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BRISBANE \u2018SHOWBAGS\u2019 PUT ON NOTICE … AND THE STAR WHO CUT BREAK THE RUT<\/p>\n
Fox Footy\u2019s Ben Dixon called it about Sydney\u2019s midfield dominance over Brisbane: \u201cThey kept punching them in the face\u201d.<\/p>\n
But what did the reigning premiers do about it in the qualifying final?<\/p>\n
Statistics show the Lions managed just 22 points from clearance – their second worst result in 130 games.<\/p>\n
And it was their big names of Lachie Neale and Will Ashcroft put on notice by the First Crack Preview team.<\/p>\n
‘Cocky’ Lions slammed after Swans loss | 02:25<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen there\u2019s only three games to go, you can ask for a special effort,\u201d David King said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIve got no doubt Chris Fagan will back his guys in but are they showstoppers or showbags \u2013 which are full of you know what.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to see whether they can address their issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem for them is it\u2019s their best players.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s probably going to take someone to stand at the front of the group and ask for a special effort, because it\u2019s not just going to happen. I think you need to be called out. Put under the grill from the players.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the coach can only do so much.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a senior core leader come up to you and challenged you, and challenged Lachie Neale or challenged Will Aschroft to be better, to get better without the footy, I think you can get a response.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zorko & Bailey sign on for Brisbane | 02:05<\/p>\n
Leigh Montagna said Lion Josh Dunkley was the man who had \u201cthe right to look those blokes in the eye and demand more\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was against the makeshift Sydney Swans,\u201d King said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t Warner, Heeney, Gulden that got the job done against them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not offensively, we know what they can do ball in hand and when the flow is going their way. It\u2019s without the footy that really is the concern.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since Round 18, Brisbane are ranked the AFL\u2019s worst for points from centre bounce – outscored by an average of 12 points a game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat in a small margin game is really difficult to find somewhere else,\u201d King lamented.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stress other areas of your make up if you have to play a bit more aggressively out of the back half, or take risks you don\u2019t necessarily want to take.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fox Footy showed vision of both Ashcroft and Neale failing to defend without the ball.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s Lachie, just throw the towel in. I\u2019ve seen him harder at contest and for longer than what he\u2019s doing at the moment,\u201d King said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they\u2019ve got to challenge him.\u201d<\/p>\n
‘We got delivered a few home truths’ | 01:40<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as Lachie Neale was shut down, it was like one hand behind the back. They were turning around going it\u2019s up to us but they couldn\u2019t ignite,\u201d Dixon added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey (Sydney) kept punching them in the face.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mindset that Brisbane had, it\u2019ll turn\u2026 she\u2019ll be right. They thought it would happen without having to do doing the work,\u201d Leigh Montagna said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s only a one second lapse\u2026 but in finals footy that\u2019s enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they would have learnt a valuable lesson.\u201d<\/p>\n
King called for the Lions to look to star Charlie Cameron as an option in the middle – despite their relunctance in recent years to do so.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s exactly what they need,\u201d he said of Cameron\u2019s defensive mindset.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou might have to give up some offensive flow\u2026 but you get that (defensive pressure).<\/p>\n
\u201cHe just stays in the fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not a clearance player\u2026 but he loves tackling and loves tackling at speed. He hunts after players.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of (Cam) Rayner going in, I\u2019d be putting Charlie in. Instead of (Zac) Bailey going in, which is more of the same problem, have a look at your best tackler.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can\u2019t keep getting beaten the same way time and time again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018DON\u2019T BE A VICTIM\u2019: WHY FREO\u2019S BIGGEST THREAT\u2026 COULD BE FREO<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the Dockers\u2019 biggest danger on Friday night: The threat of the wise, classy Cats or the internal trepidation?<\/p>\n
The Dockers dominated large portions of the season to finish minor premiers with a 19-4 record and earn the double chance.<\/p>\n
But Fremantle, along with Brisbane, now face the prospect of becoming the latest top-four team to waste that advantage.<\/p>\n
As AFL 360 co-host Gerard Whateley pointed out on Monday night, the introduction of the pre-finals bye has made straight-sets exits more common in the AFL.<\/p>\n
Across the 16 years from the rejigged top-eight system, 27 double-chance teams made amends in a semi-final after losing a qualifying final. Only five teams were eliminated in straight sets.<\/p>\n
But the script flipped from the moment the AFL introduced the pre-finals bye for the 2016 season. Of the 20 top-four teams in the past 10 years, nine have been bundled out at the semi-final stage – including at least one side in each of the past five seasons.<\/p>\n
Freo playing scared is hurting them | 01:46<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way that the finals trends have changed,\u201d Whateley told AFL 360. \u201cIt used to be that we fell in love with the elimination finalists and started to doubt those who lost qualifying finals – it almost never panned out that way.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow you\u2019re as good as 50-50 to go out in straight sets.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo call it pattern rather than event, but it\u2019s a big shift. It\u2019s related to the fact that the six teams are now rested and ready to go, so you don\u2019t have the natural advantages there.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Whateley pointed out, the Dockers finished on top of the ladder with good cause and dominated the competition for significant stretches across the season.<\/p>\n
But if Fremantle fans spend Friday night waiting for something to go wrong, it could create a similarly tense environment to the one at Optus Stadium for last week\u2019s Hawthorn loss.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be there (in Perth last Friday night) was to feel the anxiety around the whole Dockers family,\u201d Whateley said. \u201cIt was there on the walk to the ground, talking to people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey lived last week with that sense of counting down the hours to it. Then when they took to the field, it\u2019s a big examination to pass.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have seen teams struggle with this previously. Port Adelaide made the most hellish years of this night, the qualifying final night.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Wednesday night, Whateley said the Dockers fanbase \u201chas a role to play\u201d against the Cats.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trepidation and the anxiety of last week, they need to shed that,\u201d Whateley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have to create a hostile environment. They have to arrive confident, create that aura around the team and be full-throated. Because if you spend the whole night gasping and guffawing over the mistakes that are made in the final, it infects the environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cShoulders out like the players. Be confident, be bold.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bulldogs legend Tom Liberatore retires | 01:56<\/p>\n
On the field, can the Dockers rediscover the home-and-away dominance that made them a formidable force for most of the year?<\/p>\n
Melbourne champion Garry Lyon said it was a \u201cmagnificent\u201d opportunity that Fremantle should fully embrace.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou get to make your choice in the week leading up,\u201d Lyon told AFL 360. \u201cYou get to make your choice about how you turn up for training. You get to make your choice about how you turn up in the meeting and the mindset. And more important than any of that, on Friday night, you get to make your choice when the ball gets bounced.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the overriding message in all of this is: Don\u2019t be a victim.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m backing them in. I don\u2019t think they\u2019ll be playing the victim card. I don\u2019t reckon Justin Longmuir will be doing that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they deserve to be confident. Stick their shoulders out, chest out.\u201d<\/p>\n
THE \u2018TALISMAN\u2019 THAT KEEPS DELIVERING FOR GEELONG<\/p>\n
Cats veteran Patrick Dangerfield became just the third-ever player to record 5+ goals and 450m+ gained in a single game as the Cats knocked out the Blues.<\/p>\n
And now there\u2019s serious questions over where exactly \u2018Danger\u2019 fits in terms of the best finals players of all-time.<\/p>\n
Triple premiership Tiger Dustin Martin is considered the best of the modern game, with his three Norm Smith Medals, while Hawks star Luke Hodge is another with his combined premiership and Norm Smith feats.<\/p>\n
But Dangerfield is starting to add his name to the list – having already claimed a Gary Ayres Award back in 2022 for best finals player.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you sit in awe of Patrick Dangerfield?\u201d Jack Riewoldt questioned.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s starting to get into the echelon where people are mentioning him as potentially a top 10 player of all time with what he\u2019s done in the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the age he is now and the experience that he\u2019s had, and what he\u2019s done even last year in the prelim … he\u2019s starting to come to the realisation that he hasn\u2019t got as many big games in him \u2013 but the impact that he can have\u2026 this was an absolute Dangerfield masterclass.\u201d<\/p>\n
Riewoldt said the Cats star answered his critics in regards to his accuracy in front of goal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one knock on Danger over his career has been his goal kicking. Kicks 5.1 on the weekend,\u201d he praised.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd important goals too! They weren\u2019t just from the top of the goalsquare or snaps around the body.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were big set shots.<\/p>\n
\u201cProves that he really is starting to get up there as potentially one of the best finals players as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
‘Wasn’t expecting that question!’ | 03:39<\/p>\n
Jonathan Brown described Dangerfield\u2019s finals resume as \u201cunbelievable\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrand finals, could have won Norm Smith medals. Last year\u2019s prelim final we always speak about,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe difference, we talk about next week with Danger. Can he still do it next week?<\/p>\n
\u201cHe just had to empty the tank completely as a midfielder last year (in the prelim).<\/p>\n
\u201c(This year) he plays as a forward, so they were just one-off efforts. You feel like he\u2019s hopefully going to come off that game better than he did the prelim final into the grand final last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was enormous.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey needed it too! Shannon Neale took a while to get going.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Dangerfield) had that real presence down there in the forward line. He was the real talisman down there.\u201d<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s the form of teammate Shaun Mannagh that has won praise, with his efforts allowing Dangerfield to stay forward of the ball.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Dangerfield) comes out of the midfield and the man rolled in through the back part of the season has been Shaun Mannagh,\u201d Riewoldt said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most damaging man in the comp!\u201dBrown added.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne in two of the plays that he touched the ball results in a score for Geelong \u2013 that\u2019s the most in the competition for any player. That\u2019s an amazing number!<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he\u2019s getting the ball and you\u2019re an opposition player, start worrying because it\u2019s going to hit the scoreboard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scott responds to Marshall trade request | 00:59<\/p>\n
\u2018REDEMPTION\u2019 FOR STAR AS CROWS STRENGTH TO CHALLENGE LIONS<\/p>\n
Arguably Adelaide\u2019s biggest strength – which could cause the high-scoring Lions a few issues on Saturday night – is its stingy defensive unit.<\/p>\n
The Crows during the home and away season conceded an average of 80.3 points per game – ranked second in the competition behind Fremantle.<\/p>\n
In wins, they kept the likes of Melbourne, Western Bulldogs (twice), Geelong and Sydney to under 75 points. And even in losses, the Dockers, Hawks and Cats could only put 78, 75 and 68 points respectively on the board.<\/p>\n
The biggest score they conceded this year was 19.13 (127) back in Round 7 \u2026 coincidentally against the Brisbane Lions.<\/p>\n
But the Crows that day were missing a host of key players, including defenders James Borlase and Mark Keane, as well as Dan Curtin, Darcy Fogarty, Alex Neal-Bullen and Cal Ah Chee, while Hugo Hall-Kahan hadn\u2019t been drafted by the club yet.<\/p>\n
Melbourne legend Garry Lyon said the Crows\u2019 defence was \u201cso sound\u201d and \u201cas good as any team in the competition\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can make a case,\u201d Lyon said of the Crows on AFL 360.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefensively, they are as good as any team in the competition and they\u2019re playing against a team whose vulnerability is defence, who are going probably chips in, in terms of trying to kick that (big) score. There\u2019s your game in a nutshell.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re the Adelaide Crows, you\u2019re going: \u2018Well, I\u2019m really confident defensively that we\u2019re not going to get blown out of the water. We\u2019re much better than we were (the last time Adelaide played Brisbane) \u2026 we\u2019ll back ourselves to maybe keep the Lions to 80 or 90 points.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crows turn focus to Lions showdown | 02:41<\/p>\n
And defence isn\u2019t the only strength the Crows possess, with the form of star Izak Rankine widely praised – especially after his abrupt end to the 2025 season.<\/p>\n
Last weekend, Rankine became just the ninth player in a final to record 30+ disposals, 700m+ gained and 2+ goals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis bloke is my favourite to watch \u2013 unless he\u2019s playing against your team,\u201d Nathan Buckley smiled On the Couch.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis form has been tremendous going into the midfield. He\u2019s averaging over 30 (disposals), over a goal a game in the last eight or nine weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201c34 and two (possessions and goals against the Dogs)\u2026 his performances have been through the roof and this is his first final.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemembering last year and the circumstances that he missed Adelaide\u2019s finals campaign, he would have been absolutely champing at the bit to get to this point and keen. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s fit, and he\u2019s healthy. He\u2019s ready to go and he\u2019s been able to execute and it\u2019s great to see the most talented players step up and be able to handle the big occasion.\u201d<\/p>\n
‘Would you still be Adelaide coach?’ | 01:14<\/p>\n
AFL great Jonathan Brown labelled Rankine\u2019s performance as \u201credemption\u201d after his 2025 campaign ended in suspension.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, it cost them. Cost them a finals win last year what happened,\u201d Brown said On the Couch.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, he carried an enormous amount of pressure and anxiety into that game on the weekend and for him to perform under those circumstances is a really good effort.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s more than just a talented player too \u2013 he\u2019s clearly worked on his fitness, his ability to get from contest to contest,\u201d Buckley added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat, put together with his natural talent and his ability to understand the moment and to meet the moment has been exceptional.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdelaide would be rapt with his form.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since crossing to the Crows, Rankine has kicked multiple goals in all but one match he\u2019s played against Brisbane.<\/p>\n
AFL FINALS FIXTURE AND FOX FOOTY COMMENTARY ROSTER (all times AEST)<\/p>\n
FREMANTLE v GEELONG \u2014 FIRST SEMI FINAL<\/p>\n
Friday September 10, 8.10pm at Optus Stadium<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 7pm on Channel 504, hosted by Garry Lyon, Kath Loughnan, Tom Hawkins and Jordan Lewis, with commentary from Anthony Hudson, Dwayne Russell, Tom Hawkins, Jordan Lewis and Jon Ralph.<\/p>\n
BRISBANE LIONS v ADELAIDE CROWS \u2014 SECOND SEMI FINAL<\/p>\n
Saturday September 11, 7.35pm at the Gabba<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 6:30pm on Channel 504, hosted by Sarah Jones, Jason Dunstall, Leigh Matthews and Jonathan Brown, with commentary from Mark Howard, Gerard Whateley, Alastair Lynch, Eddie Betts and Jon Ralph.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The reigning champs were knocked onto the ropes by a Sydney uppercut last week – and it\u2019s the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":887377,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-887376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/887376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=887376"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/887376\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/887377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=887376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=887376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=887376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}