The Brisbane Lions won their third-straight game on Saturday to continue their push for back-to-back premierships. (Photo: Brisbane Lions/Twitter)
The Brisbane Lions’ push for back-to-back AFLW titles continued on Saturday as the Lions put in a dominant display in difficult conditions. Both sides had to contend with strong winds as well as rain in a miserable day at Maroochydore.
Emily Bates was on fire as Brisbane defeated Collingwood by 24-points in a game where the wind ruled supreme. Bates finished the game with 23 disposals and 403 metres gained and was instrumental to the Lions winning.
Collingwood was unable to make the most of the strong winds in its favour in the first quarter, with the scores remaining level at two points a piece at the end of the first term. The Lions would soon make the Magpies pay in what was a dominant second quarter.
The reigning premiers used the wind to their full advantage as they put Collingwood to the sword in the second quarter, keeping the visitors scoreless whilst being clinical in the forward line.
It wouldn’t take the Lions long to put the breeze to full use with Dakota Davidson kicking the first goal of the game with a well-executed snap early in the second quarter.
Zimmorlei Farquharson put in a brilliant performance in just her third AFLW game, kicking two goals in the quarter to help Brisbane to a 20-point lead at the main break. The 19-year-old has been in fine form early in her career, kicking three goals to date.
The Lions continued the pressure into the second half whilst battling both the Magpies and the breeze. Bates made Collingwood pay as she kicked the first goal of the second half with a left-foot snap directly in front.
The 26-year-old has been in superb form this season for the reigning champions. Already a two-time All-Australian, Bates has been a stand-out performer in the Lions’ last three wins.
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The Magpies would eventually get their first goal of the game late in the third quarter thanks to a brilliant piece of skill from Eloise Chaston.
The 19-year-old smothered an attempted clearance before picking up the loose ball, spinning past a Lions defender, then kicking the goal.
Lucinda Pullar had a promising debut for the Lions with seven disposals as well as making two tackles. Pullar previously played for the Brisbane Roar in the then W-League before making the code switch to Aussie rules.
The Lions went into the final quarter with a 19-point lead and faced little trouble from the side they defeated in the 2021 preliminary final.
Brisbane was held scoreless for nearly the entirety of the final quarter before Greta Bodey put the icing on the cake, kicking a close-range snap with a minute left to play.
The goal capped off a great game for Bodey, who also picked up 15 disposals and made seven tackles. The win sees the Lions jump move up to fifth on the ladder, whilst the Magpies move down to sixth.
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