Lions continue Demons' winless season
They may not have brought their kicking boots but the Brisbane Lions were still able to sink the slipper into the lowly Melbourne Demons at the Gabba today.
Despite a faulty radar, the Lions mauled a win-less Melbourne 19.23 (137) to 13.7 (85) - the Demons' sixth straight loss for 2008.
Big gun Jonathan Brown failed to fire again for the second straight game - kicking just two goals - but Brisbane still had ample ammunition to shoot down Melbourne.
The Demons arrived in predominantly white jumpers in preparation for the 31-degree heat.
But by three-quarter time they would have been forgiven for simply raising the white flag after trailing by 56 points.
Melbourne at least outscored the Lions in the final term but it was too little, too late.
The mind boggles what damage Brisbane would have inflicted if they kicked straight.
Key forward Daniel Bradshaw pushed his overall season tally to 29 goals from six games with a bagful of six today, an incredible feat after missing 2007 with a knee injury.
But it was the Lions' smaller brigade of Rhan Hooper and Anthony Corrie who did most of the damage.
Melbourne's poor form appeared to be contagious at first as an error-riddled Lions scrambled to an 11-point lead at the first break.
But a seven goal second term - including three to Hooper - helped the Lions skip away to a 10.13 (73) to 5.2 (32) halftime lead and set up the thrashing.
In a sign of the Lions' dominance, the hosts cruised to a 35 point lead before Bradshaw kicked his first goal almost 17 minutes into the second quarter.
But it could have been much worse for Melbourne.
The Lions failed to convert Melbourne's schoolboy turnovers in front of goal into majors, kicking three straight behinds in a minute late in the second term.
Called out by Lions coach Leigh Matthews in the match's lead-up and challenged to "play better", ex-Demon Travis Johnstone fittingly drew first blood in his first game against his former team with the opening goal from a set shot.
The Lions poured on the first 16 points.
It took 13 minutes for Melbourne to trouble the scorers but it was worth the wait for Demons fans - Nathan Jones snapped impressively from 50m.
The scrappy first term was probably best summed up by Lions champion Brown kicking out on the full from a set shot on the siren.
Brown still managed to counter Jones' two majors with his own double to give the Lions a 3.6 (24) to 2.1 (13) buffer at the opening break.
An impressive Jones finished with four goals overall for the Dees.
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