The blazing hot Lions travel to Adelaide Oval on Saturday night to take on the Crows.
Adelaide (3-5, 82.7%) will have Matthew Nicks back in the coach box this week after being absent from the big loss to Carlton under the AFL’s health and safety protocols.
The Crows have made a big statement at the roster for the Brisbane clash, dropping five players for round 9.
Ruckman Reilly O’Brien gives way to Kieran Strachan, while Brodie Smith, Neil McHenry, Darcy Fogarty and Jake Soligo are all inclusions.
Brisbane (7-1, 151.4%) goes into the game with the Crows after four straight wins and is aiming for a fourth straight win over Adelaide.
Eric Hipwood is coming in for his first game since his ACL injury in July 2021 to replace the injured Dan McStay, while Darcy Gardiner returns.
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This match starts at 7:40 PM AEST from Adelaide Oval.
Watch it live on Fox Footy (channel 503) starting at 7:30 PM AEST.
Follow Adelaide v Brisbane in our live blog below!
Taylor Walker Adelaide had a perfect start against Brisbane, but from then on it was all visitors in the first term.
After making seven changes to the team well beaten by Carlton in round 8, Crows coach Matthew Nicks said he wanted his players to play “without fear”.
And he got what he was asking for early on as James Rowe played through quickly and found Walker inside Attacker 50.
“He’s not wasting time and not getting the Lions defense going,” said Fox Footy’s Leigh Montagna.
The Lions had opted for a long forward line, with Jacob Payne and Eric Hipwood on the attack after Crows defender Jordon Butts was a late pullout under the AFL’s health and safety protocols.
But it was the smaller Lions brigade of Charlie Cameron, Zac Bailey and Lincoln McCarthy that scored goals in quick succession.
By the time Cameron had his second, the Lions had an 18-point lead.
But just as Nicks had asked of his players, they went ahead with the game. Lions star Lachie Neale was knocked out in defensive 50, while a quick play down the hallway enabled Shane McAdam to kick his first for the night.
“If they can break that half-forward line, they’ll look good in 50,” Montagna said.
Josh Rachele got the crowd going when he had his first as The Crows received praise for having a “red hot crack,” according to commentator Brad Johnson.
By the quarter-time Brisbane was 11 point ahead.
But the Crows continued to dig deep into the second term, repulsing the Brisbane attack and forcing them to move down the line.
It was a moment of controversy before Adelaide came on the board in the second term, with the ball appearing to cross the boundary line before play was allowed to continue.
Ned McHenry took full advantage of a goal despite the protests from the Lions players.
“That’s clear out,” Montagna said.
“(But) it was a stylish goal.”
The ‘Mac Attack’ duo of McHenry and McAdam scored four goals between them in the second to take the lead of the second-seeded Lions.
“They’re hunting the Adelaide Crows here,” commentator Brad Johnson said.
The Crows seemed well on their way to breaking a 28-year record by holding their opponent scoreless in 15 minutes as Brisbane didn’t bother the scorers until just two minutes left when Zac Bailey broke the drought.
“The crows couldn’t have done much more there,” Montagna said.
A sloppy 50-meter penalty against Crow Jordan Dawson hurt Adelaide’s attack as Jarryd Lyons made the home side pay.
Hugh McCluggage had the chance to lead Brisbane in the main change after a high tackle from Brodie Smith, but was unable to convert.
The Crows took a three-point lead at halftime.
Lions coach Chris Fagan solved his major woes in the first half by equalizing the number behind the ball, and Brisbane eventually found their way to the goal in the third.
The Lions kicked six goals to just one to not only regain the lead but also silence the Adelaide Oval crowd.
It was Bailey who gave the Lions the lead with his third, before a harsh 50-yard penalty gave Neale his first of the evening.
Neale had intercepted Crows’ exit from the defensive 50 and when both Josh Rachele and Rory Laird evacuated the goal on the assumption that the other would stay, Adelaide was awarded a 50-yard penalty which gave the Lions a goal and a buffer.
“They both get out of the way,” Johnson said.
“I don’t think the Adelaide Crows did anything wrong.
“They don’t come to the target or they don’t come in.”
Jackson Hately managed to get one goal back late in the third term, but Brisbane’s lead had widened to 28 points by the last change.
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