THE BRISBANE Lions must beat one of the competition’s hottest sides if they are to make it five successive wins at the Gabba this weekend, after the Kangaroos accounted for Hawthorn by 37 points on Sunday.

While Geelong can boast 12 wins in a row and the Lions have four straight victories of their own, the Kangaroos have won 12 of 14 games since starting the season 0-3.

Dean Laidley’s side, in fact, was the last team to defeat the red-hot Cats, travelling to Kardinia Park for a 16-point win in round five.

On Sunday, with Corey Jones kicking seven goals, the Roos were simply too good for the Hawks, leading  at every change and building what turned out to be a match-winning 31-point lead by half-time.

Brent Havey continued his outstanding form in the midfield for the Kangaroos, with Hamish McIntosh again impressive in the ruck.

The match has particular ramifications for the Lions’ run home, as the Hawks are next on the agenda after the Roos, at the MCG in round 19.

The Leigh Matthews-coached side will then face Sydney in round 20, before rounding out the home-and-away season with an away clash with Adelaide and a home showdown against likely minor premiers Geelong.

In other round 17 matches, West Coast handed the Western Bulldogs their second Friday night thrashing in the space of seven days by 87 points, while WA’s other side, Fremantle, appears gone for the year following a 68-point beating by Geelong.

St Kilda’s finals hopes firmed with a 10-point win over an improved Carlton, Sydney accounted for Richmond by 66 points, Essendon triumphed by 12 points over Adelaide and Port Adelaide completed a weekend of lopsided margins with an 89-point win over Melbourne.

Lions excitement machine Jared Brennan has firm claims on performance of the weekend with his dynamic seven-goal haul against the Magpies. Jones also caught the eye with his goalkicking, while Daniel Kerr was brilliant for West Coast, amassing 24 disposals in the first half alone.

West Coast 24.14 (158) d Western Bulldogs 9.17 (71)
Any doubts that reigning premier West Coast was back on track were dispelled with a 87-point thumping of the Bulldogs – highlighted by Daniel Kerr’s 34 touches and Quinten Lynch’s five goals. The undermanned Dogs, who have now dropped out of the eight, appear to have a battle on their hands to make the finals.

St Kilda 16.15 (111) d Carlton 15.11 (101)
Brett Ratten was unable to get a win in his first game as Carlton’s caretaker coach, but the Blues put in performance that was much improved from the previous week’s thrashing by the Lions. As for the Saints, they held off a late Carlton charge to continue marching towards September action, with the G-Train, Fraser Gehrig, kicking six goals in his 250th game.

Geelong 20.20 (140) d Fremantle 10.12 (72)
Geelong has now won 12 games on the trot, thanks to a 68-point thrashing that effectively killed off Fremantle’s already slim finals chances. The Dockers were wayward with their disposal and would have lost by more were it not for some inaccurate finishing by the top-of-the-table Cats – a total of 40 scoring shots to 22 says it all.

Sydney 21.12 (138) d Richmond 10.12 (72)
Barry Hall appears to be tuning up at the right time of year and could well drag the Swans into the finals. The co-skipper kicked six goals and threw his considerable frame around in an imposing fashion, as one-win Richmond dropped away badly after being competitive to half-time.

Kangaroos 16.12 (108) d Hawthorn 10.11 (71)
The Kangaroos tightened their grip on second spot with a polished 37-point win over Hawthorn in Launceston in a match notable for Corey Jones’ seven-goal haul. The Hawks, who were without Sam Mitchell and Lance Franklin, have been close to unbeatable at their Tasmanian base but were soundly outplayed on Sunday afternoon and kicked only four goals in the first three quarters.

Essendon 18.9 (117) d Adelaide 16.9 (105)
Just days after announcing Kevin Sheedy wouldn’t be at the helm in 2008, the Bombers moved inside the top eight with a determined 12-point win over Adelaide at Docklands. While skipper Matthew Lloyd kicked all five of his goals before half-time, it was a three-goal burst by the Bombers in the final quarter of a tight game that effectively sealed victory.

Port Adelaide 25.13 (163) d Melbourne 11.8 (74)
The pre-match withdrawal of captain Warren Tredrea hurt the Power little, if at all, as they blitzed the hapless Demons. The 89-point rout was led by Brett Ebert and Chad Cornes, both of whom booted six goals, while there was precious little for Melbourne fans to be positive about.