Wrap: Pies' injury woes continue

Out ... Collingwood's Darren Jolly won't play against Port Adelaide. Source: Scott Barbour / Herald Sun

Collingwood's debilitating run of injuries this season continues, with big men Darren Jolly and Ben Reid the latest casualties.

		P	W	D	L	%	Pts
1	Hawthorn	12	11	0	1	143.00	44
2	Essendon	13	10	0	3	129.51	40
3	Geelong	12	10	0	2	126.27	40
4	Fremantle	12	9	1	2	132.29	38
5	Sydney	12	8	1	3	130.22	34
6	Richmond	12	8	0	4	119.36	32
7	Collingwood	12	8	0	4	108.47	32
8	Port Adelaide	12	7	0	5	115.57	28
9	Carlton	12	6	0	6	116.89	24
10	West Coast	13	6	0	7	110.02	24
11	Adelaide	12	5	0	7	103.55	20
12	Gold Coast	12	5	0	7	92.55	20
13	North Melbourne	12	4	0	8	107.00	16
14	Brisbane	12	4	0	8	76.08	16
15	St Kilda	12	3	0	9	89.80	12
16	Bulldogs	12	3	0	9	73.38	12
17	Melbourne	12	1	0	11	50.87	4
18	Greater Western Sydney	12	0	0	12	51.41	0

Jolly is not the only top ruckman out of action this weekend, with Richmond also losing Ivan Maric.

Jolly will miss the Magpies' big away match on Saturday against Port Adelaide with a toe injury.

Reid is one of Collingwood's top defenders and he is out of the side because of a hamstring problem.

While Collingwood football manager Geoff Walsh told the club website their absences are not expected to be long term, the timing is awful for them.

Collingwood are seventh, only one game ahead of Port Adelaide, and the Power will fancy their chances after last week's stunning upset win over Sydney Swans.

One positive for the `Pies is that star onballer Luke Ball returns from a calf injury, with Jordan Russell also recalled and Ben Hudson taking Jolly's place.

Youngster Adam Oxley was the third omission.

Port regained captain Travis Boak and Travis Trengove for Matt Thomas and Campbell Heath.

Richmond lost Maric with groin soreness for Sunday's match against St Kilda at the MCG and David Astbury (hamstring) is also out.

But the Tigers are confident key defender Troy Chaplin will play after hurting his knee last weekend.

Top side Hawthorn lost three players through injury for Sunday's Launceston game against Brisbane Lions.

After announcing earlier this week that Grant Birchall (knee) will be out of action for around six weeks, they also have left Brent Guerra (back) and Max Bailey (knee soreness) out of their squad.

Brendan Whitecross was named in the extended squad for the first time since his knee reconstruction last September.

Carlton recalled Chris Yarran for Friday night's SCG match against Sydney.

He was dropped after reacting badly to having the substitute's role in the round-11 loss to Essendon.

The Blues lost captain Marc Murphy (fractured cheekbone) and dropped Sam Rowe, with Simon White also returning.

Adam Goodes' knee injury put him out of action and the Swans dropped Tony Armstrong as Andrejs Everitt and Brandon Jack return.

Steve Johnson's suspension means Josh Caddy rejoins the Geelong side for their Saturday night home game against Fremantle, who lost Michael Barlow (jaw) and recalled Tom Sheridan.

Gold Coast emerged from the bye with five changes for Saturday's home game against Adelaide.

Karmichael Hunt is back for his first game since round six and the Suns also named Greg Broughton, Maverick Weller and Steven May.

Adam Boston will make his senior debut.

Apart from losing Michael Rischitelli (elbow), Luke Russell (hip) and Tom Lynch (knee), the Suns dropped Liam Patrick and Jack Hutchins.

Adelaide recalled Brent Reilly, Aidan Riley and Brad Crouch for David Mackay, Ian Callinan and Shaun McKernan.

James Frawley and Max Gawn return for Melbourne, who lost Jake Spencer to suspension and dropped Cam Pedersen ahead of Saturday night's MCG game against the Western Bulldogs.

Ayce Cordy, Mitch Wallis and Tory Dickson are back for the Dogs.

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Slammin' Sam storms into third round

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Sam Stosur ... cruises into Wimbledon's third-round after win over Olga Puchkova. Source: Sang Tan / AAP

Sam Stosur has forged into career-best territory at Wimbledon, gorging on Olga Puchkova's feeble serving to reach the third round.

World No 14 Stosur advanced to the round of 32 at the All England Club for only the second time with a 6-2 6-2 throttling of outclassed Puchkova.

Ranked 85th in the world, Puchkova practically donated the match to Stosur, winning a meagre 11 points from seven service games.

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The Russian won two of 18 service points in the first set, winning her only two games with service breaks against the 2011 US Open champion.

She was marginally better in the second set, actually holding serve twice.

But she was virtually an invisble obstacle against Stosur, whose only other appearance in the third round here came in 2009.

Delighted after the 52-minute rout, Stosur will next face 23rd seed Sabine Lisicki.

The German overwhelmed Russian Elena Vesnina 6-3 6-1.

A semi-finalist here two years ago, Lisicki is armed by a wicked serve and, up until the start of this tournament, had served more aces this season apart from Serena Williams.

Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova powered into the third round with a 6-0 6-1 whipping of Spain's Maria-Theresa Torro-Flor.

Impressive young American Madison Keys upset German 30th seed Mona Barthel 6-4 6-2.

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Late Bomber blitz stuns Eagles

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Sweet relief ... Jobe Watson enjoys Essendon's stunning win after a tough week. Source: Paul Kane / Herald Sun

Essendon defender Jake Carlisle booted a clutch 49m goal from the boundary line to help lift the Bombers to a fighting seven-point victory over West Coast on Thursday night.

3.4 (22)	Q1	4.1 (25)
6.6 (42)	Q2	6.3 (39)
12.10 (82)	Q3	10.5 (65)
13.13 (91)	Q4	15.8 (98)

Jack Darling 3	Jason Winderlich 3
Mark LeCras 3	Jake Carlisle 2
Bradd Dalziell 2	Alwyn Davey 2
Josh J. Kennedy 2	Jobe Watson 2
Dean Cox 1	Stewart Crameri 1
Daniel Kerr 1	Courtenay Dempsey 1
Matt Priddis 1	Brendon Goddard 1
	Dyson Heppell 1
	Jackson Merrett 1
	Patrick Ryder 1

		P	W	D	L	%	Pts
1	Hawthorn	12	11	0	1	143.00	44
2	Essendon	13	10	0	3	129.51	40
3	Geelong	12	10	0	2	126.27	40
4	Fremantle	12	9	1	2	132.29	38
5	Sydney	12	8	1	3	130.22	34
6	Richmond	12	8	0	4	119.36	32
7	Collingwood	12	8	0	4	108.47	32
8	Port Adelaide	12	7	0	5	115.57	28
9	Carlton	12	6	0	6	116.89	24
10	West Coast	13	6	0	7	110.02	24
11	Adelaide	12	5	0	7	103.55	20
12	Gold Coast	12	5	0	7	92.55	20
13	North Melbourne	12	4	0	8	107.00	16
14	Brisbane	12	4	0	8	76.08	16
15	St Kilda	12	3	0	9	89.80	12
16	Bulldogs	12	3	0	9	73.38	12
17	Melbourne	12	1	0	11	50.87	4
18	Greater Western Sydney	12	0	0	12	51.41	0

The Eagles led by 23 points late in the third quarter and still held a six-point advantage when Mark LeCras kicked truly with four minutes remaining in the match.

But the Eagles couldn't land the killer blow, with Carlisle converting a tough chance from the boundary to level the scores before a Jake Melksham behind put the Bombers in front by a point.

The visitors held firm in a frantic final minute, Dyson Heppell kicking a goal on the final siren to add the icing to the cake of the 15.8 (98) to 13.13 (91) win.

Essendon skipper Jobe Watson entered the match under an intense spotlight after admitting he believed he had been injected with the banned substance AOD-9604 last year.

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Some pundits questioned whether Watson should have been allowed to play and the 36,451 crowd at Patersons Stadium booed the 2012 Brownlow Medallist whenever he got the ball.

West Coast coach John Worsfold claimed he didn't hear the crowd booing Watson, but James Hird was well aware of it and said he was disappointed.

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"I didn't like that at all,'' Hird said.

"It's not necessary. We've always found the West Australian crowd excellent. We always love coming here. I just don't think it was called for.''

Watson put aside the crowd abuse to play a crucial role in the win, tallying 29 possessions and two goals.

"He's just very happy to play in the win. To play the way he played just shows his character,'' Hird said of Watson.

"Jobe's a great person and captain and footballer. I'm a bit disappointed with what's going on.

"But this win is great for him.

"It's just incredible. The boys fought it out.''

Essendon's last trip to Perth also came on the back of a controversial week in which the depth of their supplements drama first came to light.

In that match, the Bombers fell 37 points behind Fremantle before pulling off a famous four-point win.

The latest come-from-behind win further boosted their top-four hopes, while the Eagles (6-7) are in grave danger of missing this year's finals.

Carlisle was sent forward after half-time and finished with two goals.

Essendon forward Stewart Crameri faces a nervous wait after twisting his troublesome right ankle as he propped to take a mark in the third quarter.

The Eagles were dealt a late blow when star midfielder Luke Shuey was forced out with a hamstring injury.

Shuey's withdrawal tested West Coast's depth after they lost Shannon Hurn (ankle), Scott Selwood (thumb) and Andrew Embley (suspension) earlier in the week.

The Bombers kicked four of the opening five goals of the match, but West Coast dominated the rest of the opening half as their renowned forward press, which had malfunctioned for much of the year, finally clicked.

West Coast created enough opportunities to win the match, but Essendon refused to give in, their perseverance paying off in an exhausting second half.

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Bernie blasts past Blake

Bernard Tomic ... cruises past former world No. 4 James Blake. Source: Sang Tan / AAP

Revelling in perfect conditions, Bernard Tomic has blasted into Wimbledon's third round with a stylish win over American veteran James Blake.

Forced to retire from doubles because of a hamstring strain less than 24 hours before facing Blake, Tomic could scarcely have been more impressive.

The Gold Coaster's deserved 6-3 6-4, 7-5 success over former world No 4 Blake earned him a tilt at either French ninth seed Richard Gasquet or Japan's Go Soeda.

Delivering another clean, virtually error-free performance, Tomic again demonstrated a natural affinity with grass.

The Queenslander served and returned at a consistently high level, moved well and maintained concentration.

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He produced 32 winners and 12 unforced errors to reach the third round for the second time in his short career.

Showing no sign of the hamstring injury which had dogged him since the French Open in Paris, Tomic quickly set about dissecting Blake's solid game.

Breaking serve in the fourth game, Tomic soon turned the match into a grasscourt masterclass.

Pocketing the first set after 28 minutes with a beguiling mix of angles and pace changes, Tomic maintained the offensive with another service break in the opening game of the second set.

Blake dug into climb back on even terms with a forehand volley winner to break in the eighth game, only to immediately lose the gain.

Growing in confidence with every rally, Tomic served out the second set - and then put Blake to the sword.

Preying on the veteran's fading resistance, Tomic continued to punish the tiring American and was rewarded when Blake wearily netted a forehand.

Tomic stumbled when he first attempted to close out the match as Blake delayed the inevitable with a pair of massive forehand winners to break back.

Unperturbed, Tomic grabbed another break in the following game before sealing the match after 97 minutes.

* * *

Italian Fabio Fognini has been fined $US10,000 for unsportsmanlike behaviour in his first round loss to Austrian Jurgen Melzer.

Fognini repeatedly threw his racquet and swore regularly at chair umpire Pascal Maria who, at one stage, broke into laughter as the firebrand baseliner lost composure.

* * *

French veteran Michael Llodra retired with an unspecified injury when trailing Italian Andreas Seppi 7-5. His retirement follows a record seven retirements and walkovers on Wednesday.

* * *

Lleyton Hewitt bowed out of doubles with veteran Mark Knowles. The pair, who are neighbours in the Bahamas, lost 6-3 7-5 7-6 (7-4) to Perth's Matt Ebden and Briton Jamie Delgado.

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Wimbledon injury curse claims four

Out ... Victoria Azarenka receives treatment after her heavy fall. Source: AAP

Second seed Victoria Azarenka and Steve Darcis, the man who sent Rafael Nadal crashing to a humiliating Wimbledon exit, both withdrew from the tournament through injury on Wednesday.

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Azarenka and Darcis were just two of four injury-hit storylines on the third day of the championships.

America's John Isner, famous for winning the longest match in history at Wimbledon in 2010, pulled out after just two games of his second round tie.

Czech veteran Radek Stepanek was also an on-court casualty, quitting his second round clash with a thigh injury.

World number two Azarenka was forced to withdraw just minutes before she was due on Centre Court to face Italian veteran Flavia Pennetta.

The Australian Open champion suffered a right knee injury in her first round win over Maria Joao Koehler of Portugal where she needed a 10-minute treatment period by the tournament doctor.

"Really sad 4 Vika that her knee is bad. seeing the injury when it happened, i was surprised she was able 2 finish her match. Hope she'll be ok,'' tweeted former Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova.

Pennetta goes on to face France's Alize Cornet for a place in the last 16.

Darcis, the world No.135 who stunned Nadal on Monday, pulled out with a right shoulder injury.

"I was playing maybe the best tennis in my life here,'' said the 29-year-old Belgian.

"Not to go on the court today, it's maybe the most disappointing thing I have had to do.''

Darcis, who hurt his shoulder in a fall during his win over Nadal, had been due to face Poland's Lukasz Kubot in the second round.

"Sadly, this is sport. The greatest moment of his career is followed by the greatest disappointment,'' said Darcis's coach, Reginald Willems.

Darcis inflicted Nadal's first ever opening round defeat at a grand slam with his stunning straight sets win.

Kubot will face either Benoit Paire or Stephane Robert for a place in the last 16.

Wimbledon marathon man Isner, was forced to quit his second round match after just two games.

The 28-year-old, 18th seeded American had to retire against France's Adrian Mannarino with the score at 1-1 in the first set after he injured his knee while serving.

Mannarino goes on to face either former champion Lleyton Hewitt or Dustin Brown for a place in the last 16.

Stepanek was 6-2, 5-3 down to Poland's Jerzy Jancowicz, the 24th seed, when he quit with a left thigh injury.

Jancowicz will face either Nicolas Almagro or Guillaume Rufin for a place in the last 16.

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Origin II player ratings: Blues

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NSW Blues ... concede a try to Queensland during State of Origin 2. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

New South Wales were extremely quiet in their 26-6 thrashing at the hands of Queensland and we break down the team performance and give every player a score out of 10.

Fullback: Josh Dugan - Looked one of the Blues' most dangerous all night, but never really got into a position to get some points on the board. Rating: 6.

Winger: Brett Morris - Capitalised on the only chance he got when he pounced on a Farah kick for the Blues' only try on what was otherwise a quiet night. Rating: 6.

Centre: Michael Jennings - Was lucky not to be binned for flying into the brawl, which was his most telling impact on a quiet night. Rating: 5.

Centre: Josh Morris - Didn't excel, didn't disappoint. Not a game in which he could really shine. Rating: 6.

Winger: Nathan Merritt - A debut to forget. Exposed defensively a number of times, which was one of NSW's biggest fears coming into the game. Rating: 4.

Five-eighth: James Maloney - The kicking game which catapulted the Blues to victory in game one was nowhere to be seen. Rating: 5.

Halfback: Mitchell Pearce - Ditto for Pearce regarding the kicking game, which Maroons legend Wally Lewis described as deplorable. Rating: 5.

Prop: Paul Gallen - Had just two runs in the opening half with his side staved of possession, but he did his best in the second stanza to get the Blues back into the game. Rating: 7.

Hooker: Robbie Farah - Tackled his heart out, but struggled to make any impact in attack until the clever kick for Brett Morris to score. Rating: 6.

Prop: Aaron Woods - Would have liked to have done more in his first Origin game than five runs for 38 metres, much of which came in the last ten minutes. Rating: 5.

Second-row: Luke Lewis - Gave it everything in both attack and defence. If he'd had a few more teammates do the same, his impact would have been more telling. Rating: 7.

Second-row: Ryan Hoffman - His lack of punch out wide could cost him when it comes to picking the Blues side for the decider. Rating: 5.

Lock: Greg Bird - He gives the Blues a rugged quality, but his decision to run into the brawl proved costly. Rating: 6.

Interchange:

Andrew Fifita - His introduction helped stop the early rot with some powerful runs. Rating: 7.

Trent Merrin - His best display in a sky blue jumper was marred by the punch which kick-started the brawl which saw four players sin-binned. Rating: 5.

Josh Reynolds - Got a taste midway through the second half, but impact was negligible. Rating: 5.

Anthony Watmough - Never seems to go close to dominating Origin games like he once used to. Rating: 5.

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I didn't work hard enough: Hannebery

Lesson ... Dan Hannebery is led to the ball by Port tagger Kane Cornes. Source: Morne de Klerk / Getty Images

Sydney Swans star Daniel Hannebery admits he was tagged out of his side's shock loss to Port Adelaide too easily, but has pledged to work harder to overcome close-checking tactics in future.

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Power veteran Kane Cornes was never far from the young Swan's side in the 18-point upset loss and kept him to just 13 possessions - well down on his season average of 27.

"I think I had a pretty honest assessment of my game … and I think fundamentally he out-worked me – he beat me on the day," Hannebery said on Wednesday night's episode of AFL 360.

"He was harder than me and I didn't work hard enough. It was a real lesson for me and if it happens in the coming weeks I'll be better equipped to deal with it.

"There's no doubt on the day he and a lot of the other Port guys worked harder than us.

"I don't think I consciously didn't bother to run – I think he played it smarter. The way that he persisted and the way he outworked me he probably did get into my head a little bit, but I've got to be able to work through that and be better than that.

"When that comes again I've got to be a bit mentally tougher than I was on the weekend and not give in like I suppose I did."

The unexpected defeat could have dire consequences for the Swans' battle to secure a top-four berth, but Hannebery said it had served as a timely wake-up call for the team.

"We can't just go out there and expect to win games of footy," he said.

"We're not a side that's ever done that and we probably don't have the talent to be able to do that.

"We'll work together as a team and work really hard. That's what makes us a good footy team – when we all work hard together as a unit."

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Hewitt suffers shock Wimbledon loss

Shock loss ... Lleyton Hewitt is knocked out of Wimbledon in the second round. Source: Kirsty Wigglesworth / AAP

Lleyton Hewitt's Wimbledon campaign ended with a shock loss to flamboyant German qualifier Dustin Brown in the second round on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old Australian failed to build on his first round-upset win over 11th seed Stanislas Wawrinka, losing 6-4 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 to 189th-ranked Brown.

It was only Hewitt's second loss in 13 matches against qualifiers at grand slam events and the defeat leaves Bernard Tomic as the only Australian left in the men's singles draw.

Journeyman Brown, 28, produced one of the performances of his life as he reached the third round of a grand slam for the first time.

Sporting long, dreadlocked hair, the German - who changed his nationality from Jamaican in 2010 - came out swinging from the hip.

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And his high-risk approach paid off with Hewitt, the 2002 Wimbledon champion, troubled from the outset by his big serve and ferocious forehand.

Just when Hewitt looked to be grinding his opponent down, Brown broke serve at 5-4 to steal the set, celebrating wildly with his arms raised.

The Australian tried to pump himself up after breaking serve in the opening game of the second set but Brown hit back soon after and a poor service game from Hewitt allowed the qualifier to go two sets up.

Hewitt won six straight points in in the third tie-breaking, extending the match to a fourth set.

But Brown quickly wrestled the momentum back, breaking twice to race to a 4-1 lead and serve out the match in two hours and 23 minutes.

Brown, who spent four years earlier in his career travelling around Europe in a campervan to play tournaments, was in tears as he walked off the court.

"It's going to take a while to sink in,'' Brown said.

"I'm not normally a guy to cry, I don't really know what happened.

"I'm playing Lleyton Hewitt, a guy that you're watching when you're growing up.

"I've been so often close to winning big matches but couldn't put it together and this is the first time I just went through with it.''

After a surprise run to the Queen's Club semi-finals and his superb first round performance, world No.70 Hewitt had been eyeing a run deep into the draw in his 15th consecutive Wimbledon campaign.

Following the shock opening-round defeat of Rafael Nadal, his section of the draw opened up further when 18th seed John Isner retired hurt with a knee injury on Wednesday, giving Frenchman Adrian Mannarino a free passage into a third-round meeting with Brown.

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Crowley pinched me 300 times: Harvey

Pinched ... Ryan Crowley found guilty of pinching Brent Harvey. Source: Herald Sun

Fremantle tagger Ryan Crowley has been found guilty of pinching North Melbourne star Brent Harvey.

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Crowley denied pinching Harvey but the Kangaroos veteran maintained the Dockers tagger had done so repeatedly.

Harvey twice told umpires during the game about the pinching and repeated the accusation to an AFL investigator on Monday, before giving evidence to the tribunal.

Crowley's advocate Seamus Rafferty put it to Harvey that the reason there was no footage of any pinching was that it didn't happen even once.

"You're right. It didn't happen once. It happened about 300 times,'' Harvey replied.

In the night's other case, Geelong's Steve Johnson had his two-match AFL ban upheld at the tribunal and the Cats star will have extra demerit points hanging over his head for the rest of the season.

Johnson will miss crucial games against the Dockers and Hawthorn, and will carry 79.04 points, rather than 9.28 had he pleaded guilty.

The midfielder-forward instead unsuccessfully argued his high bump on Brisbane's Pearce Hanley during the Cats' shock fade-out loss to the Lions at the Gabba on Sunday was unavoidable.

Coach Chris Scott had earlier admitted earlier on Tuesday it was a big risk by the club to challenge the rough conduct charge, even though the suspension would have been two games either way.

"It's a huge risk, to take that many carryover points into the late part of the season,'' Scott told reporters.

"But we feel really strongly about it that we have an obligation to defend our player.''

It's the second time this season the Cats have gone to the tribunal over a bump and lost, after James Kelly copped a two-match ban for an incident with Essendon's Brendon Goddard in round seven.

Johnson argued that his initial aim was to tackle Hanley, but after teammate Joel Corey reached him first and laid a tackle he changed his mind and braced for contact instead.

His advocate Peter Murdoch QC argued Johnson couldn't have reasonably foreseen that Corey would tackle Hanley before he got there.

But Johnson himself admitted under cross-examination there was nothing unexpected in what happened.

Earlier on Tuesday, West Coast's Andrew Embley (one match), Melbourne's Jake Spencer (three games) and St Kilda's Tom Simpkin (two) all accepted suspensions for various offences.

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Lions boost momentum with Rebels win

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Mauling ... The Lions get revenge on provincial side the Rebels. Source: Mark Dadswell / AAP

The British and Irish Lions' build-up to their crunch Test against the Wallabies got a boost with a convincing 35-0 win over the Melbourne Rebels.

0 Tries 4
	Conor Murray 16'
	Sean Maitland 28'
	Sean O'Brien 50'
	Ben Youngs 73'
0 Penalty Tries 1
	Penalty Try 63'
0 Conversions 5
	Owen Farrell 17'
	Owen Farrell 29'
	Owen Farrell 51'
	Stuart Hogg 63'
	Stuart Hogg 74'

The touring side are looking to wrap up their three-match series on Saturday night in Melbourne after taking game one 23-21 in Brisbane.

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While their first choice Test players watched from the stands, the Lions had too much class for the Rebels, who were without their Test players James O'Connor, Nick Phipps, Kurtley Beale and injured skipper Scott Higginbotham.

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Without those players Melbourne lacked strike-power in attack, compounded by the Lions' focus on the breakdown that starved the home side of quick ball.

Rebels coach Damien Hill said he knew his team couldn't beat the Lions at their own game.

"Playing orthodox rugby against a representative team like the Lions, you're playing to their strengths really,'' said Hill.

"We put a few things in there to change things up; they didn't all come off.''

He said his players told him post-match that the game was a step up from anything they'd ever experienced.

"The great thing was that they never gave up.

"I felt their defence at times was outstanding; it's just a shame we couldn't finish a few things off.''

The Lions led 14-0 at halftime, with their second try one of the best of the tour.

Centre Manu Tuilagi, in his first match back after injuring his shoulder two weeks ago against Queensland, proved a handful for the Rebels defence and was key to that try.

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The English tackle-buster broke through the Melbourne defence and got a one-handed pass away to winger Sean Maitland.

He found No.8 Toby Faletau, who looked certain to score before slipping just short of the tryline.

Faletau, who was among the Lions' best and pushing Jamie Heaslip for the Test role, was able to play the ball back to centre Brad Barritt and he sent the ball on to winger Simon Zebo before Maitland finished off the move.

Their other first half try was scored by halfback Connor Murray, who scooped the ball up as they attempted a pushover try and dived across the line.

Lions coach Warren Gatland may have vacancies for the second Test with prop Alex Corbisiero (calf) and centre Jamie Roberts (hamstring) rated very doubtful.

"I think they will be right for the third Test but they're unlikely to be right for Saturday,'' Gatland said.

Gatland said the win was a good response to the disappointment of losing to the Brumbies last week and he was particularly pleased with the spirit shown by his players.

"That really came out,'' Gatland said.

"It showed how good these guys have been both on and off the field and I think that was demonstrated tonight with the spirit that was displayed, not conceding any points.

"We were really pleased with that performance.''

The Rebels toiled hard but were unable to build enough pressure on the Lions with a lack of possession.

In front of a sell-out crowd of 28,658, they were attempting to replicate the Brumbies, who delivered the Lions' first defeat by an Australian provincial side since 1971 with a 14-12 victory.

"It's disappointing when you look at that scoreline,'' said Rebels skipper Gareth Delve.

"The boys went out there and tried to do a few things and it was always going to be a bit hit and miss.''

The Lions' other points came in the second half through flanker Sean O'Brien after a set move off a line-out, while referee Glen Jackson awarded the side a penalty try and yellow-carded Rebels No.7 Jordy Reid, who came in cynically from the side with a try beckoning.

Impressive reserve halfback Ben Youngs also touched down after a dashing solo run off a line-out late in the half.

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