Join community footy writer, Beth Newman, for all the action at H&A Oval as Broadbeach takes on Palm Beach.
4:32pm: And there it is. FULL TIME: PALM BEACH 16.10 (106) – BROADBEACH 3.6 (24)
Hard day for the Cats, in a rain affected match. They couldn’t get any run in the wet conditions and Palm Beach just showed experience and some grit in the wet.
Broadbeach now has two losses- to two top sides. Bit of improving to do.
4:30pm: Can’t be much time left now. Palm Beach’s goals stretching the quarter out. Been a long day for the home team.
4:28pm: John Simson kicks his second of the day. Margin out to 82 in Palm Beach’s favour now. Blown out in this final quarter.
4:26pm: Sting well and truly gone from this game. Players exhausted from the difficult conditions.
4:23pm: Matt Dillon lines up for his second of the match. He has absolutely shanked it – straight into the hands of the Cats. Five minutes to go.
4:21pm: Matthew Bilton escapes the clutches of a Cats defender and gets his toe to the Sherrin for another Palm Beach goal. He’s had a good day today.
4:20pm: Rain’s dried up a little bit. More kicks sticking for the Cats now.
4:16pm: Another shot for Perry-Bolt. Slots it – his sixth of the day. Margin is 72 points now.
4:15pm: You regularly see guys run past the Sherrin, but I just saw someone slide past it. Fair to say, it’s a bit wet out there.
4:12pm: The only thing that’s still bright out there on the field are the boots of Brandon Chadwick. Those fluoro orange kicks can be seen from a mile off.
4:11pm: The rains are here…still, but heavier than before. Not letting up at all.
4:08pm: Another free kick for Perry-Bolt and the shot falls short.
4:05pm: Bryce Perry-Bolt has a free kick slightly to the left of the middle sticks. Kicks from 35 out and easy as you like, he kicks Palm Beach’s second of the term.
4:03pm: Doesn’t take Palm Beach long to kick a goal, via spearhead Bryce Perry-Bolt. Their lead now out to 56 points.
Meanwhile, in the NT, Melbourne trail Port by only a point! Proof that crazy things do happen in the Top End.
4:01pm: Final quarter underway. Rain lighter now, but no blue sky on the horizon. And the weather will probably reflect Broadbeach’s mood at the end of the day. This would require a monumental comeback for them. But, they have been the fourth-quarter specialists this season, so you never know.
3:54pm: THREE-QUARTER TIME: PALM BEACH 11.8 (74) – BROADBEACH 3.4 (22)
Cats have a lot of ground to make up. Palm Beach were the far better side that quarter.
3:54pm: Jesse Derrick jsut contested a bounce for Palm Beach. They have been good, but the ruck is an area where they are regularly beaten.
3:52pm: Ball like a yo-yo at the moment. Less than a minute left in the quarter and Palm Beach holds a 52-point lead.
3:49pm: Foot race between Kristan Higgs and Broadbeach youngster Brandon Chadwick. A Cats team mate comes over the top as the pair hit the ground and Higgs has a free kick.
Feeds it to Jed Harrison, who has a big roost but misses.
3:45pm: John Simpson kicks another for the Lions. This is getting away from the Cats, if it wasn’t already a tough ask. In the wet, I can’t see them pegging back 50 points in a quarter and a half.
3:43pm: The interesting thing in the wet is how the ball just stops on the ground. It does just that five metres from Palm Beach’s goal and Jamie Carr pounces, with their fourth goal of the quarter.
3:38pm: Rain has had a major effect on the match. Palm Beach looked the better in the dry, but it’s hard to separate them in the wet. In fact, it’s hard to even tell them apart in this downpour.
3:34pm: Perry-Bolt runs into an open goal square to snag a goal.
A bit of a scuffle and a free kick goes to Palm Beach’s Kristan Higgs but he doesn’t convert.
3:33pm: Broadbeach’s Luke Dempsey-Ceh hasn’t re-emerged after going off with that arm injury in the second. Looked like a possible shoulder.
3:29pm: Jed Harrison gets some reward for his rhard work, with the Lions’ second goal of the term. They lead 53-22 now.
3:27pm: Taylor Haley gets a free kick and kicks his first of the match for Broadbeach.
3:26pm: Matthew Bilton gets a 50m penalty and slots the Lions’ first. THey lead by 30 points. The rain may be Broadbeach’s saving grace, coming down again now.
3:24pm: Adam Hall has the first shot of the quarter but it misses.
3:23pm: Third quarter about to get underway. In great news, I bought a delicious hamburger at the BBQ so now I won’t have to eat my own hand. Sensational.
3:03pm: Palm Beach have catapulted it down the other end and Matt Dillon, playing an attacking role, has a shot just after the siren.
He slots it and it’s the lions at HALF-TIME: 6.5 (41) – BROADBEACH 2.4 (16).
Cats will need to lift in the second half.
3:03pm: Brayde Palmer gets his hands on it twice, setting up a shot for Nick Scott, but the Cat misses.
3:01pm: Luke Dempsey-Ceh down for a little while. Looks a bit sore and is with a trainer now – holding his shoulder.
2:59pm: James Carr kicks the Lions’ third in a row. They’re hot now. Broadbeach needs to stop that momentum.
And, there’s that hamburger aroma again.
2:57pm: Just in the nick of time – Bryce Perry-Bolt nabs a handball from Matthew Bilton and collects himself just short of the goal line. His second of the day.
As the ground dries up, the skills are getting cleaner. We might see what these sides are capable of yet.
2:56pm: Skilful goal to Palm Beach’s Zac Callinan. They’re up by six points now.
2:54pm: Good bit of banter in the clubhouse from some Palmy lads to Broady’s Luke Dempsey-Ceh. The youngster is sporting one of those interesting top knot situations on his head. Spectators not fans.
2:52pm: Lions’ youngster, Jed Harrison, getting really involved. Was one of their best last week and looks on track to be close again today.
2:48pm: Palm Beach really getting into the game now. Taking some of their trademark defensive marks. In other news, I haven’t eaten since 8am and I can smell hamburgers.
2:47pm: This is my first trip to H&A Oval this year – first time seeing Cats’ young ruckman – Brayde Palmer. To say he adds a bit of height would be underselling him.
2:44pm: Matthew Bilton kicks Palm Beach’s first goal for a quarter and a half. Don’t think anyone would be calling this a shoot out. With only one point separating the sides, it’s definitely close, though.
2:42pm: Not a single Lion in their attacking 50. Pushing right up and putting pressure on the Cats.
2:40pm: Palm Beach slowing things right down here. Just trying to keep their hands on it. But they’ve turned it over. The Cats are looking good today.
2:37pm: The Cats looking cleaner early and they’re getting most of the opportunities so far this term. And on cue, Adam Hall slots one for the Cats. They’re up by a goal.
2:33pm: Teams lining up for the second quarter and just like that, the clouds are cleaning. Got to love the Gold Coast.
2:29pm: QUARTER TIME: PALM BEACH 1.2 (8) – BROADBEACH 1.2 (8)
It’s been a massive slog this quarter .Goal kickers are Adam Hall and Bryce Perry-Bolt. Hopefully this rain clears soon and my laptop can relax again.
2:25pm: Adam Hall kicks the first for the Cats, breaking the deadlock. It’s been tough going out there so far. If this weather keeps up, don’t expect that to change.
2:21pm: It’s a real scrap – not hard to see why. Though it is actually pretty hard to see in general, with this rain. Typical Queensland weather.
2:18pm: A little bit of a delay to start the coverage – the fall out of being one person and needing to be in two places in a short amount of time. Getting lost doens’t help.
It’s just stopped pelting down at Broadbeach, where Bryce Perry-Bolt has the only goal of the gme so far. The Lions lead 1.2 (8) – 0.1 (1) two-thirds of the way throguh the first.
