There was no fairytale finish for Ash McGrath in his final AFL match last Sunday, but the 2003 premiership player was still able to farewell the game in good fashion.
McGrath had a season-high 13 disposals against the Dockers, and finished with one goal and three behinds. Had he kicked a bit straighter, the 31-year-old could very well have bowed out with an impressive four-goal haul.
McGrath now finishes his career with 214 games – the 15th most in the Brisbane Lions’ merged history – and 170 goals – the 13th most in the Club’s merged history.
PLENTY OF PROGRESS
Sunday’s game against Fremantle – particularly the first half – might not have been pretty, but it was a significant step forward from the last time the teams met back at Patersons Stadium.
In that forgettable Round 14 clash, the Lions kicked a record low score of just 3.4 (22), from an AFL record low 17 inside 50s.
This time around, the Lions managed 18 scoring shots from 43 forward 50m entries.
At the same time, the Lions limited Fremantle to 19 fewer inside 50s, however still conceded an almost identical score.
USUAL SUSPECTS
Tom Rockliff, Dayne Zorko and Stefan Martin feature regularly in the Stats Breakdown, and it’s little wonder considering they continue to find plenty of the ball.
Rockliff had another day out, collecting 45 disposals – the second highest tally of his career. It was the fifth time in eight games, and third time in a row, that Rockliff has had 40-plus possessions.
He now boasts a season average of 32.7 disposals per game, which is the best return of any player in the AFL competition – Gary Ablett included.
Dayne Zorko, meanwhile, produced a career-best 38 disposals last Sunday against the Dockers, bettering his 36-possession effort from the previous week against Collingwood at the MCG.
Zorko is in white-hot form, having averaged 34.3 disposals across his past three games.
And what more can we say about Stefan Martin? Against Fremantle giant Aaron Sandilands, the 27-year-old racked up 19 disposals, had 28 hitouts, and laid five tackles in another energetic performance.
Another ‘usual suspect’, Pearce Hanley, wasn’t as productive as usual.
Hanley was given the ultimate compliment of having Ryan Crowley tag him throughout the afternoon, and still found 20 disposals (at 90% efficiency). It was a vast improvement from the last time he was ‘Crowleyed’ in Round 14, when he had a career-low nine touches.
RISING STAR CHANCES
Lewy Taylor and James Aish did their AFL Rising Star chances no harm on the weekend, with typically solid performances against the Dockers.
Taylor had a career-best 26 disposals – bettering his previous best tally from the team’s Round 21 win over Collingwood by two.
The Mortlake product has averaged over 20 disposals over the past month, and would be strongly considered as a chance to take out the award next month – particularly after hot favourite Marcus Bontempelli had a quiet outing against the Swans.
But let’s forget about James Aish – who racked up 25 disposals, five marks, and five clearances against Fremantle on Sunday.
Aish has been supremely consistent all season, having found 16 or more disposals in 14 of his 20 matches this season. He also ranks fourth at the Club in totals marks in 2014, and sixth in clearances.
BEWICK’S BEST SEASON
One of the unsung heroes at the Lions in 2014 has been Rohan Bewick, who seems to have transformed his game under new Senior Coach Justin Leppitsch.
Bewick had a career-best 33 disposals against Fremantle on Sunday, to along with a team-high eight marks, and five inside 50s.
AFL FANTASY TOP FIVE
1. Tom Rockliff – 154 points
2. Dayne Zorko – 132 points
3. Rohan Bewick – 118 points
4. Stefan Martin – 107 points
5. Lewy Taylor – 86 points
WHO WAS BEST?
Afl.com.au listed Rockliff, Taylor, Martin, Bewick, Zorko, Aish, but who do YOU think were the team’s three best players?
Vote now online for the Club Player of the Year
