Australian Football

Match Report

Brisbane produced the upset of the round at Docklands on Saturday when they pipped highly-fancied Essendon by 10 points in a highly entertaining game. In a match that produced an amazing 18 lead changes, the margin was never more than 14 points, and was rarely more than a goal.

The match produced a fairytale finish for Brisbane's Brent Staker, who was playing his first match since 2011. The former Eagle, returning from a long layoff after a knee reconstruction, kicked the match-winning goal from 45 metres out on the boundary line, and was mobbed by teammates after his kicked.

Fans were treated to a tight contest all afternoon. Both sides kicked three goals in the first term, with the Lions holding a slender three-point lead at the first change. The Bombers held sway slightly in the second term, kicking four goals to three, and with a seven-point half time buffer, the expectation of most was that they would draw away to win comfortably in the second half.

But the Lions would not be denied. They kicked the first two goals of the third quarter through Jordan Lisle and Pearce Hanley to restore a five-point Brisbane lead and the rest of the match proved to a see-sawing affair that was not decided until Staker's late final-quarter goal.

For Brisbane, Dayne Zorko had a great game, kicking three goals and gathering the ball 19 times, while Jack Redden and James Polkinghorne were also very good. Dyson Heppell (two goals, 26 disposals) and Brendon Goddard (23 kicks, nine handballs) were excellent for Essendon.

Brisbane's win removes some of the heat from coach Michael Voss, after speculation about his coaching future had been mounting in the wake of a number of poor Lions performances this season. The Lions now have a 3-5 record and a win in at least one of their next two encounters, home games against Carlton and Collingwood, will go further to restoring credibility to their season and Voss's as a coach.

For Essendon, alarm bells aren't necessarily ringing but the Bombers have now lost two games in a row after winning their first six, and memories of strong starts and poor finishes to recent seasons are coming to the fore of fans and critics alike. The Dons will be looking to arrest the mini-slump with a win over the Tigers in this Saturday's Dreamtime at the 'G match.

GOALS
Essendon: Bellchambers, Heppell, Crameri 2; Watson, Meyers, Kavanagh, Hocking, Ryder, Howlett
Brisbane: Zorko 3; Brown 2; Leuenberger, Redden, Black, Lisle, Hanley, Raines, Polkinghorne, Moloney, Staker

BEST - THE AGE
Essendon: Heppell, Goddard, Hibberd, Hooker, Hocking, Watson
Brisbane: Zorko, Brown, Merrett, Hanley, Golby

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Essendon: Heppell, Goddard, Carlisle, Watson, Hibberd, Zaharakis
Brisbane: Zorko, Redden, Leuenberger, Polkinghorne, Raines, Lester, Bewick, Brown

COACHES' COMMENTS
James Hird (Ess): Very disappointed. I thought we lacked intensity today in the way we went about our game. I've said all year that we've played the way we trained and I thought our training on Thursday was pretty disappointing. We own that today wasn't a great day and we'll move on with next week.

Michael Voss (Bris): It was a good win. We spoke a little bit about the jumper (commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Lions' third consecutive premiership in 2003) last night. Obviously it's a pretty significant piece in history for us. The players and the way the game, certainly the jumper's been well represented today.

INJURIES
Essendon: Michael Hurley (concussion)
Brisbane: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Essendon: Ben Howlett replaced Michael Hurley (concussion) in the first quarter
Brisbane: Sam Mayes replaced Simon Black in the third quarter

UMPIRES: Wenn, Pannell, Fisher