AFL round 10 Brisbane Lions v Melbourne: All the news, fallout and analysis from the Dees 11-point win

Simon Goodwin can see the belief growing at Melbourne after a stunning win in Brisbane as Lions coach Chris Fagan declared his side were “annihilated” in the final term.

Marco Monteverde

@marcothejourno

6 min read

May 18, 2025 - 9:08PM

News Sport Network

AFL

Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin says “belief” is growing in the Demons camp following Sunday’s 11-point upset win over Brisbane at the Gabba.

The Demons stormed home, outscoring the reigning premiers 32-7 in the final quarter to win 14.15 (99) to 13.10 (88), as Lions coach Chris Fagan declared his side was “annihilated” in a dismal final-quarter display.

After losing their first five games of the AFL season, Melbourne has won four of its past five matches, with the victory over the Lions in Brisbane perhaps a genuine indication that the Demons are truly back on track.

“It certainly builds a lot of belief within your footy club,” Goodwin said after the Gabba win.

“Internally, we know that we’ve been building for the last four or five weeks. The boys have been unbelievable about just getting to work and getting better every day, and we’re excited about the youth in terms of how we’re starting to transition our team.”

However, Goodwin said the Demons were far from being the finished product in terms of their resurgence.

“We’re also acutely aware that’s one win, and there’s still a lot of work to do and a lot of work to get better to be the team that we want to become,” he said.

“We’re on a stepping stone to where we want to be. We’re certainly not going to get carried away with the result. We’re just going to get back to work and keep getting better and hopefully build from here.”

Goodwin was full of praise for maligned midfielder Clayton Oliver, who played a key and “selfless” role in Brisbane’s demise.

The Dees stormed home to claim a famous win on the road. Picture: Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“We’re a team. Just because you played a certain role at one stage in your career, you need to evolve and adapt and Clayton’s been brilliant in his desire to help the team,” the Demons coach said.

“It’s real leadership. You need to be selfless to be successful. We saw Clayton starting to evolve himself back to the player we all knew.

“That’s credit to the work he’s doing, (and) the work he’s doing for the team. That’s what the game’s about … being a team.”

While Fagan is far from panicking, he admitted the Lions have a “bit of work to do” after Sunday’s loss which came a week after they were held to a 71-71 draw by North Melbourne in Hobart.

“That’s two weeks in a row now where we’ve had a lead at half-time and we’ve coughed it up,” he said.

“In the last quarter, they (Melbourne) annihilated us. On entries, on scores, you name it, they got the better of us.

“Things seemed to be going along quite well after the Gold Coast win (on May 4) but the last couple of weeks some things have popped up we need to work on.”

Fagan said fatigue wasn’t the reason for Brisbane’s final-quarter fade out.

“I don’t think we were tired, I can’t make that excuse. We’ve had seven-day breaks the last few weeks,” he said.

The Lions have officially lost the top spot on the AFL ladder. Picture: Matt Roberts/Getty Images

“It just came down to effort and hunger. We played strongly in the first three quarters, but when the whips got cracking in the last quarter, we couldn’t get the ball out of our backline.”

Fagan said the Demons’ desperation was also obvious.

“Melbourne were potentially playing for their season. They were three wins and six losses (before the match) - they had a lot to play for,” Fagan said.

The Lions’ defeat was just their second of the season, with Fagan looking forward to the “challenge” of returning Brisbane to winning ways against Hawthorn at the MCG on Saturday

“We’ve had our best start in years … coming into tonight’s game,” he said.

“In the end, the hunger wasn’t there in the last quarter, not all night. We’ll talk about that and what happened there, but I can’t say that’s been the case all year.

“From time to time it is within games, but that’s how momentum goes. That’s normal.”

The Lions again struggled in the clearance battle on Sunday, with Demons ruckman Max Gawn dominating in his battle with Darcy Fort, who was a late inclusion as a replacement for Oscar McInerney, who was “managed”.

“It’s tough for every ruckman against Max. He’s the best ever. I’ve got no doubt about that,” Fagan said of Gawn.

“That’s no disrespect to any ruckman that’s played the game, but he’s a tremendous player, and he’s a great weapon for them to have, and they used him well.”

FAST-FINISHING DEES PULL OFF ULTIMATE GABBA HEIST

Jake Melksham kicked four goals as the fast-finishing Melbourne stunned Brisbane at the Gabba on Sunday.

The Demons outscored the Lions 32-7 in the final quarter to defeat the defending premiers 14.15 (99) to 13.10 (88) to secure just their fourth victory of the season.

Having been held to a 71-71 draw by North Melbourne a week earlier in Hobart, the Lions again fell short against a team they were expected to beat to ensure there would be no celebrating the 150-game milestones of Zac Bailey and Cam Rayner.

“We’ve been fading late in games, so to come from behind like that, it’s good to be them,” Melksham told Fox Footy.

Christian Petracca had 31 possessions for the Demons, while Clayton Oliver had 23 disposals in his tussle with Lions star Lachie Neale.

While Neale ultimately finished with 30 possessions, it wasn’t enough for a Lions side that tasted defeat for only the second time this season.

In a positive for Brisbane, star half-back Keidean Coleman made an encouraging return in his first match since rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee 14 months ago.

The Dees’ season remains alive. Picture: Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images

MIGHTY MELKSHAM

Refreshed Demons forward Jake Melksham showed the benefit of being rested last week, with the veteran standing tall in his battle with Brisbane co-captain Harris Andrews.

Melksham kicked four goals, including a major after just 59 seconds, and had the better of Andrews in an intriguing tussle between the pair.

Apart from a brain fade when he gave away a 50-metre penalty in the first-quarter for not throwing the ball straight to Andrews after conceding a free-kick, Melksham did little wrong.

His moment of madness didn’t cost the Demons a goal, with Andrews failing to kick what would have been a rare goal from the star defender.

"Things are alive at the Gabba!"

Melksham has THREE! ðŸ”¥

ðŸ“º Watch #AFLLionsDees LIVE on ch.503 or stream on Kayo: https://t.co/c4GQQeomlt
âœï¸ BLOG https://t.co/m5r0LiFBWe
ðŸ”¢ MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/mXEVshR4nd pic.twitter.com/mjxNaLw2ms
— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) May 18, 2025

GAWN TOO GOOD

Darcy Fort battled hard in his tussle with the AFL’s premier ruckman Max Gawn after being a late inclusion in Brisbane’s line-up for Oscar McInerney, who was “managed”.

Fort, who recently signed a new deal with the Lions that will keep him at the club until at least the end of next season, similarly filled in for McInerney in Brisbane’s grand final win last year after the club’s first-choice ruckman was ruled out with a shoulder injury.

After an even first-quarter, Gawn got on top, with Demons dominating centre clearances.

McInerney’s late withdrawal came a few days after reports that he had received an epidural injection earlier this season and was a “week-to-week proposition” due to “ongoing soreness”.

Lions coach Chris Fagan on Saturday seemed confident McInerney would play against the Demons, but spoke of “alternating” him and Fort during the season.

“Both are in their 30s. We might need to … rest them occasionally to keep them fresh. Ruckmen get sore from time to time. They carry a heavy load,” Fagan said.