It’s getting ridiculous now.
That’s 5 occasions of their final eight video games Brisbane have headed into the sheds at half time with a sizeable deficit to a fired-up opponent, and looking out totally outclassed.
And that’s 5 occasions of their final eight video games the Lions have turned the tables in devastating style after the break, working excessive to storm away with victory – and make the aura of menace across the premiers glow all of the stronger with each comeback win.
The Lions’ ten-goal turnaround to rework a 39-point deficit to the Western Bulldogs right into a 21-point triumph isn’t probably the most spectacular of the lot – that honour goes to the gorgeous come-from-behind Houdini act on GWS in final 12 months’s semi-final, that ended up profitable them the premiership.
However it’s, by sheer weight of numbers, the largest, most devastating comeback of the lot.
It’s a type line that begs two questions: one, what the hell are they doing to tug it off time and time once more? And two, is it sustainable – and if that’s the case, for a way lengthy?
Let’s reply query one first – as a result of it’s the best one to resolve. Why? As a result of the Lions didn’t do an entire lot in another way, structurally or tactically, from first half to second: they simply, plain and easy, began taking part in an entire lot higher.
The Bulldogs ripped the sport open within the second time period with seven targets to at least one off the again of full clearance domination: that they had 5 additional clearances and 13 extra contested possessions within the time period to drive the ball into assault many times.
Inside 50, Sam Darcy had a twin objective: do his regular shtick of marking every thing that comes close to him, whereas additionally occupying Harris Andrews within the occasion the ball went some place else. It was notable that, whereas Andrews clunked a swathe of marks within the half, they have been against James O’Donnell and Aaron Naughton once they occurred, and by no means Darcy, who comfortably received their head-to-head duel and in doing so made life all of the more durable for a Lions defence that wants Andrews’ aerial prowess to thrive.
Underneath fierce strain from each the Bulldogs and, more and more, the scoreboard, the Lions’ ball motion floor to a halt. Not solely did they handle only one inside 50 immediately from a rebound 50 for the time period – the supply of two of their three first-quarter targets – however they turned 4 of them over that led on to Bulldogs targets coming again over their heads.
Add to that the Canines nailing just about each half likelihood, and the reigning premiers have been being comprehensively outplayed.
To say the match flipped on its head after half time doesn’t fairly to justice to the magnitude of the table-turning that went on at Norwood Oval – it’s extra just like the match did a full 540 spin, a barrel roll for good measure, and completed by wobbling straight into the Lions’ jaws.
The Canines’ domination at stoppages? Kaput. From the third quarter on, the Lions received the clearance depend by 10, notably dominant at boundary throw-ins, and the contested possessions by 16.
With that, the Lions’ complete gamestyle was wrenched again on monitor: their modus operandi of win the ball, transfer it rapidly, and provides their deadly ahead line sufficient remoted seems to be to dominate noticed them pile on 14 targets to 5.
Eric Hipwood, held to at least one contact to half time, was in every thing: crashing packs, taking excessive marks, sprinting away on the result in mark on the chest, and kicking purpose after purpose after purpose after purpose.
Nevertheless it wasn’t like somebody had flicked a change on the again of his guernsey or something – the Lions have been simply giving him higher seems to be up entrance. The identical went for Callum Ah Chee, Zac Bailey, just about any Lions ahead aside from Logan Morris, who was good all day: transfer it rapidly, whether or not from clearance or half-back, preserve your forwards sustaining area to permit as many remoted one-on-ones as potential, and watch the Canines’ defence implode.
The place within the first half, Liam Jones would have had somebody coming throughout in entrance, Rory Lobb more than likely, to get a fist on the ball, right here he finds himself one out in opposition to Cam Rayner with an open 50 to work with, misjudges the autumn of the ball, and may’t cease him bringing the footy down.
Dayne Zorko, barely sighted within the first half, was out of the blue concerned in every thing from half-back, concentrating on the hall with precision to kick-start Lions attacking chains with lethal accuracy.
From half time till Morris put them in entrance within the ultimate time period, the Lions had 11 defensive 50 disposal chains: the place their 10 within the second time period had yielded one inside 50, this batch resulted in 4, and most damaging of all, three targets.
The Canines merely couldn’t cope, and every time the Lions did squander a possibility, they’d hem them into their defensive 50, refuse to surrender a easy outlet kick or lose a contest additional afield, and barge the ball again in once more. A strain ranking of 207 for the third quarter offers testomony to how ruthless they have been.
The consequence was, barring a five-minute stretch within the fourth time period when the Lions took the foot off the pedal and the Canines pounced with consecutive targets, an utter pummelling.
This isn’t the case of a crew or a coach flipping the magnets or unlocking a weak point within the opposition – it is a aspect that laid idle for a full half of footy, yawned, had a espresso, after which went completely ballistic.
The constructive is that Brisbane, in the mean time, solely must play half a sport to beat nearly everybody else – and it doesn’t matter whether or not it’s an enormous ultimate or a random home-and-away match within the Adelaide suburbs.
The damaging comes again to query two: is it sustainable? As a result of all sporting logic would counsel that no, it absolutely shouldn’t be.
The plain glass half full is that the Lions are 5-0 to start out their premiership defence, stay clearly the crew to beat, and nonetheless, on face worth, have one other gear to go to. In the event that they’re this good for less than a half, think about once they put a full 4 quarters collectively? Truly, we don’t must think about that – Sydney copped it proper between the eyes within the grand ultimate.
The glass half empty is that this: it’s working an absolute deal with now, however they will’t sustain this pattern of second-half expenses endlessly. Some day they’re going to provide an opposition an excessive amount of of a head begin, or a crew will work out easy methods to clamp their dominant runs and look forward to a lull to pounce, or they’ll endure accidents to weary the legs of these remaining within the ultimate quarter.
Cam Rayner celebrates a purpose. (Picture by James Elsby/AFL Images through Getty Photographs)
Or, plain and easy, somebody will work out easy methods to cease them, after which everybody shall be doing the identical factor.
You already know who Brisbane in the mean time remind me of? Sydney in mid-2024. Having established themselves as flag frontrunners within the first three months of the 12 months, the Swans went by a stretch the place they’d blow groups aside with half-hour of scintillating footy, and coast on both aspect of it.
A five-goal-to-one third quarter put the Bulldogs away in Spherical 11; two weeks later, Geelong have been six targets to zilch up on them midway by the second time period, noticed the Swans placed on 5 targets in 9 minutes to swallow it up, after which placed on six targets to at least one to get out to 29 factors up early within the ultimate time period.
The perfect instance got here per week later, when Adelaide led them by 16 factors on the 16-minute mark of the third quarter… and 14 minutes and 6 targets later, trailed by 21.
It was terrifying, and led to everybody believing that the Swans have been nigh on unbeatable and that they may solely get higher from there.
However what occurred for the remainder of their season? Groups began driving out their run-ons and hurting them once they slumped.
It started with thrilling losses – three in 4 video games by underneath a purpose to Fremantle, St Kilda after which the Lions themselves. In every of these video games, that they had a spurt of devastating soccer to wrench themselves again into the competition – nevertheless it wasn’t sufficient.
It ended with capitulation – belted by 112 factors by Port Adelaide, getting out of jail in opposition to GWS within the qualifying ultimate, and most infamously of all, a grand ultimate humiliation. With out a surge in two of these video games – or extra precisely, with them shot to ribbons earlier than they may discover the accelerator – they have been lambs to the slaughter.
These intervals of dominance weren’t a portent of one thing extra damaging to return – they have been a paper defend in opposition to an underlying vulnerability that, finally, got here to the floor.
Brisbane are in no way proof against the identical destiny. Little doubt Chris Fagan will realize it, and if his gamers are good they are going to be much more involved than any 5-0, top-of-the-table crew ought to anticipate to be.
The Lions are as harmful a second-half juggernaut as we’ve ever seen. However each gradual begin brings them nearer and nearer to a downfall – and so they solely must look again 12 months to know simply how rapidly an excellent crew can self-destruct.
