THE BRISBANE Lions have hung on to win a thrilling QClash by two points over Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium.
The Lions had to withstand a withering late Suns burst to win their first match of the season 13.16 (94) to 13.14 (92).
Pearce Hanley appeared to put the game beyond doubt with a goal two minutes from time, but former Lion Michael Rischitelli breathed life into the game just seconds later with a freakish goal of his own.
Five talking points: Gold Coast v Brisbane Lions
Following Rischitelli's mid-air volley the ball was camped in the Suns' front half for the final moments before the Lions cleared and won their fourth QClash in succession.
Lions coach Michael Voss breathed a sigh of relief with the win, saying it was "hands off the wheel" in the final stages.
"We did everything to try and lose the game," Voss said.
"We just made some errors we need to clean up. (We) almost forgot how to win. You see the desperation of four points and how much it means to you and you make some errors.
"Through their good play too, we let them back into it … and find ourselves under the pump. To fight through that was outstanding."
The Lions can largely thank co-captain and Marcus Ashcroft Medallist Jonathan Brown, who kicked five goals in a vintage wet-weather display.
Brown had kicked just one goal in the first two matches of the season and admitted during the week he needed to lift. He did so in fine style.
Manned by impressive young defender Rory Thompson, Brown kicked two goals in the first quarter, one in the second and two in the third in the slippery conditions.
The Suns, though, refused to give up and ran down a 24-point third quarter deficit to level the contest, before again squaring scores in the fourth term after trailing by 15 points.
The momentum see-sawed in a dramatic final term that had the 12,961 fans on the edge of their seats.
Suns coach Guy McKenna was philosophical about the loss.
"They probably had more of the footy so probably the result we had (was fair)," he said.
"We had our opportunities of course but we probably gave them too many opportunities and they took theirs.
"The effort and our desire to run games out and stay in contests (was good). We won the second half but not by as much as we'd like."
Former Lion Jared Brennan was a star for the Suns, racking up 30 disposals and having 11 clearances.
It was arguably his best game for the Suns since the teams' first QClash in 2011.
Harley Bennell came to life in the second half and finished with 27 touches and three goals.
Another Lion under the pump during the week was Daniel Rich after two sub-par performances to start his season, but he bounced back with 27 disposals.
The Andrew Raines-Gary Ablett duel was virtually a draw, with Ablett's 27 touches failing to hurt the Lions while Raines had 21 of his own.
Jared Polec and Charlie Dixon both sustained ankle injuries, but the respective camps were hopeful they would not be serious.
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GOLD COAST 3.5 4.7 8.11 13.14 (92)
BRISBANE LIONS 4.5 6.13 10.14 13.16 (94)
GOALS
Gold Coast: Bennell 3, May 2, Matera 2, Broughton, Day, Thompson, Russell, Hall, Rischitelli
Brisbane Lions: Brown 5, Green 2, Martin, Leuenberger, Polkinghorne, Rockliff, Bewick, Hanley
BEST
Gold Coast: Brennan, Bennell, Broughton, Ablett, Dixon
Brisbane Lions: Brown, Rich, Hanley, Mayes, Raines
INJURIES
Gold Coast: Dixon (ankle)
Brisbane Lions: Polec (ankle)
SUBSTITUTES
Gold Coast: Luke Russell replace Charlie Dixon after the third quarter,
Brisbane Lions: James Polkinghorne replaced Stefan Martin in the third quarter
REPORTS
None
Umpires: Brendan Hosking, Stuart Wenn and Ben Ryan
Official crowd: 12,961 at Metricon Stadium
