BRISBANE has earned a chance at redemption, beating Geelong by 10 points in a frantic preliminary final on Saturday afternoon to feature in a second consecutive Grand Final.
A flurry of late goals, in which the Cats momentarily snatched back the lead, saw the Lions' resilience come to the fore, resulting in the 14.11 (95) to 12.13 (85) victory under the MCG lights.
CATS v LIONS Full match coverage and stats
Brisbane will be sweating on the fitness of ruck Oscar McInerney for next week's decider, however, after he was subbed out with a nasty dislocated shoulder.
Ollie Henry (four goals, 15 disposals) is a man made for big moments, standing up when Geelong needed him most. First, he was the one to get the margin back within a kick approaching time on in the final quarter, putting Brisbane on the back foot and snatching momentum back in the Cats' favour.
He followed it up with the goal to put Geelong in front, coolly slotting it from the pocket out of an end-to-end transition thanks to a powerful Tom Stewart tackle at half back.
But the Lions had the answer, off the boot of Callum Ah Chee, and then Cam Rayner to break the heart of the Geelong-heavy crowd.
A late flurry of goals was in stark contrast to the nervous opening quarter. It took 19 minutes to break through for the opening goal due to the high pressure and nervous kicking for both sides in what were admittedly greasy conditions to start the game.
Poor ball use wasn't only reserved for in front of the big sticks, either, with turnovers rife right across the ground.
McInerney's injury forced a restructure of the side's attacking line, with last week's hero Joe Daniher required to become the side's No.1 ruck for much of the game, to great effect.
The Lions' midfield stood up to win the clearance count 43-33 off the back of Lachie Neale (31 disposals, 12 clearances) and Hugh McCluggage's (27 disposals, six clearances, one goal) sheer work rate.
Kai Lohmann (16 disposals, one goal) proved to be a game breaker when pressing higher up the field, with a dynamic and unpredictable attack on the footy. His speed then allowed him to impact passages of play more than once, including hitting the scoreboard.
Brisbane upped the intensity in the third term, increasing its physicality and adding speed on the ball. Moving quickly in transition, the Lions were able to create some confusion among Geelong's defenders, and allowing the likes of Rayner (18 disposals, two goals) and Zac Bailey (19, two) to get into the game.
Speed on the ball was crucial for Brisbane, as Tom Stewart was comfortably set up in the hole behind play for the Cats, picking off any attempts at slow, stagnant movement from the Lions. While Callum Ah Chee seemed to have the role on the Geelong vice-captain, it was anything but a hard tag that has proven effective on the Cat at times this year.
Ah Chee found other ways to impact the game, however, expertly crumbing forward packs and finding space inside 50 to return three goals from 11 disposals.
Gryan Miers' (20 disposals, two goals) work inside 50 caused all sorts of problems for the Lions' defensive line. Always on the move and thinking creatively, he was involved in two huge goals through the second term that will headline highlight reels.
The first, a soccer-like cross from deep in the forward pocket for a running Ollie Henry, the second a high, floating kick from the opposing pocket that split the tall posts, helping Geelong to a three-goal advantage at the main break.
Miers was just one of the Cats' small forwards who created headaches for Brisbane, with their ability to flick the ball around by hand and generate pockets of space for one another important in the side's second-quarter surge.
But soon enough they were starved of opportunity and forced to work higher to get involved in the play.
Wounded soldier
Oscar McInerney's ruck role was always going to be an important one for Brisbane, given Geelong's midfield power, and early in the piece he was helping his mids to first use. Late in the first term, however, McInerney came down from an aerial contest near the benches in excruciating pain, his left shoulder clearly out of place. To that point, the Lions were leading clearances 11-5, and although McInerney soldiered on for another quarter, getting the shoulder strapped and continuing to compete, his impact around the ground was certainly dulled. Midway through the third term, he had to be helped from the field once more with the shoulder displaced again, ultimately causing Chris Fagan to activate his substitution and leaving Joe Daniher to fight it out in the ruck.
More heartbreak for Holmes
Young star Max Holmes has arguably been the Cats best player all year, determined to make up for missing the 2022 premiership with a hamstring injury suffered in that year's preliminary final, against the Lions no less. There are fears that the same might have happened for Holmes, as he spent most of the third quarter on the bench getting his left hamstring worked on. Much of that time was spent in deep discussion with club doctors before re-entering the field of play. Just minutes into the final quarter, however, Holmes took himself out of the game, walking from the field and straight to the back of the benches, triggering Geelong's substitute.
When it rains, it pours
It took until 19 minutes into the game to see the first goal amidst a physical slog. A high, floating kick across goal from Kai Lohmann resulted in a Charlie Cameron mark, albeit flirting with the boundary line close to the behind post. Cameron executed an ideal kick around the body to the chorus of Geelong boos for the opening goal of the match. But the Cats replied quickly by way of their own Cameron, Jeremy, almost immediately, before Zac Bailey dobbed his own long-range major. It might have taken 19 minutes for the first goal, but it only took three minutes for two more to follow.
GEELONG 1.5 8.7 10.8 12.13 (85)
BRISBANE 3.2 5.6 10.10 14.11 (95)
GOALS
Geelong: O.Henry 4, Cameron 2, Miers 2, Mannagh, Dempsey, Dangerfield, Blicavs,
Brisbane: Ah Chee 3, Rayner 2, Cameron 2, Bailey 2, Morris 2, Hipwood, McCluggage, Lohmann
BEST
Geelong: Holmes, Dangerfield, Stewart, Miers, O.Henry
Brisbane: Lohmann, Neale, McCluggage, Starcevich, Zorko, Bailey
INJURIES
Geelong: Holmes (left hamstring), J.Henry (right ankle)
Brisbane: McInerney (left shoulder)
SUBSTITUTES
Geelong: Mitch Duncan (replaced Max Holmes in the last quarter)
Brisbane: Conor McKenna (replaced Oscar McInerney in the third quarter)
Crowd: 93,066 at the MCG
