Just as it appeared as though Victorian clubs had travelled north to be lambs to the slaughter in opening round, the Western Bulldogs arrived at the Gabba ready to rumble the Lions.
And they walked away with victory by just five points in a thrilling start to the finish.
The Lions were brave but will lick their wounds. Hugh McCluggage was sidelined for most of the match after suffering a calf injury and Harris Andrews could miss a few weeks through suspension after an errant forearm concussed Arthur Jones in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs were entitled to like their chances against last year’s premiers who had finished their season on the last Saturday in September and celebrated as anyone would expect.
The Lions’ co-captain Lachie Neale stepped down as captain due to the drama associated with the collapse of his marriage and post-season operations meant a modified pre-season for Josh Dunkley and Jarrod Berry.
It was set up for a Bulldogs’ ambush.
But, in humid conditions, and with four points staring them in the face, they could not kick accurately when the time came to score. Bailey Williams and Matthew Kennedy missed set shots and Jordan Croft was too hasty when presented with snapshots at the top of the goal square.
Their lead should have been more than a few points when Sam Darcy lined up for goal to stretch the margin beyond a goal midway through the third quarter. He missed, and the opportunity was lost.
The Lions suddenly came to life and kicked five unanswered goals and looked as though they had the game in hand, another northern state to use opening round to get a jump on the competition.
But the Bulldogs have a new motto to fight tooth and nail, and scrambled two goals in the shadows of the third quarter, an enormous individual effort from Bailey Williams becoming an early goal-of-the-year contender.
They knew they could run over the top of the Lions if they kept persisting and suddenly the game’s momentum switched towards them. The Bulldogs kicked the first three goals of the final quarter to suddenly reclaim the lead with 14 minutes remaining.
From there, it became an exchange of goals with the Lions battling to convert while the Bulldogs made the most of every forward foray. Their first four goals came from just five forward 50 entries with Marcus Bontempelli playing forward for half the final quarter.
Their Suns’ recruit Connor Budarick was creating run off half-back, Ed Richards was showing why he won their best and fairest and Sam Darcy and Aaron Naughton were fighting as hard on the ground as they were in the air.
When Bontempelli put the Bulldogs seven points in front, the game was in their hands.
But these Lions did not win back to back flags by yielding to pressure, and they hit back with Darcy Fort outpointing Tim English to kick a goal from a boundary throw-in which was followed up with a perfect tap to advantage leading to Cam Rayner putting the Lions back in front.
Just as English looked as though he was broken with Fort’s taunting, he fought back with a brilliant piece of gut running to mark in the goal square and kick the clincher. It was the type of effort rarely seen from English who has talent but has sometimes succumbed to pressure.
Richards was outstanding with 16 score involvements and the Bulldogs hung on in the humidity to win one back for Victoria in opening round.