Summary
And exhale. That was a breathless, frantic, helter-skelter night of footy. It wasn’t always the prettiest, but it was full blooded with bodies being thrown into collisions repeatedly and one-on-one scraps around the Gabba at ground level keeping fans on the edges of their seats.
Brisbane will be thrilled with the four points and the jump back up to second spot on the ladder, and Chris Fagan will be delighted with how his side toughed it out despite never achieving fluent footy. That said, the goal-kicking yips were still there in all their glory, Harris Andrews spent the second-half on the bench with ice on his hamstring, and they looked very jittery trying to see out the closing stages. Lyons, Berry, Neale and McInerney stood out.
Collingwood remain sixth, but now with one eye looking over their shoulder at the chasing pack. They should still scrape into the finals, but round 17’s match with Gold Coast now looms as a must-win. If the Pies do make the playoffs they will have to execute their skills going forward much better than they did tonight. Time and again they secured possession in midfield only to see it come to nought. 30 clearances and 41 inside-50s for just 5.4 is an indictment on how Collingwood are set up to attack. Mihocek’s fumble with the game on the line in the final quarter will get a good run this weekend.
That’s all from me for now. Thanks for your company, let’s do this again soon.
Brisbane 6.6 (42) v 5.4 (34) Collingwood
The Lions hold on.
Q4: 1 min remaining: Brisbane 6.6 (42) v 5.4 (34) Collingwood: Brisbane win the crucial centre clearance.
Q4: 1.30 min remaining: Brisbane 6.6 (42) v 5.4 (34) Collingwood: Cox toe-bungs over the line from two metres out! This frantic game might yet have a grandstand finish! It was another ugly ball to the hotspot, this time it came to ground, and this time there were enough Collingwood players in the region to do something about it, and Cox profits after desperate work from Moore.
Q4: 2 mins remaining: Brisbane 6.6 (42) v 4.4 (28) Collingwood: This is helter-skelter finals intensity footy. Every possession fought over like it’s the last. Somehow Collingwood survive a Brisbane onslaught, then somehow Brisbane prevail at the other end with the Pies squandering a 2-on-1 in a marking contest.
Q4: 4 mins remaining: Brisbane 6.5 (41) v 4.4 (28) Collingwood: It is impossibly intense out there now. Both sides flying at the ball carrier in desperation. Collingwood yet again have the run and territory, but every time they try to find that final pass they miss their mark, and when the ball comes to ground Brisbane’s defence has been desperate enough.
Q4: 5 mins remaining: Brisbane 6.5 (41) v 4.4 (28) Collingwood: The Lions look lost out there, unsure whether to stick or twist. They keep trying to milk the clock but they’re doing in a very unstructured way, full of risk. Collingwood keep probing, but it’s devoid of quality and a dangerous ball inside-50 looks ready for a mark only for a free-kick to be found for a block off the ball.
Q4: 7 mins remaining: Brisbane 6.5 (41) v 4.4 (28) Collingwood: Oooooof! Cox took a big bite out of a contested mark, not once, but twice, but it wasn’t enough - and the umpteenth inside-50 for Collingwood goes begging. Brisbane try to milk the clock by playing keeping-off across halfback, but they’re forced to move it on, head down the left wing, and cough it up soon afterwards.
Q4: 8 mins remaining: Brisbane 6.5 (41) v 4.4 (28) Collingwood: More hot footy between the arcs, this time on Brisbane’s terms, but they lack intent, and it’s only a matter of time before Collingwood force the turnover and gain territory. The Lions are very edgy this term. If the Pies had more players with Pendlebury’s precision on the ball they would be right in this.
Q4: 10 mins remaining: Brisbane 6.5 (41) v 4.4 (28) Collingwood: Eight inside-50s to zero in favour of Collingwood in this final term. The Pies pile forward again and look threatening with the ball in broken play, but a free-kick in a marking contest gives Brisbane a breather.
McStay has been pushed to CHB to stem the bleeding.
Q4: 11 mins remaining: Brisbane 6.5 (41) v 4.4 (28) Collingwood: All the momentum is with the Pies now and after another wrestle for possession the ball breaks their way and this time it lands in the hands of Elliott, and he makes no mistake with the set shot from 30m out. There’s life in this yet.
Q4: 12 mins remaining: Brisbane 6.5 (41) v 3.4 (22) Collingwood: Wow! Mihocek has absolutely blown it! After another long spell of scrappy midfield hot footy, Pendlebury glides away from the contest like a Rolls Royce, hitting Cox’s lead inside-50. The big American then wheels around and finds Mihocek alone in the goalsquare - and the Magpie lets the ball slip through his fingers, unopposed! Horror moment for Collingwood.
The casualty list grows with Phillips looking done for the night with a hammy.
Q4: 14 mins remaining: Brisbane 6.5 (41) v 3.3 (21) Collingwood: Yet again Collingwood engineer a rebound opportunity but as the chain of possession reaches halfway Grundy is forced to handball sideways. Eventually the inside-50 arrives, but it’s to Brisbane’s advantage, despite Moore’s late fly at the ball. The mechanics are just not right for the Pies.
Q4: 16 mins remaining: Brisbane 6.5 (41) v 3.3 (21) Collingwood: Here we go, one final push.
Moore is forward for Collingwood this final quarter, trying to improve on their record of 25 inside-50s for 3.3.
It’s going to take an almighty effort for Collingwood to win from here. They just don’t look slick enough going forward to double their score in a quarter, which is what they have to do. For Brisbane, I’m not sure they’ve done enough yet to convince doubters they’re the real deal, especially with the excellent Andrews sitting on the bench with ice on his hammy.
If the NRL is your bag, scores are level between Souths and Storm with 20 minutes to go.
Three-quarter-time: Brisbane 6.5 (41) v 3.3 (21) Collingwood
It’s been a breathless full-blooded contest but neither side has established any cohesion with ball in hand, and so the scoreboard is little changed from half-time. It’s an exhausting watch, if hardly one for the skills purists.
Jarryd Lyons extends the lead for the Lions with the sharp finish from a stoppage. #AFLLionsPies pic.twitter.com/XglBMkJ8Xw
— AFL (@AFL) September 4, 2020
Q3: 2 mins remaining: Brisbane 6.5 (41) v 3.3 (21) Collingwood: Superb defensive pressure in their own half from Collingwood to keep Brisbane at bay. After Neale won a clean clearance the Lions were on the front foot for an age without fashioning a clear shot on goal. Time and again the ball pinged between contests only for a desperate act from a Magpie to keep the scoreboard stationary.
But when they clear they don’t look like threatening. Yet again the ball reaches halfway before the decisive kick is chopped off without a great deal of difficulty.
Q3: 3 mins remaining: Brisbane 6.5 (41) v 3.3 (21) Collingwood: There are a lot of battered, fatigued bodies out there. This has been a bruising game.
Q3: 4 mins remaining: Brisbane 6.5 (41) v 3.3 (21) Collingwood: McInerney is really upping his game this quarter and another ruck win sends Brisbane forward where more frenetic, ugly footy ends with a point. Collingwood continue to struggle to string phases of possession together, but they do manage to get the ball deep into Brisbane territory, whereupon they earn a holding-the-ball free-kick just outside the goalsquare. Callum Brown is rewarded and he snaps across his body to keep his side in the mix.
Q3: 6 mins remaining: Brisbane 6.4 (40) v 2.3 (15) Collingwood: Some more frantic turnover footy from both sides, Collingwood especially at fault, working their way to the 50m line then seemingly forgetting what to do next. Brisbane have shown great desperation to interrupt Collingwood’s flow, but the absence of decisive ball movement going forward is a real worry for the Pies.
Q3: 7 mins remaining: Brisbane 6.4 (40) v 2.3 (15) Collingwood: Finally a goal! McInerney, who has held his own against Grundy in the ruck, wins the ball cleanly from a stoppage just inside attacking 50. He finds Lyons who engineers enough space to snap truly and kick the Lions into a lead that is starting to look intimidating.
Q3: 9 mins remaining: Brisbane 5.4 (34) v 2.3 (15) Collingwood: This is not a classic. Neither side can hit a target with a forward-looking kick, which means turnovers aplenty and no flow to the game. Brisbane are enjoying territorial dominance but they’re not precise enough in tight to take advantage of it, while the Pies have no fluidity to strike cleanly on the counter.
Q3: 10 mins remaining: Brisbane 5.4 (34) v 2.3 (15) Collingwood: Some slow footy from the Pies this time, but the end product is the same - a turnover trying to get inside 50. Collingwood’s forward set-up is all over the place. Brisbane rebound at pace and take the game deep into Collingwood territory, where they camp for a series of phases until Daicos wins a free-kick for high contact.
Q3: 12 mins remaining: Brisbane 5.4 (34) v 2.3 (15) Collingwood: More of that hot contested footy between the arcs. Both sides are willing in tight but lacking composure when the ball comes out, leading to repeat tirnovers and stoppages.
Very bad news for Brisbane - Harris Andrews is done for the night with ice on his left hamstring. He follows Fullarton onto the pine. Huge blow on the night, and for the remainder of the season.
Q3: 13 mins remaining: Brisbane 5.4 (34) v 2.3 (15) Collingwood: Coleman has been bright on debut, and he has a chance of a goal to cap it off after marking Zorko’s delightful entry in front of Maynard. But, from a very tight angle in the left forward pocket, he can only hit the behind post.
Collingwood need a response - and they get it with a midfield turnover - but once the ball reaches Phillips a smidgen out of range there is nothing ahead of him to go to and the opportunity breaks down.
Q3: 15 mins remaining: Brisbane 5.4 (34) v 2.3 (15) Collingwood: Brisbane win the opening clearance and it immediately leads to a mark inside 50 from Hipwood, who burns Moore for pace. Can he continue his good form in front of goal? No. Leaning back and slanting his effort wide.
“Gotta be cleaner at ground level,” says Buckley at the break. He’s particularly peeved at how his side have let things slip “in tight”, which is where most of the game has been played so far.
“We won the territory battle, that’s the critical thing,” says Fagan, after earlier praising his side’s clearance-winning improvement in the second quarter.
The stats are still pretty even around the ground. Brisbane lead 7-2 on marks inside-50, Collingwood are leading clearances 18-13, but generally there’s not much separating two very willing sides.
On an individual level, Hipwood is the only multiple goal-kicker, while the evergreen Pendlebury has seen the most of the footy.
Big opening term for the skipper with 17 disposals + 6 clearances. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/YvMkq22mC4
— Collingwood FC (@CollingwoodFC) September 4, 2020
Half-time Brisbane 5.3 (33) v 2.3 (15) Collingwood
It’s increasingly willing at the Gabba, where Brisbane are in the box seat after stepping up the intensity in the second quarter.
Hugh McCluggage nailed this one and tempers flared almost straight away 👀 pic.twitter.com/GWiX57ciF5
— AFL (@AFL) September 4, 2020
Q2: 1 mins remaining: Brisbane 5.3 (33) v 2.3 (15) Collingwood: When the ball is in dispute it is hot! Both sides are throwing themselves into the contest, egged on by a boisterous crowd. Brisbane look the more powerful in these clinches but neither side are having much luck consistently extracting the footy and setting up play.
Q2: 1 mins remaining: Brisbane 5.3 (33) v 2.3 (15) Collingwood: The Pies benefit from a couple of free-kicks, the second a high tackle from Rich on Phillips, inviting a set shot from 35m pretty straight. And that is a shocker. Leaning back, dragging the kick sloppily wide. Coach killer.
Q2: 2 mins remaining: Brisbane 5.3 (33) v 2.2 (14) Collingwood: Collingwood have good field position on the right wing but the centring ball is straight to Rich. Bailey then marks strongly on centre wing to set up a rumbling attack that lacks finesse but carries plenty of menace. Too much menace for Collingwood who fluff their lines in defence, Maynard coughing the ball up to McCluggage, who snaps truly to extend Brisbane’s lead.
There’s a bit of a melee afterwards involving Maynard and Robinson, but not much doing. That felt like a key moment in this contest, the Lions asserting themselves when the heat was on.
Q2: 4 mins remaining: Brisbane 4.3 (27) v 2.1 (13) Collingwood: Now Pendlebury turns hunter, laying a terrific tackle on halfway to stem a promising Lions attack and allow the Pies to build from deep. They fail to execute the downfield kick though, and we’re back to some more knockabout hot footy between the arcs.
Q2: 6 mins remaining: Brisbane 4.3 (27) v 2.1 (13) Collingwood: Superb clearance from Pendlebury, Cox outmuscles Andrews for the first time tonight, and Collingwood kick one back.
That’s that compact Gabba effect I was referring to earlier on. With the 6-6-6 rule, a decent clearance can turn into a goal in the blink of an eye on a ground like this.
Q2: 7 mins remaining: Brisbane 4.3 (27) v 1.1 (7) Collingwood: Pandemonium in Brisbane’s defensive 50! A shocking defensive handball invited pressure, and boy did it come. Lynch had a look but took a fresh-air swing, Adams was poleaxed in a contest but no free given, and somehow Brisbane clear their lines. And how clear do they go? End to end in no time at all, making a mockery of their defensive scramble with some dash through the corridor ending with Hipwood free out the back. Huge quarter for Brisbane.
Q2: 9 mins remaining: Brisbane 3.3 (21) v 1.1 (7) Collingwood: Another for Brisbane! Free-kick at the centre bounce leads to the Lions swarming all over the Pies in dangerous territory. The debutant Coleman is in the thick of it, but it’s Berry who emerges from traffic and snaps on his right boot for the goal.
Q2: 10 mins remaining: Brisbane 2.3 (15) v 1.1 (7) Collingwood: Excellent pressure from Brisbane’s forwards, causing havoc in Collingwood’s defence. Eventually they squeeze the turnover, much to Nathan Buckley’s disgust, and the ball lands in Rayner’s arms.
Another set shot in a non-approved area for a Lions goal-kicker, but Rayner shrugs off his earlier miss and strikes this one sweetly. The Lions are on a roll!
Brisbane forward Tom Fullarton had ice applied to his leg at quarter time. #AFLLionsPies pic.twitter.com/QPqESa53hI
— AFL (@AFL) September 4, 2020
Fullarton is done for the day. Maynard is battling on, but he’s not 100%.
Q2: 11 mins remaining: Brisbane 1.3 (9) v 1.1 (7) Collingwood: The Pies win the centre clearance but the inside-50 is easily picked off. Brisbane threaten to make meal of clearing their lines but Rayner does superbly, hitting the contest hard and low before ricocheting away with the ball and finding Hipwood’s lead on halfway. Further territorial gains follow until a behind is snapped through by Zorko.
Brisbane are growing into this.
Q2: 13 mins remaining: Brisbane 1.2 (8) v 1.1 (7) Collingwood: It’s a scrappy old game with the ball bobbling around midfield unclaimed by either side, but Brisbane finally emerge in possession and transition swiftly for the first time in the quarter with the ball ending up in Hipwood’s hands after his lead earned him separation.
Now, can he nail the set shot from 45m out on an angle? Yes! Delight for the maligned forward, and Brisbane finally have a goal.
Q2: 14 mins remaining: Brisbane 0.2 (2) v 1.1 (7) Collingwood: The Pies get on the ball early again, controlling the tempo with precise passes along halfback - then dumping a long kick downfield for a turnover. Brisbane do something similar, but there’s a glimmer of something interesting when the ball comes to ground from a pack mark, but Collingwood recover.
The Pies are dominating clearances 9-3, and that’s setting the tone of the game with Collingwood seeing more of the ball. However, Brisbane lead marks inside-50 4-1, which highlights how their return of two behinds is an indictment of their set shooting.
Quarter-time: Brisbane 0.2 (2) v 1.1 (7) Collingwood
A lot of huffing and puffing but not too much composure on display at the Gabba. Key talking point: Brisbane’s goal-kicking woes have not resolved.
Perfect start from Checkers.
— Collingwood FC (@CollingwoodFC) September 4, 2020
Bang. pic.twitter.com/ulJf4YIpjP
Q1: 1 mins remaining: Brisbane 0.2 (2) v 1.1 (7) Collingwood: Brisbane finally do get out, and despite a couple of fumbles and an apparent lack of strategy, they smuggle the ball down the right wing and inside 50. Eventually Rayner gets the set shot opportunity from about 40m on a 45 degree angle - and he absolutely butchers it - out on the full. Deary me, this really is an issue for Brisbane, isn’t it?
Q1:3 mins remaining: Brisbane 0.1 (1) v 1.1 (7) Collingwood: It’s still nip and tuck at the Gabba, but you sense Collingwood have the upper hand. After repeat stoppages the Pies send the ball to the hot spot but Cox doesn’t put his size to good use and the Lions clear. They are really struggling to rebound out of their own 50 though, slowing play right down, chipping the ball across defensive 50 and hugging the boundary. This is credit to Collingwood’s defensive structure, of course, and the turnover is inevitable.
Q1: 6 mins remaining: Brisbane 0.1 (1) v 1.1 (7) Collingwood: Brisbane try to slow the game down and caress the ball downfield, but their skills let them down and Collingwood force the turnover on centre wing. That suits the Pies, who look the more comfortable with the fast tempo and abundance of broken play.
Q1: 7 mins remaining: Brisbane 0.1 (1) v 1.1 (7) Collingwood: A third opportunity in quick succession, this time in open play, but Fullarton snaps a behind from 30m with the goals untended. After that scrappy start it’s now a very hot footy with both teams whiplashing at speed in transition. There’s a lack of cohesion in the final third for both sides, which is impacting the scoring, but there’s plenty going on up to that point.
Q1: 10 mins remaining: Brisbane 0.0 (0) v 1.1 (7) Collingwood: Now it’s Cameron’s turn to fail to trouble the scoreboard, his set shot from 48m dropping short after marking on the lead following a terrific turnover play orchestrated by Lyons.
Q1: 11 mins remaining: Brisbane 0.0 (0) v 1.1 (7) Collingwood: That compact Gabba effect is in operation early. Neale clears the centre bounce and it soars inside 50 where Moore shells an intercept mark you’d expect him to take. Once the ball hit the ground Hipwood was there first, quickly earning a high tackle free-kick for his troubles. Now, can Hipwood shed his Yipwood nickname? No. Missing his set shot from 50m. Not a straightforward effort, but still.
Updated
Q1: 12 mins remaining: Brisbane 0.0 (0) v 1.1 (7) Collingwood: It’s on COllingwood’s terms early. Brisbane don’t threaten to string a chain of possession together coming out of defence, then the Pies play keepings off for an age, chipping the ball around their own half from one side to the other. When they choose to go they do so incisively, and it’s that man Pendlebury again, centring the ball from the boundary with his left boot, perfectly weighted for Mihocek to rise, mark powerfully in a pack, and kick the game’s opening goal.
Early watch: Maynard has suffered a nasty looking cork on his thigh. He’s still out there but looks in pain.
Q1: 14 mins remaining: Brisbane 0.0 (0) v 0.1 (1) Collingwood: It’s a scrappy start with bodies around the contest preventing much clear ball. The territory is to Collingwood’s advantage though, which means Scott Pendlebury is not going to be far from the action, and a precise delivery inside-50 deserved marking. After the ball comes back out the Pies skipper then snaps a point on the run.
Opening bounce!
We’re underway at the Gabba...
It’s mild and dry at the Gabba with a slight northerly breeze. AFL suits will hope there’s little dew to speak of after committing to a floodlit grand final at the venue in a few weeks.
Silkos. pic.twitter.com/TUny43QZNe
— Collingwood FC (@CollingwoodFC) September 4, 2020
The finals permutations are getting very interesting at this fag end of the home and away season. Brisbane are among five sides scrapping for the top four places, but with a soft draw and home state advantage they should make that easily. I would probably back them in for a spot in the top two, alongside Port Adelaide.
For Collingwood, a gritty victory over Carlton last time out probably secured them finals participation, but they’re no certainties. With their list slowly returning to normal after a season of horror injuries, if the Pies do make into the postseason with a wet sail they could be a dangerous prospect from outside the top four.
For both teams all matches at the Gabba now take on added significance, with the venue announced this week as the site of the 2020 AFL grand final.
I also like how the compact Gabba
Fun fact: 8 of the 10 lowest scores recorded at the Gabba have been recorded in season 2020.
And Collingwood are in the house too, in their home black and white guernsey, and white shorts.
UP THE MAGS 💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/Qdg6rrGvF4
— Collingwood FC (@CollingwoodFC) September 4, 2020
Updated
La Marseillaise rings around the Gabba, which means the Lions are on the prowl. They’re out in the middle in their familiar maroon uniform.
Tonight the team are wearing black arm bands in remembrance of Bill Stephen. Bill captained and coached the Fitzroy Lions before being inducted into the Brisbane Lions Hall of fame in 2012. He also famously came up with the Fitzroy and now Brisbane Lions club song. Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/nELJaIZMLi
— Brisbane Lions (@brisbanelions) September 4, 2020
Collingwood XXII
Nathan Buckley has made two changes to his matchday squad, one enforced with Chris Mayne on the sidelines piecing his face back together after suffering a huge bump against Carlton, and one tactical with Darcy Cameron omitted. In comes Levi Greenwood after having his workload managed, and 200cm debutant Max Lynch. The 21-year-old was recruited from the Murray Bushrangers with pick No. 51 in the 2016 rookie draft.
With Mason Cox and Brodie Grundy also in the 22, that is a much taller Collingwood outfit than we’ve come to expect.
B: J.Crisp, J.Roughead, J.Madgen
HB: B.Maynard, D.Moore, J.Noble
C: T.Brown, J.Elliott, J.Daicos
HF: T.Phillips, M.Cox, W.Hoskin-Elliott
F: J.Thomas, J.Stephenson, B.Mihocek
FOLL: B.Grundy, T.Adams, S.Pendlebury
I/C: M.Lynch, I.Quaynor, L.Greenwood, C.Brown
IN: M.Lynch, L.Greenwood
OUT: C.Mayne (Injured), D.Cameron (Omitted)
Brisbane XXII
Two changes for the Lions with Chris Fagan able to call upon Daniel Rich’s booming left boot once more after a week out to rest a hamstring niggle, while there’s a debut for academy graduate Keidean Coleman. The 20-year old, originally from Darwin, was pick 37 in the 2019 draft. He is a medium-sized forward who has performed well in the NEAFL and has kicked eight goals in his past two reserves matches. Fagan likes his tackle pressure.
Coleman comes in for the suspended Lincoln McCarthy, while Alex Witherden drops out to accommodate Rich.
B: H.Andrews, D.Gardiner, G.Birchall
HB: D.Rich, B.Starcevich, N.Answerth
C: M.Robinson, J.Berry, Z.Bailey
HF: D.Zorko, D.McStay, C.Rayner
F: H.McCluggage, E.Hipwood, C.Cameron
FOLL: O.McInerney, J.Lyons, L.Neale
I/C: C.Ah Chee, K.Coleman, R.Lester, T.Fullarton
IN: D.Rich, K.Coleman
OUT: L.McCarthy (Suspension), A.Witherden (Omitted)
Back to tonight: why are the high-flying Lions (four quarters away from joint-top of the ladder no less) not being talked about as a competition heavyweight this year? According to Scott Heinrich, bad kicking is bad footy.
This season, the Lions have eight times kicked more behinds than goals. Eye-watering returns of 10.23 against Adelaide and 4.17 against the Tigers are the worst offenders, but for the most part Brisbane are managing to paper over the cracks with victory. Just. Prior to their bye in round 14, the Lions kicked 7.11 against lowly North Melbourne and won by point before returning 6.14 against St Kilda and prevailing by two points.
What do you all make of what’s going on at Richmond? And how do you feel about the new euphemism the AFL has created for strip club: “non-approved Gold Coast venue”?
There’s one team happy about everything going on in Tigerland - Melbourne. The Demons should be ensconced in the top eight, but instead find themselves on the scrapheap once again after being upset by Sydney last night. The blowtorch really should be on Simon Goodwin and his crew.
Good Evening Jonathan,
Good calling to you.
Perhaps that should be good keying.
Thanks Dr, looking forward to this. I reckon the Lions are going to kick zero behinds tonight and make all the analysis of their fumbling in front of goal look misplaced.
I also like how the compact Gabba, with the 6-6-6 starting positions can make for matches that swing wildly depending on who’s in control of the centre clearance.
Unless it’s a monster performance from the winner, I think we learn more about whoever loses tonight. If either side has serious flag aspirations they don’t want to come away without the four points.
Ok, so straight into the day’s headline news, and it’s pretty ugly for Richmond.
Sydney Stack and Callum Coleman-Jones have been sent home from the Queensland hub and suspended for ten matches after they were involved in a fight in a kebab shop in Surfers Paradise in the early hours of Friday morning. Richmond have been fined $100,000 for the indiscretion, $75,000 of which will be paid by Stack and Coleman-Jones.
Losing Coleman-Jones is not a major dent to Richmond’s on-field hopes, he has only featured once for the Tigers, in 2019. Stack, by contrast, has been firmly in Damien Hardwick’s plans for the past two seasons.
But it’s off the field where the most damage has been done. The Tigers have been making headlines for the wrong reasons all season and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for CEO Brendon Gale to continue to shrug them off.
“It’s extremely disrespectful to our fans and many members who want a club that they can be proud of, and I would assume there’s many who aren’t feeling particularly proud of our football club now,” Gale said.
“And ultimately at the end of the day we want to build a football club both on and off the football field that our members and fans can be proud of… we’re a very focused and disciplined team on the field and we’ve got a very caring and connected culture off the field.”
“What we’ve seen over the course of this year certainly hasn’t reflected that. I acknowledge that and we need to own that. They are a series of isolated incidents but I understand the conclusions people will draw.”
Preamble
Hello everybody and welcome to the latest instalment of the never-ending-dontcha-just-bloody-love-it-footy-marathon, otherwise known as the final match of round 15 in an unceasingly wild AFL season. Brisbane vs Collingwood gets underway at the Gabba around 7.50pm.
With just three rounds (and tonight’s match) to go, every contest is full of significance - especially when two likely finalists face off. For the Lions it’s a chance to assert their flag credentials and demonstrate they deserve to be spoken about in the same breath as Richmond, West Coast and Geelong. For the Magpies, without a victory against a top-eight opponent since round seven, this is an opportunity to prove they remain contenders. Expect no quarter given from either side.
There’s a stack to get through before the opening bounce, so I’ll keep this preamble brief. And remember, if you want to get in touch at any point, you can reach me on Twitter or email, and we should be open below the line too if you want to chat amongst yourselves.
Thank you for the article earlier in the week on the findings that the St Kilda great Danny Frawley had signs of stage II of a Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) diagnosis at post mortem. The only definitive way to tell as far as I am aware at this time. The hope was from his wife that it would prompt more research in order to help others. I hope this can be a prompt for more community conversation about what is acceptable and what is not. Most of us when presented with new information question are previous assumptions and actions.
What research there is - is already heart in your mouth alarming. A real existential threat to AFL and indeed all collision sports including football where heading is a big part of the game. For example there are around seven brain injuries per AFL club each year. Many of the best players have histories of multiple concussive injuries, some several in one season alone.
The reason for the concern is for what we unequivocally already know. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in people with a history of repetitive brain trauma (often athletes), including symptomatic concussions as well as asymptomatic subconcussive hits to the head that do not cause symptoms'.
In a recent years two former NRL players brains were found to be distinct from ‘about 1,000 brains over the last 10 years’ the professor undertaking the research noted, having not seen this sort of pathology in any other cases before. This is ground breaking evidence of some level of correlation between CTE and collision sports and others including cricket and football. Earth shattering for many players, I am sure.
Moreover, this groundbreaking research reported last years Washington Health Review reported - if you can read through the fog of the technical language- that each time we have one of these head injuries the impact could well be accumulative:
'These forces have deep neurologic impacts, especially on two types of cells: astrocytes and neurons. Astrocytes are glial cells. Glial cells are found in the brain and the spinal cord and provide insulation and support to neurons. According to Nature, astrocytes “contribute to [the] formation of the blood–brain barrier, participate in the maintenance of extracellular ionic and chemical homeostasis, are involved in the response to injury, and affect neuronal development and plasticity.” When mechanically impacted, astrocytes have shown changes in the “cytoskeleton, organelle function, and [have caused] biochemical cascades” [6]. Neurons, the other type of cell that has shown impacts from these forces, have shown changes in synaptic glutamate receptors, neurotransmission, and neural plasticity. Furthermore, these mechanical impacts on the brain have shown the capacity to activate pathways causing neuron death. Most importantly, repeated head injuries do not cause a superposition of brain damage, meaning that a second concussion could be more detrimental to neural cells than the first, and, likewise, a third concussion could be more detrimental than the second one.'
This is well understood in Australian sports science where collision sports are king.
My concern is that there is so much evidence to say that with concussion the initial injury and recovery are no more than that. I might add that awareness does not translate to good long term health prospects or informed decision making, especially amongst the young.
Many of these young footy players have already likely exposed themselves to the impact of repeated brain injuries from teenage onwards. Particularly the gifted ones. This in turn will impact their frontal lobe and executive functioning, the part of the brain that allows you to regulate, control, and manage other cognitive processes, such as planning, working memory, attention, problem solving, verbal reasoning, inhibition, mental flexibility, task switching, and initiation and monitoring of actions - hardly the best condition to be making good decisions.
So brain injured young men are pursuing a sport that will likely limit their lives and certainly reduced the quality of their lives for our entertainment. That we know it, categorically, makes it worst, doesn't it?
Concussion feels to me like climate change: the science is actually in, we know the trajectory and the inevitable outcome but are so seduced by what looks so benign and our enjoyment of the present, that we shrug it off. It is how the young brain sees the world - older heads should be at play.