THE BRISBANE Lions are set take on cross-border rivals the Sydney Swans in Canberra in the final match of the pre-season on the weekend, while Adelaide and St Kilda will fight out the final of the NAB Cup.
The Swans went down to 2007 wooden spooners Richmond by 25 points on Friday at Narrandera, but played some solid football and always represent a tough challenge
Star forward Barry Hall continued his impressive return from off-season surgery by booting four goals and the three time All-Australian will provide a good first-up test for Lions full-back Daniel Merrett.
Merrett has a good record against Hall and is due to return from minor knee surgery this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Crows and Saints advanced to the NAB Cup decider with hard-fought wins over Hawthorn and Essendon respectively.
Queensland youngster David Armitage, a former staff member of the Lions AFL Shop at the Gabba, put the Saints through by kicking the winning goal against the Bombers with only 51 seconds remaining.
Matters were a little less close for the Crows, but they still had to work hard for a 23-point win against the Hawks – staving off a four-goal last quarter burst from Lance Franklin.
In NAB Challenge action, West Coast beat Carlton by 41 points, Port Adelaide continued Collingwood’s “pre-season horribilis” with a 35-point win and North Melbourne stormed over the top of Fremantle en route to a 37-point victory.
In a bizarre finish to the clash between the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne in Bendigo, the Bulldogs were declared 30-point winners – but the final 12 minutes of the game was never played after the lights went out.
St Kilda 1.12.13 (94) d Essendon 1.12.10 (91)
Nick Riewoldt make a successful first appearance of the seasons, as the Saints marched into the NAB Cup final with a thrilling win over the Bombers. Little separated the two sides throughout the match and it took a last minute goal from Queensland product David Armitage to give St Kilda the win.
Adelaide 2.13.11 (107) d Hawthorn 1.11.9 (84)
Lance Franklin’s heroics lifted the Hawks to a memorable finals win over the Crows last year – but his four final term goals were not enough to stop Adelaide reaching the final of the NAB Cup. In an entertaining match, the Crows prevailed to keep alive their status as the form side of the pre-season.
Western Bulldogs 14.9 (93) d Melbourne 9.9 (63)
A blackout finished play half-way through the last quarter, but not before the Bulldogs had done enough to inflict a third straight summer loss on the Demons. Melbourne star Russell Robertson was reported (and subsequently cleared) for charging, while ex-Lion Jason Akermanis was best afield for the Bulldogs.
Richmond 17.11 (113) d Sydney 13.10 (88)
Five goals from Matthew Richardson helped the Tigers account for the Swans, although coach Terry Wallace will sweat over a rib injury to Jay Schulz and Graham Polak’s foot problem. A still undermanned Sydney side was led by Barry Hall, who booted four goals for the second week in succession.
West Coast 15.13 (103) d Carlton 9.8 (62)
The Eagles appear to be hitting stride at just the right time heading into the season, making it two pre-season wins on the trot by defeating Carlton. West Coast had too much experience for the young Blues, dominating the last three quarters after an even first term. Ex-Lion Richard Hadley kicked a goal for Carlton.
Port Adelaide 15.11 (101) d Collingwood 9.12 (66)
The Magpies remain winless after three weeks of pre-season play, as a Shaun Burgoyne-fuelled Power swept to an easy victory. The classy Burgoyne booted five goals, while teammate Danyle Pearce was best afield with 33 possessions.
North Melbourne 12.10 (82) d Fremantle 6.10 (46)
In an exciting finish, the Roos booted the last eight goals – including six straight in the last term – to run out convincing winners over Fremantle. The win, however, came at a cost, with Jess Sinclair suffering a thumb injury that is likely to sideline him for the best part of two months.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
