Round 14 match preview: Brisbane Lions v Melbourne

Match details
Sunday, July 1, 3.15 pm (local time), Gabba

Teams
B: Tom McDonald, James Frawley, Jared Rivers
HB: Daniel Nicholson, Jack Watts, Jack Grimes
C: James Magner, Jordie McKenzie, Joel Macdonald
HF: Jack Trengove, James Sellar, Nathan Jones
F: Jeremy Howe, Colin Garland, Luke Tapscott
Foll: Mark Jamar, Brent Moloney, Colin Sylvia
I/C (from): Matthew Bate, Lynden Dunn, Stefan Martin, Jake Spencer, Sam Blease, Jamie Bennell, Rohan Bail
In: Stefan Martin, Jake Spencer, Jamie Bennell, Rohan Bail, Luke Tapscott
Out:Aaron Davey (hamstring), Mitchell Clark (foot)

Brisbane Lions
B: Josh Drummond, Joel Patfull, Ryan Harwood
HB: Mitchell Golby, Niall McKeever, Jed Adcock
C: Ryan Lester, Daniel Rich, Pearce Hanley
HF: Simon Black, Jonathan Brown, Dayne Zorko
F: James Polkinghorne, Daniel Merrett, Ashley McGrath
Foll: Ben Hudson, Tom Rockliff, Andrew Raines
I/C (from): Jack Redden, Jared Polec, Patrick Karnezis, Joshua Green, Rohan Bewick, Elliot Yeo, Jack Crisp
In: Jared Polec, Patrick Karnezis, Elliot Yeo, Jack Crisp
Out: Matt Maguire (elbow)

Broadcast guide

Form
Melbourne: L, L, L, L, L, L, L, L, L, W, L, Bye, W
Brisbane Lions: W, L, L, W, L, L, L, W, L, W, Bye, L, W

Ladder position
Melbourne: 16th
Brisbane Lions: 13th

Head-to-head
Played: 20
Melbourne: 9
Brisbane Lions: 11
Drawn: 0


At this ground
Played: 12
Melbourne: 4
Brisbane Lions: 8
Drawn: 0

Last time they met
Round 1, 2012: Brisbane Lions 17.17 (119) d Melbourne 11.12 (78) at the MCG

Recent streak
Melbourne has won four of its past six matches against Brisbane Lions

Memorable match
Grand final: Melbourne 4.10 (34) d Fitzroy 3.12 (30), East Melbourne
Melbourne won its first ever VFL/AFL flag against Fitzroy in 1900. The game was played at the East Melbourne Cricket Ground (later taken over as the Jolimont Railyards), and Melbourne was victorious by just four points. Stars of the day included captain and MCC identity Dick Wardill, the ruck combination of George Moodie and Vic Cumberland, and Tasmanian star and multiple winner of ‘Champion of the Colony’ honours, Fred McGinis.

Milestones
Melbourne: Jordie McKenzie (50 AFL matches), Jack Trengove (50 AFL matches)
Brisbane Lions:

Coaching record
Mark Neeld: 12 matches, 2 win, 0 draws, 10 losses
Michael Voss: 80 matches, 30 wins, 1 draws, 49 losses

Injury list

Melbourne: Rohan Bail (concussion) - test, Clint Bartram (knee) - season, Mitch Clark (foot) - season, Michael Evans (back) - 2-4 weeks, Max Gawn (knee) - season, Brad Green (hip) - 2-3 week, Neville Jetta (ankle) - test, Liam Jurrah (ankle) - 2-4 weeks, Rory Taggert (back) - indefinite
Brisbane Lions: Brad Harvey (ankle) - season, Matthew Leuenberger (achilles) - indefinite, Matt Maguire (elbow) - 4 weeks, Bryce Retzlaff (knee) - season, Brent Staker (knee) - season

Players to watch
Melbourne: Jack Trengove 
The co-captain plays his 50th AFL match against the Lions this round - a fine effort in just his third season. Although it has been a tough initiation for the game’s youngest ever skipper, he is continuing to build on his leadership and game, and remains one of the club’s most integral players for the long term.  

Brisbane Lions: Tom Rockliff
Rockliff shone in his side’s opening round win against Melbourne at the MCG, booting three goals and collecting 23 disposals. Last round against Western Bulldogs, he notched up a career best 40 touches and booted two goals in an outstanding win for the Lions.

Match-up to watch
James Frawley v Jonathan Brown
Brown didn’t play against the Demons last time around, due to injury, but expect the superstar skipper to be picked up by 2010 All-Australian defender James Frawley. Brown has booted 19 goals this season from 10 matches. This contest should be a beauty to watch.

Most disposals
Melbourne: Nathan Jones (292)
Brisbane Lions: Tom Rockliff (326)

Most marks
Melbourne: Jeremy Howe (70)
Brisbane Lions: Jonathan Brown (80)

Most tackles
Melbourne: Jordie McKenzie (71)
Brisbane Lions: Jack Redden (75)

Most goals
Melbourne: Mitch Clark (29)
Brisbane Lions: Daniel Merrett (20)

How’s stat?
As well as having played 20 games against the Brisbane Lions to date, Melbourne played the Brisbane Bears 17 times, for 12 wins, from 1987 to 1996.  Melbourne also played Fitzroy 179 times, for 88 wins, 88 losses and three draws from 1897 to 1996.

Foot in both camps
Those who have been involved with both clubs include: Bill Adams, Fred Backway, Stuart Cameron, Bruce Campbell, Robert Carroll, Len Catton, Mitch Clark, Colin Cox, Darryl Cox, Archie Dickens, Dale Dickson, Arthur Ferguson, Fabian Francis, Audley Gillespie-Jones, Tony Hirst, Fred Howard, Travis Johnstone, Tom Kavanagh, Dick Kennedy, Wayne Lamb, Greg Lourey, Darren Louttit, Joel Macdonald, Tom Magee, Dan Moriarty, Wally Naismith, Col Niven, Ray Niven, Rod Owen, Martin Pike, Jade Rawlings, Tom Sadlier, Marcus Seecamp, Len Smith, Norm Smith, Steven Stretch, Hedley Tomkins, Len Toyne, Billy Walsh, Don Whitford, Mark Withers, Shane Woewodin.

What Mark Neeld says …
“There are certain styles of their (Brisbane Lions) game that they’ve changed and there are certain styles to their game that they’ve certainly improved. They’re in better form than what they were in round one [when the Lions defeated the Demons]. They’ve had a really good couple of weeks - they’ve beaten West Coast and they played really well against the Bulldogs on the weekend.”

Key Melbourne question
Can Melbourne make it two in a row and win its first game on the road this year? 

Key Brisbane Lions question
Will the Lions make it two from two against the Demons this season and in the process keep their finals hopes alive?

Summary
Melbourne recorded its second win of the season last round - an emphatic 78-point win over Greater Western Sydney at the MCG. It was the continuation of a good month for the Demons, after they achieved their first win of the season against Essendon in round 10. The Dees also produced a reasonable display against competition leaders Collingwood, after a slow start. The challenge now will be to back up its win over GWS against the Lions on the road. Melbourne’s two worst performances for the season have been against West Coast Eagles at Patersons Stadium in round two and against Sydney Swans at the SCG in round eight. Both netted 100-point-plus losses. The Lions won’t be a pushover. In fact, they are in fine form on the back of a comprehensive win over the Bulldogs. They are arguably in better form than when they ran over the Demons with a stunning 10 goal to four second half in round one. It will be another challenge in Melbourne’s development and one worth watching.