The pair are among six changes for the Lions, joined by Robbie Copeland, Jason Roe, Rhan Hooper and Wayde Mills.
Out of the side which lost to Port Adelaide by seven points last week are Daniel Dzufer, Albert Proud, Cameron Wood, Justin Sherman, Richard Hadley and Ash McGrath, all of whom were omitted.
The Eagles’ sole change sees them bring in skipper and Brownlow medallist Chris Judd for Steven Armstrong.
The Lions have only beaten the Eagles once at Subiaco since 1997 – in their first premiership year of 2001 – and co-captain Simon Black says the trip to the home of the reigning premiers remains one of the toughest in football.
“They’ve got a great spread of talent, they’ve got terrific runners and they use the footy really well,” Black said.
“The way their midfielders work for each other is pretty similar to the way we were when we won our premierships.
“But we’ve just got to stick together and push as hard as possible to make life difficult for them and pressure them into mistakes.”
Teams:
BRISBANE LIONS
B: Robert Copeland, Daniel Merrett, Jason Roe
HB: Jed Adcock, Josh Drummond, Jared Brennan
C: Tim Notting, Nigel Lappin, Cheynee Stiller
HF: Joel Macdonald, Jonathan Brown, Troy Selwood
F: Michael Rischitelli, Matthew Leuenberger, Joel Patfull
FOLL: Jamie Charman, Simon Black, Luke Power
I/C: Colm Begley, Will Hamill, Wayde Mills, Rhan Hooper
EMG: Ashley McGrath, Justin Sherman, Richard Hadley
WEST COAST
B: Shannon Hurn, Darren Glass, Brett Jones
HB: Beau Waters, Adam Hunter, Adam Selwood
C: Andrew Embley, Matt Priddis, Michael Braun
HF: Chad Fletcher, Chad Jones, Rowan Jones
F: Mark LeCras, Quinten Lynch, Mark Seaby
FOLL: Dean Cox, Chris Judd, Daniel Kerr
I/C: Jaymie Graham, Mark Nicoski, Matt Rosa, David Wirrpanda
EMG: Steven Armstrong, Daniel Chick, Eric Mackenzie
On the punt:
Punters clearly expect the Eagles to win, with West Coast a prohibitive $1.05 on UNiTAB. On the flip side, that provides great value (a massive $8.50) for anyone who thinks the Lions can cause an upset.
As far as the exotics go, a Lions win by 40 points or more is paying $41, while a Lions win by 16 or more points is at $15 and might also attract those looking for long odds. In more exact winning-margin prices, an Eagles victory of 60 points or more is paying $2.65, while a Lions triumph by the same margin weighs in at $71 and a draw is at the standard $51.
Key match-up:
Troy Selwood v Daniel Kerr. It seems likely the Lions will place tags on at least a couple of the Eagles’ potentially match-winning midfielders – and Selwood has strong claims on being the man to take Kerr. Last time the pair did battle, at the Gabba in round 20 last year, Selwood kept Kerr to just four touches. He had 21 of his own and was arguably the Lions’ best player. On that return, he deserves another shot at the early-season Brownlow Medal favourite.
Odds and sods:
***The Lions have long had trouble clipping the wings of the Eagles, having won only four of 16 games against West Coast. The Brisbane Bears never had much luck against the Eagles either, winning only two of 16 games and drawing another. Strangely, Fitzroy fared comparatively well, emerging victorious from six of their 15 meetings with the Perth-based outfit.
***For all their dominance last season, West Coast’s club tally of 96 Brownlow Medal votes ranks only 15th on the all-time charts – short of even its own club record of 99 set in 1991. The Lions’ best tally ever is 102 votes in 2004, which is the third-best total of all time. The Lions also posted 100 votes in 2002, 99 votes in 2001 and 96 votes in 1999.
***Since 1997, the Lions have taken no less than 10 Western Australians in the National Draft – including their No.1 selections from the last two years, Leuenberger and Mitch Clark. Eight current Lions are Sandgropers. By contrast, the Eagles have never taken a player from Queensland in the National Draft and don’t have a single Sunshine Stater on their list.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
