THE BRISBANE Lions showed both sides of their game last night. There were moments of brilliance — this team has more than enough class to mix it with the best — and some awful errors but overall, as the Lions took the pedal off to eventually beat Carlton by 33 points, they showed they are a team that should help shape this year's finals.

The Lions' win, their fourth for the season, was set up by a sizzling opening term, when they kicked eight goals to two. In the first half, when the tempo of the game was allowed to flow, the Lions played the game entirely on their terms — exploding when they had the ball but being quick to stymie their opponents when they didn't.

Former Demon Travis Johnstone was dangerous all night, starting the Lions on their way with the first goal of the night and finishing with three goals and 32 possessions in one of his best performances for his new club.

Goals came all too easily for Brisbane in the first quarter — Rhan Hooper was on the end of some slick work from Simon Black and Luke Power, while Jonathan Brown contributed three for the term alone. When Jed Adcock nearly lost his head fighting for a ball on the ground and kicked truly from the resultant free kick, it was obvious the flat-footed Blues were in for a long night.

Much of the Lions' early potency came from Jamie Charman, who was dominant in the ruck against Cain Ackland, and the likes of Black, Power and Michael Rischitelli were sure not to waste his good work. Their ability to find space embarrassed the Blues, setting up attacks time and again.

Such quality delivery makes any forward look good, but when the man on the other end is J. Brown, well, it's hardly fair on the opposition defence. Brown destroyed Jarrad Waite early, before Waite was released to play as a loose man in defence and Setanta O'hAilpin was handed the poisoned chalice. While the big Irishman showed his customary aggression, he simply didn't have the class to go with Brown, who ended the night with six goals from 10 kicks.

At the other end, Brendan Fevola would have loved the ball to be landing on his chest with such precision. His night was a difficult one, and for him to end it with five goals says much about his current form and newfound work ethic.

In the first half, when the game was won and lost, Brisbane did an excellent job of cutting out Fevola and Carlton's other superstar, Chris Judd, whose impact was well limited by Justin Sherman.

But Judd was not alone, with the Carlton midfield struggling all night to impose itself. While Heath Scotland got plenty of the ball, ending the night with 39 disposals, and young star Marc Murphy gave the Blues a bit of second-half dash, overall the Blues' centremen could mot match the rampant Lions.

Carlton vice-captain Nick Stevens, in his 200th game, had a night to forget. Unable to keep up with the Lion pack, he was banished from the midfield and ended in defence.

One of the few early victories for the Blues came in the form of Michael Jamison, who held in-form Brisbane forward Daniel Bradshaw goalless — until Jamison was forced from the field with a shoulder injury in the third quarter, after which Bradshaw chipped in with a late goal.

In the final 40 minutes, with the sting out of the game, Carlton rallied. When, midway through the third quarter, Black roved the ball beautifully out of a ruck contest, glided towards goal and kicked one of the goals of the night, the lead was out to 61 points and it seemed the floodgates were going to open.

Instead, the match frizzled out to an error-fest, with the Blues chipping into Brisbane's lead and turning a potential mauling into a regulation defeat.

BRISBANE LIONS 8.3 11.8 16.13 18.17 (125)
CARLTON 2.2 4.8 9.14 12.20 (92)
GOALS: Brisbane Lions: Brown 6, Johnstone 3, Black 2, Hooper 2, Adcock, Bradshaw, Corrie, Drummond, Rischitelli. Carlton: Fevola 5, Murphy 2, Wiggins 2, Betts, Judd, Russell.
BEST: Brisbane Lions: Brown, Black, Power, Johnstone, Rischitelli.
Carlton: Murphy, Scotland, Fevola, Judd, Gibbs.
UMPIRES Farmer, Chamberlain, Ryan.
CROWD 38,675 at Telstra Dome.
INJURIES Jamison (Carl) shoulder.

THE UPSHOT
How about those Lions? The boys from Brisbane are tearing it up again, with their silky midfield providing silver service — 92 touches and five goals from Johnstone, Black and Power — to big Jonathan Brown, who was back in stellar form last night. And for the Blues, it was a good month leading up to this, having won three of their past four matches, but they showed last night that they still have a fair bit of developing to do yet.

TALKING POINT
It would not rate a mention for most other forwards in the competition, but for sharp-shooter Brendan Fevola, last night amounted to a bit of a fizzer. He got plenty of it, and in the end his contribution was a good one, but for a while there the young superboot just could not get his aim right. He had 1.4 at half-time, but redeemed himself with three straight in the third, and finished with 5.4 for the night.

HOT AND COLD
Jonathan Brown did as Jonathan Brown is wont to do, imposing himself on the game early with three goals in the first quarter and six at the final siren. Daniel Bradshaw could hardly even be said to have played a supporting role, well held by Jamison for most of the night, he got nine touches and contributed 1.1, all scored late in the game after Jamison had gone off with a shoulder injury.