Wounded Lions surge late to beat Saints, get off mark
Anna Harrington |
Reigning premiers Brisbane have run over the top of St Kilda to claim a fiery 33-point win and get their two-time premiership defence off the mark.
The undermanned Lions were under the pump and without co-captains Harris Andrews (suspension) and Hugh McCluggage (calf).
The AFL game was on a knife’s edge until the back half of the final quarter, when Keidean Coleman and father-son gun Jaspa Fletcher slotted wonderful goals to kickstart a run of six unanswered goals to deliver a 17.11 (113) to 11.14 (80) win.
But it came at a cost ahead of the Easter Thursday clash with Collingwood.
Key defender Darcy Gardiner suffered a right shoulder injury early in the final quarter while backman Noah Answerth (concussion, ribs) was in a world of pain after he was taken out by a third-quarter Alix Tauru hanger.
Saints forward Cooper Sharman (three goals) was concussed in the third quarter.
Jarrod Berry tagged Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and roughed up the Saints superstar to try and get under his skin, including sucking him into giving away a free kick for a high jumper punch in a second-quarter scuffle.
At halftime, Wanganeen-Milera had a game-high 17 disposals, three clearances and 352 metres gained, while Berry had 14 touches and two clearances.
After half-time, the Lions turned to their midfield brigade, led by skipper Josh Dunkley, to handle Wanganeen-Milera.
The gun Saint still finished with 29 disposals, 698 metres gained and five clearances, while Callum Wilkie was big down back
Berry had 31 disposals and 600 metres gained while Will Ashcroft (29 disposals, 11 clearances) was huge late along with Lachie Neale (19 disposals, eight clearances).
Dayne Zorko (28 disposals, 731 metres gained) was busy and Brisbane had 11 individual goalkickers.
Saints Liam Ryan and Cooper Sharman jagged three goals apiece and Jack Higgins and Mitch Owens snagged two.
Ryan could come under scrutiny for knocking over Berry off the ball in the second term.
Much of the build-up centred around Chris Fagan’s comments on St Kilda’s bevvy of highly-paid recruits and the Saints’ ongoing jabs at Brisbane’s father-son and academy concessions.
Both teams were horrendously inefficient around goal before Ryan finally dribbled through the opening major late in the first quarter.
Brisbane got off the mark through Logan Morris early in the second term and the game proved an entertaining arm wrestle from there, with 11 lead changes.
St Kilda led by eight at halftime before Brisbane were up by two at the final change.
Wanganeen-Milera went into the middle at the start of the final quarter and his quick kicks forward helped tee up goals to Higgins, then Owens, to give the Saints the lead.
But from there it was all Brisbane, with Wanganeen-Milera on the bench as the Lions surged to victory.
Ross Lyon’s St Kilda next have the bye.
AAP