Footage of Simon Black’s 300th AFL game may not feature in his highlights reel when the Brisbane Lions midfielder finally retires.
But Geelong’s Tom Hawkins will want a copy of the game after his career-high six goal haul inspired a 38-point win in dreadful conditions at the Gabba on Saturday night.
And the match review panel may also be keen for another look after Lions tagger Andrew Raines clashed with Geelong captain Joel Selwood in the fourth quarter.
Black, 33, will not remember his milestone match fondly after at one stage the Lions looked likely to register their lowest ever total in miserable conditions.
Black (22 touches) helped the Lions kick the last three goals of the match to save some blushes in the wet but the Brownlow Medallist still looked sheepish as he was chaired off the ground by teammates after the convincing loss.
Both teams formed a guard of honour for Black as he was carried off – a fitting gesture after the veteran became the first player to win Brownlow and Norm Smith Medals, a premiership and notch 300 games.
But the star of the show was Hawkins.
In conditions more suitable for water skiing, Hawkins showed his class in a display that brought a smile to Cats coach Chris Scott’s face.
“He’s proving to be a pretty good wet-weather player and we think he’s going to be a very good player in any conditions,” he said.
“He’s still improving but he was a real focal point for us, very strong and looked like he handled the conditions as well as any forward on the night.”
Even Lions coach Michael Voss sounded like a fan of Hawkins, who at times had frustrated Geelong supporters in the past.
“To kick six goals as a key position player in conditions like that is pretty impressive,” he said.
“He’s certainly taken his footy to the next level.”
The Lions won the inside 50 (54-46) and tackle count (108-92) and had more scoring shots (21-19) but never looked in the hunt, failing to kick a goal until 20 minutes into the third term.
Their frustration boiled over in the fourth quarter when Selwood and Raines clashed, prompting more push and shove between other players afterwards.
Voss claimed he didn’t see the Raines-Selwood incident but did not seem surprised that the pair had clashed.
“He (Raines) copped his fair whack through the night, don’t worry about that,” he said.
“He was copping his fair amount of heat, but that’s the job we ask him to do.
“Whatever happened in that incident I did not see it, so I couldn’t possibly comment on it.
“But I can guarantee you one thing, he had a tough night but he stuck at his task and that’s what we ask our players to do.”