THESE will forever be Brisbane's kings of the pride.
After last year's heartbreak, a 0-3 start to the season, five season-ending knee reconstructions, missing out on the top four, three finals on the road, a semi-final win for the ages and storylines everywhere you looked, Brisbane is the premier for 2024 after a Toyota AFL Grand Final dismantling of Sydney.
SWANS v LIONS Full Grand Final match coverage and stats
THE MOMENT Shades of 'Aker' in Hipwood's goal for the ages
TALKING POINTS Cup of Joe, Katy roars, Swans' wrong call
NORM SMITH MEDAL All the votes as Will Ashcroft wins it
PLAYER RATINGS Every Lions player rated
PLAYER RATINGS Every Swans player rated
THE MOMENT Shades of Aker in Hipwood’s goal for the ages
CHRIS FAGAN Lions coach revels in greatest moment after fairytale recovery
JOHN LONGMIRE Swans coach laments another lost opportunity
'FIRST I'VE HEARD OF IT' Fagan in the dark over Joe’s future
'COULDN'T GO WITH THEM' Swans rue contest work, lack of pressure
'SOMETHING SNAPPED' Lion's surgery to wait till after celebrations
'EUPHORIC, UNBELIEVABLE' Lion's redemption after last year's horror
'LOVE BIG MOMENTS' Kai comes up clutch on grandest stage
In the redemption cup – the Lions looking to go one better than their four-point loss to Collingwood and Sydney hoping to overturn its disastrous 2022 decider – it was Chris Fagan's men who saluted by 60 points in an MCG masterclass in front of 100,013 fans.
The 18.12 (120) to 9.6 (60) win delivered the Lions their first flag since 2003 and 12th through its Fitzroy history as Fagan lifted the cup in his eighth season at the helm.
This was a rough welcome to the jungle for the Swans – everywhere Sydney turned, Brisbane was there. Every way the Swans looked, the Lions had them covered.
It would have been a terrible case of deja vu for the Swans, with the club now losing its past four Grand Finals since 2012. Three of them have been thrashings.
Where to start with Brisbane's band of heroes? It was a Lions' share: Lachie Neale, carrying an ankle injury, was sensational as he saluted with a flag in his third Grand Final attempt with 35 disposals and nine clearances.
Will Ashcroft, having missed last year's decider with his knee injury, was superb and showed again he is a champion in the making with 30 disposals and a goal. He became a Norm Smith medallist in his second season in the AFL.
Kai Lohmann lit the fuse early and finished with four and Callum Ah Chee kept the flame alive throughout with four majors. Joe Daniher is considering retirement but showed he is at the top of his game, with only inaccuracy potentially costing him a Norm Smith Medal.
But where the Lions were hot, Sydney brought the cold. It was difficult to find a winner for the Swans, who had their star-studded midfield nullified, their forward line shut down and their back half picked apart.
Katy Perry started the day with a roar, but the Lions added a mighty to it. Sydney struck first with the opening two goals, the first from Will Hayward and the second a superb snap from Tom Papley. But that mini lead didn't quite sum up the contest after the Lions' early inaccuracy.
Lohmann quickly changed that. The eye-catching Lion kicked their first, and then their second a minute later on his left foot to give Brisbane the energy it needed, his tongue-out celebration a spirit boost to match his side's ascendancy.
They continued to control the play with their uncontested marking game as Hugh McCluggage cruised into a third goal, with the gun midfielder tallying nine opening-quarter disposals.
James Rowbottom's long set shot was a steadier for the Swans, who were preferring their shorter forward targets than their key position options, but Charlie Cameron's snap from the boundary – and subsequent bow to the crowd – restored Brisbane's eight-point lead at the first change.
Brisbane's premiership was won in an exhilarating second quarter. The Lions kicked seven goals to one for the term and they came from everywhere as the Swans, for the second time in three years, were pounded.
Lohmann kicked his third from the pocket, Cameron spotted Daniher cleverly for another, Ah Chee's brilliant finals series continued with two for the term, Jarrod Berry capitalised on Nick Blakey's turnover to slot a long goal and Eric Hipwood kicked one of the great Grand Final goals from the boundary line after dodging Dane Rampe, slotting the goal and reprising three-time Lions premiership star Jason Akermanis' pseudo shocked celebration afterwards.
When Logan Morris booted their 11th, the Lions had leapt to a 46-point lead for half-time as their youth, speed and hardened run into the flag decider proved beneficial.
Where the Lions' big names and lesser lights all stood up – from first-year player Morris to champion two-time Brownlow medallist Neale – Sydney couldn't find a winner as its midfield was battered, its defence under siege and forward line ineffective.
Party time started early as Neale continued to dominate the midfield battle in the third quarter, with Daniher also showing up the Swans defence. If it is to be Daniher's last game of an enigmatic career – the 30-year-old is weighing his future – then he went out on a high, kicking 2.4 but proving pivotal to the Lions.
His forward presence, as well as important around-the-ground ruck efforts, helped a fleet of smaller Lions capitalise time after time.
Lions fans spent most of the second half rejoicing, as more highlights came their way: the Cam Rayner hanger, Ah Chee enjoying a day out, one last Lohmann flying grab and, of course, a Daniher left-foot snap to close things out. The pride of Brisbane town – and beyond.
Will finds the summit
It would have had to have been a 'What if?' that sat on Chris Fagan's mind throughout the pre-season: what if Will Ashcroft had played in last year's Grand Final? Could he have been the one-goal difference required? Ashcroft was sidelined with a knee reconstruction but spent all of his time out of the game working so he could power Brisbane back to the final Saturday of September. He wasn't letting this chance slip. Ashcroft joined his father Marcus as a premiership hero with a brilliant 30-disposal performance in the Grand Final and quickly doubled his medal collection by being named the Norm Smith medallist in just his 31st game, aged 20 years old.
Kai the kid
Brisbane fans will never forget the performance of Kai Lohmann, who took the MCG by storm and left it a premiership player. The electric half-forward went into the game in good form after 10 goals from his past five games and 32 for the season but he raised it a notch on the biggest stage as the Lions' livewire. He kicked their first two goals of the game and a third in the second quarter to take the game away from the Swans. His fourth goal came in the final minutes after another big mark deep in attack. Lohmann considered leaving the Lions last year as Hawthorn and Essendon tried to lure him back to Victoria after he had managed eight games in two seasons. But Lohmann stayed at Brisbane and became a key player this year, capping his brilliant breakout season with an iconic, flying blonde-haired effort that will live on for the Lions.
Darcy holds the Fort
Plenty of attention heading into the game focused on the ruck battle after Oscar McInerney's shoulder injury ruled him out of the clash. But Darcy Fort, playing only his third game of the season, more than held his own against high-profile Swans recruit Brodie Grundy. Fort is a competitor who managed to not be dominated by Grundy, with the Lions big man gathering 12 disposals and 20 hitouts to Grundy's 22 and 35. McInerney has steered the Lions' ship for years and would have been shattered to miss Brisbane's defining game, but his understudy filled the void.
SYDNEY 3.1 4.3 5.4 9.6 (60)
BRISBANE 4.3 11.7 16.11 18.12 (120)
GOALS
Sydney: Parker 3, Warner, Rowbottom, Papley, Heeney, Hayward, Fox
Brisbane: Lohmann 4, Ah Chee 4, Morris 2, Daniher 2, Rayner, McCluggage, Hipwood, Cameron, Berry, Ashcroft
BEST
Sydney: Rowbottom, Florent, Fox, Gulden, Parker
Brisbane: Neale, Ashcroft, Lohmann, Ah Chee, Daniher, McCluggage
INJURIES
Sydney: McDonald (ankle)
Brisbane: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Sydney: Braeden Campbell (replaced Logan McDonald in the third quarter)
Brisbane: Conor McKenna (replaced Logan Morris in the final quarter)
Crowd: 100,013 at the MCG
