WYNNUM Wolves were handed a harsh lesson by NPL Queensland Premiership contenders Queensland Lions, who underlined their premiership credentials with a clinical 6-2 victory on Saturday night.
The scoreline was a tough one to swallow for the Wolves, who continued to battle until the final whistle despite facing the competition’s benchmark side at Luxury Paints Stadium.
Coach Graham Harvey rang the changes ahead of the clash, handing opportunities on the bench to new additions Lewis Doci, Jez Lofthouse and Sota Higashide, while Marcus Worthington departed the club as the Wolves looked to find a spark with six rounds remaining.
The visitors started brightly but were left stunned when Queensland Lions opened the scoring from a Wolves attacking corner.
After Jack Hingert lost possession high up the field, Jerson Lagos led the counterattack and finished the move to hand the home side an early advantage.
The Lions doubled their lead in frustrating fashion on the stroke of half-time when Mitch Hore found the net directly from a corner, leaving the Wolves with a mountain to climb after the break.
Queensland Lions continued to press after half-time and deservedly extended their advantage through Alex Fiechtner, who had been a constant threat throughout the contest.
To the Wolves’ credit, they responded almost immediately.
Fernando Nash reduced the deficit just two minutes later with his ninth goal of the NPL Queensland season, briefly raising hopes of a comeback.
Those hopes were quickly extinguished in cruel fashion.
Josip Milicevic inadvertently headed into his own net before Lagos produced a superb strike from outside the penalty area after the Wolves were unable to close him down quickly enough from a corner.
Shaun Carlos then added further gloss to the scoreline with an excellent finish with the outside of the boot to make it six.
Despite the heavy deficit, Wolves refused to throw in the towel and were rewarded in the 90th minute when Russell Parker found the back of the net to complete the scoring.
While the final margin was disappointing, the Lions demonstrated exactly why they sit atop the competition, punishing defensive lapses and taking their chances with ruthless efficiency.
For Harvey’s side, attention now quickly turns to Friday night’s home clash against Rochedale Rovers, where the Wolves will be eager to produce an immediate response in front of their own supporters.
