Lions stamp authority as new flag favourites with brutal drubbing of ...

Brisbane have provided the competition with another scary message ahead of finals, winning 19.10 (124) over St Kilda’s 5.9 (39) in a Marvel Stadium bloodbath.

The result gives the Lions their ninth straight victory, and leaves them only half a game behind the ladder-leading Sydney who are so grossly out of form.

As for the Saints, it brings them crashing back down to Earth after two wins on the trot heading into the Sunday evening clash.

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Brisbane have now won right of their last nine matches against the Saints, as well as four straight on St Kilda’s home turf.

Lachie Neale continued to push his case as the league’s first ever three-time Brownlow Medallist in the modern era with 33 disposals and 13 clearances, while Joe Daniher and Cam Rayner dominated in the forward half with four and three goals respectively.

3. ‘BRUTE FORCE’ BRISBANE NOW FLAG FAVOURITES… AND HOME QF LOOMS

The Brisbane Lions have cruised to their ninth-consecutive win after dispatching St Kilda on Sunday night — and they are surely outright flag favourites.

Brisbane’s forward-half game was a spectacle at Docklands, with Chris Fagan’s men consistently pressuring the Saints into mistakes in their back half.

“It’s (been) brute force,” Brisbane Lions legend Jonathan Brown said of his former club’s performance on Sunday.

“You are watching a powerful (Brisbane) midfield.”

After working themselves into a commanding position in the first half, the second was effectively a procession.

And as Round 21 comes to a close, the Lions are arguably now the best-placed side to win this year’s premiership.

The Swans are in a concerning hole that nobody expected them to be in, while Fremantle surrendered its imposing lead to lose to Essendon earlier in the day.

Brisbane is now in second position on the ladder, two points ahead of third-placed Port Adelaide after the Dockers dropped to sixth.

Its chances of securing a home qualifying final are strengthening by the week, as favourable closing home-and-away fixtures against GWS (Gabba), Collingwood (MCG) and Essendon (Gabba) await.

2. ‘EMERGING’ STAR IS ‘JUST SO POWERFUL’ IN OMINOUS SHOWING

Could Cam Rayner be Brisbane’s catalyst come finals time? It sure seems like he’s warming up at the right time of the year.

Rayner finished with 23 disposals and three goals. It’s the third week the former No. 1 pick has recorded over 20 disposals and kicked multiple goals.

“The emergence of Cam Rayner — his own belief (growing) over the past six weeks; that bodes well for the Lions going into September,” Brown told Fox Footy on Sunday night.

Added Schleicher: “He really is doing it all — he’s just so powerful … The confidence that we’re seeing in his game has been incredible.”

By half-time, Rayner already had 10 disposals, five score involvements, 269 metres gained and two goals.

“He could be the most impactful player in the competition,” Brown continued.

“Because at the end of the day, he only needs to touch it 15-20 times and he’ll be best on ground most weeks if he’s doing that.

“That second quarter, it showed the impact he can have in short periods of games, and we’ve lauded the greats that have had that capability — Dustin Martin the most recent.

“I’m not saying he’s Dustin Martin-level at this stage, but his past six weeks — he’s growing in confidence, and leading into September, that’s a great thing.”

1. SLUGGISH SAINTS CAN’T BACK IT UP

Ross Lyon would have to be thoroughly disappointed with that effort, particularly given the promising signs exhibited last Saturday against Essendon.

The Saints were stagnant in the first half, unable to pass through the Lions’ defensive web as the visitors played mostly in their forward half.

St Kilda was a whopping -26 for contested possessions in the first half; symbolic of the beating they’d taken at the contest.

After it piled on 17 goals against the Bombers, the Saints recorded their worst first half for the year on Sunday.

They kicked their opening goal in the early stages of the first term but failed to kick another for the rest of the half.

It was nearly an hour of footy between St Kilda’s first and second majors — it’s the second time this year the Saints have kicked just one goal to half-time.

ST KILDA v BRISBANE - AS IT HAPPENED

Brisbane’s Eric Hipwood (groin) was a late out, replaced by Bruce Reville, while St Kilda made a last-minute swap of its own, excluding Ryan Byrnes (illness) for Angus McLennan.

Callum Ah Chee got the Lions on the board first at Docklands. Logan Morris added Brisbane’s second before Tim Membrey saluted with St Kilda’s first.

This game hasn’t exactly been a spectacle to this point. With three minutes remaining in the opening quarter, the Lions lead by 10 points.

Brisbane began to break the game open in the second term, however, opening up a 28-point lead halfway through the period as it imposed its trademark forward-half pressure game on the scrambling Saints.

The Lions took a commanding 47-point lead into the main change, with Cam Rayner a frequent fixture — he has 10 disposals, five score involvements, 269 metres gained and two goals.

AFLW All-Australian Ruby Schleicher said: “He (Rayner) really is doing it all — he’s just so powerful … The confidence that we’re seeing in his game has been incredible.”

Added Brisbane Lions legend Jonathan Brown: “He could be the most impactful player in the competition, because at the end of the day, he only needs to touch it 15-20 times and he’ll be best on ground most weeks if he’s doing that.”

The Saints were a deplorable -26 for contested possessions at half-time.

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