Conor McKenna endured the most heartbreaking defeat of his Brisbane season when the Lions snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in a Friday night epic against the Melbourne Demons at the MCG.
Since Chris Fagan took over as Brisbane coach in 2017, the Lions have only won once in their past 12 fixtures at the iconic 100,000 capacity stadium, which is the traditional venue for the AFL Grand Final.
On Friday, the visitors appeared to have put an end to their MCG hoodoo, having established a 24-point lead, with barely seven minutes remaining but Melbourne produced a miracle comeback that their supporters will never forget. A stunning four-goal blitz, two of which were booted by Jake Melksham including the winner with just 30 seconds remaining, sent the Melbourne fans into delirium whilst the Lions were left wondering how they lost.
The drama continued until the final seconds when Brisbane claimed a mark, which if paid, could have resulted in an after-the-siren set shot on goal. However, most experts backed the umpire’s decision to award the disputed mark to Melbourne who won 105-104 in front of live TV cameras.
McKenna worked tirelessly on the half-back flank to finish with a match tally of 19 disposals (13 kicks & 6 handballs) and 3 marks.
On Saturday, Geelong underlined their class with a stunning 122-45 demolition of Essendon at their GMHBA fortress.
The reigning premiers are now up to a season high fifth on the season ladder, with the possibility of gatecrashing the top four if they keep winning. Fourth place Melbourne are a win and a draw ahead of Geelong but the experienced Cats are unbeaten in their past four matches as they build momentum ahead of September’s finals series.
Kerry defender Mark O’Connor booted a rare goal and also collected a match tally of 15 disposals (7 kicks & 8 handballs) and 4 marks. Oisin Mullin came off the substitute’s bench in the final term but didn’t impact the game with just one disposal. Portloaise star Zach Tuohy was rested.
Also on Saturday, Greater Western Sydney Giants notched their fifth consecutive victory of the season to defeat the Adelaide Crows 57-71 at the Adelaide Oval. GWS are now up to ninth on the season ladder, level on points with three sides above them, as they make a late charge towards finals football.
Callum Brown kicked the 14th goal of his 20-match AFL career against Adelaide. The versatile Derry speedster finished with 11 disposals (5 kicks & 6 handballs) and 2 marks as he stares down the possibility of a maiden finals campaign for GWS.
On Sunday, Meath forward Conor Nash was named as one of Hawthorn’s best players in their 40-88 defeat of North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium. The consistent Nash collected 32 disposals (10 kicks & 22 handballs) and 4 marks for the third-bottom Hawks.
On the opposite side, Aidan Corr had a busy game for the second-bottom Kangaroos. The Tyrone defender collected 27 disposals (18 kicks & 9 handballs) and 6 marks
