Lions back flag duo to fire in huge AFL clash
Anna Harrington |
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan has backed out-of-sorts forwards Charlie Cameron and Kai Lohmann to find their feet as the Lions chase a drought-breaking win over Geelong.
With Callum Ah Chee (illness) sidelined for Friday night’s blockbuster, both will need to step up if the third-placed Lions are to claim their first win at GMHBA Stadium since 2003.
Cameron, 30, has kicked 12.14 this season and just one goal in the past month.
“He’s had a little bit of an up and down year. Mind you, it’s probably his accuracy is the thing that’s hurt him more than anything,” Fagan said.
“He’s had plenty of shots on goal. Because that’s all we talk about when we talk about Charlie – we talk about how many goals he’s kicked, not how many tackles he’s had or what else he’s contributing to the team.
“He was really good against Adelaide the week before. So it’s been up and down from a goal kicking sense, but we’ll back him in.”
Lohmann, 22, who kicked 36 goals last year including four in the grand final, has struggled with form and injuries, registering just four goals from nine games.
“He set a high bar last year,” Fagan said.
“He’s probably become a little bit too preoccupied with reaching that high bar again or going past it and in the process, lost a little bit of confidence.
“Because he hasn’t been able to play as well as he would like and, yes, he’s had a lot of injuries.
“So we’ll just be patient with him. He’ll get there.”
Second-placed Geelong will celebrate skipper Patrick Dangerfield’s 350th game along with Tyson Stengle’s 100th.
Stengle, now 26, was handed a career lifeline by the Cats at the end of 2021.
Coach Chris Scott noted the 100-game mark was when players could feel they were a “bona fide AFL player”.
“But not many players have had the ups and downs that Tyson has had across his 100 games,” he said.
“The mark of a player, the ones we really admire at the end of their careers are the ones that have overcome adversity and we’re not at pains to explain all the adversity that Tyson’s overcome.
“Suffice to say we are very, very proud of him for reasons you know about, and for others you don’t.”
Dangerfield lauded Stengle, who kicked a remarkable 53 goals in the 2022 premiership season.
“The impact that he’s had in a reasonably short period of time has been just phenomenal for us, and he was that missing piece, if you will, in terms of the forward line for the 2022 finals,” he said.
“He’s been really impactful for us, and I’ve really seen him grow as a leader of the club over the last 12 months, with the impact that he’s having with our younger players as well.
“So we’re a better footy club for having Tyson.”
AAP
