Brisbane Lions' utility Brent Staker had not played an AFL game since round 23, 2011, when he ran onto Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The former Eagle has had a horrendous run with knee injuries since rupturing his right anterior cruciate ligament in round one, 2011, against Fremantle and then undertaking LARS reconstructive surgery. He returned in round 17 that year but his synthetic LARS ligament ruptured after just six games. After deciding to have a traditional reconstruction, Staker missed all of last season and then had a delayed start to 2013 after undergoing minor surgery on his left knee in February. After tuning up with three games in the NEAFL, Staker returned to play the hero for the Lions against the Bombers. With the Lions four points up at the 29-minute mark of the final quarter, the Bombers looked set to break from defence and mount one last challenge. But Staker chased down Dyson Heppell, dived for a loose ball and was rewarded with a free kick for a trip. Then from 45m he went back and split the middle. When his Lions teammates flocked to him to celebrate, there was the strong sense they were also acknowledging the hard yards Staker had put in just to be there.
Brown mark review
The game's most controversial moment came at the three-minute mark of the last term when Lions captain Jonathan Brown marked a long bomb on the goal-line. The umpires' believed Brown had marked the ball within the field of play, but called for a score review to confirm their suspicions. Video of Brown's mark appeared to show he had marked the ball over the goal-line, but the 'third umpire' ruled the footage to be inconclusive. Bombers fans roundly booed when the decision was announced and their moods were not improved when Brown ran around and snapped a goal from a tight angle. Fortunately, the game was decided by more than a kick.
A game of fluctuating fortunes
When the Bombers went into half-time with a seven-point lead, they appeared to have weathered the Lions' best 'punches'. But the Lions showed they still had plenty of fight left in them, kicking the first two goals of the second half to reclaim the lead by five points. The lead changed hands another six times for the quarter, with the last coming when Lions ruckman Matthew Leuenberger set up a Brent Moloney goal at the 23-minute mark. In all, the lead changed 18 times during the game, the final change coming at the 20-minute mark of the final term when Dayne Zorko goaled to put the Lions three points up. Despite a tense finish, the Lions did not relinquish their lead.
Lions come out growling
The Brisbane Lions hit Etihad Stadium running on Saturday afternoon. The visitors had the first nine inside 50s and kicked 2.2 before the Bombers registered their first score at the 15-minute mark, a goal to skipper Jobe Watson. The Lions also started with an extremely physical approach in the first term. At times, they pushed the boundaries, with two incidents likely to be scrutinised by the Match Review Panel. At the 10-minute mark, Lions full-back Daniel Merrett slung Michael Hurley to the ground in a tackle, with the Bomber spearhead landing on his head. Hurley was substituted from the match with concussion soon after. Just three minutes after Merrett's sling tackle, 19-year-old Lions defender Justin Clarke crashed into the back of Bomber Elliott Kavanagh as he backed back to take a mark. Kavanagh had to be helped to his feet by trainers and spent about five minutes recovering on the interchange bench before playing out the rest of the game. Clarke's late contact drew a 50m penalty for Essendon, with Jobe Watson stepping in to kick the Bombers' first goal.
Heppell clones celebrate milestone
Ninety minutes before Dyson Heppell took the field to play his 50th AFL game, 50 young Essendon fans took to Etihad Stadium in long blonde wigs to pay tribute to the emerging Bomber midfielder with a goalkicking session at the "Lloyd" end. Although the youngsters have looked more like fictional Collingwood icon Bryan 'Strauchanie' Strauchan than Heppell, they oozed the same youthful energy that Heppell has brought to the Bombers over the past three seasons. Since debuting in round one, 2011, Heppell has missed just three games for the Bombers, winning the NAB AFL Rising Star award in his debut season and finishing second in the Bombers' best and fairest last year. Against the Lions, Heppell was again one of the Bombers' best players, finishing with 26 possessions and two goals.
