Roos says win can set Lions alight

Amazing careers: Ashley McGrath and Simon Black are chaired off after McGrath's 200th game and Black's 320th game. Source: Getty Images

BRISBANE will head into their clash against Hawthorn with a giant-killer mentality after claiming another top-two scalp at the weekend.

Veteran Simon Black described the win over the Cats as the best he had been involved in since the 2003 premiership win over Collingwood, and urged his teammates to carry the momentum to Launceston.

It repeated a pattern for the Lions, who have knocked over West Coast, Adelaide, Essendon and Geelong in the past two seasons, all of which were in the top two and considered legitimate premiership contenders at the time.

Premiership-winning coach Paul Roos said the win showed Brisbane's top-tier players such as Black, Matthew Leuenberger and Daniel Rich were in the AFL's top level.

The former Swans coach said the Lions' greatest ever comeback victory could be the catalyst for a major form reversal.

He said the win should act as a confidence-booster, but warned against attacking the corridor in an attempt to replicate the formula of the frantic final moments when the Lions swept the ball the length of the field and into the hands of Ash McGrath, who slotted a goal after the siren to secure the win.

Geelong was still trying to score in the latter stages of the quarter, rather than holding on to the footy and stopping Brisbane's momentum.

It is a formula that has served the Cats well, but Roos does not believe Hawthorn would give Brisbane the same chances.

"If you try to go through the corridor every time you will turn the ball over and a side like Hawthorn will score against you," he said.

"What I took from the last 15 minutes was not that the corridor opened up, it was that Brisbane started making great decisions. Their better players got their hands on the ball and made the right choices; they are talented at that top level."

Roos said Brisbane did not need to drastically alter the way they had prepared all year, they needed was consistency of effort.

He said while Hawthorn had superior talent to the Lions, the major difference between the top sides and the rest of the competition was their ability to stay switched on until the final siren.

"Football is about minimising risk," he said. "That's why I get frustrated with commentators when they say take risks, take risks.

"What Brisbane did was they minimised the risks because they had free players in the middle."

The Lions honoured Black's club-games record throughout the game on Sunday afternoon, with an appearance by previous record holder Marcus Ashcroft and big
screen messages of congratulations.

But it was his teammates who paid him the greatest respect with their effort.

"That was the best win I've been involved in since the 2003 flag," Black said.

"It was incredible; momentum, it is a living thing."

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Cats to give no more quarter

Mathew Stokes admits the Cats "probably" switched off with the game in their control late in the third term. Picture: Mike Dugdale Source: Geelong Advertiser

MATHEW Stokes says Geelong's capitulation to the Brisbane Lions was unacceptable and every player must take responsibility for his part in Sunday's final quarter debacle.

The Cats led by 52 points before the Lions stormed home in the dramatic final term to record the equal-eighth greatest comeback in league history.

Stokes admitted the Cats "probably" switched off with the game in their control late in the third term and said the players were stunned, shocked and hurting.

He conceded they could no longer sweep their poor form "under the rug", but backed the character of the players to respond for blockbuster games against Fremantle and Hawthorn.

"We've forged a reputation over a number of years now, nearly from when I first got here (2006), that (these performances are) just not acceptable," Stokes said.

"I think every player who played (on Sunday) has to take responsibility for it and I think we will. The good thing about our group is we win together but we also lose together.

"We don't point at each other and say, 'It's your fault, it's his fault, it's this area's fault'. It's a team loss, but it was a really bad loss.

"We got overrun by a team with a lot of enthusiasm and we didn't stand up when we needed to."

Stokes admitted the Cats made bad decisions.

"I think there were periods in the game where we could have slowed the game down a lot," he said.

"We made some really poor decisions out there, as a group, not individually..

"To lose to a team not in the eight, in a game we're expected to win, when you're up by that many points at halftime and come away with a loss, is extremely hard to take and disappointing."

It was the biggest comeback in Brisbane's history and Geelong's worst capitulation since it surrendered a 54-point lead against West Coast in 2006.

Even though the Cats have been prone to inconsistency this year, they have been able to get themselves out of most situations.

"We've been struggling to play our best for a few weeks now," Stokes said.

"It's going to be a massive task next week (against Fremantle). We struggled badly in the second half and it needs to be rectified and worked on quickly because we've got ourselves into a really good position (10-2) and to have that performance is not on and something that, as players, we're not going to accept."

 

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Crows tinker with secret tricks

		P	W	D	L	%	Pts
1	Hawthorn	20	17	0	3	138.53	68
2	Geelong	20	16	0	4	136.36	64
3	Sydney	20	15	1	4	140.67	62
4	Fremantle	20	15	1	4	138.19	62
5	Richmond	20	13	0	7	114.57	52
6	Collingwood	20	13	0	7	113.44	52
7	Essendon	20	13	0	7	109.78	52
8	Port Adelaide	20	12	0	8	107.03	48
9	Carlton	20	10	0	10	107.64	40
10	North Melbourne	20	9	0	11	122.37	36
11	West Coast	20	9	0	11	102.46	36
12	Brisbane	20	9	0	11	88.24	36
13	Adelaide	20	8	0	12	100.06	32
14	Gold Coast	20	7	0	13	89.02	28
15	Bulldogs	20	7	0	13	83.18	28
16	St Kilda	20	3	0	17	75.81	12
17	Melbourne	20	2	0	18	53.41	8
18	Greater Western Sydney	20	1	0	19	52.93	4

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No gift farewell game for Johncock

		P	W	D	L	%	Pts
1	Hawthorn	20	17	0	3	138.53	68
2	Geelong	20	16	0	4	136.36	64
3	Sydney	20	15	1	4	140.67	62
4	Fremantle	20	15	1	4	138.19	62
5	Richmond	20	13	0	7	114.57	52
6	Collingwood	20	13	0	7	113.44	52
7	Essendon	20	13	0	7	109.78	52
8	Port Adelaide	20	12	0	8	107.03	48
9	Carlton	20	10	0	10	107.64	40
10	North Melbourne	20	9	0	11	122.37	36
11	West Coast	20	9	0	11	102.46	36
12	Brisbane	20	9	0	11	88.24	36
13	Adelaide	20	8	0	12	100.06	32
14	Gold Coast	20	7	0	13	89.02	28
15	Bulldogs	20	7	0	13	83.18	28
16	St Kilda	20	3	0	17	75.81	12
17	Melbourne	20	2	0	18	53.41	8
18	Greater Western Sydney	20	1	0	19	52.93	4

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Moored in misery

		P	W	D	L	%	Pts
1	Hawthorn	20	17	0	3	138.53	68
2	Geelong	20	16	0	4	136.36	64
3	Sydney	20	15	1	4	140.67	62
4	Fremantle	20	15	1	4	138.19	62
5	Richmond	20	13	0	7	114.57	52
6	Collingwood	20	13	0	7	113.44	52
7	Essendon	20	13	0	7	109.78	52
8	Port Adelaide	20	12	0	8	107.03	48
9	Carlton	20	10	0	10	107.64	40
10	North Melbourne	20	9	0	11	122.37	36
11	West Coast	20	9	0	11	102.46	36
12	Brisbane	20	9	0	11	88.24	36
13	Adelaide	20	8	0	12	100.06	32
14	Gold Coast	20	7	0	13	89.02	28
15	Bulldogs	20	7	0	13	83.18	28
16	St Kilda	20	3	0	17	75.81	12
17	Melbourne	20	2	0	18	53.41	8
18	Greater Western Sydney	20	1	0	19	52.93	4

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Final Demon pillar topples

		P	W	D	L	%	Pts
1	Hawthorn	20	17	0	3	138.53	68
2	Geelong	20	16	0	4	136.36	64
3	Sydney	20	15	1	4	140.67	62
4	Fremantle	20	15	1	4	138.19	62
5	Richmond	20	13	0	7	114.57	52
6	Collingwood	20	13	0	7	113.44	52
7	Essendon	20	13	0	7	109.78	52
8	Port Adelaide	20	12	0	8	107.03	48
9	Carlton	20	10	0	10	107.64	40
10	North Melbourne	20	9	0	11	122.37	36
11	West Coast	20	9	0	11	102.46	36
12	Brisbane	20	9	0	11	88.24	36
13	Adelaide	20	8	0	12	100.06	32
14	Gold Coast	20	7	0	13	89.02	28
15	Bulldogs	20	7	0	13	83.18	28
16	St Kilda	20	3	0	17	75.81	12
17	Melbourne	20	2	0	18	53.41	8
18	Greater Western Sydney	20	1	0	19	52.93	4

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Bachar has the 'H' factor

Bachar Houli was awesome against the Dogs. Source: Herald Sun

TO tag or not? The outside runner? The inside mid? Commission a defensive forward?

There's always a balance of how many to tag and who to go to, but it's clear from two games at the weekend that two vastly different types of players need to be curtailed.

Get every SuperCoach score and stat from Round 13

One is Luke Hodge. The other Bachar Houli.

This isn't a comparison, because if 1000 people were asked to choose between Hodge and Houli, they would all choose the Hawks skipper.

No, this is not about who's better, it's about their influence on their teams.

Clearly, something has to be done about Hodge.

Forget whether you thought he was gone because of his knee, he is back to his imperious best.

Two weeks ago his 15-possession game against Carlton, which included the crunch on Marc Murphy, was rated the equal to any 35-touch game this season.

Against the Eagles on Friday night, Hodge had 25 and was among the best players on the ground.

His influence is double-edged. He wins the ball and he inspires teammates.

He doesn't require a run-with player, he demands a player of similar tenacity, for Hodge has to be stopped at the coalface, not on the outside.

They are hard to find. Heath Hocking perhaps. Ryan Crowley. He bullied Brent Harvey to the point of utter frustration yesterday and, if we are promised a Hodge versus Crowley match-up in the finals, the TV networks better have an ISO camera at hand.

Houli is a different beast.

It's sexy to criticise the Tigers back flanker for being a wide runner, a player who skirts the coalface, but surely it's time to recognise Houli for what he is - a running backman who finds the ball and can deliver it precisely.

When the ball hit Houli in the face/neck during the fourth quarter, he was munched by the Channel 7 commentators. They preferred to take the mickey out of Houli instead of saying it was probably his only mistake for the night.

Houli was my pick for best afield against the Dogs.

He had 10 possessions in the first quarter, which demanded Nick Lower be sent to him for periods in the second and third terms. Lower stood him for 32 minutes, and Houli spent the rest of the time running off Luke Dahlhaus (18 minutes) and Lachie Hunter (14).

Studs and Duds

He would finish with 25 disposals, five inside 50s and 13 score involvements, for which he was ranked No.1.

Time and again Houli ran through the middle of the ground to set up Tigers' scores.

If the Tigers make the finals, and it's looking surer by the week, opponents should have a plan for him.

On Saturday night the Bulldogs decided to tag Trent Cotchin and Brett Deledio, leaving Houli to make too much of the play in the back half.

Bulldogs skipper Matthew Boyd curtailed Cotchin, Liam Picken tried to clamp Brett Deledio and failed, so players "off the leash" had to stand up and they did - Shaun Grigg, Reece Conca, Dustin Martin and Daniel Jackson.Houli was another.

At the start of the season he was rated "elite" by Champion Data - ranked in the top 10 per cent in his position.

The Tigers also rank him highly - he was fourth in the 2012 best and fairest.

Houli was the moneyball recruit. He had good numbers for minutes played at Essendon amid the perception there was something wrong with him because Matthew Knights wouldn't play him and James Hird couldn't convince him to stay.

The Tigers picked him up in the 2010 pre-season draft.

A multitude of All-Australian teams were selected over the bye rounds, and not one of them included Houli.

Yet his numbers stack up.

This year he's going at 22 disposals at 81 per cent efficiency.

Grant Birchall is averaging 24 disposals at 80 per cent, Andrew Walker 23 at 77 per cent and Michael Hibberd 24 at 76.

It's pretty good company.

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Moment Tippett knew he belonged

Star recruit Kurt Tippett and other Swans walk off the ground after the shock loss to Port Adelaide. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: News Limited

IT was a private moment in the sheds - and not that mark and goal in the opening minute of Saturday's loss to Port Adelaide - when Kurt Tippett finally felt like he belonged at the Sydney Swans.

The star forward has been at the club for more than six months but took the field for the first time on Saturday after an 11-week ban incurred at the Adelaide Crows.

And while his new teammates embraced him after that opening goal, it was a surprise jersey presentation that will stick in Tippett's mind from his debut game.

SuperCoach scores, stats and more

Swans co-captain Jarrad McVeigh caught Tippett by surprise before the first bounce, presenting him with his first red and white jumper.

"Macca (McVeigh) caught me by surprise when he produced my jumper," Tippett told The Daily Telegraph yesterday.

Kurt Tippett marks in the first 15 seconds on the game against Port Adelaide. Picture: Sarah Reed. Source: Sunday Mail (SA)

"I was concentrating on what I was going to do in the match and I had no idea he was going to bring it out.

"To have Jarrad present my first Swans guernsey was a real honour.

"Kicking that first goal also settled the nerves."

McVeigh wants Tippett to build on his good start with an even better performance against the Blues.

"Hopefully he can take another step forward for us this week," McVeigh said.

"He started really well for us and really competed for us.

Kurt Tippett of the Swans takes a mark within the first minute of the game against Port Adelaide Power at AAMI Stadium. Picture: Morne de Klerk Source: Getty Images

"It's his first game back so he was always going to run out of legs but the way he competed and the way he started was really positive for us."

The 26-year-old was one of Sydney's best with two goals, which could easily have been four, and now has his sights on Carlton on Friday night at the SCG.

"It was disappointing to lose against Port but the boys are determined to regroup and turn things around against the Blues," Tippett said.

"It's a short break (six days) so we have to refocus quickly."

Swans teammates flocked to Tippett after his opening goal and he is clearly a popular figure at the club.

"The boys have been very supportive and I want to pay them back," Tippett said.

"I've worked as hard as I could to get myself ready to play and now I'll look to get better every week starting with Friday night."

Tippett was expected to be substituted in the second half but a knee injury to Adam Goodes meant he played the whole match.

"I felt pretty strong throughout the match," Tippett said.

"It takes a while to get those football instincts working, I was running to the wrong spots at times but I'll be a lot better for the run on Friday night against Carlton.

"I've pulled up pretty well."

Goodes aggravated the same knee he hurt in last year's grand final.

Damage to his ACL has been ruled out but it remains to be seen just how quickly the 33-year-old recovers from the knock.

Goodes played immediately after rupturing his posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in 2004 but the Swans would be keen to have the dual Brownlow medallist at his best in September and are likely to give him the time to recover properly.

With or without Goodes, McVeigh is looking for his team to make a statement in four days time.

"Fortunately for us we play on Friday night against Carlton so it's a short week so we can get back out there and put in a good performance," McVeigh said.

"Our ball use was our main problem and we can fix that.

"The way we played on the weekend we're really going to have to step up and we're looking forward to doing that hopefully."

Centre half-forward Sam Reid (quad) and speedster Lewis Jetta (shin) are in contention for a recall, but will need to prove their fitness at Wednesday's training session.

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Voss rates comeback win with best

Brisbane Lions veteran Ash McGrath has had a 200th game to remember, with the West Aussie helping his side to a remarkable five-point win over Geelong.

MICHAEL Voss says Brisbane's record-breaking comeback victory over Geelong at the Gabba last night ranks as one of the best wins of his five-year coaching career.

Brisbane's stunning win over Carlton in the 2009 finals series, the upset of ladder leaders West Coast in 2012 and the stirring victory over Essendon this year have now been joined by the after-the-siren triumph over the Cats.

"It would have to be very close to one of the best, that's for sure. The calibre of the team we're playing - that's an important criteria," Voss said.

"And then when you put in the situation how far we actually were behind, that margin just crept out to an uncomfortable space."

With his side trailing by 52 points late in the third quarter, his message to his troops was simple.

"There wasn't a lot of science in it. Go straight, go fast," he said.

"The players have to believe that that's possible. More players willed themselves at the contest."

Aside from Ash McGrath's third, winning goal, Simon Black (33 possessions), Daniel Rich (25 possessions), Brent Moloney (22 touches, nine clearances, three goals) and Jack Redden (23 possessions and eight inside 50s) had their fingerprints all over the win.

Michael Voss and Jed Adcock congratulate Ash McGrath after the Lions' win over Geelong at the Gabba. Picture: Darren England.

Dayne Zorko was also a prime mover in the last-quarter comeback.

Voss said while Brisbane deserved to enjoy the victory last night, it had to be "business as usual" from today with Hawthorn looming as Brisbane's next opponent in Launceston on Sunday.

The competition-leading Hawks will be gunning for their 12th straight win, which would equal a club record, so Voss said it was important that the Lions returned back to earth quickly.

Geelong counterpart Chris Scott summed up his feelings as "restrained fury".

Scott walked into the post-match press conference warning journalists to "use your five minutes wisely" and proceeded to stonewall any queries about what went wrong.

He was either unwilling or unable to pinpoint why his side had completely stopped.

"I'm extremely disappointed, I would describe the mood as restrained fury," he said.

STRAIGHT THROUGH: Ash McGrath celebrates his winning goal with Lions teammates. Picture: Darren England

"I'm not going to speculate, we are going to take the time we need to review and make an accurate assessment.

"We are not going to jump to conclusions. I am emotional, we all are emotional at the moment."

In addition to a forensic analysis of what went wrong, the Cats also face some soul searching after a poor three weeks where they were pushed by newcomers, the Suns and Giants, before yesterday's timid capitulation. Scott admitted he could not write the effort off as a one-off, saying he had held concerns about his side's form for some time.

The Cats face two of the form sides of the competition in Fremantle and Hawthorn over the next fortnight and Scott knows failure to identify and rectify their problems would be costly.

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When Lions get it right it's scary

Brisbane Lions veteran Ash McGrath has had a 200th game to remember, with the West Aussie helping his side to a remarkable five-point win over Geelong.

THAT is why we love footy, why we love sport in general. It produces fairytales, plot twists and dramatic endings no fiction writer would dare deliver. It is reality television at its best.

Yesterday at the Gabba, the Brisbane Lions and Geelong put the game of AFL back in the spotlight.

Ash McGrath, in his 200th game, kicked the winning goal after the siren to give Brisbane their best win here of this era.

A day after the Wallabies lost a Test when Kurtley Beale muffed an on-the-buzzer shot at goal, McGrath calmly went back and drilled a set shot from 50m.

It was a nice reward for a long and distinguished servant of the club. But McGrath wasn't the story yesterday. The Brisbane Lions were the story and all footy fans owe them our thanks for what they produced.

At halftime, this game looked over. The Lions appeared to be sliding to their ninth loss of the season. And a city that has been pre-occupied with the Wallabies and the State of Origin series may have barely noticed.

And then the Lions knocked over the heavyweights who had won 10 of their first 11 games.

Simon Black and Daniel Rich were superb.

Ash McGrath is congratulated by Lions teammates after kicking the winning goal against Geelong at the Gabba. Picture: Darren England

The defence battled hard. Dayne Zorko was a livewire and Brent Moloney finished strongly. It was a performance that restored some faith.

It would not be a stretch to say some people would have fallen back in love with our game. And it could be a macro-shot of Brisbane's season.

The Lions were uncompetitive early when the game was there to be won before a thrilling strong finish forced the question - are there the makings of a finals contender in this outfit?

That is too early to answer.

But what it has shown, and not for the first time, is that when Brisbane get it right they can scare the very best sides.

Geelong now face some soul searching. Their last three weeks have produced average performances against battlers Gold Coast, GWS and now Brisbane.

If the Lions can work out how to play like they did in the final quarter for entire games they will win more than they lose in the run home.

Simon Black in action for the Lions against Geelong at the Gabba. Picture: Darren England

There were no obvious difference in the clearances, although the Cats dominated early and Brisbane's contested footy was the equal of their more highly fancied rivals.

But for a half of footy, and for the second week in a row, they could not work out to move the footy into attack.

Critics of skipper Jonathan Brown need to take a breather.

At halftime, the Cats had almost twice the inside 50 entries. And when Brisbane did get it in there the build-up was so laborious the Cats were able to get numbers back.

Brown was up against a pair of very good defenders in Harry Taylor and Tom Lonergan and he kept Brisbane in the contest with a very good third quarter, which became the foundation of the final quarter fightback.

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