The Brisbane Lions, who achieved a second-place finish last AFL season, have taken a solid step towards improvement last Saturday. They managed to secure a spot in the Australian Football League’s grand final by defeating Geelong Cats at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in a match that ended in suspense. Their victory bore the score 14.11 (95) to the Geelong Cat’s score of 12.13 (85).
The forthcoming grand finale will witness the Lions pursuing their fourth premiership, while marking their first opportunity since 2003, against the Sydney Swans.
Unfortunately, Geelong’s loss marks the conclusion of Zach Tuohy’s AFL career, as the 34-year-old confirmed his retirement after the 2024 session. Notably, Tuohy has taken over the record from Jim Stynes, becoming the Irish-born player with the highest number of AFL appearances.
The trailing minutes of the game saw Geelong reclaim the lead. Nonetheless, the swift responses from forwards Callum Ah Chee and Cam Rayner guaranteed the Lions’ win.
Expressing their delight, Cam Rayner said, “It feels surreal. Despite being underestimated throughout the year, we are eager for a second chance to rectify last year’s errors.”
In a first quarter characterised by turnovers, six behinds were noted prior to Brisbane’s small forward Charlie Cameron notching the first opener.
However, the Cats made a comeback with forwards Oliver Henry and Gryan Miers displaying their dribbling and striking prowess. This chain of successful events led the side to a halftime lead of 19 points.
Even though the Lions lost Oscar McInerney due to a shoulder injury in the third quarter, they managed to seize the momentum with three consecutive goals. This switch in dynamics had them leading by two points by the final break and set them on a path towards consecutive grand finals.
Dayne Zorko, Lions’ half-back, out-performed others with a massive 32 disposals and 774 metres gained.
Brisbane, currently ranked fifth, stands a chance of becoming only the second team since 2000 to clinch the premiership from outside the regular season’s top-four, if they win the grand finale.