AFL round 17 LIVE: Lions have the answers as Cats attempt to push

Max Holmes, Jeremy Cameron (with one of his rare disposals) and Ollie Dempsey have just combined to move the Cats from half-back to the forward pocket, where Dempsey kicked truly.

The margin is just 16 points with just under three minutes remaining. The Cats have not led all night, and at one stage were 43 points down.

North Melbourne great and Kayo special comments man David King has asked the question a lot of us are thinking right now: Just how bad is Jeremy Cameron’s arm injury?

He’s playing through it, but not having anywhere near his usual match-winning impact.

“I think Jeremy Cameron is a big talking point,” King said, wondering what it means for the Cats and their run into the finals.

With just under five minutes left, the Lions have a comfortable lead – 18.9 (117) to 13.17 (95).

The Cats are taking risks now in an attempt to reel in the 23-point margin, but the Lions have been managing the game very well.

Darcy Gardiner, who has blanketed Jeremy Cameron, is off the ground with what appears a hamstring injury.

The bridge appears too far for Geelong now.

Who is going to rise to Patrick Dangerfield’s level for the Cats in the final term? He can’t do it alone if Geelong are to peg back this margin.

Speaking on Kayo Sports, Brisbane Lions great and former Blues coach Michael Voss said Dangerfield’s chest is “fully out”.

“The chest is fully out [for Dangerfield], he is certainly turning it on,” Voss said.

“Every time when the question has been asked of the Cats, there’s been Dangerfield who’s been able to turn up in these moments.”

Is it the scoring end or have the Lions just been too good?

The Lions kicked eight goals again in the third quarter to turn a seven-point lead at half-time into a five goal lead at the final break.

And to top it off, Lions defender Darcy Wilmot went to skies to sit on Jack Martin’s shoulders and take a spectacular mark at the end of the quarter.

Lachie Neale was brilliant with 11 touches and the Cats were far too loose in defence. For some reason, they again tried to handball their way out of trouble.

It would be a miracle for them to win, but they did claw back five goals in the second quarter. Can they do it again? They have no margin for errors.

The Lions were 43 points up at one stage, and the Cats pegged that back before the margin stretched out to 30 points again – 17.8 (110) to 11.14 (80).

Speaking on the Kayo Sports coverage just prior to the second half, Jason Dunstall and Michael Voss analysed what’s been an “extraordinary” contest so far.

“It was an extraordinary first half of football,” Dunstall said.

“Eight goals to one for Brisbane in the first quarter and then six goals to one for Geelong in the second.

“[That’s] 14 of 16 goals at the one end, and I don’t know why because it doesn’t look like there’s a breeze favouring that end, it’s just the way it’s panned out.

Geelong began their second quarter with a renewed attitude and played wet weather football to storm back into the contest with six goals to one in the second quarter – an almost complete reversal of the first quarter when the Lions kicked eight straight goals.

Patrick Dangerfield was outstanding, kicking two goals and lifting his team via his fanaticism at the contest. They surged the ball forward out of the middle, and they also ran the ball from deep in defence to their forward 50 with overlap run.

Will Ashcroft was the steadying influence for the Lions, his efforts around stoppage halting the Cats’ momentum. His teammates joined in laying a club-high 27 tackles for the quarter, but the Cats managed to use the ball more efficiently by foot than they did in the first quarter and controlled territory.

The Cats are within striking distance now, but it’s one thing to draw close and another thing to hit the front. The degree of difficulty remains high.

Max Holmes, who went down into the rooms just before the break, is undergoing a fitness test on the ground.

Speaking on Kayo Sports, Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend Jason Dunstall rightly called this an “extraordinary” game of football to half-time.

Despite the wind seemingly not favouring either end of the ground, the Brisbane Lions booted eight goals to one in the first term only for the Cats to respond in blistering fashion, kicking six goals to one in the second quarter.

Dunstall and former Carlton coach (and triple-premiership Lions skipper) Michael Voss have both marvelled at evergreen Cats superstar Patrick Dangerfield and his ability, at 36 and after 371 games, to will his side back into the contest.

Half-time: Brisbane Lions lead 9.6 (60) to Geelong 7.11 (53)

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