AFL 2024 round eight LIVE updates: Injury carnage for Lions, who lead Suns in QClash; Hawks stun Bulldogs for upset win

The Lions are all over the Suns, who look strangely flat for a semi-local derby they should fancy themselves to win against an injured, out of form side. Kai Lohmann has just kicked the Lions’ fifth for the quarter, to open up a 22-point break.

The Lions have a second debutant tonight, alongside Logan Morris: Bruce Reville. He’s had a lively start, with six very composed and well-delivered possessions. Lachie Neale, after a quiet outing last week, has 10.

Hi everyone. It’s Roy Ward here and I’m on the blog now for the rest of the evening.

Apologies, I was keeping an eye on the A-League Men’s elimination final but now turning my attention to the footy.

The Lions are fighting on despite their injury woes, Logan Morris has just booted a goal for the Lions to extend their 55-14 with late in the second term.

Fox Footy have had a laugh about the injury woes with Lions great Jonathan Brown suggesting fellow former Lion Alastair Lynch, the boundary rider, was getting his boots ready to come on for their embattled former club.

“Lynchy is putting his boots on,” Brown joked.

Lions 55, Suns 14 with five mins to go in Q2.

That’s the third player to go down for the Lions today.

Darcy Gardiner has gone down with what looks like knee injury and heads to join McCarthy on the bench.

This from Andrew Stafford at the ground:

This is hard to believe, but Darcy Gardiner has just gone down and immediately has clutched straight at his knee in excruciating pain.

Like Linc McCarthy, it looked innocuous, but the result is disastrous. The Lions now have only two fit players on the bench, after losing Brandon Starcevich, McCarthy, Noah Answerth, and Gardiner in the space of a quarter and eight minutes of football.

The injuries: Starcevich (calf), McCarthy (knee), Answerth (concussion) and Gardiner (knee).

After Joe Daniher played on after marking deep in the inside 50 and shanked the kick, he made up for it with another goal just a minute later.

After Eric Hipwood wheeled onto his left and hit Daniher on the chest, 20 metres out straight in front, Daniher inexplicably wheeled, snapped on his left and put it out on the full.

As a voice in the press box said: “That is the full Joe Daniher experience, right there.”

It’s the second goal the Lions have kicked in this second quarter, after Harry Sharp kicked things off.

Brisbane just keep coming, while Gold Coast can’t seem to get anything going.

Brisbane by 34.

The Lions are all over the Suns, who look strangely flat for a semi-local derby they should fancy themselves to win against an injured, out of form side. Kai Lohmann has just kicked the Lions’ fifth for the quarter, to open up a 22-point break.

The Lions have a second debutant tonight, alongside Logan Morris: Bruce Reville. He’s had a lively start, with six very composed and well-delivered possessions. Lachie Neale, after a quiet outing last week, has 10.

Brisbane kicked five goals to one in the opening term to take a 22-point lead into the first change, despite a mounting injury toll.

Noah Answerth failed his head assessment and is ruled out of the match with concussion. He copped an accidental knee in the head from Jed Walter.

Brandon Starcevich was lost during the warm-up and Lincoln McCarthy was subbed off early due to injury.

Yet despite this, they didn’t give the Suns many chances to score, with Gold Coast kicking just 2.1.

Brisbane by 22 at QT.

Despite a 21-point lead, the Lions are looking in for a very rough night here.

Noah Answerth has copped an accidental knee in the head from Jed Walter as the big forward flew from behind for a mark. He’s been assisted off and on the vision, it would have to be very unlikely that we see him again tonight.

So that’s Starcevich (lost during the warm-up), Linc McCarthy and Answerth all out for the Lions, and we haven’t finished the first quarter yet.

Darcy Gardiner has kicked two goals in barely a minute, which is impressive, for him.

Since coach Chris Fagan moved him forward at the beginning of the year (causing a few Lions’ fans brows to furrow), he’s kicked just one goal, against North Melbourne.

Before that, the grim defender he hadn’t kicked a single major since round 21, 2019 — against Gold Coast, as it happens. He’s now kicked a total of eight career goals in a decade-long career.

Darcy Gardiner has kicked two goals in quick succession to give the Lions a handy 14-point margin.

In less good news for Lions fans, stalwart forward Lincoln McCarthy has been subbed out of the game.

18-year-old Logan Morris has come on to replace him for his first game in the AFL.

Brisbane have got their first major of the game, and it came from tall timber Joe Daniher, who moments earlier hit the post.

The goal gives the Lions a slim two-point lead.

This from our AFL reporter at the ground Andrew Stafford:

This really, really doesn’t look good for the Lions: stalwart forward Lincoln McCarthy has gone down and reached straight for his right knee. He’s been assisted from the ground by trainers. Hoping for the best.

It’s an important game for Brisbane.

The side who came into the season as flag fancies have started 2-5 and will have a hard run to the top of the ladder come September if they don’t get a win soon.

They need to kickstart their season – and that makes this derby potentially the most important one they’ve played in.

It’s not a great start for them. Ben King kicked the opening goal of the match for Gold Coast. Joe Daniher had the chance to answer, but he hit the post.

Gold Coast by 5.