Always punching above its weight, could Lions and Broncos give Brisbane simultaneous premiers for the first time?
In a spellbinding tale of one city and two powerhouse Brisbane clubs, it was like the Lions and Broncos had morphed into identical, euphoric, unstoppable twins playing fast, fantastic, fearless football.
Must be something in the air, or the water, or the cans of XXXX, or the blazing Queensland sunshine, or the mixed grills at the Breakfast Creek Hotel, or Chris Fagan’s favourite Nelson Mandela quote, or all the above, because Brisbane’s become the irrepressible king of Australia’s winter codes.
In this spellbinding tale of one city and two powerhouse clubs, the Lions’ AFL grand final triumph on the weekend was followed by the Broncos’ miracle victory in the NRL preliminary final that lifted the roof off Suncorp Stadium and sent the franchise into Sunday night’s decider against Melbourne. It was like the sister clubs had morphed into identical, euphoric, unstoppable twins, playing the same brands of fast, fantastic, fearless football.
Lions coach Fagan’s self-proclaimed “total idiot or total genius” gamble on using Lachie Neale off the bench proved a total masterstroke in the wall-shaking 47-point victory over Geelong.
Here was a triumph so totally rousing that Neale’s tattoos might have jumped for joy while Charlie Cameron’s handlebar moustache did cartwheels across the MCG.
“Bloody hell,” Neale said of the 18.14.122 to 11.9.75 win. “Pretty special.”
Then on Sunday, bloody special Sunday, Broncos fullback Reece Walsh – total genius! – ignited an irrepressible 16-14 win from a 14-0 halftime deficit in one of league’s greatest finals. The tension was so thick the dying stages were unwatchable yet unmissable. Walsh set up the match-levelling try before Adam Reynolds landed the match-winning conversion with only three minutes on the clock.
“Belief,” Reynolds said. “You have to make sure you believe. Once the kick was off the boot, it felt nice. I love this time of the year. The belief is amazing.”
Now the Lions and Broncos can become simultaneous premiers for the first time. Who’d begrudge it? Brisbane’s a totally great sporting city, always totally punching above its weight, while its totally bonkers supporters wear their hearts on the sleeves, and their chips on their shoulders, and flip the bird at Melbourne and Sydney’s supposed sporting superiority. More power to ’em all.
Queensland has produced a stack of Australia’s greatest footy players, cricketers, golfers, tennis players and Olympians, and if Victoria and NSW persist in viewing themselves too haughtily – they might like to look at recent scoreboards. And trophy cabinets.
You win some, you lose some in sport … but Brisbane might take the lot.
Fagan admitted to feeling “like a bit of a dickhead” when he asked the revered Neale to play off the bench in his return from a calf injury. It was 36-all when Neale trotted onto the MCG. It wasn’t even close when the fulltime siren sounded. Neale’s palpably inspiring impact included a long-range goal in which time itself seemed to be standing still to salute and applaud.
And then on Sunday, bloody special Sunday, the Broncos looked doomed at halftime before throwing their heart, soul, spirit, blood, spit, guts, kitchen sink and all the utensils at the second half while 52,491 locals hollered their support. They finished as strongly as the Lions the day before.
Again, as though these two proud clubs, for attitude, were one and the same.
In the big picture, Brisbane will host a totally crackerjack 2032 Olympics. Rough around the edges, one suspects, but full of effort, fervour and the sort of indomitable spirit displayed by the Broncos and Fagan’s Lions, whom he motivated by plonking a famous quote from Mandela up on the walls. The one about everything in sport, and life, being a triumph or lesson.
“We never lose,” Fagan said. “We either win or we learn. That’s the attitude we’ve tried to take. Everybody’s embraced that at the footy club.”
Perhaps two footy clubs. Whether it’s the air, or the water, or the cans of XXXX, or the blazing Queensland sunshine, or the mixed grills at the Breakfast Creek Hotel, or Fagan’s favourite Mandela quote, or all the above, Brisbane is going off, celebrating one grand final while preparing for another.
The Lions and Broncos were totally entertaining, totally triumphant, totally similar on the weekend. Fagan’s not the only total genius.
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