GWS Giants vs Brisbane Lions semi-final preview, Toby Bedford tagging Lachie Neale, most important player, analysis, latest news – MASHAHER

Shortly after the Giants ended Brisbane’s hopes of securing the double-chance with a dominant comeback win at the Gabba last month, the Lions’ midfielders offered a mea culpa to their coach Chris Fagan.

The Lions were absolutely dominant in the early stages against their rival from tonight’s sudden-death semi-final in Sydney and led by 30 points at quarter-time on home turf.

An advantage that should have been even greater bar for their wastefulness in attack stemmed from winning 25 more contested possessions and nine more clearances in the opening term.

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The Lions still led by 15 points early in the last term but, having failed to put the Giants away, were steamrolled around the stoppages and ultimately beaten by 18 points.

By the final siren the Giants, which secured a double-chance only to be edged by the Swans in a thrilling qualifying final, were on top in both the stoppage and clearance counts.

As Fagan, who later lamented that “to a degree, we let them off the hook”, was preparing to head to a post-match press conference, he said the Lions midfielders offered him an apology.

“It is unusual for us, because I can’t fault our blokes for a long time in that regard, but… their hunger to win the ball and to put pressure on us was way better than ours,” he said.

Three-time Brisbane premiership forward Alastair Lynch, who was working as an analyst for Fox Footy at the match, remembers a chat he had with the Lions coach at half-time.

“They got belted in the clearances,” Lynch told foxsports.com.au

“I reckon we spoke to Chris at half-time and there was a clear difference between the first and the second quarter and he made the comment about the clearances, that it was a clearance game and it was flowing on who won the clearances.

“Maybe it was five goals through clearances in the last quarter which finished Brisbane off. At quarter-time, Brisbane was 30 points up, but it should have been 40-plus, and that has been one of the issues (troubling them) and it is something they need to address.”

Fagan, for his part, said after the Rd 22 clash that the Giants were clearly premiership contenders.

“I thought after we played them in Rd 7 that they were an outstanding unit and I haven’t changed my mind today,” he said.

“They are a very good chance. They are a decent team. They toughed it out when we were right on top in that first quarter. They hung in there and worked their way back into the game.”

THE BROWNLOW MEDALLIST OR THE HALF-BACK FLANKER? WHO DOES BEDFORD GET?

The midfield battle shapes as pivotal to the semi-final between the Giants, which were runners-up in 2019, and the Lions, which were beaten in a thriller by Collingwood last year. At stake is a place in next Saturday’s preliminary final against Geelong at the MCG.

It is notable that dual-Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale has been restricted to less than 25 disposals on just six occasions this year, but two of those games occurred against the Giants.

Neale managed 21 possessions when the Giants defeated Brisbane by nine goals in Canberra in Rd 7 and gathered only three more touches in the Rd 22 loss at the Gabba.

There has been some conjecture as to which Lion Giants tagger Toby Bedford, who returns from a calf complaint, will attempt to quell but Neale looks a logical choice.

Giants coach Adam Kingsley said Neale, who is the third favourite to join rarefied company as a three-time Brownlow Medallist, is “a pivotal player” whose influence needs to be restricted. But he also noted the quality of former Brisbane captain Dayne Zorko as well.

For Lynch, who will provide expert analysis for Fox Footy during the Saturday night match at Engie Stadium, the Giants will be keen to close down both Neale and Zorko, but he believes Bedford will go to Neale.

“Neale has not been given a lot of space (against the Giants) and Bedford comes into the side and he has done a great job when he’s been in the midfield, doing a run-with role all year, so he’ll do that again, no doubt,” he said.

“And I think the Giants will be looking at Dayne Zorko, because he has had a huge season across halfback and I think he sets up a lot of drive out of that defensive half with his kicking ability and just his ability to hit targets in the corridor.

“They would want to keep him relatively quiet. I think in the first quarter in Rd 22, he had ten touches and was dynamic in that big lead they had at quarter-time.”

Melbourne’s premiership captain Max Gawn believes the Giants are the best team left in the race for the premiership but said the Lions are capable of producing an upset.

He also believes Bedford, who he played with when the 24-year-old was at Melbourne between 2019 and 2022, will man Neale.

“It is a great question. Lachie Neale’s great strength, which makes him untaggable, is his quick feet at stoppages and his quick hands, so it is over before you tackle him,” he said on Triple M on Friday.

“But Toby has those qualities. Lachie does not get tagged a lot because he is untaggable in a way — he is very good at what he does — but Toby could go to him and be able to do it.

“Neale is very important for them. Zorko has to be looked at, but I think Neale is very important for them, so I would be tagging Neale.”

Gawn believes ruckman Oscar McInerney, who plays his 150th match, has been in superb form and said that if he can win the battle against Kieren Briggs, it will give the Lions the chance to progress.

“We fight a lot – he is actually a really nice guy – but we fight a lot and I think he has a bit of white line fever,” Gawn said.

“He is incredibly fit, a good mark and a great ruck. He ticks those off. Briggs is the strongest guy in the AFL. Brisbane’s centre bounce is so important to them, so the Giants will look to (break) even there.”

OPPORTUNITY WILL KNOCK BUT CAN THE LIONS SEIZE THE MOMENT?

The language from Brisbane’s coach after both losses was remarkably similar.

Fagan lamented the inability of Brisbane to take their chances in front of goal and noted that once the ‘Orange Tsunami’ started building, the flooded the Lions defence late in both matches.

In the Rd 22 loss, Brisbane kicked 4.7 in the first term, with another couple of shots that finished out of bounce on the full, on route to kicking 8.16 (64) to the Giants 13.4 (82).

Back in Rd 7 in Canberra, Brisbane kicked 6.8 (44) to 8.4 (52) to half-time before being steamrolled in the second half.

Lynch has no doubt the Lions have the capacity to kick a winning score against the Giants on Saturday night. They just need to take those chances.

“Brisbane will have the ball enough in their forward 50m and enough shots to win the game. What it comes down to repeatedly is converting your opportunities, taking those moments and just nailing them,” he said.

“There’s plenty of positives for Brisbane, because even though they’ve lost both games against the Giants this year, they’ve been in winning positions.”

Lynch said he is concerned by the Lions ability to curtail the small forwards of the Giants.

While he praised the efforts of Coleman Medallist Jesse Hogan and is mindful of the home team’s marking prowess, he said the Lions needed to be wary of the goal sharks as well.

Giants captain Toby Greene has been down on his superstar best form, but in their wins over Brisbane this year, Darcy Jones and Harvey Thomas have troubled the Lions late in matches.

“One of the issues again this week will be that the Giants’ small forwards, in Round Seven and Round 22 late in the game, seemed to be the difference, on top of the good stoppage work,” Lynch said.

“They were just too quick. That will be a key story in the game, the ground level stuff. It will be something to keep an eye on. And typically, the Giants make the most of their opportunities in front of goal and Brisbane, at times, lets their rivals off the hook.”