Brisbane defender Jack Payne ready for grand final after injury heartbreak of last season

Another untimely injury wasn’t going to stop Lions defender Jack Payne missing the AFL grand final for the second consecutive year.

Having had his dream of playing in a grand final ruined by injury last year, Brisbane Lions defender Jack Payne was determined the same thing wasn’t going to happen again this season.
Payne made 23 appearances for the Lions in their 2023 campaign but injured his ankle on the first weekend of the finals series.

Despite doing his best to convince Brisbane coach Chris Fagan that he would be fit for the grand final, Payne wasn’t recalled for the decider and could only watch on from the stands as the Lions suffered the agony of a four-point loss in the decider to Collingwood.

You couldn’t help but feel a sense of deja vu when Payne suffered another injury, this time to his knee in week one of this year’s finals series.

Making it worse was that it came in the game – an elimination final win over Carlton – in which he was making his return from a foot injury.

However, much to Payne’s relief, the knee problem wasn’t as serious as first feared and he wasn’t forced out the team despite the strongman perhaps not being 100 per cent fit.

“Last year was pretty disappointing missing out due to injury,” Payne said on Wednesday before the Lions left Brisbane for Melbourne ahead of Saturday’s grand final against Sydney at the MCG.

“It was definitely tough. To play the whole year and then get injured at the pointy end of the season and miss out on the prelim and the grand final was obviously really flattening and disappointing for myself.

“Unfortunately, I’ve had some injuries in my time that haven’t been ideal, but the club’s got a great medical team around me, so they’ve been a massive support, and my body’s feeling good now.

“I just can’t wait to get out there and play on Saturday.”

Jack Payne (centre) celebrates with his Brisbane teammates after the Lions’ preliminary final win over Geelong. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Payne’s effort to secure a holding-the-ball free kick for his last-gasp tackle on Geelong’s Mitch Duncan in the dying stages of last Saturday’s preliminary was crucial to Brisbane’s thrilling 10-point win.

“I just felt like it had to be done. I’m a big believer in playing until the last second and that fight-to-win attitude,” he said.

“We stood up when the time was there.”

Payne spared a thought for injured teammate Oscar McInerney, who has been ruled out of the grand final with a shoulder injury and replaced by ruckman Darcy Fort.

“I was in that position (of missing the decider) last year, so I know exactly how he’s feeling, but ‘O’ is such a selfless and caring person, you wouldn’t even know he’s injured,” Payne said.

“He’s had a great, positive mindset throughout the week. He’s such a selfless player.

“He coming down (to Melbourne) with us and we can’t wait to have him around the group for the next few days.”

Payne also paid tribute to Lions mentor Chris Fagan, who was on Monday night named the AFL Coaches’ Association senior coach of the year after helping Brisbane rescue its 2024 campaign following a poor start to the season.

“He’s been massive, ‘Fages’. For the last eight years he’s been at the club, he’s a real father figure for us,” Payne said.

“To see him rewarded with that (award) was very exciting. He’s a great coach and a great leader of the club, and on Saturday we want to play for him and reward him with the ultimate experience of lifting that (premiership) cup.”