Southport cruised to a comfortable 39-point win over the Brisbane Lions Reserves at Giffin Park today, but victory came at a cost.
Saturday 19 June 2010
Southport cruised to a comfortable 39-point win over the Brisbane Lions Reserves at Giffin Park today, but victory came at a cost.
The Sharks lost Matty Payne (calf) and Darren O’Brien (ankle) in the opening 15 minutes of the game, although the loss of two midfield rotations did little to hamper their progress through the first half.
Southport led by a commanding 51 points at halftime before the Lions produced a spirited second half to reduce the damage to 15.15 (105) to 9.12 (66) at the final siren.
Payne and O’Brien are unlikely to play in the Sharks’ Saturday clash with the winless Western Magpies.
Their win was orchestrated in the first half by three of the stars of the State game win over Tasmania last week.
Skipper Danny Wise continued his irresistible form by dominating the clearances and winning possession at will, Darren Pfeiffer was an even four-quarter- performer, and Ben Merrett provided a lively target at centre-half-forward.
Southport were extra slick with their ball movement in the opening half, while the Lions struggled for system and missed big Aaron Cornelius in front of goal, who was a late call-up for the senior team for the ill Simon Black.
They fielded just 11 listed players and could easily have capitulated, yet they threw everything they had at the Sharks in the second half.
Pearce Hanly rebounded strongly from half-back while Claye Beams and Cheynee Stiller were big possession winners.
Bryce Retzlaff provided a reliable leading option but let himself down with his kicking at goal, missing with six deliberate set shots.
At the other end, gun forward Cleve Hughes booted 5.5 in a spirited contest against Irishman Niall McKeever, who would have left satisfied that he made the big Shark win every kick.
The ball zipped around the ground at fast speed for three quarters before both teams played out time in the last.
Defenders Kurt Niklaus and Jason Bourke made life difficult for the Lions forwards, while Jesse O’Brien and Matt Austin were prominent for the home side.
The loss saw the Lions drop from fourth to sixth on the premiership table, while the win was Southport’s ninth from 10 matches.
