Brisbane Lions defeat Gold Coast Suns by 13 points at the Gabba in Round 4

THE Brisbane Lions almost kicked themselves out of the game in the opening half. But they showed plenty of grit to run out eventual winners against the Suns.

AFL LIONS Vs SUNS

STEVEN May has become the most notorious figure in Q Clash history after poleaxing Stefan Martin with a brutal old-fashioned shirt-front which inspired the Lions to a stunning 13-point derby victory.

The crowd of 20,041 were treated to the best of the 11 derbies to date as Brisbane covered themselves in glory but were almost buried in behinds.

They were ferocious at the footy and dominated all the stats except the one that counts most and it almost cost them in the 14.23 (107) to 14.10 (94) victory.

Daniel Rich was superb so was Tom Bell. Pearce Hanley was the best player on the ground in the second half and was a deserving winner of his second Marcus Ashcroft medal..

Gold Coast’s finals aspirations will now be tested in coming weeks with Rory Thomspon facing weeks on the sidelines with an ankle injury and May now set to join him.

May will have ample time to look in the mirror and question how he could have been guilty of such a brain snap when he had spoken during the week of his desire to stay out of trouble with the umpires given his Q Clash history.

He has now been reported three times in Q Clashes.

Stefan Martin was out cold after Steven May’s crude bump. Pic Jono Searle.

While there was legitimate debate over the bump on Lions skipper Tom Rockliff last year that cost him three weeks — last night’s incident was black and white.

What made it more brutal, and will add to the severity of any suspension, was that he stepped past the ball to deliver the hit.

His intent is without doubt.

He collected Martin straight down the middle but because he had left the ground, he appeared to make contact with the Lions’ head.

Martin was out cold in the middle of the ground however Lions officials reported he regained consciousness during the half time break. He was concussed but has no face or neck injuries.

In the immediate aftermath of the collision the game threatened to escalate into a full blown melee as Lions players rushed in to remonstrate, drawing May’s Suns team mates in to protect him.

Then Daniel Rich’s set shot sailed wide and the siren blew — a timely event given the tensions that were bubbling to the surface.

The Suns formed a guard around May as he ran off past the Lions who had collected in the middle of the ground.

Once again it looked set to explode as Brisbane players made their feelings known but the Suns didn’t bite and half time came without incident.

The game settled into a great contest in the second half and it was Brisbane who were harder at the ball.

They won the contested possession count by 24 and the inside fifty entries by 18.

If not for Suns forward Tom Lynch the margin might have been greater.

He booted three goals in the opening quarter all from strong contested marks and finished with five for the game.

FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED

THESE sides hate each other. And there is such a thing as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Both sides talked up how aggression would play a key part in the game. Steven May went so far as to suggest the Suns would adopt Mitch Robinson’s tactics from the week before. Sure enough, the Suns defender stepped over the line and now faces a lengthy spell on the sideline.

MATT Rosa has added a touch of class to the Suns. His hands are clean and he is a great kick. On a night where both sides missed simple shots at goal and failed to hit targets, Rosa was a safe bet. The snap he drilled through from 45m out early in the third term was the best goal of the night.

TOM Bell looks like a man playing for the club he barracked for as a kid. His Brisbane career is four games old but he already looks to be a Lion through and through. He runs hard. He attacks the footy. He puts his body on the line. And he can finish. He kicked a long-range goal on a night when his teammates were missing everything.

ALLEN Christensen is becoming the little boy who cried wolf. The Lions forward has to be more selective when he shrugs the shoulders, collapses the knees and tries to draw a headhigh free kick because the umpires are waiting for it. Last night it appeared to cost him a free kick when he deserved one in the second quarter because he had tried it too many times already.

BRISBANE weren’t unlucky in their loss to the Kangaroos in Rd 2. They were unskilled. Last night they were lucky because it almost cost them again. Kicking is a basic fundamental of the game and if you are converting 14.23 you aren’t going to win too many games. They deserved to win last night and it would have been a shame to see that domination not rewarded with four points.

Originally published as Brisbane Lions defeat Gold Coast Suns by 13 points at the Gabba in Round 4