By Andrew Stafford
And so, it is done. After a false start that sent a mighty scare through Brisbane, the Lions recovered – overhauling Carlton in the second quarter, putting a gap on them in the third, and holding them out in the last to book their spot in a grand final defeating the Blues by 16 points.
Carlton’s extraordinary run deep into September is over.
That winning feeling: Brisbane are into the grand final.Credit: Getty Images
This grand final has been a long time coming for Brisbane, and not just because it’s been 19 years since their last appearance in 2004, the last gasp of Michael Voss’s champion team. For coach Chris Fagan, it’s vindication, after dragging a broken group of young men from the bottom of the ladder and into consecutive, ultimately unsuccessful finals tilts since 2019.
But this, as has been apparent for some time now, is a different, better balanced, more disciplined unit. Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale was good, but he wasn’t the driver of this victory, 11.13 (79) to 9.9 (63).
Running defender Keidean Coleman, hard-edged midfielder Josh Dunkley and ruckman Oscar McInerney all had bigger says.
Voss has now coached Carlton for two years, and the unlikeliest of finals dreams is over. But the combination of resilience and dare that the coach, his players and club have shown in recovering from 15th on the ladder after round 15 to reach the last four should be a watershed for this storied, proud, often vexatious club. Their fans, and their coach, should be proud.
A moment when the Brisbane Lions surged.Credit: Channel Seven
Voss said that his side had to absorb its disappointment, and the lessons from defeat.
“We’ll sit with the disappointment,” he said. “If you asked me this question 14 weeks ago it’s probably a completely different answer, but as the season unfolded and our form came together, we had that collective shift together.
“We can compete against the best teams in the competition, the last couple of weeks only reinforced that. We came up with a goal to get this job done, and we’ve fallen short. So, we’re extremely disappointed.”
All week, Voss has batted away questions all week about facing off against the club he led to three premierships as captain, and took over as coach at the end of 2008, before being sacked five years later.
A dejected Nic Newman with coach Michael Voss after Carlton’s preliminary final loss to the Brisbane Lions.Credit: Getty Images
“I think what’s really important, we’re having all these great experiences together, we’ve had all these great moments where we’ve learned a lot about ourselves. I’ve talked a lot about adapting and overcoming, and we’ve certainly done that as a football club.
“To see how that’s transpired across the year has been incredibly impressive to watch. It’s why I’m loath to share my story, because I think our story is well and truly enough.
“But no matter what story I tell and no matter what experience I share, feeling the hurt and feeling like your close, feeling like you’ve got an opportunity and having that ripped away from you – there’s no better experience than that.
“What I hope that turns into is that we’re a hungry football club, and a hungry football team. We want to figure at this end of the season more often, to give ourselves that chance.”
Early on, Carlton looked more switched on and more desperate. When Lion Jarrod Berry was pinged for running too far in the opening minute, Matthew Cottrell found himself running into an open goal at the other end in the blink of an eye – Sam Walsh, the Blues’ best player again, winning the vital stoppage on the wing.
The Blues quickly established dominance in the air, Tom De Koning, Mitch McGovern and Harry McKay all taking important marks. McKay’s gave him a shot of much-needed confidence; when he won a free kick in the 10th minute, he curled in the set-shot snap from 35 metres without a blink. Blues fans – and they were the equal of the Lions’ – went berserk.
The upset was on. Eric Hipwood was mown down in a tackle, Brandon Starcevich gave away 50 metres, and Jack Martin had the Blues three goals up. They were more desperate, more physical, and for 10 minutes, the Lions went to water. A huge Charlie Curnow pack mark from a clean centre clearance had the scoreline 30–1 Carlton’s way.
It took a late goal to Hipwood to give the Lions a pulse. They started to win some one-on-one balls, and found their run: Coleman, Dayne Zorko and Conor McKenna all began to pierce the corridor, and Carlton’s wall. Cameron Rayner gave them an extra physical presence at the stoppages, and soon the turnovers started to come their way.
Of course, there was Joe Daniher. Just as Harris Andrews helped steady the ship in defence for Brisbane, Daniher’s leadership and influence was equal, whether relieving in the ruck or in attack. His second goal – the last in a Lions flurry equal to the Blues’ burst – saw the home side up by a point late in the first half.
The Blues went without a goal in the third quarter. After such an explosive start, now they finally looked like they had lead in their shoes, having been playing in the equivalent of elimination finals since June. Patrick Cripps – blanketed again by Dunkley – gave away 50 metres at the first bounce of the third quarter, and a second goal to McInerney.
The Blues could scarcely afford that. The Lions didn’t quite put them away in the third quarter, but they had survived the early scare, and players that had looked anxious, like Hipwood, were now assertive. Charlie Cameron had been controlled by Adam Saad, until he wasn’t. Country Roads rang out around the ground.
A 20-point lead was always going to be next to impossible for the exhausted Blues to run down. Lincoln McCarthy – another who had important moments throughout – made it 28, and the match was done, bar a couple of last flutters. Next week – 20 years since they last faced off – it will be the Brisbane Lions versus Collingwood again.
Joe Daniher was again a key player for the Brisbane Lions.Credit: AFL Photos
For Lions coach Chris Fagan, the biggest relief was his side’s ability to extract itself after the Blues’ explosive opening.
“It was looking a little bit dicey at quarter time,” he said. “But after that, we found our legs, played some great finals footy and played with a lot of character.
“It’s been building up. We were better last year in finals; in the end we just got knocked out by a champion team. But we learned a lot.
“We’ve never shied away from our lessons internally. I know I stick up for our blokes like a madman sometimes, but internally, we’ve always dealt with our issues and weaknesses.”
Fagan praised Dunkley, who has made an enormous difference to the Lions’ defensive running and pressure since being recruited from the Western Bulldogs. “What a fantastic job he did tonight on Cripps, who’s a champion player.”
He said Jack Payne, battling an ankle injury, would be given every chance to prove his fitness. That will leave the Lions with a difficult selection decision, as Darcy Gardiner returned and mostly won his battle against Curnow.
BRISBANE LIONS 1.2 6.6 9.9 11.13 (79)
CARLTON 5.1 6.3 6.7 9.9 (63)
Goals – Brisbane Lions: Daniher 2 McInerney 2 McCarthy 2 Hipwood McKenna Lester Cameron Ah Chee. Carlton:Cripps 2 McKay 2 Cottrell Martin Docherty Curnow.
Best – Brisbane Lions: Coleman Dunkley McInerney McCluggage McCarthy Andrews. Carlton: Walsh Weitering Docherty Saad McGovern Newman.
Injuries – Brisbane Lions: TBC. Carlton: TBC.
Umpires: Foot, Stevic, Findlay, Gianfagna
Crowd: 36,012 at the Gabba.
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