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VELOCITY SPORTS NEWS

A Day to Remember ... Lions shock Eagles in Perth

Saturday 7 July 2007

It was a day 22 Brisbane Lions players will never forget. Quoted at $11 no-hopers with the bookies, they took on and beat the West Coast Eagles, the defending premiers and flag favorites in Perth.

It was the shock of the AFL season, perhaps even the decade, as the Lions, seven weeks without a win, beat the Eagles 13.13 (91) to 9.10 (64) in front of a stunned crowd of 40,763 at Subiaco Oval.

Among them were Josh Drummond, Cheynee Stiller and Jason Roe. And each played a key role in a fairytale victory that will last forever among their footballing highlights.

Drummond had 11 marks and 27 possessions playing in the last line of defence as he tasted AFL success for the first time since round 16 last year against Hawthorn at the Gabba on 22 July. He took a string of saving marks and used his spearing left foot kick to maximum effect.

Roe, recalled to the senior side after a topsy-turvy run of late, had 14 possessions and six tackles in defence. He started slowly but as his confidence grew he returned to the blistering form of early in the season. In his first visit to Subiaco, he attacked the ball with terrific effect in the second half and had a hand in a string of attacking thrusts.

Stiller, also a first-time visitor to Subiaco, had 20 possessions and eight marks. He covererd a mountain of territory on the vast expanses of the Eagles home ground and used the ball well.

Coach Leigh Matthews took a running side to the opposite side of the coach. That it included debutants Matthew Leuenberger and Will Hamill, three teenagers and 14 players with less than 50 AFL games experience - Drummond, Roe and Stiller included - was immaterial.

Likewise the fact that the Lions trailed everywhere on the statistics sheet except the score.

Ignoring tipsters and bookies across the country, they tackled and pressured the Eagles to a standstill and in the end finished much the better side to turn into a miserable night what was meant to be a glorious time for the side.

It was the 200th AFL game for Michael Braun, and was meant to be the first game back for Ben Cousins, who had been under a four-month club suspension for a self-confessed "substance abuse" problem. But Cousins had strained a hamstring at final training the day before the game and instead sat in the coach's box.

Jonathan Brown and Jared Brennan kicked four goals apiece - an equal career-best for the enigmatic Brennan - while Robert Copeland, recalled from a stint in the reserves and given a rare assignment up forward, chipped in with an equal career high three goals.

Nigel Lappin was best afield with 33 possessions but he had plenty of willing contributors as the Lions celebrated AFL Heritage Round by wearing the red and blue last jumper of the Fitzroy Football Club.

Simon Black (28 possessions) set the trend with the first goal of the game 15 seconds after the opening bounce and with used the ball impeccably as coach Matthews employed a five-man rotation through the midfield of Lappin, Black, Luke Power, Michael Rischitelli and Jed Adcock.

Stiller and Tim Notting (31 possessions) were winners on the wings and down back Drummond, Roe, Joel Macdonald, Joel Patfull and Daniel Merrett were fantastic.

Matthews was so overwhelmed by the victory, he made a rare journey from the coaches' box before the final siren to embrace his players as they came off the field.

In the first half the Lions just hung in there. They trailed 2-1 to 3-5 at quarter-time and 5-7 to 6-8 at halftime. But the longer the Eagles were unable to put them away, the greater the Lions' self belief grew. And grew.

When Brennan marked in the goalsquare for his third goal midway through the third term they hit the front for the first time. Maybe, just maybe, they could win.

West Coast, wearing the black and gold 1977 WA State of Origin jumper, kicked the next two goals but the Lions, with Brown a powerhouse up forward, hit back. Hard. They led 10-9 to 8-10 at the last change and were never headed as Copeland, Brown and Brennan goaled in the final stanza.

It was the Lions' first win over West Coast in Perth since 2001 - before the club had won even the first of their three premierships - and will be remembered as one of the club's all-time great triumphs.

Not even a mountain of ball for Chris Judd (35 possessions), Daniel Kerr (33) or Luke Priddis (32), an imposing contribution from Dean Cox (26 possessions and 21 hit-outs) or four goals from Mark LeCras could get the home side over the line.

In the aftermath, Matthews accused West Coast of disrespect by even thinking of playing Cousins after just one week of team training.

"We were rightfully and logically long odds, but it just goes to show that miracles happen. It is a rare home-and-away victory that almost has a euphoria," Matthews said.

"This is only short term obviously, grand finals are long term, but for these guys to go and play the way they did . . . right now it is high as any of (my achievements)."

Matthews questioned the wisdom of considering Cousins, saying it sent the wrong message to the Lions. "I know the circumstances surrounding Ben are different, it is a first, but you train for one session and then go and play senior footy?" he said. "That to me said they thought they were just going to win it, and therefore it didn't matter if Ben played 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 40 minutes."

Worsfold denied the assertion, saying his side's preparation had not been unusual, despite the Cousins saga. "We didn't treat this game different to any other game and we never would," he said.

But in the end it didn't matter. The Lions got the points. And 22 players got a memory that will live forever.

Brisbane Lions	2.1	5.7	10.9	13.13 (91)
West Coast Eagles	3.5	6.8	8.10	9.10 (64)
Goals:  Lions: J Brown 4, J Brennan 4, R Copeland 3, S Black, T Notting. Eagles: M Le Cras 4, D Kerr, A Embley, D Cox, S Hurn, M Seaby.
Best: Lions: N Lappin, J Drummond, J Brown, J Brennan, R Copeland, T Notting, J Roe, S Black. Eagles: C Judd, D Kerr, D Cox, M LeCras. D Glass.
Umpires: L Farmer, B Allen, S Meredith.          Crowd: 40,763 at Subiaco