THE roar echoed over Brighton Homes Arena on Saturday night as the Brisbane Lions bounced back in emphatic fashion, overpowering Greater Western Sydney by 31 points.
The Lions returned to the winner’s list with a commanding 55-24 victory in their Round 4 AFLW clash, producing a strong all-round performance in front of their home crowd at Springfield.
After suffering a heavy defeat to Melbourne the previous week, Brisbane responded with the intensity expected from one of the competition’s leading sides, restricting the Giants to just three goals while creating enough opportunities at the other end to build a comfortable margin.
Charlotte Mullins was outstanding for the Lions, finishing with 20 disposals, nine marks, five clearances and a goal in an influential performance across the ground.
Sophie Conway was another driving force, collecting 19 disposals, laying five tackles and kicking a goal, while Orla O’Dwyer continued her strong season with 21 disposals, seven marks and a goal.
Isabel Dawes again provided plenty of work around the contest, finishing with 20 disposals, eight handballs and seven clearances, while Catherine Svarc had 16 touches, five clearances and three tackles.
Brisbane also found a valuable avenue to goal through Shanae Davison, who booted two majors from seven disposals.
Dakota Davidson, Conway, Mullins and O’Dwyer were also among the Lions’ goalkickers as Brisbane spread the scoring load.
The Lions’ defence stood firm for much of the night, with Breanna Koenen, Natalie Grider and Shannon Campbell helping limit the Giants’ opportunities and ensuring Brisbane maintained control of the contest.
For the Lions, the victory was an important response following their Round 3 setback and continued their strong record at Brighton Homes Arena.
The Brisbane outfit will now head west to play the 15th-placed West Coast Eagles on Saturday afternoon, with kick off for 4.35pm.
