AFL grand final as it happened: Party time in old Fitzroy after Brisbane’s redemption flag

That’s all we have for you tonight after Brisbane’s brilliant grand final win over Sydney.

Thanks so much for joining us tonight and throughout our game blogs this season but we are not finished for 2024 as we plan to have a celebrations blog tomorrow so please join us then.

We will also have more AFLW coverage and, of course, coverage of AFL trade period and the draft in the weeks and months to come.

Today’s blog is the product of scores of people so thank you to all our reporters, editors, photographers, producers, sub-editors and social media producers who played their part either from the MCG, the office or popular viewing locations in Melbourne and Sydney.

Please have a lovely evening and check back with us for more post grand final coverage and trade news.

Bye for now.

Here are some of our best pictures of the Lions celebrating their premiership win.

Lachie Neale and Dayne Zorko celebrate with the premiership cup.Credit: Eddie Jim

Brisbane’s Eric Hipwood, Kai Lohmann and Callum Ah Chee embrace during the AFL grand final.Credit: Eddie Jim

Lions players pile onto each other as they celebrate their AFL premiership victory.Credit: Eddie Jim

See all the great images from the team at The Age and other outlets. PHOTOS

The MCG morning ahead of the AFL grand final between Sydney and Brisbane Lions.Credit: AAP

Chris Fagan celebrates with his victorious Lions.Credit: AFL Photos

Chris Fagan says the crisis his team found themselves in earlier this season actually emboldened his squad and helped them to a breakthrough premiership over a lacklustre Sydney on Saturday.

After being hit by poor form and a series of injuries, the Lions dropped their opening three games of the season and had fallen to 13th place at the mid-point of the campaign. They had lost Lincoln McCarthy, Darcy Gardiner, Keidan Coleman and Tom Doedee to ACL injuries.

Chris Fagan celebrates with his victorious Lions.Credit: AFL Photos

The Lions then went on to win 14 of their last 16 games, including the grand final.

“I was hoping we might recover well enough to maybe finish somewhere in the bottom of the eight and play a final. So, we did do a little bit better than I thought was possible,” the 63-year-old Brisbane coach said amid the glow of a premiership on Saturday night.

“The interesting thing is, crisis creates opportunity, and as terrible it is for those boys to have the ACLs, and they are all wonderful club men and popular boys, it opened the door for a lot of young players to get some opportunity. What we found out is those young players ... they produced, and they have done so since the moment they got into the team.”

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Dual All-Australian wingman Errol Gulden denied any suggestion of Swanny-wobble scars now cursing the club after falling short at the big dance for the fourth time in 11 years.

“No, I don’t think so,” Gulden said.

“That [defeat to Geelong in the 2022 decider] was a couple of years ago, we’ve got a different team now.

Swans star Errol Gulden covers his face after the final siren.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images

“Obviously, that will be the story now, no doubt.

“I don’t think there is, but you guys can write what you want.

“That’s sport at the end of the day – that’s why we love it. That’s why the highs are so good and the lows are pretty shit.

“Everything we experience, all the emotions we feel, we’re going to feel together.

“It sucks a fair bit.”

Hugh McCluggage talks about the Lions’ victory in a post-match chat with Channel Seven.

What was the message at half-time? Did you have to try and keep it cool?

It’s hard. You want to keep playing boldly, and that’s what we tried to do. But it creeps into your mind that you are [almost] 50 points up in a grand final. You’ve got to make sure you don’t take the foot off the pedal, and I don’t think we did. In the third quarter, we didn’t score straight away, but we came out, and our pressure was good, and we were able to lock it in our front half and put a dagger in their hearts.

Hugh McCluggage (left) and Logan Morris embrace at the MCG.Credit: Getty Images

Was there any part of the plan that didn’t work today?

Probably not. If you look at what we try and do, we try and get uncontested marks, we try and break even or win the clearance-and-territory battle, and we wanted to stop their dangerous players and I think we were able to do all of that. There’s plenty of hard work that has gone into it. Not just the players, but all the staff. When I first got to the club, we were a five-win team, and now we are here.

Give us an insight into Chris Fagan?

It’s relationships first for Fages. There’s been times when I have been going through a bit personally, and he’ll have me over for dinner. That just shows you what a great man he is first and foremost, and then on the footy side of things, he’s a great delegator. He uses his assistant coaches really well, he has trust in everyone, he inspires the group, and he is just a great leader. There’s a bit of Ted Lasso about him, I reckon. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, but when it is time to go, you know you have got to play for him.

Swans coach John Longmire has dismissed questions about his recent struggles in AFL grand finals and praised his club for making it to this year’s grand final.

The Swans boss said he was disappointed but refused to be drawn on his 1-4 record in grand finals.

Swans coach John Longmire after the game.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images

“It’s not about me, it’s about the footy club,” Longmire said when asked about his record.

“It’s a hard thing to do. You would rather get in the ring and have a swing that be standing outside looking in.”

Longmire also praised the Lions and coach Chris Fagan for their win.

When asked about whether his side got enough from its leaders, he said everyone had to lift.

“We need more from everybody, we needed more across the board,and we didn’t get it,” Longmire said.

Isaac Heeney has revealed he was carrying a stress fracture in his ankle throughout Sydney’s AFL finals campaign, and it flared up on Saturday at the worst possible moment.

Compounding the failed punt taken by coach John Longmire on Logan McDonald’s injured ankle, the Swans had to deal with the prospect of one of their prime movers being hobbled as they were blown away by the Brisbane Lions in their 60-point grand final hammering.

Isaac Heeney on the interchange bench.Credit: Getty Images

The injury occurred before Sydney’s qualifying final win over the Giants, Heeney said, and while it clearly didn’t limit his output then, or in their preliminary final victory over Port Adelaide, it does explain why the 28-year-old was so far below his best at the MCG.

Heeney had only 14 disposals and kicked one goal but was spotted in long discussions with staff on Sydney’s bench during the match and was brought off in the last quarter, holding his head in his hands after being told his afternoon was over.

“I’ve had a stress fracture in my ankle for the whole final series, so I’ve had to manage that,” Heeney said.

“After the Port game, I was pretty sore, so I had to get through the week. I felt good going into the game, and then I hurt it when I got run down and tackled, I think it was late in the first [quarter]. Obviously couldn’t get through, and in the end it was too far of a deficit. I wasn’t moving well, and they [the coaches and medical staff] just said, ‘You’re done.’

“That’s frustrating in itself because we had Loges go out too, and a few of the boys were pretty sore.”

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