HOW THEY LINED UP
With both teams starting the elimination final one-on-one all over the ground, it seemed both midfields were simply going head-to-head. There appeared to be no hard tags for either Chris Judd or Simon Black.

Up forward for the Lions, Jonathon Brown and Bret Thornton got in each other's faces, while Paul Bower went to Daniel Bradshaw. As expected, Brendan Fevola and Daniel Merrett locked horns, while Kade Simpson had the job on Lions veteran Luke Power.

FOUR QUARTERS
Q1: Brisbane Lions 4.4 (28) v Carlton 5.4 (34)
With the Lions slow starters, the Blues were on fire in kicking the first three goals of the game. But as the quarter prevailed, the Lions gradually worked themselves back into the contest.

In ominous signs for the Blues defence, both Bradshaw and Brown took telling marks forward. Black was giving the Lions' outside runners and rebounding defenders first use of the ball and come quarter time, they were just a goal down.

Q2: Brisbane Lions 8.7 (55) v Carlton 8.6 (54)
Power and Black were starting to find space through the midfield and were accruing damaging touches. But the highlight was the Lions' quick transition from defence led by Ashley McGrath and Justin Sherman.

The Blues struggled to find a forward target, with Fevola having to compete with Merrett and others clogging his space. The Lions snatched the lead late in the term after Bradshaw had levelled the scores and held a one-point lead at the main break.

Q3: Brisbane Lions 10.10 (70) v Carlton 14.10 (94)
As the intensity rose, so did the class of Judd. The Carlton captain was dominant, winning the hard ball as the Blues midfield began to resume control. Nick Stevens went forward and kicked two classy goals, while Daniel Rich was well held by Andrew Walker.

Thornton was also starting to win the one-on-one contests with Brown, as the Blues extended the margin to four goals.

Q4: Brisbane Lions 16.15 (111) v Carlton 15.14 (104)
The Lions would always come home hard. Even when Cameron Cloke's thumping goal increased the margin to five goals, they wouldn't be deterred.

With Bradshaw's influence swelling in his clash with Bower, the Lions found impetus through the middle. Moments of brilliance from Black and Rich, and a truly phenomenal snap from Bradshaw sealed a remarkable win for the Lions. The Blues were shattered.

MATCH-UPS THAT MATTERED
Brendan Fevola v Daniel Merrett
The points were split in this intriguing battle. The Carlton spearhead was in the thick of the action, with his work rate and tackling complementing his three goals. Merrett would have been pleased with that output, given Fevola had kicked eight against the Lions in round 11.

Daniel Bradshaw v Paul Bower
The Lions have often been accused of being too Brown-oriented, but Bradshaw put his hand up and was the difference between the two sides. His five goals were all important and he proved far too strong for Bower. His speed off the mark also caught the Carlton defender off-guard.

THE COACHES
Michael Voss
He was able to isolate the match-ups of both Bradshaw and Brown to great effect and they combined for nine goals.Voss obviously had a plan to minimise Fevola's influence by pushing numbers back and counter-attacking through his side's revered rebounding skills. The rotation of opponents didn't work for Judd, but was successful on Marc Murphy.

Brett Ratten
Why did Black not have a tag throughout the game? His dominance kept the Lions in it when the Blues looked like they would kick away. The move of Stevens to the forward line in the second half proved to be a masterstroke, with the vice-captain kicking two important goals after a poor start.

HOW THE GAME WAS LOST
That's what Carlton supporters will have to ponder over the next six months. Leading by five goals early in the final quarter, both Matthew Kreuzer and Eddie Betts (who hit the post) had chances to steady the ship.

The Lions' final-quarter was outstanding. They kicked six unanswered goals and dried the Blues' attack right up.

HOW THE GAME WAS WON
The Voss factor. There is something special about this side with the triple premiership captain now in charge. Voss prided himself on a fighting spirit in his playing days, and it is starting to show in his players.

The Blues will be left to rue spending the bulk of the season without key defenders Jarrad Waite and Michael Jamison. Carlton's smaller backmen weren't up to the Bradshaw-Brown challenge and it was more obvious as the game wore on.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.