Lions Fall to Roos in AFLW Grand Final Rematch

THE BRISBANE Lions’ title
defence took a blow in round
one of the AFLW, with the
team going down to the North
Melbourne Kangaroos 78-34
on Sunday afternoon at Brighton
Homes Arena.
In the Grand Final rematch,
the stage was set for a fiery
clash, while livewire and
fan-favourite Courtney Hodder
played her 50th game in Lions
colours.
The Roos got the scoreboard
rolling with Vikki Wall scoring
a goal in the first 90 seconds,
with the Lions’ first goal coming
from Dakota Davidson at
the start of the second quarter.
The Kangaroos entered halftime
with a 12-point advantage
(27-15) after showcasing their
defensive ability.
Code veteran Ally Anderson
started strongly in the midfield
for the Lions, winning three
clearances, after recording 43
kicks inside 50 last season, the
best conversion of the top 15
players.
Out from the sheds for the
second half, Jasmine Garner
kicked the Roos’ fifth goal for
the afternoon to extend the
lead for the visitors.
Garner handed the Kangaroos
the perfect start to the second
half with the clean goal,
after averaging 514m from her
13 matches last season – the
most in the AFLW.
The third quarter was a masterclass
from the Kangaroos,
who scored six goals, while
holding the Lions scoreless for
the term.
Two negative milestones
were marked in the game
for the home side, with the
Kangaroos recording the most
points against the Lions ever,
the previous best was 5.3 (33)
last season.
The other stat-line was the
biggest-ever defeat handed to
the Lions, thanks to a late goal
from Tahlia Randall, going
down by 44 points.
Ally Anderson was the shining
light for the Lions in the
loss, finishing with one goal,
one behind, 29 disposals and
15 clearances in a trademark
dominant performance.
Next week the Lions
will travel south to take on
the Melbourne Demons at
Casey Fields with kick-off at
11.05am on Saturday, September
7 in what is a strong
chance for their first win of the
season.