It was the first union of two clubs in VFL/AFL history - the perfect combination of an emerging force full of youthful enthusiasm and energy, with a proud foundation club overloaded with history and tradition.
There was the Brisbane Bears, a vibrant newcomer to the national scene. Young and ambitious, they were just starting to find their feet in the 'big time' after a troubled 10-year infancy split between the Gold Coast and Brisbane but without the long-term backing to mount a serious challenge.
And there was Fitzroy, a traditional club of more than 100 years' standing that had fought the odds more often than most and won. Yet now, as financial pressures threatened to engulf them once and for all, they accepted a merger in preference to the extinction offered by a takeover elsewhere.
The reality of the situation did not stop an outcry of emotion from those passionate supporters who understood that their beloved Clubs, as they knew them, would never be the same.
By the end of the 1996 season, fans became divided in their allegiances. Some acknowledged their former Club’s existence in some form and immediately embraced the newly merged Brisbane Lions. Others simply felt no emotional attachment to the merged entity and chose to direct their support elsewhere.
It was the first - and only - time in AFL/VFL history that two Clubs have come together to form one and proved to be a testing time for everyone involved.
And like any arranged marriage, there were some ups and downs.
Teething problems in their inaugural year and a wooden spoon in 1998 had the Club in the depths of despair after just two seasons.
But the Lions famously went on to claim an historic three peat of premierships from 2001 to 2003 and become widely recognised as one of the greatest teams of the modern era.
The 2001 premiership represented the first time the AFL premiership cup had traveled north of the Murray, and was a major breakthrough for the code in Queensland.
Visions of Fitzroy Legend Kevin Murray rejoicing in the stands of the Brunswick Street Oval the morning after the 2001 Grand Final triumph also further helped some of the former Fitzroy faithful to embrace the union between the two Clubs.
Today marks 15 years since the merger was formalised and while the Club continues to recognise its proud origins made from Fitzroy and the Bears of old, the Brisbane Lions have also established their own identity in the AFL.
There no longer exists in the current AFL system a player who can claim to have played with either Fitzroy or the Brisbane Bears.
Chris Johnson was the last official ‘Roy Boy’ to grace the field before retiring at the end of 2007 while Daniel Bradshaw’s retirement last month brought an end to the playing career of the last ever Brisbane Bear.
The current crop of Brisbane Lions might have no direct playing histories with either Fitzroy or the Bears, but they are custodians of a legacy that will forever remain an important part of our Club history.
