A HAT-TRICK of goals from Jenna McCormick completed a rare football double for the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Saturday night.
McCormick was the focal point up forward as the Lions' women's team rallied from a half-time deficit to beat Gold Coast by 14 points.
In a defence-dominated women's exhibition game that followed the home team's first win of the AFL season, the Lions booted four second-half goals to the Suns' solitary major to seize control.
Yeronga's Kate Lutkins led the way for the Lions, well supported by defender Emma Zielke and midfielder Tahlia Randall, who each had 21 possessions. And Danielle Wall lived up to her name, almost impassible in the backline for the victors.
A measure of the commitment to chase victory was Lions high-leaping foward Tayla Harris who dislocated a finger in the last quarter, briefly came off for treatment and then insisted she return to the action.
The Suns had prolific possession-winners with midfielder Jordan Zanchetta (25) and Yeronga teammate Emily Bates with 24. But the most eye-catching display for the Suns came from Townsville defender Delma Gisu, one of four players from far north Queensland, who worked tirelessly in defence to earn the best-afield award for the losing team.
A combined Queensland team, to be selected after the game, will play Melbourne in a curtain-raiser to the Demons-Lions game at the MCG on May 22.
BRISBANE LIONS 0.3 1.3 3.6 5.8 (38)
GOLD COAST 1.0 2.2 2.4 3.6 (24)
GOALS
Brisbane Lions: McCormick 3, McCarthy, Randall
Gold Coast: Thomas 2, Ransfield
BEST
Brisbane Lions: Lutkins, Wall, McCormick, Zielke, Randall
Gold Coast: Gisu, Zanchetta, Bates, Hunt, Goodman
