EDITORIAL

ROUND 20 PREVIEWS
Brisbane Lions v Gold Coast Suns
Two thrashings at the hands of the Suns in their fi rst two clashes does not sit well with the Lions Reserves, especially coach
Nathan Clarke.
Clarke is hoping that personal and team pride, combined with a liking for the tight confi nes of
Giffi n Park, will inspire his side to an upset victory.
As documented in the editorial at the front of the program, the Lions have been the unluckiest
side in the competition with a string of close losses. None of those have involved the Suns, who
won by 40 points at Fankhauser Reserve in Round 6 and 63 points at Metricon Stadium three
weeks ago.
The sheer running power of the Suns has fl attened the Lions on both occasions, while their big
men have also been dominant.
The bad news for the Lions is that Nathan Ablett (pictured) was back to his best form in the loss
at Broadbeach last week and the players dropping down from the seniors each week are every
bit as good as the ones going up.
A win to the Lions would bring them to within half a game of Labrador providing the Tigers lose
this weekend, and give them a slight chance of getting off the bottom of the table while the Suns already know they will almost
certainly be the away team in the qualifying fi nal.
Aspley v Southport
In one of the quirks of the inaugural NEAFL draw, this is the fi rst time these two elimination fi nal
aspirants clash in 2011 – and the stakes could not be higher.
Southport have already worked the tightrope for the last month, knowing that one more loss would
mean their season was over. They have kept winning, but this is a big test.
Aspley has been the hardest hit club by injury outside of Labrador and they currently resemble a
courageous middleweight fi ghter, having absorbed a number of blows and desperately trying to
get off the canvas.
They were brave in the way they came back at Labrador last week and are always a better side
on their treasured home turf.
The Sharks will no doubt try to pull Hornets ‘quarterback’ and inspirational leader Robbie Copeland
(pictured) out of the play, while their own defence has looked rock-solid in recent weeks with
Wayde Mills, Ben Merrett and Kurt Niklaus suddenly imposing.
The Sharks will want to ensure stalwart Adam Devine’s record-equalling 218th State League game is remembered in style, and
keep the dream of a miracle fi nals appearance alive.
NEAFL Football Record Issue18 13th - 14 th August 2011 Page 2