THE BRISBANE Lions will be out to end Hawthorn’s unbeaten start to the season at the Gabba this weekend, following a round notable for a miracle comeback, two massive upsets and a dose of controversy.

The miracle comeback, of course, belonged to the Lions themselves, who turned around a 47-point third-quarter deficit to beat Port Adelaide by 20 points.

The upset came in shape of wins for Carlton and Richmond over Collingwood and Fremantle respectively, while the controversy arrived when Barry Hall tangled with West Coast’s Brent Staker - an incident which appears likely to earn the Sydney Swans spearhead a stint on the sidelines.

But the game which will most concern the Lions at present was Hawthorn’s clash with Adelaide, from which the Hawks emerged 44-point winners.

Alastair Clarkson’s side did almost as it pleased against a Crows team that had recorded a memorable Showdown win a week before.

Adelaide never stopped trying but simply had no answers for a Hawks outfit that had too many runners and seemingly no end of scoring options at Launceston’s Aurora Stadium.

In other weekend results, the Swans shook off the Hall incident to thrash the Eagles by 62 points, while Geelong showed its premiership class in accounting for St Kilda by 42 points.

As expected, North Melbourne had little trouble in disposing of Melbourne by 48 points, while the Western Bulldogs outpointed an ultimately undermanned Essendon by 30 points.

For performance of the week, numerous efforts stand out, most notably Brendan Fevola’s seven goals against the Magpies, Chance Bateman’s 30 possessions and two goals for Hawthorn, and Tigers veteran Matthew Richardson’s 25-disposal outing against Fremantle in unfamiliar territory playing on the wing.

Western Bulldogs 19.14 (128) d Essendon 14.14 (98)
In a frenetic Friday night encounter, the Bulldogs started the better, withstood a mighty Essendon fightback, and then kicked clear to keep their unbeaten start to the season alive. The final result was harsh on the Bombers, who spotted the Dogs a five-goal head-start, took the lead in the third quarter, and then finished the game with only 20 fit men because of hamstring injuries to Mark McVeigh and Sam Lonergan. 

Geelong 21.10 (136) d St Kilda 13.16 (94)
The Saints were competitive throughout the first half but the Cats showed why they are again the premiership favourites – booting 11 goals to six after half-time en route to a 32-point win. Matthew Scarlett was close to impassable at full-back, and Cats midfielders Jimmy Bartel, Cameron Ling and Joel Corey were also influential. 

North Melbourne 18.19 (127) d Melbourne 11.13 (79)
The first quarter scoring shot count – won by North Melbourne 12-1 – says a lot about a game that was virtually all over inside the opening 30 minutes. The Kangaroos started far too slickly and, while the Demons were semi-competitive thereafter, there was never any doubt the Lions’ round six opponents were destined for a fourth straight loss. 

Sydney Swans 16.11 (107) d West Coast 5.15 (45)
Hall’s self-confessed moment of madness overshadowed another solid performance from a Swans outfit that now sits in fourth place on the ladder. The Swans were far too efficient for an Eagles side that looks to be desperately missing departed midfielders Ben Cousins and Chris Judd. 

Hawthorn 17.12 (114) d Adelaide 10.10 (70)
Only Geelong, the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn remain undefeated, following the Hawks’ impressive 44-point win over Adelaide in Tasmania. Chance Bateman celebrated his 100th game with a brilliant performance, while Lance Franklin remains atop the goal-kicking table after booting six majors. The Hawks led at every change, out-running and out-chasing the Crows. 

Carlton 17.9 (111) d Collingwood 13.10 (88)
The Blues avoided making it 15 losses on the trot with an inspired performance against their great rivals, led by Brendan Fevola with seven goals. Carlton, which hadn’t won since last July, looked ready to play from the outset and laid the platform for the win by kicking 6.0 in the first quarter. 

Richmond 20.17 (137) d Fremantle 10.13 (73)
The Tigers breathed life into their season aspirations, while casting doubt on Fremantle’s, courtesy of an unlikely 64-point win at Subiaco. Similar to Carlton, Richmond played good football from the start and was far more direct than its host – the reward being a win that lifted it into the top eight. Fremantle seemingly has some soul-searching ahead after looking anything but a finals contender.