Brisbane Lions Rout Collingwood 119-65 at Gabba

Brisbane Lions delivered a commanding 54-point victory over Collingwood on Thursday night at the Gabba, capitalizing on a last-minute withdrawal by Magpies star Nick Daicos to expose vulnerabilities in their midfield during the Easter fixture.

The Lions triumphed 17.17 (119) to 10.5 (65), reversing a 52-point loss to Collingwood from the same venue a year earlier. Daicos, dealing with a corked right calf throughout the week, was ruled out just 15 minutes before the bounce after failing to complete his warmup. The 21-year-old midfielder, who had not missed a game since late 2023, appeared uncomfortable with a compression bandage during pre-game routines but underwent no formal fitness test earlier in the day. His absence left Collingwood without one of its premier on-ballers, contributing to a disjointed performance as Brisbane dominated contested possessions 131 to 93 and marks inside 50 by 20 to five.

Collingwood coach Craig McRae defended the decision to travel with Daicos, describing him as one of the league's most professional and positive players. "He had a corkie in his calf. On Tuesday at training, he just wanted to get moving," McRae said post-match. "We gave him every...