Australian Football

Match Report

For three quarters of this match it looked very much like the Brisbane Lions would cause one of the upsets of the season against Adelaide. The Lions led by four goals at the last change, and the Crows - wayward in front of goal to that point of the match, hardly looked winners. But a six-goal-to-nil final quarter saw Adelaide turn the match around and 'get out of jail', pipping Brisbane by 13 points to maintain a place in the top eight.

The Lions jumped out of the blocks, kicking three goals in the first 12 minutes - one each to Jordon Bourke, Jack Redden and Lewis Taylor - while holding Adelaide scoreless to take an 18-point lead. The Crows managed to get a couple of behinds on the board after that but when Bourke added his second at the 21-minute mark, the Lions were out to a four-goal lead. Late goals to Josh Jenkins and Brodie Smith reduced the deficit and the difference was 12 points at the first change.

Jenkins kicked the first of the second quarter to cut the margin to just six points, but the Lions resumed the ascendancy after that, with goals to Matthew Leuenberger and Pearce Hanley extending the lead back out 19 points. That was cut back to 17 at the long break with a couple of late behinds.

Adelaide attacked heavily in the early stages of the third term, with Taylor Walker goaling and Jenkins and Charlie Cameron adding behinds. The Lions then got on a roll, kicking three of the next four goals - one each to Dayne Zorko, Allen Christensen and Mitch Robinson to lead by 22 points at the 18-minute mark. Adelaide then took complete control around the ground but could not make an impact on the scoreboard. The Crows kicked five consecutive behinds, with Lynch, Matt Crouch, Scott Thompson and Walker - twice - all guilty of missing the target. Leuenberger then made them pay with his second and Brisbane led by 24 points at the last change.

Whatever message Adelaide coach Phillip Walsh gave to his charges at three-quarter time, it worked. The Crows came out with a full head of steam and within the first five minutes, Matthew Wright an Eddie Betts had goals on the board and the margin was back to 11 points. Scott Thompson added another a few minutes later and the difference was less than a goal. Brisbane tried hard to respond, and added two behinds, but the Crows kept coming, and a burst of three goals in seven minutes to Betts, Walker and Nathan van Berlo saw them grab the lead just before time-on, and extend it to a 13-point win by siren time. 

Scott Thompson was outstanding as always for the Crows, with 28 disposals and six tackles, while Jenkins (two goals) and Matt Crouch (26 possessions, three tackles) were also excellent. For the Lions, Stefan Martin (27 hitouts, nine marks) and Zorko (27 touches and a goal) were very good.

In seventh place with a 7-5 record, the Crows will host Geelong next Sunday, while 17th-placed Brisbane will travel to Perth to take on Fremantle at Subiaco on the same day.

GOALS
Brisbane Lions: Bourke, Leuenberger 2; Hanley, Christensen, Robinson, Redden, Taylor, Zorko
Adelaide: Betts, Jenkins, Walker 2; van Berlo, Cameron, Wright, Smith, Thompson

BEST - BRISBANETIMES.COM.AU
Brisbane: Martin, Beams, Robinson, Leuenberger, Taylor, Zorko
Adelaide:Thompson, Jenkins, Walker, Laird, Cameron, Crouch.

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Brisbane: Zorko, Taylor, Robinson, Beams, Paparone, Leuenberger
Adelaide: Thompson, Crouch, Cameron, Laird, Jenkins, Talia

INJURIES 
Brisbane: Hanley (hamstring)
Adelaide: Sloane (face)

SUBSTITUTES
Brisbane: Tom Cutler replaced Pearce Hanley in the third quarter
Adelaide: Cam Ellis-Yolmen replaced Rory Sloane in the third quarter

UMPIRES: Jeffery, Mitchell, Wallace

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Anthony Hudson, Jason Dunstall, Alastair Lynch, Cameron Mooney