MATCH PREVIEW: GIANTS v Brisbane

NEAFL ROUND 20

Sunday, August 18, 2019
GIANTS (5th) v Brisbane Lions (1st)
GIANTS Stadium, 11.40am

SUMMARY

A tough task looms for the GIANTS when they host the undefeated Brisbane on home turf in an AFL curtain raiser on Sunday.

This week the Lions will have the chance to showcase why they are sitting on top in this year’s competition, while the GIANTS will be looking to overthrow the undefeated champions and overtake Aspley on the leader board to secure a strong finals position.

Having already met each other three times in this year’s campaign these two teams should not be shy of each other. With Brisbane having won the last three encounters convincingly It will be an uphill battle for the GIANTS, but the chance to showcase its young talent will be high on the agenda this week.

RECENT ENCOUNTERS

Round 2, 2019: Brisbane 18.22 (130) def. GIANTS 5.5 (35) at Moreton Bay Sports Complex
Round 14, 2019: Brisbane 15.14 (104) def. GIANTS 8.7 (55) at Giants Stadium
Round 8, 2019: Brisbane 17.9 (111) def. GIANTS 10.9 (69) at Maroochydore Multi Sports Complex

TALKING POINTS

1. Brisbane should really give themselves a pat on the back for the season the club has produced at both AFL and NEAFL level. Sitting on top of this year’s NEAFL ladder with 16 wins and 0 losses, and with 64 points to their name, (20 points in front of the second placed Southport Sharks) they are proving to be an unstoppable force. With only two more rounds left in this year’s campaign can they go all the way undefeated?

2. The GIANTS have had a roller-coaster of a season, with nine wins and seven losses next to their name we see them entering the end of the competition sitting in fifth place, just a foot in front of the up-and-coming Sydney University side. They have proven themselves against the more experienced sides having won convincingly against the second-placed Southport and the third-placed Sydney. But injuries have again played a role in their losses this year. The GIANTS will enter this week’s clash with a few experienced names back in the side, but it will be a might challenge to threaten Brisbane’s undefeated run.

3. Tom Cutler returns to the field this weekend after overcoming a foot injury which has sidelined him for a number of weeks. It means only first-year player Tom Joyce (shin) and Irish rookie James Madden (hamstring) are the only two players on the Lions’ injury list. Brisbane has named a full side of AFL-listed players in the NEAFL this week as the club’s astonishing run of a healthy list continues.

ROOKIE WATCH

NEAFL Rising Star nominee Lachlan Squire will be looking to make his mark against the Lions in a great test for the large GIANTS Academy contingent this week. Making his debut last season, Squire has risen up through the ranks with pace. This 18-year-old midfielder is a versatile player; having nine NEAFL games under his belt with an average of 15 disposals per game.

STATS THAT MATTER

The dynamic duo of Corey Lyons and Ryan Bastinac is reunited this week, after Bastinac sat out last week to be the AFL emergency. The midfielder/forward duo are ranked No.1 and 2 respectively in the competition in scores from stoppages. Together, Lyons and Bastinac have played a role in 191 points scored, when either player wins a clearance and the ball is moved in an unbroken chain which results in a goal or behind.

PREDICTION

Brisbane will be too tough. Lions by 30 points.

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