AFL round 15: Fagan urges Lions to honour Andrews in 200th game with win over Power

The Power got away to a fast start taking a 10-point lead but the Lions have worked their way back into the lead.

They now have the lead and are moving the ball into the forward line far better than the home side with Eric Hipwood’s goal extending that lead.

The two guerneys today hark back to the past with the Power wearing a retro version of early 2000s jumper while the Lions are wearing their Fitzroy Lions “away” jumper.

Lions 28, Power 13 with six mins to go in Q1.

Quinton Narkle has come in for Willie Rioli. Narkle will start as Power’s sub while Shadeau Brian will be the sub for the Lions.

Lions coach Chris Fagan has praised co-captain Harris Andrews ahead of his 200th game today.

“He is such a selfless player for us and he gives so much to others that I hope they can give back to him today,” Fagan told Fox Footy.

From Lions media:

Brisbane Lions Co-Captain Harris Andrews, who was selected with Pick 61 in the 2014 AFL National Draft via the Brisbane Lions Academy, will play his 200th AFL game today.

The former Aspley Hornets junior has experienced an impressive career to date, including two All-Australian honours and a Merrett-Murray Medal as the Lions Best and Fairest.

Port Adelaide vice-captain Zak Butters is being urged to revel, not rebel, when copping heavy tags from opponents.

Butters this week had a striking charge thrown out at the AFL tribunal after appealing against a one-game ban recommended by the match review officer for striking Greater Western Sydney’s Tom Green.

The dynamic Power on-baller is increasingly being tagged by opposition clubs – the Giants’ Toby Bedford restricted Butters to a season-low 17 disposals last Sunday.

Port coach Ken Hinkley has spoken to Butters this week, telling the playmaker he should treat the close attention as an honour.

“One of the pieces of advice I gave him is, ‘This is a great thing, mate, you’re recognised as a great player in this competition, you should expect that to have happened and want it to happen almost’,” Hinkley told reporters on Friday.

“Because his own belief is that he can be a very good player. Now he’s just got the challenge of working through it.

“There’s so many players that I’ve been through over my time that work through that.

“It doesn’t happen overnight and it’s a pretty big task to have someone hanging on your back, holding you, wrapping their arms (around you).”

On the eve of Port’s home clash against the Brisbane Lions, Hinkley said Butters should look at how dual Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale copes with taggers.

“We come up against one this week … Lachie Neale plays that way and gets that type of attention most weeks,” he said of the Lions star.

“Zak’s just starting to experience what that’s like a little bit, so you have just got to work your way through it.”

Hinkley described the tagging tactics as a “real challenge” for the 23-year-old Butters.

“He’ll be fine, he’ll work his way through what the expectation of a good player is – and that is that they get attention,” he said.

“He knows that and he’s taken it on head on.

“It’s a bit frustrating for him at the moment, but what I do know about Zak, there’s going to be a pretty determined response every time he goes out there to play.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to have a great game all the time, but he will give everything he’s got to try and make that happen.”

Hinkley has made four changes to his seventh-placed side, who sit six premiership points ahead of the 13th-placed Lions.

Ruckman Ivan Soldo has been dropped in favour of Jordon Sweet while Jeremy Finlayson, Willie Rioli and Logan Evans, who will make his AFL debut, have been summoned.

Port dropped Quinton Narkle, Dylan Williams and Francis Evans while the Lions have made one change with the Noah Answerth (shoulder) replaced by Shadeau Brain.

AAP

It was the question that kept many Swans fans awake late at night before the start of this season – the first since the retirement of Lance Franklin: what would life look like after Buddy?

The champion full forward scored 1066 goals across 354 games for Hawthorn and Sydney and was a constant focal point in attack, leaving many to wonder how the Swans would cope without the future Hall of Famer.

Although Franklin only played 13 games for the Swans last year, the team’s reliance on him as a strong forward target was significant. Franklin provided 31 per cent of Sydney’s inside-50 targets in 2023, dwarfing the next man up – forward Logan McDonald, who provided 12 per cent.

This season, the Swans have completely overhauled their strategy in attack, spreading the workload beyond the key forwards and allowing midfielders such as Brownlow Medal candidates Chad Warner and Isaac Heeney the space to step up and contribute on the scoreboard.

Click here to read the story.

G’day everyone and welcome to our AFL live blog.

I’m Roy Ward and I’ll be tapping the keys today for our three matches with Port Adelaide hosting Brisbane at 1.45pm AEST, GWS taking on Sydney at 4.35pm AEST and tonight Melbourne facing off with North Melbourne at 7.30pm AEST.

Please enjoy the hours to come.