RECENTLY-converted forward Robbie Copeland says the youthful Brisbane Lions must continue to take baby steps, after forward Mitch Clark and midfielders Richard Hadley and Scott Harding were included in an extended squad ahead of Sunday’s home clash with Carlton.
The Lions, coming off impressive wins over West Coast and Melbourne, have the option of adding Clark, who kicked eight goals in the reserves last week, to a forward line that has booted 46 goals in the past three games.
But Copeland says it is a case of taking each game as it comes, even though victory over the Blues would ensure the Lions remain in the hunt for a finals berth.
The Lions are currently 12th and a game-and-a-half out of the top eight, with six wins, a draw and eight losses.
“We just need to concentrate on winning every time we go out to play,” Copeland said.
“Everyone wants to play finals but they are eight weeks away. We have to focus on what’s just ahead of us and hopefully we can get over the top of Carlton.
“We’ve been playing some good footy and we need to keep that going by getting our hands on the footy, using it well and then finishing in the forward line.”
Other than the three inclusions, who were all named on a extended seven-man interchange bench, the Lions remain unchanged from the side which defeated Melbourne at the Gabba last weekend.
Carlton, meanwhile, has moved to shore up its ruck stocks by including former St Kilda big man Cain Ackland. Luke Blackwell, Jason Saddington and Jordan Russell have also come in for the Blues, with Adam Hartlett missing out with a hamstring injury.
Teams:
BRISBANE LIONS
B: Joel Macdonald, Daniel Merrett, Jason Roe
HB: Jed Adcock, Josh Drummond, Joel Patfull
C: Tim Notting, Nigel Lappin, Cheynee Stiller
HF: Robert Copeland, Jonathan Brown, Troy Selwood
F: Michael Rischitelli, Matthew Leuenberger, Jared Brennan
FOLL: Jamie Charman, Simon Black, Luke Power
I/C (from): Ashley McGrath, Will Hamill, Wayde Mills, Rhan Hooper, Richard Hadley, Scott Harding, Mitch Clark
CARLTON
B: Jordan Bannister, Jarrad Waite, Bret Thornton
HB: Simon Wiggins, Anthony Koutoufides, Heath Scotland
C: Matthew Lappin, Ryan Houlihan , Kade Simpson
HF: Andrew Carrazzo, Brad Fisher, Marc Murphy
F: Bryce Gibbs, Brendan Fevola, Josh Kennedy
FOLL: Cain Ackland, Andrew Walker, Adam Bentick
I/C (from): Eddie Betts, Paul Bower, Luke Blackwell, Setanta O’hAilpin, Jordan Russell, Jason Saddington
On the punt:
For the second week in a row, the Lions will start raging, red-hot favourites at an extremely short $1.14. The home side is $2.00 even to win by 40 points or more and $2.30 to triumph by 39 points or less. Punters are obviously aware of the shootout that occurred when the two sides met in round five, with a combined score of 221 points or more paying only $1.55.
Jonathan Brown remains nine goals behind Bulldog Brad Johnson in the Coleman Medal race, but his six goals against Melbourne saw his price trim significantly from $17 to $7.50. Despite being a strong contributor versus the Demons, Simon Black’s Brownlow Medal price has drifted from $16 to $26 – perhaps because of the knee injury he sustained in the second half.
Key match-up:
Joel Patfull (Lions) v Brad Fisher (Carlton) – Patfull produced an outstanding performance to subdue Russell Robertson last week and he’s likely to get first go at the agile Fisher, who has troubled the Lions in recent clashes. The 22-year-old’s blanketing display on the usually strong-marking Robertson was notable for some brilliant spoils from seemingly unlikely position. Jarrad Waite has been named at full-back but looms as another possible match-up for Patfull should he go forward.
Odds and sods:
***Lucky 21! The Lions have kicked 21 goals in three of their last four meetings with Carlton, the odd game out being a 15-point win in round 13 last year, when the Lions had 31 scoring shots but could manage only eight goals.
***After going 2-6 in their first eight games against the Blues, the Lions have won the last six clashes between the two sides, averaging 127 points along the way. The last loss to Carlton came back in round eight, 2001 – before the Lions had won a premiership and at a time when the Blues had never “won” the wooden spoon. Carlton has since finished bottom of the pile three times in the last five years, while the Lions have won three flags
***With all the recent talk about the return of State of Origin football, it seems worthwhile to note the fact that only two players from the Lions and Blues – cousins Nigel Lappin and Anthony Koutoufides – have ever played the much-loved format of the game.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
