By Mick Jeffrey
April 27 2003

In a round full of tradition, rememberance and arch rivalry, the so called experts predicted that this would be a blowout. How wrong could they be. Sure, everyone except for the most ardent Bulldog supporter knew that Brisbane were going to win at the Gabba. The margin though seemed to surprise many, with the Lions winning by only 27 points.

It was a huge ask to try and match their lineup of stars and class acts, and early on it looked as if it was going to be a long day. Scott Bassett was thrashed by Daniel Bradshaw, their midfield was proving hard to stop, and the forward line failed to function effectively, with both Nathan Brown and Daniel Bandy kept out of the game. 6 of the 1st 7 goals were kicked by the home side as the lead was 5 goals before a couple of steadiers reduced the margin.

There was more positive news in the second term. Patrick Bowden provided a target up forward and was rewarded with 2 majors. The midfield was holding its own, with the likes of Mitch Hahn, Robert Murphy and to a lesser extent Keiran McGuinness contributing. But the old firm of West, Johnson and Smith lead the way. Indeed, the dogs won the 2nd quarter by a point, and it could have been more if not for iinaccurate kicking.

Mistakes though would eventually cost the Bulldogs any chance of mounting a realistic fightback. The delivey into the forward line at times was nothing short of pathetic, and when it did get to the half-forward line, Daniel Bandy was disgraceful with his apparant lack of interest. Thankfully, it was still a manageable margin until Akermanis slammed on a couple and the lead was out to 37 points at the last change.

The final quarter saw some cosmetic surgery being place on the scoreboard. Simon Garlick was elusive up forward while Ryan Hargrave, on the pine for so long before the last, proved that he could be a handy type.

The damage was done, but with games against celler dwellers and teams that travel as well as Ansett (they don't) coming up, there were some positives to take from the game. At least the form of West (36 touches as captain), Johnson (34) and Smith (27) is good, and some of the kids are standing up when the experience is not there.

There were disappointing aspects of the loss though. Again the much publicised lack of talls in defence hurt, especially with Bassett having a rough day at the office. Darcy was beaten in the ruck by Beau McDonald, but did OK agianst Jamie Charman, which is more than can be said for the struggling Daniel Bandy who needs to be dropped or moved into defence quickly. Overall, the performance was OK, but it was still a loss that takes us now to second last on the ladder with a 1-4 record.

SCORES:
BRISBANE 15.16.106
BULLDOGS 12.7.79

BULLDOGS
GOALS: Garlick, Bowden 3, Hargrave 2, Johnson, West, Dimattina, Croft
BEST: (afl.com.au) Johnson, Dimattina, West, Garlick, Bowden.