THE BRISBANE Lions have completed a stirring fightback, wiping away a 47-point first-quarter deficit to all but end Port Adelaide's finals hopes at the Gabba on Saturday night.
The contest was eerily similar to when the sides met at AAMI Stadium in round four last year; the Lions were slaughtered early but were irresistible late to win by 15 points – 16.11 (107) to 14.8 (92).
While the result snapped three games without a win for the home team, it as good as killed off any chance the Power had of making the top eight.
And though Carlton and Adelaide also won on Saturday to keep the Lions in seventh place, a home final is still a possibility.
The Lions play the Sydney Swans at the SCG next week while the Blues and Crows meet each other.
Port Adelaide's surrender was all the more bizarre after it had kicked 10 goals without a blemish in the first term, but were held goalless in the second and fourth quarters.
With five goals to Daniel Bradshaw and four to Jonathan Brown, the Lions chipped away at the visitors, slicing their lead to 17 at half time, nine at the final change and adding four majors without reply in the last quarter.
When Michael Rischitelli kicked his third goal with 12 minutes played, the Lions took the lead for the first time. Ashley McGrath's goal in time-on proved the sealer.
Consider too that the Lions lost full-back Daniel Merrett to a hamstring injury soon before half time, played a portion of the third quarter without dehydrated ruckman Mitch Clark, lost tagger Cheynee Stiller to concussion for a term and saw Brown left groggy from Bradshaw's friendly fire in the opening stages of the final quarter.
Clark's return was particularly significant against Port Adelaide's Dean Brogan-Brendon Lade combination.
Luke Power was a tireless Lion with 31 possessions, while 18-year-old Jack Redden had 24 touches and kicked a crucial goal early in the last quarter.
For Port Adelaide, Warren Tredrea kicked four goals, Nick Salter looked dangerous with three and Nathan Krakouer (26 possessions), Travis Boak (32) and key defender Alipate Carlile were among their better performers.
Kane Cornes held the influential Simon Black to 18 touches.
The Power's first quarter was something to behold. They were expected to show some resolve after last week's disappointing effort against Carlton but few would have predicted the response to be so convincing.
En route to a 40-point quarter-time lead, Tredrea kicked three goals and Daniel Motlop two in his return from an ankle injury as the Power ran riot. Many of their 52 possessions were contested.
A lot of the damage was being done from the arc or beyond. Even Carlile bombed from 55m as Tredrea kicked one from long range and Motlop sent another through at half-post height off three steps.
Not to be intimidated, the Lions lifted their intensity in the second quarter and a small victory came from drying up the Power's attack alone.
It was ugly, unproductive football in the early stages and, in Port Adelaide's case, it stayed that way for 37 minutes.
Ten minutes had passed when Brown kicked his second and when a 50m penalty against Power captain Dom Cassisi for kicking the ball away put Justin Sherman right in front, the margin was within five goals.
Stiller was stretchered off midway through the term – hitting the ground following a heavy clash with Brett Ebert in a marking contest – and then Bradshaw goaled twice to reduce the margin to just 17 points.
Port Adelaide started the third term the stronger side and received a significant boost before it was even underway, when Clark was helped from the warm-up.
However, the miraculous set-shot kicking continued from both teams as Brown threaded the needle twice early in the quarter, and watched as Brendon Lade and Tredrea both answered from outside 50.
But perhaps the most remarkable major came from Daniel Rich who launched a missile from 75m and watched it bounce through.
Clark would later emerge, as did Bradshaw and Rischitelli whose late goals reduced the margin to nine at the last change.
Brisbane Lions 3.2 7.5 12.8 16.11 (107)
Port Adelaide 10.0 10.4 14.5 14.8 (92)
GOALS
Brisbane Lions: Bradshaw 5, Brown 4, Rischitelli 3, Redden, Sherman, McGrath, Rich
Port Adelaide: Tredrea 4, Salter 3, Motlop 2, Brogan, Burgoyne, Carlile, Lade, Thomas
BEST
Brisbane Lions: Power, Clark, Bradshaw, McGrath, Rischitelli, Brown
Port Adelaide: Krakouer, Carlile, Boak, Brogan, Surjan, Salter
INJURIES
Brisbane Lions: Merrett (hamstring)
Port Adelaide: Robbie Gray (appendix) replaced in selected side by Logan
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Ryan, Chamberlain, Wenn
Official crowd: 26,437 at the Gabba
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
