AFTER one near miss, Daniel Dzufer will become the first Suncoast Lions “top-up” player to play a senior game for the Brisbane Lions when he makes his debut against Port Adelaide on Saturday night at the Gabba.
Elevated rookie Dzufer and co-captain Luke Power were the two changes to the side which lost to Geelong a fortnight ago, coming in for the omitted Jason Roe and Robbie Copeland.
Dzufer, an emergency for the Geelong game and a “top-up” in 2005, is the first of the young Sunshine Coasters, who regularly bolster the ranks of the Lions’ reserves side, to graduate to senior level with the club.
Toowoomba product Brad Howard, who turned out alongside Dzufer for the Suncoast Lions, has also made his AFL debut in 2007 for St Kilda.
Named at full-forward for the Lions is Joel Patfull, who is looking to make it two-from-two against Port Adelaide, where he was a rookie in 2003 and 2004.
The 190cm Patfull is something of a “Mr Fixit” position-wise for the Lions, but says he is happy to play anywhere – so long as he is getting a game.
”I guess with my height I’m a little bit of an in-between size and that means I get used in a variety of spots,” Patfull said.
”I’m happy playing forward for the moment but I’ll gladly go and play down back when I’m needed down there. As long as I get to play I’m not going to complain.”
The Power have three inclusions, with Greg Bentley, Nathan Lonie and Daniel Motlop taking the places of Steven Salopek (ankle), Brad Symes and Damon White.
Teams:
BRISBANE LIONS
B: Joel Macdonald, Daniel Merrett, Jared Brennan
HB: Jed Adcock, Josh Drummond, Colm Begley
C: Tim Notting, Nigel Lappin, Cheynee Stiller
HF: Justin Sherman, Jonathan Brown, Troy Selwood
F: Michael Rischitelli, Joel Patfull, Ashley McGrath
FOLL: Jamie Charman, Simon Black, Luke Power
I/C: Cameron Wood, Albert Proud, Richard Hadley, Daniel Dzufer
EMG: Robert Copeland, Jason Roe, Rhan Hooper
PORT ADELAIDE
B: Michael Wilson, Darryl Wakelin, Toby Thurstans
HB: Jacob Surjan, Chad Cornes, Michael Pettigrew
C: David Rodan, Shaun Burgoyne, Domenic Cassisi
HF: Danyle Pearce, Warren Tredrea, Robert Gray
F: Brett Ebert, Brendon Lade, Justin Westhoff
FOLL: Dean Brogan, Kane Cornes, Peter Burgoyne
I/C: Daniel Motlop, Greg Bentley, Nathan Lonie, Travis Boak
EMG: Damon White, Adam Thomson, Alipate Carlile
On the punt:
Once again the Lions will start as underdogs on their home ground. Coming off a week’s rest and having been competitive without winning over the last month, the $2.05 on offer with UNiTAB looks pretty attractive.
A relatively tight game is predicted, with Port at $2.25 to win by 40 points or less and the Lions paying $2.60 for the same margin. Surprisingly, given recent history between the two sides, a combined score of 221 points or more is just $3.50 – of the last five clashes between the Lions and Power, only last year’s match at AAMI Stadium has produced that kind of score.
Key match-up:
Jamie Charman (Lions) v Brendon Lade (Port) – While the showdown of back-up ruckmen Dean Brogan and Cameron Wood will also be important, it is the Charman-Lade match-up that is likely to be the most decisive – and entertaining. Both are skilful types not averse to the physical stuff and if Charman can beat or neutralise his All-Australian opponent, the Lions will have a great chance at breaking their winless run.
Odds and sods:
Of the Lions and Port sides that met in the 2004 grand final, no fewer than 26 players will not be in action on Saturday night. The Lions will be missing their entire backline, while Robbie Copeland’s omission means Jonathan Brown is the only remaining forward who will play.
* Port mentor Mark Williams was captain of Collingwood during Leigh Matthews’ first year at the helm of the Magpies in 1986. Williams moved to the then Brisbane Bears at the end of that season to finish his playing career, then famously locked coaching horns with Matthews in the 2004 grand final.
* The Lions and Port were the two power sides of the first half of this decade and still boast plenty of similarities. The Power’s average age (22 years, 132 days) is only marginally younger than that of the Lions (22 years, 173 days) – and the Lions’ figure is artificially inflated by the presence of the retired Michael Voss on the list. Port have 17 players on their books with 50 or more games of experience; on Saturday night, Jared Brennan makes it 16 for the Lions.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
