Page 53 - AFL QUEENSLAND 2012 YEAR IN REVIEW

The signs were bad for the NT, but they weren’t about to toss in the towel.
The visitors kicked three quick replies inside three minutes via Austin Wonaeamirri (2) and Willie Farrer, and at halftime the Lions led 10-7 to 8-6.
The deficit was only 13 points but if they were going to repeat their grand final win of 2011 the Thunder were going to have to do everything right. And they didn’t.
In the next 15 minutes they posted five consecutive behinds and one out-of-bounds while Hawksley and Lisle rubbed salt into the NT wounds when they kicked truly for the Lions.
At the 20-minute mark it was 19 scoring shots apiece, but Brisbane led 12-7 to 8-11.
A 20-point Brisbane lead became 45 points when Lisle, Josh Dyson, Beams and Cornelius got themselves on the scoresheet before Ewing’s fourth goal right on three-quarter time gave the visitors at least some consolation.
But the brilliant Beams put the issue beyond doubt when he opened the final stanza with a 48m set shot from the boundary on the right side of the ground.
Ewing got his fifth, Callum Bartlett replied with two in a minute for the Lions and then Beams, almost as if he had a point to prove, split the middle with a similarly perfect set shot from the identical position on the left side of the ground.
In summary, coach Clarke said his midfield had won the game after his backline had “stuck fat” when the game was in the NT’s favor early.
“I’m so pleased for the players because they’ve worked so hard and have been a really united group despite the fact that we’ve had guys alternating at times between the AFL side and the NEAFL side.”
AFL Queensland
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