Lachie Neale bursts clear for Brisbane as Dayne Zorko keeps Port Adelaide’s Ollie Wines out of the way. Photo: GETTY IMAGES
When the Tigers roar, the AFL world listens. But the constituents had better start tuning into the noise reverberating from the throats of those Lions, too.
Brisbane made a massive statement in its thumping of Port Adelaide and the latest performance in a terrific campaign to date means there can be no doubt: it must now be considered a serious premiership threat.
It is especially so after fellow top-four side West Coast stumbled at home and ladder leader Geelong continued its patchy form, albeit in a win over St Kilda.
The Lions boast All-Australian candidates on every line and are scaling new heights, reaching third position this late in a season for the first time since Leigh Matthews’ triple-premiership side was king of the footy jungle.
Harris Andrews is the best young(ish) key defender going around and has Marcus Adams back in the frame to lend a hand. Lachie Neale has been the most influential recruit of the season, Dayne Zorko and Jarryd Lyons are on fire, Charlie Cameron is reproducing the form he displayed before last year’s serious foot injury and Lincoln McCarthy has a new lease on life in new colours.
Veterans Daniel Rich and Mitch Robinson are enjoying being part of a winning side, and Alex Witherden, Jarrod Berry, Cameron Rayner and Hugh McCluggage are among the growing band of youngsters stepping up to the plate. Their enthusiasm is clearly infectious.
At a rain-sodden Adelaide Oval, Ken Hinkley made no secret of his intentions to “terrorise” Neale, and the prolific midfielder’s close mate Cam Sutcliffe went after him.
Neale, small in stature, stood tall in figurative terms against the physical attention dished out by his former Fremantle teammate (who was a groomsman at his wedding late last year) and played a role in the Lions piling on seven goals to nil in the opening 22 minutes.
They did it after the late withdrawal of McCluggage, and without on-field general (Luke Hodge) and most prolific key forward (Eric Hipwood).
Cameron kicked four goals and Zorko three as Lyons, Neale, Rich and Witherden helped the visitors control possession. They were never challenged after that match-winning opening burst.
And doesn’t that old Fitzroy-inspired jumper just look magnificent?
Commentators often question whether a club’s brand of football is “sustainable”. But Brisbane’s surging, energetic, organised, tough and exciting product is sustainable for as long as its players maintain an appetite for it, and there’s no reason that should subside any time soon at a club starved of success in recent times.
Richmond proved the exact same thing two years ago, as did the Western Bulldogs through their magical September run in 2016.
The Tigers’ of 2019 have got their groove back – and Jack is back, too. Riewoldt’s combination with Tom Lynch will strike fear into opposition backlines if it continues to blossom.
It was on display early against Greater Western Sydney, as a lead-up mark from Lynch created space for Riewoldt to move into. Lynch’s pass hit his teammate, who played on and celebrated his return from injury in style with the second goal of the match.
It wasn’t the only time the pair linked up throughout the afternoon as the Tigers racked up a third straight win since the bye and left the Giants to lick their wounds.
Stephen Coniglio’s season might be over after a knee injury that could have far-reaching consequences. Not only would losing one of its blue-chip midfielders be a bitter blow to GWS’s flag hopes, but post-season player movement could be set for a major shake-up.
Coniglio remains unsigned and his list of suitors would now be reassessing their options, while there could be a flow-on effect to other big names, not least of which is fellow out-of-contract West Australian midfielder Tim Kelly.
One shining light for GWS was the performance of Ian “Bobby” Hill, who kicked three goals from 15 disposals on debut and showed flashes of the skill that made him a hot property at last year’s draft.
If sacking a coach is a recipe for winning your next match – as the somewhat inaccurate yet oft-used theory suggests – then Sydney got the opposite.
John Longmire resisted the temptation of a huge offer to head back to North Melbourne and re-signed with the Swans, only to see his side upset on its home deck by Carlton.
It was truly a tale of two coaches, with David Teague continuing his fairytale run in the Blues’ caretaker role.
Teague might even be shedding the “training wheels” Carlton football director Chris Judd referred to during the week (perhaps inadvertently, if you give the dual Brownlow medallist the benefit of the doubt).
For those playing at home, that’s three wins from five for Teague. Two of them have been interstate, and the two defeats have been by margins of less than a goal.
That’s some sort of record the 38-year-old is building. His Blues look re-energised and are playing with smiles on their faces. They are also now almost certain to avoid the wooden spoon.
Carlton’s road win was impressive, but no club produces backs-to-the-wall interstate victories quite like Collingwood.
And the Pies’ gripping one-point triumph over recent bogey side (and grand final foe) West Coast was one for the black-and-white faithful to savour.
It’s also worth noting the Bulldogs’ #Fightback30 promotion – a wonderful celebration of one of the most significant times in the club’s long history.
Not only the jumper, or the temporary rebirth of one of footy’s great retro logos, but the entire suite of associated content was one football romantics and fools for nostalgia lapped up with glee.
More importantly in season 2019, the Dogs remain in the finals hunt, as do fellow Round 17 winners Essendon (thanks to Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti’s late snap), Adelaide and Hawthorn.
Fremantle was never likely to beat Hawthorn at the Launceston graveyard and has hit the skids with four straight defeats, pouring heat on coach Ross Lyon and his rebuild. North Melbourne, too, is a long way back, and you can write off St Kilda and Melbourne.
But no side is lower than sore and sorry Gold Coast. Calls for priority picks and further AFL assistance will only grow louder after another shellacking made it an even gloomier outlook for the Suns.
