SFL R17 live stream: Huonville Lions take on Brighton as countdown to finals begins

Brighton take the fight up to Huonville Lions and nearly pull off the result of the season. It should be some finals series. But it wasn’t so close in the SFLW contest. Relive all the action.

Huonville Lions are still unbeaten - but did Brighton just expose a chink in their armour?

The runaway SFL leaders needed a four-goal final quarter to see off the plucky Robins, who actually led a goal at three-quarter time and threatened a major upset.

Two weeks out from the start of the finals and the Lions have been given a big wake up call. They have cruised through the last couple of games against lower opposition and the fighting spirit of the Robins was something they hadn’t encountered for a while.

In a low-scoring encounter, the Lions led 22-8 at the main break before Brighton rallied impressively, kicking 3.4 to one behind to lead 29-23.

But they only kicked one goal in the final quarter as Huonville showed their class under pressue to sneak home.

Brighton vs Huonville Lions (Women)

PREVIEW

There’s bad news from the Huonville Lions for any team that crosses their path from here to the finals - ruckman Rhys Ward says the SFL’s undefeated ladder leader still has room for improvement.

Following a 185-point win over Claremont and 129-point win over New Norfolk in the past two weeks, the Lions go up against fourth-placed Brighton at Pontville on Saturday in their last home-and-away test before the finals.

You can catch the game LIVE and EXCLUSIVE as part of a SFL/SFLW double header on Saturday from Pontville Oval, starting at 1pm. See the full LIVE STREAM schedule below.

With a bye in the last round next Saturday, this is Huonville’s last chance to flex its might before the business end of the season and Brighton’s opportunity to fire a shot across the bow of the top five.

“We’ve still got a few guys out, so when they start coming back hopefully we will improve and continue to improve each week,” Ward said.

Brighton will be a handful for the Lions, especially on their home deck.

“They took it up to us last time, and were actually up for a fair percentage of the game, so we know what they are going to bring, especially on their home deck, they will be a tough opponent,” Ward said.

The Lions are aware they are the hunted, and the other teams the hunters, and Brighton was next in line to attempt to cause their first loss.

Ryan Bailey and Rhys Ward have their eyes on the big prize.

“They are a fit young side, they are coached really well and structured and set up well. They know how they want to play footy and follow that really well,” Ward said.

“We know other teams are coming for us and they would get a huge confidence boost (if they won).”

Brighton beat Sorell last Saturday and big Robin Ryan Bailey said it was a confidence-booster going into the big match.

“They (Sorell) has had the wood over us for the past couple of years, so it was good to win and seal a finals spot,” Bailey said.

“We’re locked in, and it’s the first time in eight years, so it’s a big step going forward.

“The boys are up and about, but we’ve got another job to do this week against Huonville, the form side of the competition.

“We’ll roll into this week’s game and hopefully improve on last week.”

Brighton always puts up a fight against the Lions.

“We stuck with them for three quarters at Huonville earlier in the year, and they ran over the top of us toward the end of the game,” Bailey said.

“Hopefully, at home, we can make it a really good contest and get some form going into the finals.

“If we win the next two against Huonville and Cygnet - it’s a big ask - we can finish in third and get the double chance.”

Aided by key forward Mickey Paul’s 11-goal haul, Huonville kicked a cricket score against New Norfolk last Saturday and that will put Brighton on edge.

“They’ve got some players back in the side from the last time we played them - like Mickey Paul,” Bailey said.

Brighton’s Zoe Woolley and Huonville Lions’ Anna Stanway will be part of the big SFLW Div 2 battle.

“If we can stick to our guns and play our game style, we’ve shown that we can match it with the better sides in the competition.”

The New Norfolk thrashing produced mixed feelings for Ward.

“I’m not sure it’s good for the competition. We would all like to see more even scores across the board throughout the year,” Ward said.

“Both those teams have been strong clubs for quite some time.

“We all go through those rough patches and I’m sure they will come out the other side pretty strong still.”

In other games in round 17, Claremont plays Dodges Ferry at Abbotsfield Park, and second-placed travels to Boyer to play New Norfolk.