Brisbane has made a big statement on Thursday night football, easily beating fellow top four contender Geelong by 44 points in a game which saw tempers flare in the second quarter.
On a night which pitted two of the best sides in the competition against each other in the prime time Thursday night spotlight, the Lions took complete control early and never looked back.
The first quarter was all about the home side, with the Lions owning the territory battle early.
What was evident even during the opening parts of the game was Brisbane’s ability to transition a lot easier across the ground compared to Geelong, who struggled to break through the rigid Lions defence.
The vastly experienced Cats outfit kicked the first three of the second term in a game that rapidly turned from a simmering niggle to a full-on spiteful encounter, with the Lions recovering in the aftermath of several flashpoints to take a 34-lead at the main change.
Mark O’Connor went straight to Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale, who came off nursing what appeared to be a shoulder injury in the first quarter, but returned to the field minutes later. The severity of any further damage is set to be confirmed in the coming days.
Joe Daniher was Brisbane’s most direct avenue to goal, kicking a game-high four majors and worked well in tandem with Charlie Cameron (three goals) and both Lincoln McCarthy and Eric Hipwood (two goals each).
"There's a long review meeting coming (for Geelong)," Dwayne Russell said on AFL Nation.
"This might take two days."
The only consolation for Geelong was it could have been so much worse on the scoreboard, with only Brisbane's inaccuracy preventing the margin from blowing out even further.
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The story: Thursday night fireworks as 13-year free kick record broken
We saw one of the more spiteful quarters of football for the year.
While it was a tepid opening, the contest caught fire in the second quarter with both sides trading periods of momentum as the game continued to develop.
An astonishing 37 free kicks were paid in the first half, the most in the first two quarters of any game since Geelong’s clash against Fremantle in 2008.
Entire games so far this season have averaged 38 free kicks, highlighting just how much of an outlier Thursday night was.
The dominant quarter: Lions make their mark early and don't look back
Thursday night’s game was much-anticipated, even more so after their memorable meeting earlier in the year which saw Geelong sneak over the line after a controverisal free kick deep inside Brisbane's forward in the dying stages wasn't paid.
Brisbane were utterly dominant from the outset, taking a 30-point lead into the first quarter and it should have been even more, with the Lions having 11 shots to just one.
Geelong’s solitary behind in the first quarter was their worst effort on the scoreboard this year and their lowest score since their 2012 elimination final match up against Fremantle.
The Lions set their terms early and rarely wavered throughout the night.
What’s next?
Such is the nature of the current climate, Round 16’s fixture still hasn’t been locked in.
At this stage, we know Geelong will take on Essendon at GMHBA Stadium, which is likely to be played on Friday night.
As for Brisbane, they’ll travel to Adelaide to take on the Crows.
FULL SCORE
Brisbane: 4.7, 8.9, 11.13, 13.16 (94)
Geelong: 0.1, 3.5, 5.6, 7.8 (50)
GOALS
Brisbane: Daniher 4, Cameron 3, McCarthy 2, Hipwood 2, Coleman, Lyons
Geelong: Tuohy 2, Smith 2, Dangerfield, Hawkins, Rohan
BEST
Brisbane: Daniher, Cameron, McCarthy, Rich, Lyons, Robertson
Geelong: Dangerfield, Guthrie, Smith, Tuohy
INJURIES
Brisbane: Lachie Neale (shoulder)
Geelong: nil