YOUNG gun Lachlan Henderson has been selected to make his Brisbane Lions debut against traditional rivals Collingwood tomorrow night – a rare Friday night outing which full-back Daniel Merrett says will be welcomed by players as well as fans.
Henderson, who the Lions selected with the No.8 pick of last year’s National Draft, was one of three inclusions for the Lions, along with Albert Proud and Justin Sherman.
Midfielder Jed Adcock was selected, despite the leg knock he picked up against West Coast last weekend, but Robbie Copeland did not come up from his ankle injury and both Cheynee Stiller and Troy Selwood were omitted.
The Lions generally play home games on a Saturday night or Sunday afternoon and Merrett is looking forward to the change of routine.
“Collingwood on a Friday night is going to be a blockbuster and hopefully all our members and supporters can get down to the Gabba for a big crowd,” Merrett said.
“In the northern states, we don’t usually get to play Friday night games – I know this is the first one I’ve been involved in.
“I think it will be a good change. Afterwards we’ve got an eight-day break and that should give us plenty of time to get ready to play Sydney.”
Collingwood lost key forward Sean Rusling to a shoulder injury and omitted Marty Clarke. Their places were taken by captain Scott Burns and the experienced Ben Johnson.
Teams:
BRISBANE LIONS
B: Josh Drummond, 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: Lachlan Henderson, Matthew Leuenberger, Albert Proud, Justin Sherman
EMG: Troy Selwood, Cheynee Stiller, Scott Harding
COLLINGWOOD
B: Heath Shaw, Shane Wakelin, Tyson Goldsack
HB: Nick Maxwell, Nathan Brown, Harry O’Brien
C: Scott Pendlebury, Scott Burns, Tarkyn Lockyer
HF: Ben Johnson, Anthony Rocca, Rhyce Shaw
F: Chris Egan, Travis Cloke, Dale Thomas
Foll: Josh Fraser, Shane O’Bree, Leon Davis
I/C: Cameron Wood, Alan Didak, Paul Medhurst, Dane Swan
EMG: Brodie Holland, Ben Reid, Alan Toovey
On the punt:
Last week’s comeback against West Coast and home ground advantage haven’t been ignored by punters, with the Lions currently holding favouritism on UNiTAB at $1.75. A Lions win by 39 points or less is another popular result, at $2.35.
Punters looking for something a little more exotic might fancy the $13 being offered for a Lions win of 60 points or more. The Lions have won two of the last four matches between the sides, on both occasions by more than 70 points – a 78-point win in round 15 of 2005, then last year’s 93-point thrashing in round 17.
Key match-up:
Simon Black v whoever Collingwood throws at him: will Black be allowed to go head-to-head with another creative midfielder (a la the start of last week’s game against Daniel Kerr), or will Mick Malthouse assign a run-with player to the Brownlow medallist? The latter seems more feasible – Malthouse is unlikely to have forgotten Black’s efforts against the Magpies last year, including a brilliant 39-possession, three-Brownlow-vote outing in a losing side in round nine. If Black can reproduce that kind of form on Friday night and feed the Lions’ forward line, it will go a long way towards ensuring a first win of the season.
Odds and sods:
***It didn’t take long for Jonathan Brown to regain favouritism for the Coleman Medal. Brown’s superb six-goal haul against West Coast saw him shorten from $6 into $4.50, displacing Carlton’s Brendan Fevola at the head of betting. Hawthorn’s Lance Franklin and Essendon’s Matthew Lloyd, both of whom also booted six majors in round one, aren’t far behind at $5 and $5.50 respectively, with Fevola now fourth elect at $6. Brown is now also the $10 equal favourite with Kerr for the Brownlow Medal.
***If a week is a long time in football, then how long is five years? A sporting lifetime for some, it would appear. Based on fitness and form, the Lions enter Friday night’s game with six players from the side that belted the Magpies by 50 points in the 2003 grand final. Collingwood has experienced similar generational change and will start with eight.
***Of the 10 games the Magpies lost in 2007, two came by 10 points or less (including a five-point preliminary final defeat by eventual premier Geelong), six were between 10 and 20 points and one was between 30 and 40 points. Collingwood’s remaining loss, of course, was inflicted by the Lions in round 17, by 93 points.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
