A big win is just around the corner for the Brisbane Lions.
That’s what the numbers are pointing towards after the Lions have
Against Port Adelaide on Saturday, the Lions were extremely competitive in all aspects of the match and fell just short by five points of toppling the Power.
Helped by Stef Martin’s dominance of the ruck, the Lions won clearances 41-33.
The Lions are now leading the competition in clearance differential.
Martin finished with a huge 30 disposals, 49 hit outs (11 to advantage), nine inside
The Lions won the hit out count 55-22, with Port having just four
Cam Rayner, Josh Walker and Mitch Robinson all grabbed two contested marks each, with Robinson also topping the tackle tally with 11.
92 points for was the Lions' highest score of the year and 97 points was the lowest amount conceded this year.
One of Chris Fagan's key goals for the year was to finish with a much better percentage compared to previous years and this already looks promising.
Playing as a deep forward, Charlie Cameron kicked three goals on the weekend for the third week in a row. Cameron's nine goals in three matches are the most he has kicked in a three-game period.
The Lions won the tackling count by 14 and had eight forward 50 tackles.
Another positive was a victory in contested possessions, 141-137, against a Power team that is renowned for its contested proficiency.
The Lions have now won
The Power kicked three goals from unbroken chains starting from kick-ins, two of which were in the third quarter when they kicked seven goals.
Disposal efficiency was relatively even across the whole game, except in the third quarter when the Lions were -13% compared to Port Adelaide (65-79%).
A consistent four-quarter performance against Richmond on Saturday at the MCG should place the Lions in with a great shot at grabbing their first win of the year.
NEAFL Stats
The Lions NEAFL side was defeated by one point in their Round 1 match against NT Thunder on Saturday night.
Tom Bell found plenty of the ball with 36 touches, nine marks and two goals.
Experienced midfielder Ryan Bastinac also showed his strong form by collecting 30 disposals and kicking a goal.
Young midfielders Ben Keays and Brandon Starcevich kicked three goals each. Starcevich also had a game-high eight tackles in the sapping heat of Darwin.
The combination of Oscar McInerney and Archie Smith dominated in the ruck, totalling 52 hit outs, compared to just 13 for the Thunder.
