Lions vs Demons AFL game suspended after Gabba power outage in bizarre scenes

The AFL blockbuster between Melbourne and Brisbane was suspended on Friday night in rare and bizarre scenes at The Gabba.

The Gabba power outage wreaked havoc.

Friday night’s Round 2 AFL game between Melbourne and Brisbane was suspended when the lights went out at The Gabba in bizarre scenes.

Brisbane dominated the game from the early stages and led comfortably by 40 points midway through the fourth quarter when the floodlights suddenly turned off.

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With the field in pitch black, the game stopped as players and fans looked on in amusement.

A globe in one of the floodlights was flickering with a flame, suggesting it had exploded and triggered the power outage in a loud bang.

The umpires conferred with AFL officials before the players soon left the field and went to their respective change rooms.

“The Gabba is investigating a technical issue that is impacting the venue’s power,” a message on the stadium’s big screen read.

WATCH THE BIZARRE SCENES IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE

Players wait on field as power goes out during the round two AFL match between Brisbane Lions and Melbourne Demons at The Gabba. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Lights out at The Gabba. (Photo by Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The power outage was the last thing the Demons would have wanted. (Photo by Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The floodlights began to slowly turn back on and the players returned to the field to complete an eight-minute warm-up and play out the remaining 12 minutes of the game.

The lights went out at around 10.20pm AEDT. The game eventually resumed at 10.58pm AEDT.

The lengthy pause proved to be a serious momentum shifter.

Once play resumed, the Demons figuratively turned it on — kicking five goals in the last 12 minutes of the game.

The Lions eventually held on for a 14.9 (93) to 13.4 (82) victory, but they lost 13 for-and-against percentage points in the last quarter.

The last quarter went for 69 minutes — the longest term in V/AFL history.

For context, that’s eight minutes longer than the hour-long quarter in which Buddy Franklin kicked his 100th goal last year.

Longest V/AFL quarters in the 21st century…

69:54 - Q4 R2 2023 BRISBANE V MELBOURNE
61:35 - Q4 R2 2022 Sydney v Geelong
59:28 - Q4 R21 2021 West Coast v Melbourne
40:29 - Q2 R5 2001 Western Bulldogs v Hawthorn
40:11 - Q4 R23 2021 Brisbane v West Coast#AFLLionsDeeshttps://t.co/4aMqEoA3ZD

— Oliver Gigacz (@OliverGigacz) March 24, 2023

Under AFL rules, there can be a maximum 60-minute delay before the game is resumed.

If that window elapsed, the score would remain and the Lions would be awarded the victory and the four premiership points.

Has someone tried turning the Gabba on and off?

— Daniel Cherny (@DanielCherny) March 24, 2023

Better now than during the Olympic opening ceremony #AFLLionsDees#Brisbane2032

— Tim Yeatman (@TimYeatman) March 24, 2023

Unique to the Gabba, the base power is required to power the light towers… BBL match power outage in 2019, day four of Ashes Test in 2021 and now tonight.

How many more incidents before it stops becoming a freak occurrence? Ground upgrade can’t start soon enough #AFLLionsDees

— Corbin Middlemas (@CorbinMiddlemas) March 24, 2023

The farcical scenes sent AFL fans into hysterics and evoked memories of a similar circumstance when the floodlights went out in the 1996 match between St Kilda and Essendon at Waverley Park.

A Big Bash League cricket game in 2019 was abandoned at The Gabba after the lights went off due to a Brisbane power failure.

It’s far from an ideal situation for The Gabba and Brisbane, with the stadium set to host the 2032 Olympic Games following a redevelopment of the venue.

The Gabba reportedly doesn’t have a back-up power supply.

Earlier in the game, Melbourne captain Max Gawn appeared to suffer a serious knee injury and was substituted out of the game in heartbreaking scenes.