull is a good chance to get the job on Saturday night. If he can stick with Franklin on the lead and use his renowned spoiling ability, it will go a long way towards a Lions victory.
Odds and sods:
* Both clubs share some quite uncanny age-related statistics. The Lions’ average age is 22 years and 243 days, while the Hawks’ average is 22 years 220 days. Each club also has only one player older than 30 – in the Lions’ case it’s 31-year-old Nigel Lappin, for Hawthorn it’s 33-year-old Shane Crawford.
* Brown and Bradshaw have combined for 29 goals to date in 2008, while Franklin and his forward line partner Jarryd Roughead have posted 33. Those numbers stack up pretty well compared to some whole teams. Melbourne, for example, has registered 38 goals in four games, while 2005 premier West Coast has managed just 37.
*Only the Western Bulldogs (540) and Geelong (503) have scored more points than top-of-the-table Hawthorn (482). The Hawks also rate highly in points against, having conceded only 303, second only to Sydney (245). The Lions sit mid-table in both statistics – 11th in points for (367) and seventh in points against (378). Average out those two results and you have the Lions’ current spot on the ladder – ninth.
