2010 AFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON: ROUND 1
Brisbane Lions v West Coast Eagles
Saturday 27 March 2010
The Gabba @ 7:10pm (local time)
2010 QAFL PRACTICE MATCH
Brisbane Lions Reserves v Gold Coast
Saturday 27 March 2010
The Gabba @ 3:20pm (local time) - curtain raiser
PUBLIC TRAINING SESSIONS
Thursday 25 March: The Gabba @ 9am. Entry is via Gate 2 from 8:30am.
FIRST FOOTY
In an initiative to begin from the 2010 AFL Season, a Club legend will accompany the umpires before the Lions' Round One match this weekend, carrying the First Footy of the season.
The chosen Club legend will walk onto the arena 13 minutes before the match starts and then be introduced to the crowd.
POTENTIAL MILESTONES
Lions defender Matt Maguire will play his 100th AFL match - and his first with the Club - if selected in the senior side this week.
Maguire played 99 games in eight seasons with St Kilda before joining the Lions via the 2009 AFL National Draft.
TIM NOTTING LAP OF HONOUR
Lions fans will have the opportunity to show their appreciation for recently retired dual premiership player Tim Notting before Saturday night's match when he performs a lap of honour around the Gabba.
Notting played 207 matches during his accomplished AFL career which spanned 13 seasons.
He was drafted from Stawell in country Victoria with Pick No.26 at the 1996 AFL National Draft - the Lions' first as a merged entity - and made his senior debut against Essendon at the MCG in Round 8 of 1998.
In Round 10 last year, Notting became only the 26th player in Club history (Fitzroy and Bears included) to reach the 200-game milestone which he celebrated with a win over North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.
Notting is a dual premiership player (2001 and 2002), a member of the Club's esteemed Team of the Decade, a Lions Life Member and achieved a podium finish in the 2007 Club Champion award.
CURRENT INJURY LIST
Sam Sheldon (back) - Test
Callum Bartlett (knee) - 2 weeks
Mitch Golby (knee) - 2-4 weeks
Bryce Retzlaff (shin) - 4 weeks
Jamie Charman (ankle) - 6 weeks
Bart McCulloch (quad) - 6 weeks
Xavier Clarke (knee) - Indefinite
LIONS V EAGLES: HEAD TO HEAD
The Lions have won seven of their 20 matches against West Coast for a winning percentage of 35%. However, the Lions have won three of the past four encounters between these two sides.
Biggest win: 100 points @ The Gabba in Round 17 1999
Biggest loss: 79 points @ The Gabba in Round 7 1997
Most goals (for): Alastair Lynch (8) @ The Gabba in Round 12 2003
Most goals (against): Quinten Lynch (8) @ The Gabba in Round 20 2006
RECENT HISTORY
2007: Round 14 - 13.13 (91) to 9.10 (64) @ Subiaco (N) - Won by 27
2008: Round 1 - 11.10 (76) to 14,8 (92) @ Subiaco (N) - Lost by 16
2008: Round 16 - 17.11 (113) to 9.13 (67) @ The Gabba (N) - Won by 46
2009: Round 1 - 14.11 (95) to 13.8 (86) @ The Gabba (N) - Won by 9
LAST TIME THEY MET
The Lions gave their new Senior Coach Michael Voss an early fright in their 2009 season opener at the Gabba, as the West Coast Eagles shot out to a commanding 38-point lead.
But the Lions responded with 11 of the next 13 goals which gave the home team a three goal lead heading into the final change. A tight arm-wrestle ensued in the final quarter, but the Lions held on to win by nine points.
Without Vice-Captain Simon Black, Travis Johnstone and Luke Power controlled the midfield while draftee Daniel Rich also made a stunning debut, racking up 21 disposals and four tackles to earn the AFL Rising Star Nomination for Round One.
Brownlow Medal Votes: 3 - L. Power (BL), 2 - T. Johnstone (BL), 1 - M. Le Cras (WCE)
FAST FOOTY FACTS
The Lions will face West Coast in Round 1 of the regular season for the third consecutive year. The Eagles defeated the Lions by 16 points in their Round 1 meeting at Subiaco in 2008 while the Lions prevailed by nine points in the 2009 season opener at the Gabba.
The Lions welcomed former West Coast utility Brent Staker to the Club during the off-season courtesy of a complicated three-way trade (with the Swans) which also saw former Lion Bradd Dalziell move back home to join the Eagles.
The Lions currently have seven players recruited from Western Australia: Todd Banfield (Swan Districts), Simon Black (East Fremantle), Mitch Clark (East Fremantle), James Hawksley (Peel Thunder), Matthew Leuenberger (East Perth), Ash McGrath (South Fremantle) and Daniel Rich (Subiaco).
West Coast have won four of their past six matches against the Lions at the Gabba by an average of 54 points. However, the Lions have won their past two encounters against the Eagles at the Gabba.
The Eagles hold the best record of any AFL team against the Lions.
