THE BRISBANE Lions are a formidable opponent for round three.

Season to date:
Like the Swans, the Lions are 1-1, having won in style last week following a disappointing opening round loss on the road.

The Lions’ round two victory gave them a huge lift. A fist-pumping four-goal final quarter comeback sunk the much-fancied Pies at a wet Gabba.

Clearly the long trip west, where they lost to the Eagles in round one, didn’t affect Leigh Matthews' side, which backed it up with a storming finish.

In the pre-season NAB Cup, the Lions, like the Swans, exited in the first round, losing to Essendon 2.8.7 (73) to 2.11.16 (100).

Recent form:
Round one – West Coast 14.8 (92) defeated Brisbane Lions 11.10 (76) at Subiaco Oval
Round two – Brisbane Lions 13.18 (96) defeated Collingwood 13.16 (94) at the Gabba.

Last time out:
Brisbane Lions 9.9 (63) drew with Sydney Swans 8.15 (63), round 20, 2007, at the Gabba.

Jonathan Brown’s last-minute bomb sailed through for a six-pointer to end a dramatic but low-scoring evening and keep the Lions’ finals hope alive. The key was the home side’s five-goal final quarter which got them back into the contest after trailing 4.7 to 6.12 at the final break.

Also impressive was young ruckman Matthew Leuenberger, who valiantly carried on the ruck duties against the experienced Spida Everitt and Darren Jolly after Jamie Charman had to leave the field.

But the scoring accuracy told the story of the game with the Lions managing 50 per cent and the visitors just 34 per cent.

Swans debutant Ed Barlow caught the eye with 18 possessions but it was in-form Adam Goodes with a game-high 28 disposals who was the star. The Swans also dominated the hitouts (39/21) and the disposals (353/308).

Brown booted four majors for the night for the home side.

The two also played earlier this year in the NAB Cup challenge, where the Lions defeated the Swans at Canberra’s Manuka Oval by ten points 14.13 (97) to 13.9 (87).

The venue: The Gabba
Like the Swans’ home the SCG, the Gabba is a cricket venue in summer and clearly the Swans are quite comfortable there, having won two and drawn one of their last three matches on the ground.

The coach: Leigh Matthews
Starting his tenth season as club coach, Matthews needs little introduction. Three successive flags with the Lions mean the former Hawks playing legend is a Lions coaching legend.

His trip to the SCG last week would have made for interesting viewing as he weighed up which Swans style he’d get this week: the hard, contested type or the free-running exciting spread and run brand that destroyed Power last week. 

As coach at the club, he’s won 258 and lost 175 out of 441 matches.

Strengths:
In Jonathan Brown the Lions have a spearhead who could get close to 100 goal mark for the season. Matthews’ squad has a good core of young talent which benefited from a season of learning last season.

Missing in action:
Groin injuries for Matt Moody and Sam Sheldon will keep these Lions out indefinitely. Defender Josh Drummond’s quad injury is a blow while Jason Roe is also out with the same injury. There are also concerns over Tom Collier (hamstring) and Mitch Clark (quad).

The key: the big men
Keeping the rejuvenated Barry Hall quiet and giving Jonathan Brown the chance to win the contested marks will obviously be critical. Trying to keep Brown quiet will be the job of former Lion Craig Bolton, who concedes 5cm in height.

In fact, with 190cm-plus talls Daniel Bradshaw and Jared Brennan and usually one resting ruckmen loitering in the forward 50m, the Lions will want to make their height advantage count against Bolton and the 184cm tall Leo Barry and Marty Mattner (188cm).

However, “Hall-focused” teams can allow space for goal sneak Michael O’Loughlin,  while on-baller Adam Goodes – who beat a striking charge midweek – will hope to repeat his 28 disposals the last time the two sides met at the Gabba.

The young gun: Jed Adcock
The midfielder’s late goal last week a sign perhaps that his stellar 2007 – which ended in a best and fairest runner-up – is set to get even better in 2008. The 22-year-old should give the Lions plenty of grunt with his strong tackling against the Swans’ midfield machine.

The questions:
Will the Lions euphoric victory over Collingwood be the spark to lift them again? Can the Brisbane defence keep a handle on the rejuvenated Barry Hall?

The Lions have not kicked more than 11 goals against the Swans in any of their last six encounters. Will the amazing Jonathan Brown be able to free himself of the clutches of a wily Craig Bolton to help change this stat?

Did you know?
Just seven Lions players remain from that 2004 grand final side, the last time the club won the premiership.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club