Brisbane made light work of Collingwood on Friday night, returning to the flair and joy that characterised its 2023 premiership with a 52-point win at Brighton Homes Arena.
After leading by five points at quarter-time, the Lions took full advantage of the strong breeze in the second term, kicking four unanswered goals to lay the foundation for the 10.12 (72) to 3.2 (20) victory.
It pushed their record to two wins and one loss ahead of hosting the Western Bulldogs next Wednesday as the mid-season fixture crunch begins.
Sophie Conway was the catalyst for victory, kicking two of her three goals before the half, the second coming courtesy of a brilliant finish from 45m.
The dashing winger finished with 16 disposals, seven of which resulted in scores.
Conway had plenty of help, with midfielder Belle Dawes (22, a goal and six clearances) her usual high-energy self and vying for best on ground honours, while Taylor Smith continued her rapid improvement with three goals.
Ally Anderson followed up last week’s record-breaking 43-disposal performance with another 21, Nat Grider and Bre Koenen were fantastic in defence and Jade Ellenger (19) ran strongly on the wing.
Following the heavy first-up loss to North Melbourne, the Lions have steadily improved the past fortnight, with a strong defensive effort to beat Melbourne followed by plenty of the run and linking up game that took them to last year’s premiership evident against the Pies.
Collingwood started swiftly, with the game’s first three scoring shots including a goal from Alana Porter.
It was one-way traffic after that though, as Brisbane held the visitors scoreless for the second and third quarters, piling on 18 consecutive scoring shots that could have resulted in an even greater margin had they kicked straight.
Bri Davey (24 and a goal) fought hard against a Cathy Svarc tag, while Brit Bonnici (16 and a goal) was tireless.
Taylor Smith stepping up
With an unusually quiet game from spearhead Dakota Davidson, it was timely that her tall forward sidekick Taylor Smith had a big night out. Smith, who played her 50th career game a week ago, kicked three goals from nine disposals and was a handful for Stacey Livingstone. Smith’s first goal came after the Magpie full-back infringed in a marking contest, her second came from a ball spilling over the back of a contest and third after receiving a handball from Charlie Mullins and snapping from close range. The athletic Lion is becoming an increasingly dangerous proposition in the air and on the ground.
Curious case of Jordan Ivey
Collingwood has been smashed by injuries early this season and it appears to have reached a tipping point. With only a handful of fit players available outside the 21 required to field a team, the Magpies raised eyebrows when selecting Jordan Ivey to face the Lions. A top-up player brought in from the VFLW, Ivey was chosen in front of a couple of AFLW listed players. Tough times for the Pies.
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