THE MAN that sealed Brisbane's drought-breaking win over Richmond on Friday night admitted he was a little uneasy following an earlier miss that threatened to come back and bite him.

With the Lions leading by 20 points late in the third quarter, classy wingman Hugh McCluggage wasted a relatively simple shot from 20m when his dribbling kick went wide.

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But with the Tigers surging and threatening to pull off an unlikely comeback, McCluggage iced the game with a right foot snap that catapulted Brisbane to its first finals win since 2009.

01:01

Massive snap as McCluggage kicks the sealer, but was it touched?

Brisbane midfielder Hugh McCluggage wraps up the qualifying final for his side

"I think a fair bit of relief swept over me when I kicked that one," McCluggage said.

"I'd obviously missed one a bit earlier as well I would like to have kicked.

"It was nice to kick the sealer and move on to another week of finals."

07:19

Highlights: Brisbane v Richmond

The Lions and Tigers clash in the second qualifying final

The 22-year-old has had another fantastic season, named in the 40-man All Australian squad for a second straight year, but has been dogged by inaccuracy around goals, kicking 8.21.

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He said the club's work on "mindset" had allowed him to move on from the earlier miss and take his next chance when it presented itself.

"I tried to just forget about it straight away," he said.

 

"You start thinking 'what have I done?'

"You can't let that hang over you, there's so many moments in finals, you've just got to move on.

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"I'm not someone that will shy away (from another chance).

McCluggage said it was tough sleeping after the breakthrough victory, the Lions' first over Richmond in 11 years. 

The Lions get around Hugh McCluggage after his match-sealing goal. Picture: AFL Photos

"We knew we'd knocked off a lot of sides that we hadn't beaten for a long time and they were another one we wanted to tick off.

"It hangs over your head a little bit, that and we hadn't won a final for quite some time either, so to tick those two off I think it means we can play with an open mind now.

"When you haven't won a final it can start getting in your head, it was only two finals we had last year, but it gives us massive confidence going ahead that we can match it with anyone."

Brisbane plays the winner of Geelong and Collingwood in the preliminary finals.

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