AFL 2024 round 13 LIVE updates: ‘We can go all the way’: Lions roar, Neale says season’s far from over

BRISBANE LIONS 17.12 (114) d WESTERN BULLDOGS 10.11 (71)

No Bont, no Bulldogs

The Western Bulldogs’ reliance on Marcus Bontempelli has never been more apparent than during their 43-point loss to the Brisbane Lions at Marvel Stadium on Friday night. Lions tagger Jarrod Berry harangued and harassed the Bont at the opening bounce and was immediately able to put him off his game.

While Berry collected 14 possessions across the first half, the Bulldogs skipper’s output was reduced to a meagre six disposals, drawing criticism from one of the game’s greatest players. “That’s about as bad a half of footy as you’ll see him have,” Leigh Matthews told 3AW.

The problem for the Bulldogs wasn’t just Bontempelli’s uncharacteristic returns, but the fact that few were able to step up in his place. Tom Liberatore tried valiantly to lift his side in the third term – having 23 possessions for the match – while Adam Treloar toiled away (30 disposals) but there were very few other contributors.

Like all champions, Bont fought hard, having a moment during the third term in which he kicked a banana goal, his second for the match, and setting up another for James O’Donnell. He even took a hangar in the goal square deep into the last quarter, to kick his third for the game. But, in the end, his 19 possessions were not nearly enough.

It seems the round 15 bye can’t come quick enough for him and the tired-looking Dogs, who play Fremantle at home next week and are now 6-7 for the year.

Lions bare their claws

Reports of the death of Brisbane’s season have been greatly exaggerated. To prove they still have a finals heartbeat, let’s dust off the season predictor.

The Lions are 5-6, and a draw, after 12 games and have the following month ahead: St Kilda at home (win), away to Port Adelaide who are starting to wobble (win), home to Melbourne who are also starting to stagger (win) and home to the battling Adelaide (win). That makes them 9-6, and a bye, and suddenly looming as a possible September threat.

Further boosting this hypothetical is the nature of their list. Against the Bulldogs, Lachie Neale was in Brownlow form, Eric Hipwood turned in his best game of the year with an equal career-best six goals on Liam Jones, Jarrod Berry should be used as a tagger on the opposition’s best midfielder every week after smothering The Bont, Harris Andrews continues to anchor a solid defence and they have unearthed a beauty in 19-year-old Logan Morris, who showed glimpses of brilliance in just his fifth game.

On top of all this, Charlie Cameron had a shocker – nine disposals and goalless – so they’ve got his return to look forward to in the coming weeks.

Welcome back, Libba

One of the positives on a bleak night for the Bulldogs was the return of Liberatore after a worrying spell out of the game with concussion concerns. Libba threw himself into the fray from the opening bounce, gathering an early possession and doing his best to unsettle the hard tag of Berry on Bontempelli.

In fact, the heart and soul of the Sons of the West might have thrown himself in a little too eagerly.
He stepped in with a forceful jumper punch that almost clocked Berry on the chin. “Libba crossed the line and gave away a free kick,” Channel Seven commentator Luke Hodge said. He might also give away some coin if the action is looked upon unfavourably by the MRO. Regardless, it was heartening to see Libba play out the game.

KEY STATS

Lachie Neale spoke to Channel Seven post game.

A big win. Much- needed win. You must be absolutely rapt with the effort down here tonight?

Yeah. I think in the last sort of four or five years after a bye we have been terrible. To come out and perform like we did tonight against a really good team, who’s in form on their home ground was awesome. So proud of the group and Hippy, he set the tone. Unbelievable game off a suspension. Loved his game off a suspension. Loved his game. Yeah. I thought even your young guys, Logan Morris, Bruce Reville, they are showing a lot those guys. It is awesome to be a part of.

I will talk about your midfield. You must be proud. Jarrod Berry’s role on Bontempelli. Five touches to half- time. Collectively, rapt?

Yeah. Absolutely. We have been challenged. I feel like we have set ourselves for the good midfields, some really good midfields like Gold Coast and Melbourne and the Bulldogs. We have got to do it more consistently now. We have let ourselves down in the midfield a few times and let the side down. To come out against who I think’s probably the most talented and best midfield in the comp and deliver is… Was special. Dunk, we know what we get from him. Bez, the last six weeks since he’s played inside has been unreal. His job on Bont was awesome around the middle. Always goes forward and kicks goal. Always goes forward and kicks goal. A superstar, Bont. He kicks three or something in the end. Never going to keep him down for the whole game. I thought Bez’s effort was superb.

Do you feel like the bye’s come at a good time?

Yeah. Fages has been so good throughout this season. After the bye we got together and he showed us some sort of KPI stats. We’re doing a lot of things right. Probably improved in a lot of areas on last year to this point of the year. The wins haven’t come. We have kicked inaccurately in some games. Other games we have just been really poor for a 30-minute match and the game got away from us. We feel like we’re doing a lot right. We have to stick fat. We know our process works when we nail it. It showed tonight. We can play unbelievable footy.

Expectations still to contend?

Yeah. Absolutely. I got full faith in this group we can go all the way. We are still a long way off. A long season.

The Lions season remains alive and they’ve shown plenty of life in the process with an impressive win over the Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium.

Lachie Neale was everywhere with 38 touches and two goals while Eric Hipwood equalled a career-high with six goals.

Hipwood has capped off an excellent night by marking one 40m out and booting it home.

They have loved this win.

Lions 107, Dogs 69 with four mins to go.

Bontempelli has booted another goal after some good screening work from Khamis.

But it will matter not. The Lions have this one locked in.

Lions 101, Dogs 69 with six mins to go.

Zac Bailey has continued his return to form kicking a goal.

The Lions just keep on rolling in this last term.

Rory Lobb has been subbed out and Khamis is on for the Dogs.

Lions 101, Dogs 63 with 10 mins to go.

Running defender Connor McKenna has been subbed out after playing through an ankle problem.

Noah Answerth has come on for the last 12 minutes of the match.

Lions 95, Dogs 63 with 12 mins to go.

Lachie Neale has been firing tonight and he has booted a second goal, this time after a mark on the left boundary.

He needed the ball to come back in a bit after he kicked it and it did just that.

Very hard for the Doggies to win it from here.

Lions 93, Dogs 61 with 17 mins to go.

The comeback dreams are still alive for the Bulldogs as Rhylee West boots a goal just moments into the final term.

But they still have a lot of work to do.

Lions 87, Dogs 61 with 19 mins left.

Perhaps sensing their team is down and out, the Bulldogs fans have turned their frustrations towards the umpires.

The free-kick count is as lopsided as the scoreboard. The Dogs trail by 32 points at three-quarter time, and trail the free-kick count 20 to 9.

One thing the whistle-blowers won’t have to battle with is the three Brownlow votes – Lachie Neale, with 32 possessions across the first three quarters, has them in the bag.

Neale has been everywhere, collecting possessions inside and out, and is on track to crack 40 disposals for the game.

The Dogs had glimpses of a comeback in the third term, largely off the back of Tom Liberatore who tried to wrestle back some midfield dominance in the Bulldogs’ favour.

But as brave as he has been, he has not had enough partners in crime and the Lions are going to land their sixth win of the season and breathe some life back into their sputtering season.

They are now 6-6, and can launch an attack on the back-half of the year.

Aiding that thought will be the form of Eric Hipwood who has five goals for the game so far.

BRISBANE LIONS 17.12 (114) d WESTERN BULLDOGS 10.11 (71)

No Bont, no Bulldogs

The Western Bulldogs’ reliance on Marcus Bontempelli has never been more apparent than during their 43-point loss to the Brisbane Lions at Marvel Stadium on Friday night. Lions tagger Jarrod Berry harangued and harassed the Bont at the opening bounce and was immediately able to put him off his game.

While Berry collected 14 possessions across the first half, the Bulldogs skipper’s output was reduced to a meagre six disposals, drawing criticism from one of the game’s greatest players. “That’s about as bad a half of footy as you’ll see him have,” Leigh Matthews told 3AW.

The problem for the Bulldogs wasn’t just Bontempelli’s uncharacteristic returns, but the fact that few were able to step up in his place. Tom Liberatore tried valiantly to lift his side in the third term – having 23 possessions for the match – while Adam Treloar toiled away (30 disposals) but there were very few other contributors.

Like all champions, Bont fought hard, having a moment during the third term in which he kicked a banana goal, his second for the match, and setting up another for James O’Donnell. He even took a hangar in the goal square deep into the last quarter, to kick his third for the game. But, in the end, his 19 possessions were not nearly enough.

It seems the round 15 bye can’t come quick enough for him and the tired-looking Dogs, who play Fremantle at home next week and are now 6-7 for the year.

Lions bare their claws

Reports of the death of Brisbane’s season have been greatly exaggerated. To prove they still have a finals heartbeat, let’s dust off the season predictor.

The Lions are 5-6, and a draw, after 12 games and have the following month ahead: St Kilda at home (win), away to Port Adelaide who are starting to wobble (win), home to Melbourne who are also starting to stagger (win) and home to the battling Adelaide (win). That makes them 9-6, and a bye, and suddenly looming as a possible September threat.

Further boosting this hypothetical is the nature of their list. Against the Bulldogs, Lachie Neale was in Brownlow form, Eric Hipwood turned in his best game of the year with an equal career-best six goals on Liam Jones, Jarrod Berry should be used as a tagger on the opposition’s best midfielder every week after smothering The Bont, Harris Andrews continues to anchor a solid defence and they have unearthed a beauty in 19-year-old Logan Morris, who showed glimpses of brilliance in just his fifth game.

On top of all this, Charlie Cameron had a shocker – nine disposals and goalless – so they’ve got his return to look forward to in the coming weeks.

Welcome back, Libba

One of the positives on a bleak night for the Bulldogs was the return of Liberatore after a worrying spell out of the game with concussion concerns. Libba threw himself into the fray from the opening bounce, gathering an early possession and doing his best to unsettle the hard tag of Berry on Bontempelli.

In fact, the heart and soul of the Sons of the West might have thrown himself in a little too eagerly.
He stepped in with a forceful jumper punch that almost clocked Berry on the chin. “Libba crossed the line and gave away a free kick,” Channel Seven commentator Luke Hodge said. He might also give away some coin if the action is looked upon unfavourably by the MRO. Regardless, it was heartening to see Libba play out the game.

KEY STATS

Lachie Neale spoke to Channel Seven post game.

A big win. Much- needed win. You must be absolutely rapt with the effort down here tonight?

Yeah. I think in the last sort of four or five years after a bye we have been terrible. To come out and perform like we did tonight against a really good team, who’s in form on their home ground was awesome. So proud of the group and Hippy, he set the tone. Unbelievable game off a suspension. Loved his game off a suspension. Loved his game. Yeah. I thought even your young guys, Logan Morris, Bruce Reville, they are showing a lot those guys. It is awesome to be a part of.

I will talk about your midfield. You must be proud. Jarrod Berry’s role on Bontempelli. Five touches to half- time. Collectively, rapt?

Yeah. Absolutely. We have been challenged. I feel like we have set ourselves for the good midfields, some really good midfields like Gold Coast and Melbourne and the Bulldogs. We have got to do it more consistently now. We have let ourselves down in the midfield a few times and let the side down. To come out against who I think’s probably the most talented and best midfield in the comp and deliver is… Was special. Dunk, we know what we get from him. Bez, the last six weeks since he’s played inside has been unreal. His job on Bont was awesome around the middle. Always goes forward and kicks goal. Always goes forward and kicks goal. A superstar, Bont. He kicks three or something in the end. Never going to keep him down for the whole game. I thought Bez’s effort was superb.

Do you feel like the bye’s come at a good time?

Yeah. Fages has been so good throughout this season. After the bye we got together and he showed us some sort of KPI stats. We’re doing a lot of things right. Probably improved in a lot of areas on last year to this point of the year. The wins haven’t come. We have kicked inaccurately in some games. Other games we have just been really poor for a 30-minute match and the game got away from us. We feel like we’re doing a lot right. We have to stick fat. We know our process works when we nail it. It showed tonight. We can play unbelievable footy.

Expectations still to contend?

Yeah. Absolutely. I got full faith in this group we can go all the way. We are still a long way off. A long season.

The Lions season remains alive and they’ve shown plenty of life in the process with an impressive win over the Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium.

Lachie Neale was everywhere with 38 touches and two goals while Eric Hipwood equalled a career-high with six goals.

Hipwood has capped off an excellent night by marking one 40m out and booting it home.

They have loved this win.

Lions 107, Dogs 69 with four mins to go.

Bontempelli has booted another goal after some good screening work from Khamis.

But it will matter not. The Lions have this one locked in.

Lions 101, Dogs 69 with six mins to go.

Zac Bailey has continued his return to form kicking a goal.

The Lions just keep on rolling in this last term.

Rory Lobb has been subbed out and Khamis is on for the Dogs.

Lions 101, Dogs 63 with 10 mins to go.

Running defender Connor McKenna has been subbed out after playing through an ankle problem.

Noah Answerth has come on for the last 12 minutes of the match.

Lions 95, Dogs 63 with 12 mins to go.

Lachie Neale has been firing tonight and he has booted a second goal, this time after a mark on the left boundary.

He needed the ball to come back in a bit after he kicked it and it did just that.

Very hard for the Doggies to win it from here.

Lions 93, Dogs 61 with 17 mins to go.

The comeback dreams are still alive for the Bulldogs as Rhylee West boots a goal just moments into the final term.

But they still have a lot of work to do.

Lions 87, Dogs 61 with 19 mins left.

Perhaps sensing their team is down and out, the Bulldogs fans have turned their frustrations towards the umpires.

The free-kick count is as lopsided as the scoreboard. The Dogs trail by 32 points at three-quarter time, and trail the free-kick count 20 to 9.

One thing the whistle-blowers won’t have to battle with is the three Brownlow votes – Lachie Neale, with 32 possessions across the first three quarters, has them in the bag.

Neale has been everywhere, collecting possessions inside and out, and is on track to crack 40 disposals for the game.

The Dogs had glimpses of a comeback in the third term, largely off the back of Tom Liberatore who tried to wrestle back some midfield dominance in the Bulldogs’ favour.

But as brave as he has been, he has not had enough partners in crime and the Lions are going to land their sixth win of the season and breathe some life back into their sputtering season.

They are now 6-6, and can launch an attack on the back-half of the year.

Aiding that thought will be the form of Eric Hipwood who has five goals for the game so far.