1. Lions' second-quarter blues return
The Lions of old were back at the Gabba against GWS, but unfortunately for the small number of fans who showed up, it wasn't their premiership-winning heroes. The Lions have shown improvement in the past few weeks, decreasing their concentration lapses and thus narrowing their losing margins. But they reverted to their early-season form, conceding a mammoth 10 goals in the second quarter. The Giants ran seemingly wherever they wanted to, and the Lions' defensive pressure inside 50 and in the midfield was non-existent. They did improve in a rain-assisted second half, but it was too little, too late.
2. Giants surge into top four
In a hotly contested season, percentage could be vital to sewing up a top-four position. After a disappointing and unexpected loss to Collingwood at home last week, the Giants were desperate to regain lost ground in the race to a maiden finals berth. Coming into the match, the Giants were seventh on the ladder with a percentage of 132.1. After their 79-point victory, and aided by West Coast's narrow win over Carlton, they jumped into the crucial fourth spot with 136.5 per cent – the highest percentage in the League.
The Giants do their best Russell Westbrook/Cam Payne celebration imitation after Smith's second. #AFLLionsGiants https://t.co/9tc9aYNq6u
— AFL (@AFL) July 17, 2016
3. The youngest back six ever?
The Lions have the youngest list in the AFL, and with Daniel Merrett's unavailability for this match due to illness, their back six was likely to be the youngest fielded for a very long time. Sam Mayes was the old man of the pack – at the comparatively ancient age of 22 – with 40 games experience. He was supported by Daniel McStay and Tom Cutler (both 21), Darcy Gardiner and Matthew Hammelmann (both 20) and the baby of the group in 19-year-old Harris Andrews.
4. Giants share it around
Coming into the match, there were queries over the Lions' ability to hold key forwards quiet. And while neither Jeremy Cameron or Jon Patton finished with a big haul of goals, it was the Lions' inability to defend at all that led to their demise. The Giants showed their versatility across the ground (and scared the rest of the competition) with 12 individual goal-scorers. Midfielders Callan Ward and Josh Kelly finished with three goals apiece (Ward scoring all his three in the third quarter), and even key defender and former Lion Joel Patfull got in on the act, floating forward to casually snap the opening goal.
Joel Patfull kicks a beauty around the corner! #ohwhatafeeling #AFLLionsGiants https://t.co/d9vx9lcv43
— AFL (@AFL) July 17, 2016
5. Lions' lowest Gabba crowd ever
Crowds have been steadily dropping at the Gabba this year, but this week, they hit rock bottom. The 10,195 hardy fans who came to watch a match between the 17th-placed Lions and seventh-ranked Giants, in the pouring rain, was the lowest Gabba crowd since the formation of the Brisbane Lions ahead of the 1997 season. The previous low was 12,700 (also against the Giants) in round 13, 2014. Their second- and third-lowest totals have also come this year, against West Coast and Fremantle. The lowest VFL/AFL crowd at the venue was 6480 in a match between the Brisbane Bears and Melbourne in 1991.