Western Bulldogs big man Rory Lobb has been jeered off the ground during his side’s AFL loss to Brisbane on Friday night.
Lobb has been a maligned player since crossing to the Bulldogs from Fremantle at the end of 2022 and has struggled to hold his spot in the side this year.
With the key position stocks at Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge’s disposal, Lobb has fallen out of favour, with speculation already beginning to swirl 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 forward Aaron Naughton injured, Beveridge has called upon Lobb in the past two weeks, having played only three games prior at senior level this year.
But he was below his best on Friday night, notching up just five disposals and nine hitouts as the Bulldogs went down by 43 points.
And the Marvel Stadium crowd were all over him, giving him Bronx cheers when he was subbed out in the last quarter for tactical reasons.
He also received the same treatment when he recorded one of his five touches during the first half, the Bulldogs faithful clearly trying to make their feelings about him known.
“It’s a bit unsavoury, really. Rory Lobb has been subbed out and copped a lot of Bronx cheers,” ABC’s Tim Hodges said.
“A dirty night (for Lobb). He would be hating what’s played out tonight.
“The fans have really turned on him.”
He wasn’t the only one to have a quiet night though, as the Lions injected life into their inconsistent AFL campaign.
Returning to the venue of their disappointing defeat to Hawthorn before the bye, the Lions battered the Bulldogs in the middle of the ground to set the tone for the 17.12 (114) to 10.11 (71) victory.
Brisbane sent Jarrod Berry to tag Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli, who was coming off a heroic performance against Collingwood, in what proved to be a masterstroke.
Berry had 14 disposals to Bontempelli’s six at halftime as Brisbane led by 33 points, while the Lions’ best midfielder Lachie Neale was dominating with 20 touches and a crucial goal just before the halftime siren.
Neale was back to his Brownlow Medal-winning best, with 38 possessions, 10 clearances and two goals.
Brisbane came out on top in the clearance battle 50-32, dominating the in-form Bontempelli and Adam Treloar out of the centre.
But the brilliance of Bontempelli was not completely blunted after the superstar pushed forward to kick three goals in the absence of Bulldog forwards Sam Darcy (suspension) and Naughton (knee).
However, it wasn’t just Neale and Berry inflicting damage for the Lions, with oft-maligned forward Eric Hipwood kicking an equal-career-high six goals after missing the match against the Hawks due to suspension.
In one of the best games of Hipwood’s career, it was the 26-year-old’s best goal return since 2019 as he also created a strong threat in the air.
Fellow tall forward Joe Daniher was important early, with the duo making amends for a horror night in the corresponding game against the Bulldogs last year.
Young forward Logan Morris put himself in contention for a Rising Star nomination by snaring an exciting goal on the run and playing a crucial role in setting up many others.
Bulldogs midfielder Tom Liberatore, who returned after missing three games due to concussion, could find himself in trouble with the match review officer after punching Berry in the throat.
After Bontempelli, the only other multiple goal-kickers for the Bulldogs were Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and James O’Donnell, with two apiece.
Versatile Bulldogs tall Rory Lobb was subbed out in the last quarter after having no major impact on the contest.
The result lifted the Lions into 12th (5-1-6), just two points behind the 11th-placed Bulldogs.
After making last year’s grand final, the Lions endured a difficult first-half of the season as they struggled with form and injury, including five ACL cases on their sick list.
Brisbane will look to square 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