Cats win nail biter over Lions amongst Covid ‘chaos’

Geelong Cats v Brisbane Lions, AFL 2021 round 2 Ben Jensen QUEUES OF THOUSANDS of footy fans stretched hundreds of metres outside GMHBA Stadium as the siren sounded to begin the first AFL-level match played in front of a crowd in Geelong since 2019 thanks to unspecified problems or complications with the entrance processes at each entry gate. Once the crowd of just over 20,000 settled in they were treated to a hard-fought match between two sides desperate to avoid a 0-2 start to the season. Geelong now have a ten day break while the Lions remain stranded in Victoria due to Covid-chaos, licking their wounds.

Geelong maintained an advantage over Brisbane for most of the match but they never quite broke free from the Lions and their dominance started to slip in the third quarter, a goal before three quarter time to Tom Hawkins keeping the lead at around 20 points. Four straight goals from the Lions, the fourth by new recruit Joe Daniher, put the Lions in front midway through the final term. The Lions held on to the lead for an excruciating ten minutes before the Cats struck back, Isaac Smith snatching the lead back. The arm-wrestle continued with the ball entering the Lions’ forward fifty several times, on one occasion scoring a rushed behind but missing out on what may have been a holding the ball decision against Mark Blicavs that would have given Brisbane the win. Instead play-on was the call, the Cats rushed a behind and hung on to win by a point.

The match would not have seemed right without some Covid-19 or arguably government-induced chaos and the crowd and viewers at home were not left short-changed. A message (below) appeared on the scoreboard ordering anyone who had visited Queensland since 12 March ‘must immediately leave the venue, isolate and get a test’. This soon snared members of the Channel 7 commentary team, Luke Hodge the first to be frog-marched followed (mercifully) by Wayne Carey. As we go to press the Lions are unable to leave Victoria, their but to the airport turned around today, the AFL advising the Lions to remain in Victoria for the time being. The Victorian Health Minister, Martin Foley, also putting Iron Man in play: “In regards to AFL or NRL or Iron Man or any number of other events that are underway that involve people coming and going to Queensland we’ll work closely with all of those agencies and sporting bodies to seek to make sure that those programs continue.”

No substitution was made by the Cats, Zach Guthrie taking no part in the match. The Lions used theirs when Oscar McInerney left the field with an injured ankle. Cat Gary Rohan is facing a stint on the sidelines like Patrick Dangerfield after an off-the-ball strike on Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale, offered a two-match suspension by the AFL Match Review Panel. Speaking of Dangerfield the suspended midfielder was able to line up in a VFL practice match on Saturday. The ‘VFL’ (from 2021 comprising 22 teams including former QLD and NSW NEAFL sides) begins next weekend, the Cats taking on Coburg Lions at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday. In the AFL the Cats play the Hawks at the MCG in an Easter Monday home game.

Lachie put three fingers up after Gary Rohan hit him behind play 😂 pic.twitter.com/qzE0jPlxrq

— 7AFL (@7AFL) March 26, 2021

AFL ROUND 2 2021
GEELONG CATS BRISBANE LIONS
FRIDAY 26 MARCH 2021, 19:50 AEDT
GMHBA STADIUM, GEELONG
MATCH PREVIEW

GEELONG 5.3, 8.5, 11.8, 12.9 (81) defeated
BRISBANE 2.5, 4.9, 7.11, 11.14 (80)

GOALS
GEELONG CATS: Hawkins 3, Tuohy 2, Evans 2, Selwood 2, Miers, Clark, Smith
BRISBANE LIONS: Hipwood 4, Cameron 2, Lyons, McCluggage, McCarthy, T.Berry, Daniher

BEST
GEELONG CATS: Selwood, Tuohy, Hawkins, Stewart, C.Guthrie, Stanley
BRISBANE LIONS: Hipwood, McCluggage, Lyons, Zorko, Rich, Birchall

INJURIES
GEELONG CATS: Nil reported
BRISBANE LIONS: Oscar McInerney (ankle)

CHANGES
GEELONG CATS: Nil
BRISBANE LIONS: Berry (soreness) replaced in selected side by Prior

SUBSTITUTIONS
GEELONG CATS: Nil
BRISBANE LIONS: Keidean Coleman (replaced Oscar McInerney)

REPORTS
GEELONG CATS: Nil
BRISBANE LIONS: Nil

CROWD: 20,070 at GMHBA Stadium, Geelong (Kardinia Park)

GEELONG CATS – SELECTED SIDE
IN: Zach Tuohy, Charlie Constable, Francis Evans, Jack Henry
OUT: Sam Menegola (injured), Patrick Dangerfield (suspended), Zach Guthrie (omitted), Josh Jenkins (omitted)
B: Lachie Henderson Mark Blicavs Mark O’Connor
HB: Tom Atkins Tom Stewart Jake Kolodjashnij
C: Isaac Smith Cameron Guthrie Zach Tuohy
HF: Jordan Clark Gary Rohan Charlie Constable
F: Gryan Miers Tom Hawkins Shaun Higgins
FOLL: Rhys Stanley Brandan Parfitt Joel Selwood
INT: Jed Bews Luke Dahlhaus Francis Evans Jack Henry
EMER: Zach Guthrie Quinton Narkle Josh Jenkins Max Holmes

BRISBANE LIONS – SELECTED SIDE
IN: Jaxon Prior, Thomas Berry
OUT: Jarrod Berry (Injured), Rhys Mathieson (Omitted)
B: Daniel Rich, Harris Andrews, Jack Payne
HB: Brandon Starcevich, Ryan Lester, Thomas Berry
C: Hugh McCluggage, Dayne Zorko, Harry Sharp
HF: Zac Bailey, Joe Daniher, Lincoln McCarthy
F: Callum Ah Chee, Eric Hipwood, Charlie Cameron
FOLL: Oscar McInerney, Jarryd Lyons, Lachie Neale
INT: Mitch Robinson, Grant Birchall, Jaxon Prior, Tom Fullarton,
EMER: Keidean Coleman, Jaxon Prior, Dev Robertson, Connor Ballenden

UMPIRES
FIELD: Robert O’Gorman, Nathan Williamson, Robert Findlay EM: Paul Rebeschini
BOUNDARY: Patrick Dineen, Patrick Jackson, Chris Esler, Damien Main
GOAL: Sam Walsh, Dylan Benwell EM: David Rodan