Adelaide v Brisbane: All the news, intel and key takeaways from pre-season practice matches

Late shoves are back in the spotlight after Brandon Starcevich was concussed while being pushed out of a marking contest, with the key Lion to miss Opening Round. Watch and have your say.

Brisbane assistant coach Stuart Dew believes there was “no malice” in young Crow Dan Curtin’s untimely push that led to Lions defender Brandon Starcevich being concussed in Thursday night’s Community Series clash at Brighton Homes Arena.

Starcevich, 25, will miss the reigning premier’s Opening Round match against Geelong next Thursday night after he was helped from the field in the second quarter following a heavy collision with Crows forward Luke Pedlar in a marking contest.

The Brisbane defender was pushed into Pedlar by Curtin and crumpled to the ground. After a pause in play, Starcevich came from the field and was ruled out for the remainder of the match shortly before halftime.

“It was an unfortunate incident. He got pushed into contact, not much you can do about it really. Hopefully he recovers really quickly and (we) go from there,” Dew said of the lockdown defender.

Thursday night’s incident marked the second time in 10 days a player was concussed after being pushed into a marking contest.

Last Monday, Richmond’s No.1 draft pick Sam Lalor was left with a fractured jaw after he was pushed into the back of a contest by West Coast midfielder Reuben Ginbey.

Ginbey escaped sanction in a decision that divided the AFL world.

Now, Starcevich’s concussion will again reignite the debate a week out from the start of the season.

Again this pre-season a player is hurt being pushed into a marking contest, this time Brandon Starcevich.

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“I’m sure it will be looked at but for us, is it a push in the back? I don’t think there’s any malice in it,” Dew ruled.

“I think they’re just trying to contest the ball and sometimes players are going to get it wrong. It’s a contact sport.

“They (the MRO) will work out whether that needs to be looked at.”

Adelaide coaching director Murray Davis, who spent 13 years at the Lions before moving to West Lakes in the off-season, said he could not comment on the incident but wished Starcevich well.

“I haven’t seen it so I can’t say anything around that,” Davis said.

“Starce is, having worked with him, one of the most courageous and toughest players going around so I just hope he’s OK.”

THE STANDOUTS

Brisbane skipper Lachie Neale might be in mid-season form following a best on ground showing on Thursday night.

The dual-Brownlow medallist showed no signs of the plantar fascia injury he famously played through last September and was a clearance machine with a game-high 10 out of the middle to go with 30 disposals.

His on-ball partner in crime Josh Dunkley was equally impressive, while evergreen veteran Dayne Zorko showed no signs of slowing down on the cusp of his age-36 season.

Lachie Neale was back to his best. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images.

In his first match minutes of the pre-season following groin surgery Eric Hipwood was arguably the best key forward on the ground, booting 2.2 to go with seven score involvements in an important first-up showing as the Lions prepare for life without Joe Daniher.

Crows skipper Jordan Dawson was at his lethal best by foot, headlined by a stunning 55m goal in traffic off the left boot in the third quarter and a clutch contested mark and goal to put the visitors ahead late in the fourth term.

Matt Crouch found plenty of the footy for the visitors as did ex-Giant James Peatling, while Izak Rankine could not put a foot wrong and kicked a classy goal across the body in the fourth term.

Ex-Lion Mitch Hinge topped 620 metres gained to go with 23 disposals in a standout display across halfback.

Darcy Fogarty had a game-high three goals including two in the fourth term to the keep the Crows in the contest after Brisbane appeared poised to kick away.

Izak Rankine was electric. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images.

POSITIONAL CHANGES

Adelaide’s wing-forward experiment with Curtin continued but it was a quiet night for the former first round draft pick who joined the club in 2023 as a key defender.

Curtin played the first half almost exclusively as a forward and was kept without a disposal until late in the second quarter, by which point his original opponent Starcevich had left the field with concussion.

Shifted to the wing in the third quarter the 197cm swingman still struggled to have an impact, finishing with seven touches.

ROOKIE WATCH

Brisbane’s boom father-son recruit Levi Ashcroft was injected into the game late in the first quarter and it did not take long for the No. 5 pick to get involved in the action.

Seemingly given a licence to roam, the 18-year-old found his first touches in defence but was cited all over the ground and even given a handful of centre bounce attendances.

The teenager finished with 23 disposals – equal-fourth most for the Lions – and saluted with a smart goal in the fourth term, almost certainly cementing his place in the side for next Thursday night against the Cats.

It was a similarly impressive showing from Adelaide’s No. 4 draft pick Sid Draper, who was forced to wait until after halftime to enter the fray but looked like a ready-made AFL midfielder once given the opportunity.

He finished with 14 disposals from just 39 per cent time on ground pit against the best midfield in the competition.

Key forward Ty Gallop failed to hit the scoreboard but the 194cm Lions Academy product showed some nice things around the ground which will excite the Brisbane coaching staff.

Gallop presented strongly and was manic with his ground level pressure, highlighted by a crunching chase down tackle on Mark Keane in the third quarter.

NEW RECRUITS

It was tick, tick and tick for the Crows’ off-season recruiting drive with ex-Giants James Peatling and Isaac Cumming both proving their worth through the middle of the ground while, despite a quiet start, former Demon Alex Neal-Bullen found a heap of the footy in the second half to help spark the Crows’ comeback with a game-high 11 score involvements.

But it wasn’t the statement performance from ex-Sun Sam Day that he would have wanted to cement his place in Brisbane’s best-23 for Opening Round.

Daniher’s would-be ruck-forward replacement went without a goal and had just four touches playing predominantly as a forward with sporadic stints in the middle to spell Oscar McInerney.

Isaac Cumming was impressive for the Crows. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images.

HOT TAKE

Kai Lohmann could eclipse 50 goals this season if Brisbane’s breakout small-forward can sort out his wayward radar in front of the big sticks.

After last year’s grand final triumph, Jason Akermanis anointed Lohmann his spiritual successor as the Lions’ celebration king and the 21 year old threatened to explode on Thursday night.

He started the match with a brilliant one-handed hanger before pinpointing Jaspa Fletcher for the opening goal and put his name on the scoresheet not long after.

The fourth-year Lion finished the night with 2.3 and seven score involvements.

Originally published as Adelaide v Brisbane: All the news, intel and key takeaways from pre-season practice matches