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Western Bulldogs big man Rory Lobb was taken off the ground during the match by his side AFL loss of Brisbane on Friday night.
Lobb has been a maligned player since joining the Bulldogs from Fremantle at the end of 2022 and has struggled to hold down his place in the country this year.
With key positions at Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge’s disposal, Lobb has fallen out of favor with speculation already swirling that the 31-year-old could be on the hunt for a fourth club at the end of this season.
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With star striker Aaron Naughton injured, Beveridge has called on Lobb in the last fortnight having played just three games previously at senior level this year.
But he was below his best on Friday night, recording just five disposals and nine tackles as the Bulldogs fell by 43 points.
And the Marvel Stadium crowd was all over him, cheering him on from the Bronx when he was substituted in the final quarter for tactical reasons.
He also received the same treatment when he recorded one of his five touches in the first half, the Bulldogs faithful clearly trying to make their feelings known about him.
“It’s a bit of a bummer really. Rory Lobb was removed to much cheering from the Bronx,” ABC’s Tim Hodges said.
“Dirty night (for Lobb). He’s going to hate what happened tonight.
“The fans really turned on him.”
He wasn’t the only one to have a quiet night, however, as the Lions injected life into their inconsistent AFL campaign.
Returning to the site of their disappointing loss to Hawthorn before the bye, the Lions beat the Bulldogs in midfield to set the tone for a 17.12 (114) to 10.11 (71) victory.
Brisbane sent Jarrod Berry to mark Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli, who was coming off a heroics against Collingwood that turned out to be a master stroke.
Berry had 14 disposals to Bontempelli’s six at half-time as Brisbane led by 33 points while top Lions midfielder Lachie Neal dominated with 20 touches and a crucial goal just before the half-time siren.
Neil returned to his best since winning the Brownlow Medal with 38 possessions, 10 clearances and two goals.
Brisbane came out on top in the clean-up battle 50-32, dominating the in-form Bontempelli and Adam Treloar outside centre.
But Bontempelli’s brilliance was not completely dulled as the superstar pressed forward to boot three goals in the absence of Bulldogs forwards Sam Darcy (suspension) and Naughton (knee).
However, it wasn’t just Neal and Berry who did the damage for the Lions, with oft-maligned forward Eric Hipwood scoring a career-high six goals after missing the game against the Hawks through suspension.
In one of the best games of Hipwood’s career, it was the 26-year-old’s best goal return of 2019 as he also created a strong threat in the air.
His fellow tall forward Joe Daniher was instrumental early on, with the duo making up for a dreadful night in the respective game against the Bulldogs last year.
Young striker Logan Morris is in contention for a Rising Star nomination, scoring a thrilling goal on the run and playing a crucial role in setting up many others.
Bulldogs halfback Tom Liberatore, back after missing three games with concussion, could be in trouble with the match review officer after punching Berry in the throat.
After Bontempelli, the only other scorers for the Bulldogs were Jamara Ugle-Hagan and James O’Donnell, with two each.
Versatile Bulldogs tall Rory Lobb was dropped in the final quarter after failing to make much of an impact on the contest.
The result lifted the Lions to 12th (5-1-6), just two points behind the 11th-place Bulldogs.
After reaching last year’s grand final, the Lions endured a difficult first half of the season as they struggled with form and injuries, including five cases of ACL on their sick sheet.
Brisbane will look to level their ledger when they host St Kilda at the Gabba next Friday night, while the Bulldogs will be desperate to bounce back when they host Fremantle at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.
– With AAP
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