Lions throw in towel with Brown delay

Brisbane appear to have drawn a line through their injury-hit AFL season by opting
against rushing skipper Jonathan Brown back from the sidelines.
After last week indicating Brown could possibly return following their mid-season
break to play Carlton on July 1, the Lions' injury update list on Monday had him
requiring another four weeks out.
Battling with an abdominal strain since round four, Brown was rested from the last
two losses to the Western Bulldogs and Richmond.
The deflating 19-point defeat to the Tigers at the Gabba on Saturday night left the
Lions languishing in 11th place with a 5-8 record.
Last year's finalists had won their first four matches before injuries to key
players started to pile up.
The Lions have since lost eight of their past nine to be the worst performed team of
the past two months.
A club spokesman on Monday denied Brown had suffered a setback in his recovery but
admitted he had not improved in his time off, hence the delayed return date for
their most valuable property.
Without Brown, youngster Aaron Cornelius showed good signs at centre half-forward
against the Tigers while spearhead Brendan Fevola endured a horror night in his
200th AFL match.
They also have a tough draw on the run into the finals and, even with a
fit-and-firing Brown, would be little chance of winning the seven from nine matches
required to make the top eight.
There is some positive news with defender Ash McGrath set for a test on his injured
shoulder as well as small forward James Polkinghorne (cork).
Former St Kilda duo Matt Maguire (foot) and Xavier Clarke (knee) are listed as three
weeks away while Jed Adcock (foot) is at least a month and Josh Drummond (knee) and
Jamie Charman (ankle) are out for the season.