AFL Grand Final 2024 Sydney v Brisbane: Mark Robinson on Chris Fagan’s premiership Lions

The masterful performance from Chris Fagan’s Lions was forged over several long winters, writes MARK ROBINSON. And its effect on the Swans might last much longer than that.

• Inside the 204-day ‘dance’ to glory
• Shattered Heeney’s injury pain

This was Brisbane’s version of welcome to the jungle. It was 20 minutes of mayhem in the second quarter that delivered the Lions the 2024 premiership and, in doing so, elevated coach Chris Fagan from popular elder statesman to 150-year record-breaker.

Age is never a barrier to greatness and at age 63, Fagan masterminded Brisbane’s most complete performance of the season. It came on a glorious, sun-drenched day in 2024, but this masterful performance was forged over several long winters, with patience, trust and care and the cornerstones of Fagan’s coaching since 2017.

In the end, the prospects of a close Grand Final were snuffed out after quarter-time. At that point, the Lions led by eight points. At halftime, the margin was 46 points.

To great acclaim, Katy Perry sang Firework pre-match and the beleaguered Swans were weighed down by some of the lyrics through the second quarter.

Do you ever feel already buried deep?

Six feet under screams, but no one seems to hear a thing?

Rather, the only music left reverberating around the MCG on Saturday was the French-based, Fitzroy-born and Brisbane-adopted club theme song.

Lachie Neale and Dayne Zorko in the crowd after the win. Picture: Jason Edwards

Coach Chris Fagan with Hugh McCluggage and Jarrod Berry. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos

It was an insane result – the final margin was 60 points. In 2022, the Swans were beaten by Geelong by 81 points, but this was much, much worse. Back then, they were a team on the rise. This year, they were the favourites after a sparkling first two finals.

Yet, when the game was up for grabs – when character and performance was under the fiercest spotlight – the Swans disappeared. That’s twice in three years. Once is unlucky, twice is unforgettable and unforgiving.

While the Swans were clunky, the Lions were classy. And professionally brutal.

They should’ve led by more at quarter-time, and even though they were up by six goals at halftime, the margin should’ve been greater.

The 20 minutes of mayhem was scarring.

From when Robbie Fox kicked a goal at the seventh minute until Hayden McLean’s behind at the 27th minute, the Lions munched on their opposition.

The numbers tell the story: Possessions 55-26. Contested possessions 17-8. Inside 50s 13-3. Clearances 7-2. Pressure rating 207-151. Scores 34-7.

The main possession-winners through that stretch were Will Ashcroft (six), Jarrod Berry and Lohmann (four). For Sydney, Will Hayward, Luke Parker, Ollie Florent, James Jordon and Dane Rampe didn’t touch it, while Justin McInerney, Errol Gulden and Chad Warner had one touch each.

Some of them played forward, so they had excuses. The ones who played midfield don’t get the same luxury. Gulden, Warner and Florent finished as the team’s best ball-accumulators, but where were they when the Brisbane forces marched through the middle as one in the second quarter?

Chad Warner is taken down by Cam Rayner. Picture: Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos

This could leave more scars for the Swans. Picture: Robert Cianflone/AFL Photos

Sydney’s tall forwards, so effective in the preliminary final, were unsighted. Logan McDonald had one kick and was subbed off, and Amartey and McLean just seven touches They didn’t kick a goal.

Perhaps the most significant stat was marks inside-50. Brisbane took 22 and Sydney nine. At one point, it was 9-1. For more context, the 22 marks was the second-most ever in a grand final inside 50m.

For Brisbane, it was a case of the old, the new and the retired (potentially).

The old was Fagan, of course, who at 63 became the oldest coach in football history, which dates back to the 1870s, to coach a premiership.

At the siren, the Godfather of Brisbane, Leigh Matthews, embraced Fagan near the interchange, which was more than professional congratulations.

The two of them are dear friends. With chief executive Greg Swann, and their wives, they tend to go out for dinner every week. Asked once what was discussed, Matthews said he didn’t know what the women spoke about because they sat at one end of the table and the blokes at the other end. And the blokes’ topic was mostly always football.

Clearly, Fagan is now the toast of Brisbane and, it must be said, the toast of the Apple Isle.

The new is Will Ashcroft and Kai Lohmann, who is the modern-day version of the milky bar kid. He kicked four goals, including three in the first half, and tormented the Swans’ defence.

Ashcroft has 30 touches in his first Grand Final and at age 20, a special career beckons. He won the Norm Smith medal, just pipping Lachie Neale. Either of them could’ve won it, maybe even Callum Ah Chee.

Neale, who is not yet 32, had 34 touches and nine clearances.

The retired (potentially) is Joe Daniher. He kicked 2.4, took eight marks and had a game-high 12 score involvements. The roar for him at the medal presentation was as loud as any of them. If he does retire, he‘ll leave the game with tremendous respect. He can muck-up with the best of them, but there’s no denying he is a big-time finals player.

The Lions celebrate in the rooms. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

So much went right for the Lions. Ah Chee had a stonker of a finals series, the same with Zorko, and the same with Jarrad Berry. The torment of last year is surely erased.

Earlier, the Lions and Swans fluffed first-quarter opportunities as the match-ups went accordingly: Neale-Rowbottom, Heeney-Dunkley, Cunningham-Cameron, McCartin-Daniher, Fort-Grundy, Starcevich-Papley, Parker-Andrews, while James Jordon went from Zorko to Hugh McCluggage the second quarter.

Lohmann’s main’s match-up was Florent and Fox.

Isaac Heeney, like most of his teammates, had an afternoon to forget. Just 14 touches and quelled early by Josh Dunkley, he limped from the ground late with a leg injury.

Katy Perry, mind you, left the ground after an unforgettable performance.

Like Brisbane, she started slowly and brought it home superbly. So much so, if you were doing a draft on grand final entertainers, she’d probably make the podium.

For crowd involvement, Robbie Williams would be No.1, Lionel Richie No.2 and Perry No.3.

Originally published as AFL Grand Final 2024 Sydney v Brisbane: Mark Robinson on Chris Fagan’s premiership Lions