Brisbane Lions

Brisbane Lions
Names
Full name	Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club Limited, trading as Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club[1]
Nickname(s)	Lions, Brissie, The Roys
2021 season
After finals	5th
Home-and-away season	4th
Leading goalkicker	Charlie Cameron (47)
Club details
Founded	1996
Colours	Maroon   Blue   Gold
Competition	AFL: Senior men AFLW: Senior women VFL: Reserves men
Chairman	Andrew Wellington[2]
CEO	Greg Swann
Coach	AFL: Chris Fagan AFLW: Craig Starcevich VFL: TBC
Captain(s)	AFL: Dayne Zorko AFLW: Emma Zielke VFL: TBC
Premierships	AFL (3) 2001 2002 2003 AFLW (1) 2021 Reserves (5) 2001 2012 2013 2017 2019
Ground(s)	AFL: The Gabba (42,000) AFLW: Hickey Park (5,000) VFL: SP Sports Complex (3,000)
Training ground(s)	The Gabba (1997–present)
Uniforms
Home Away Clash
Other information
Official website	lions.com.au
Current season

The Brisbane Lions is a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL).

The club was formed in late 1996 via a merger of the Fitzroy Football Club's football operations and the Brisbane Bears.^[3] The club's colours of maroon, gold and blue are drawn from both entities. The Lions were the most successful AFL club of the 2000s, appearing in four consecutive Grand Finals from 2001 to 2004 and winning three premierships (2001, 2002, 2003). They play home matches at the Gabba and have their offices and indoor training facilities located within the stadium.

The Lions also field teams in two other competitions. They were a foundation team in the AFL Women's competition in 2017 and have featured in three grand finals in that time, winning the premiership in 2021 and finishing runners-up on the other occasions. They have also fielded a reserve men's team in several leagues over the years, and as of 2021 the reserves team competes in the Victorian Football League.

History[]

Pre-Merger[]

The Fitzroy Football Club started in 1883 and won a total of eight VFL premierships, of which seven (1898, 1899, 1904, 1905, 1913, 1916 and 1922) were won whilst they were nicknamed the Maroons and one (1944) as the Gorillas. The club also boasted 6 brownlow medal winners who were Haydn Bunton Sr., Wilfred Smallhorn, Dinny Ryan, Allan Ruthven, Kevin Murray, and Bernie Quinlan. The decision of the club to change its nickname to the Lions in 1957 coincided with what history now records as the beginning of decades of poor on-field performance and financial losses. By the start of the 1996 season, they were almost at the end of their financial tether. With no home ground, back to back wooden spoons, and their future under a cloud, Fitzroy started exploring merger options.

The Brisbane Bears were born in 1987 and initially played home matches at Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast. The Bears experimented with playing matches at the Gabba in Brisbane in 1991, before moving all home matches to the venue ahead of the 1993 season. On the field the club enjoyed limited success, only qualifying for the finals series in 1995 and 1996, following years of lower-ranked placings and two wooden spoons in 1990 and 1991. The closest the club came to a Grand Final was in 1996, its last year in the competition, when it lost to North Melbourne by 38 points in the preliminary final. On extremely shaky financial ground, the Bears struggled to generate many revenue opportunities in their ten year existence.

Fitzroy's directors had agreed in principle to merge with the 1996 premiers, North Melbourne, as the "North-Fitzroy Kangaroos". However, that proposal was rejected 15–1 by the AFL Commission, reportedly out of concern that an all-Victorian merge would be too powerful. Instead, Fitzroy was placed into administration, and its administrator accepted an offer to merge its football operations with Brisbane.

The merged team would be based in Brisbane, and Bears coach John Northey would become coach of the merged club. However, it adopted a logo, song, and guernsey based on those of Fitzroy, would take eight Fitzroy players in the draft, three Fitzroy representatives would serve on the board, and the Lions would keep an office in Melbourne.

The Brisbane Lions were officially launched on 1 November 1996, joining the national competition in 1997.

Beginnings: 1997–2000[]

First win (Round 2, 1997)	G	B	Total
Brisbane Lions	23	16	154
St Kilda	7	15	57
Venue: The Gabba	Crowd: 17,123

First game (Round 1, 1997)	G	B	Total
Adelaide	20	12	132
Brisbane Lions	14	17	96
Venue: Football Park	Crowd: 36,602

In their debut year as a combined club the Lions narrowly made the finals, finishing in eight position. They ended up with the same win-loss record as fellow 1997 newcomers Port Adelaide, who missed out due to having an inferior percentage.^[4] Their first win was an emphatic 97 point thrashing of eventual grand finalists St Kilda in round 2. The Lions met St Kilda again in the qualifying final, going down by 46 points after leading the Saints at half-time. The Brisbane Lions in 1997 remain the only new team in VFL/AFL history to have made the finals in their first season.

1998 AFL Home & Away Season	W	L	D	Total	%
Brisbane Lions	5	16	1	22	75.8
	Wooden Spooners

Despite a talented playing list, the disruption of the merger and injuries to key players Michael Voss and Brad Boyd took their toll. The Lions would go onto finish in last position at the end of the 1998 season. Accordingly, Northey was sacked as coach with eight rounds remaining in the season. During the off-season the club hired Leigh Matthews, who in 1990 had delivered Collingwood its first premiership since 1958.

Matthews, who was voted "Player of the Century" in 2000, played his entire career with Hawthorn and brought many of the Hawthorn disciplines to the Lions. Importantly he forced the Lions to embrace and acknowledge their Fitzroy heritage with murals and records being erected at the Gabba, and past players names being placed on lockers.^[5] Within a season the Lions rose from the bottom of the ladder to fourth, before losing to the eventual premiers, the Kangaroos, in the 1999 preliminary final. The Lions played finals again in 2000, but would bow out in the second week after losing to Carlton by 82 points.

Triple premiership success: 2001–2004[]

2001 Ansett Australia Cup Grand Final	G	B	Total
Port Adelaide	17	9	111
Brisbane Lions	3	8	26
Venue: Football Park	Crowd: 35,304

After an inconsistent start to the 2001 season, the Lions took on the reigning premiers Essendon in round 10. Brisbane finished as 28-point victors and head coach Leigh Matthews famously used the Predator quote, "if it bleeds, we can kill it", to inspire his team for the game.^[6] The Lions would then win 16 games straight, finishing the year undefeated, and booking their place in the 2001 AFL Grand Final to play Essendon.

Going in as underdogs, Brisbane started the game well, scoring the first goal of the match from a free kick awarded to Alastair Lynch for holding against Dustin Fletcher. Essendon fought back late in the first quarter then took control of the game in the second term. The Lions poor kicking for goal almost put them out of the game in the second quarter as Essendon blew their lead out to 20 points late in the term.

2001 AFL Grand Final	G	B	Total
Brisbane Lions	15	18	108
Essendon	12	10	82
Venue: MCG	Crowd: 91,482

However, The Lions managed to overrun Essendon in the third term kicking six goals to one and turning a 14-point deficit into a 16-point lead. Brisbane's pace in the midfield and the tiring legs of most of the Essendon players played a pivotal role in them taking full control of the game in the second half. The Lions won their first premiership as a merged club comfortably, with a final score of 15.18 (108) to 12.10 (82).

The win was topped off with Lions utility player Shaun Hart winning the Norm Smith Medal as best on ground in the Grand Final.^[7]: 521

2002 AFL Grand Final	G	B	Total
Brisbane Lions	10	15	75
Collingwood	9	12	66
Venue: MCG	Crowd: 91,817

In 2002, the Lions won back-to-back premierships when they defeated Collingwood 9.12 (66) to 10.15 (75) in the 2002 AFL Grand Final in cold and wet conditions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Early in the contest, the Lions lost both ruckman Beau McDonald and utility player Martin Pike to injury and had to complete the match with a limited bench.

In 2003, the Lions won their 3rd premiership in a row. With a number of players under an injury cloud – and having lost to Collingwood in a qualifying final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground three weeks previously – the Lions went into the game as underdogs. However, they sealed their place in history as an AFL dynasty by thrashing the Magpies in cool but sunny conditions. At one stage in the final quarter, the Lions led by almost 80 points before relaxing when the match was well and truly won, allowing Collingwood to score the last four goals. The final score of 20.14 (134) to 12.12 (84)^[7]: 860 saw the club become only the fourth in VFL/AFL history to win three consecutive premierships and the first since the creation of the AFL. Simon Black claimed the Norm Smith Medal with a dominant 39 possession match, the most possessions ever gathered by a player in a grand final.^[8]

2003 AFL Grand Final	G	B	Total
Brisbane Lions	20	14	134
Collingwood	12	12	84
Venue: MCG	Crowd: 79,451

During their premiership years, the club took the premiership cups to the Brunswick Street Oval in Fitzroy, the original home of the Fitzroy Football Club. It was an important way of connecting with Melbourne-based Lions fans, many of whom had previously supported Fitzroy, and of winning over disaffected Fitzroy fans who had not started supporting the Brisbane Lions post-merger by honouring the history of the club. ^{[9] [10]}

2004 AFL Grand Final	G	B	Total
Port Adelaide	17	11	113
Brisbane Lions	10	13	73
Venue: MCG	Crowd: 77,671

The 2004 season saw Brisbane remain in the top portion of the ladder for most of the season. Reaching the finals in second position, Brisbane controversially had to travel to Melbourne to play against Geelong in the preliminary final, due to a contract between the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and the Australian Football League (AFL) that required one preliminary final to be played each year at the MCG.^[11] Port Adelaide had finished on top of the ladder and hosted the other preliminary final in Adelaide. Former player Jason Akermanis has since claimed that coach Leigh Matthews was furious over the preliminary final location decision, and that he believed it was a deliberate attempt by the AFL to hinder their chances at another premiership.^[12] Despite this setback, Brisbane beat Geelong and reached the AFL Grand Final for the fourth consecutive year. Their opponents, Port Adelaide, playing in their first grand final, were too good on the day and recorded a 40-point win.^[13] The grand final is partly remembered for a wild punch-up between Port Adelaide's Darryl Wakelin and Alastair Lynch, who was playing in his final ever game, and therefore immune from being suspended.^[14]

Rebuild & Michael Voss: 2005–2013[]

The 2005 season saw the end of domination by the Lions. At the finish of the home and away season they were not placed in the final eight, finishing 11th.

The Lions began the 2006 season optimistically, but injuries again plagued the club, whose players recorded an AFL record total of 200 matches lost to injury for the season.

2007 NAB Cup Grand Final	SG	G	B	Total
Carlton	2	12	7	97
Brisbane Lions	0	10	12	72
Venue: Telstra Dome	Crowd: 46,094

The Brisbane Lions started the 2007 season promisingly, finishing runner up in the 2007 NAB Cup. However, the Lions would fail to make the finals for a third successive year. Despite this, the Lions made history by becoming the first team in the history of the AFL to have five co-captains.

The team struggled during the 2008 season and missed out on the finals with a 10–12 record, losing 3 games despite having at least 5 more scoring shots in each of those games. Following the season, Coach Leigh Matthews resigned after 10 seasons and 3 premierships with the club. The Lions appointed former player and Captain Michael Voss as the coach ahead of 2009.

Brisbane's 2009 season was promising for the club. After only winning 2 games from the first 5 played, the club won 9 of the next 12 to sit in 6th on the Ladder, where they would finish the season. They would also record a strong victory over eventual premiers Geelong during this timeframe by 43 points. The club beat Carlton in their Elimination Final, coming from 30 points behind in the final quarter to win by 7 points, before losing to the Western Bulldogs in a Semi Final.

The 2009/2010 off-season was dominated by the arrival of Brendan Fevola from Carlton, with a belief in the club that Fevola could help them capitalise and improve upon their strong 2009 season. Indeed, the Lions won their first four matches of the 2010 season to be top of the ladder after four rounds, but they would only win three more games after that to finish 13th by the end of the season.

QClash 1 (Round 7, 2011)	G	B	Total
Gold Coast	18	16	124
Brisbane Lions	17	14	116
Venue: The Gabba	Crowd: 25,501

The Lions' 2010/2011 off-season was disrupted by the sacking of Fevola after just one season at the Lions, following repeated off-field indiscretions which included getting drunk in the Brisbane streets during New Year's Eve celebrations. On the field, the Lions won only four games for the year and finished 15th overall. The 2011 season saw the debut of another Queensland-based team, the Gold Coast Suns. The Suns, who were coming off a 139 point loss to Essendon the previous week, upset the Lions by 8 points in their first encounter.^[15] Despite their worst season since 1998, coach Michael Voss was granted a contract extension after the board recommended that Voss was the best man to take the club forward into the future. Leading into season 2012, only two players from the triple-premiership winning team of 2001–2003 remained: Simon Black and Jonathan Brown.

2013 NAB Cup Grand Final	SG	G	B	Total
Brisbane Lions	0	16	13	109
Carlton	2	7	9	69
Venue: Etihad Stadium	Crowd: 24,884

The 2013 season started well for Brisbane, defeating Carlton in the final of the NAB Cup, with Daniel Rich winning the Michael Tuck Medal for best on ground. However, the club began its 2013 season with back-to-back losses to the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide. Injuries took a toll on the team, with young players Claye Beams and Jared Polec suffering severe injuries.^[16][17] In Round 13, Brisbane defeated second-placed Geelong, coming from 52 points down late in the third quarter to win by 5 points due to an Ash McGrath goal after the siren in his 200th match, in what would become known as the Miracle on Grass.^[18]

On 13 August 2013, coach Michael Voss was told that his contract would not be renewed.^{[19][20][21][22]}

On 18 October 2013, Brisbane Lions legend Simon Black announced his retirement.

Playing under Justin Leppitsch: 2014–2016[]

On 25 August 2013, former premiership player for the Lions, Justin Leppitsch, was confirmed to be the senior coach of the Lions for the next three seasons.

During Round 13, 2014 Lions captain Jonathan Brown was the victim of a facial injury in a clash between the Lions and the Greater Western Sydney Giants. He collided with Tomas Bugg's knee and was taken off the ground. He suffered a concussion, and subsequently retired from football. His retirement, alongside the retirement of Ash McGrath, meant there were no players from the triple-premiership era remaining at the club.^[23]

On 29 August 2016, Leppitsch was sacked as coach of the Lions after multiple disappointing seasons.^[24]

Chris Fagan era: 2017–present[]

On 4 October 2016, Hawthorn football manager Chris Fagan was announced as Brisbane's senior coach from the 2017 season onwards.^[25]

2017 AFL Home & Away Season	W	L	D	Total	%
Brisbane Lions	5	17	0	20	74.3
	Wooden Spooners

The Lions claimed the 2017 wooden spoon, despite winning 5 games for the season, 2 more than the previous season. Their percentage of 74.3 was the worst in the league, behind Fremantle with a percentage of 74.4. The 2018 season was very similar, recording 5 wins to finish in 15th place.

The Lions had a magnificent 2019 season, making the finals for the first time since 2009 and finishing second on the AFL ladder with 16 wins, behind minor premiers Geelong on percentage. However, Brisbane were bundled out of the finals in straight sets at the Gabba, losing to eventual premiers Richmond by 47 points in their qualifying final and then to eventual runners-up Greater Western Sydney by three points in their semi-final due to a late Brent Daniels goal. The Lions would become the first team since Geelong in 1997 to finish second on the ladder and not progress to a preliminary final.

Brisbane repeated their form displayed in 2019 the following year, once again finishing in second position on percentage at the conclusion of the Home and Away season. They won 14 games in a shortened 17-game season. During their qualifying final, they defeated Richmond for the first time since 2009 and qualified for a preliminary final berth, but would go onto be beaten by a more experienced Geelong side in that match.

After an inconsistent start to the 2021 season the Lions hit form, winning seven straight to sit in the top four for most of the year. However losses to Melbourne, Richmond, Hawthorn and St Kilda, meant the Lions sat in fifth as of the final round.

With the double chance on the line, the Lions regained fourth spot in the dying seconds of their final home and away game against West Coast. A behind kicked by Lincoln McCarthy put them ahead of the fourth placed Bulldogs by a single point of goal percentage, and a goal after the siren from Charlie Cameron then sealed the result for the Lions, who finished in the top four for the third year running under Chris Fagan. However, the Lions would bow out in straight sets for the second time in three years after suffering losses to Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs in the finals.

Membership base[]

Crowds and memberships for the Brisbane Lions grew dramatically during the four seasons in which they made the AFL Grand Final.

The club still maintains healthy Victorian support due to their Fitzroy origins, and The Royal Derby Hotel in Fitzroy is the official social venue for Victorian Lions fans, showing all televised games, and displaying a mural of club greats Kevin Murray and Jonathan Brown on its Alexandra Parade side. ^[26]

To add to this presence in Melbourne, the Lions Historical Society is based at Etihad stadium, containing exhibits of club history stretching from Fitzroy, to the Bears, and the Brisbane Lions. ^[27]

A 2000 Roy Morgan AFL survey of household incomes suggested that Brisbane Lions supporters were among the lowest earning in the league.^[28]

Year	Members [29]	Change from previous season	Finishing position	Finals result/Wooden spoon	Average home crowd [30]	Profit (loss)	Kit manufacturer	Major sponsor/s	Shorts Sponsor
1997	16,769	N/A	8th	Qualifying finalists	19,550	Un­known	Puma	Carlton & United Breweries	Spam
1998	16,108	661	16th	Wooden spoon	16,675
1999	16,931	823	3rd	Preliminary finalists	21,890				Devine Homes
2000	20,295	3,364	6th	Semi-finalists	27,406			AAPT	Spam
2001	18,330	1,965	2nd	Premiers	27,638	($845,000)[31]	Russell Athletic		Bio Organics Vitamins
2002	22,288	3,958	2nd	Premiers	26,895	Un­known			AAMI
2003	24,365	2,077	3rd	Premiers	31,717	$2,200,000[32]
2004	30,941	6,576	2nd	Grand finalists	33,619	Un­known
2005	28,913	1,308	11th	N/A	33,267
2006	26,459	2,454	13th		28,630
2007	21,976	4,483	10th		28,848	$1,058,000[33]	Puma	Vodafone
2008	22,737	761	10th		28,128	($2,200,030)[34]			HBA
2009	24,873	2,136	6th	Semi-finalists	29,172	($603,207)[35]			MBF
2010	26,779	1,906	13th	N/A	29,933	($2,713,848)[36]		Bank of Queensland, Conergy
2011	22,338	4,441	15th		20,462	($1,855,926)[37]	KooGa/BLK[a]		Bupa
2012	20,762	1,576	13th		20,344	($2,513,262)[38]
2013	24,130	3,368	12th		21,083	($1,574,762)[39]		National Storage, Vero Insurance
2014	24,012	118	15th		19,743	($3,543,138)[40]			TechnologyOne
2015	25,408	1,396	17th		18,810	($681,053)[41]			Garuda Indonesia
2016	23,286	2,122	17th		17,074	($1,783,506)[42]		Camperdown Dairy International, Vero Insurance	N/A
2017	21,362	1,924	18th	Wooden spoon	16,455	($2,261,990)[43]	Majestic		XXXX
2018	24,867	3,505	15th	N/A	18,405	($230,641)[44]		Oaks Hotels & Resorts, Vero Insurance
	28,821	3,954	2nd	Semi-finalists	24,741	$648,618[45]		Neds, Oaks Hotels & Resorts[b]	The Coffee Club
2020	29,277	456	2nd	Preliminary finalists	10,648[c]	$3,073,413[46]	Classic	Neds,
2021	40,289	11,012	4th	Semi-finalists	N/A	N/A

Statistics highlighted in bold denote the best known season for Brisbane in that category
Statistics highlighted in italic denote the worst known season for Brisbane in that category

Non-playing/coaching staff[]

Name	Position
Greg Swann	Chief Executive Officer
Andrew Wellington	Chairman
Sarah Kelly	Deputy chairman
Cyril Jinks	Directors
Leigh Matthews
Peter McGregor
Mick Power
Ross Thornton
Danny Daly	General Manager of Football
Dom Ambrogio	List Manager
Andrew Crowell	Personal Excellence and Wellbeing Manager
Damien Austin	High Performance Manager
Stephen Conole	Senior Recruiting Manager
Leon Harris	Recruitment Consultant

Relationship with Fitzroy FC[]

Fitzroy FC Ltd improved its relationship with the Brisbane Lions in the ten years from 1999–2009. In that time Brisbane acknowledged the two parent clubs for the merger with the letters BBFFC printed below the back of the neck of the club's guernseys from 2002. The Fitzroy Reds played the curtain-raiser at the MCG when the Brisbane Lions met the Collingwood Magpies in the AFL Heritage Round of 2003. Brisbane also now wears a version of Fitzroy's AFL guernsey with red instead of maroon in most matches played in Victoria, consistent with Fitzroy's most recent colours.

Relationships between Fitzroy and Brisbane were strained in late 2009, when Brisbane announced that it was adopting a new logo for season 2010 and beyond, which Fitzroy Football Club believed contravened Section 7.2 c) of the merger agreement. The new logo, a lion's head facing forward, replaced the former Fitzroy logo of a passant lion with a football. On 22 December 2009, Fitzroy lodged a Statement of Claim with the Supreme Court of Victoria, seeking an order that the Brisbane Lions be restrained from using as its logo, the new logo or any other logo other than 'the Fitzroy lion logo'. On 15 July 2010, the two clubs reached a settlement, agreeing that the Fitzroy logo symbolically represents the historic merger between the Bears and Fitzroy and the first 13 years of the Brisbane Lions competing in the AFL, and that Brisbane would use both the old and new logos alongside each other in an official capacity (e.g. on letterheads, marketing, etc.), with the old logo to be phased out altogether after 2014. Brisbane returned to using the old logo on its playing guernseys from 2015, but the new logo will remain for corporate purposes.

The Lions keep strong ties with the Fitzroy Football Club in the VAFA and the Fitzroy junior football club, sponsoring a male and female player per year from Fitzroy, and on many occasions inviting the Fitzroy juniors to form a guard of honour at Melbourne games.

This along with the support of Fitzroy greats such as Kevin Murray, Bernie Quinlan, Paul Roos, Michael Conlan, Bill Stephens, Garry Wilson, and many more, have ensured that the Brisbane Lions are considered a direct continuation of Fitzroy in the AFL.

Club identity[]

Emblem[]

In 1997, the club unveiled its new merger emblem, consisting of the golden Fitzroy Lion on a badge of Maroon and Blue. The club used this emblem from 1997 until the end of 2001. In 2002, the club would unveil a new emblem in the shape of a football, emblazoned with the words "Brisbane Lions" and with the Fitzroy Lion located within the o of Lions. This emblem was used until 2010, when the emblem was again changed, this time in favour of a forward-facing Lion head.

Guernseys[]

Home Guernsey (worn 1997-2009 and since 2015): Predominantly maroon guernsey with a blue yoke featuring a golden Fitzroy Lion, with a gold collar and cuffs. XL Express is the current sponsor on the front whilst Ned's is the current sponsor on the back. For shorts, maroon home shorts are worn in home games and white away shorts are worn in away games not played in Victoria.

Away Guernsey (worn 2008-2009 and since 2015): Predominantly red guernsey with a blue yoke featuring a golden Fitzroy lion, with a blue collar and cuffs, and based on Fitzroy's final colours in the AFL. Ned's is the current sponsor on the front and XL Express is the current sponsor on the back. White away shorts are worn when this guernsey is used.

Clash Guernsey (worn since 2020): This predominantly white guernsey features a golden Fitzroy lion on a maroon v (the v reminiscent of the Bears’ final guernsey), with a maroon collar and cuffs. Ned's is the sponsor on the front and XL Express is the sponsor on the back. The same shorts as the Away Guernsey are worn.

Mascot[]

The Lion's Mascot Manor representative and club mascot was Bernie "Gabba" Vegas until 2016 when Roy the Lion (named Roy after the nickname for Fitzroy fans) replaced him as mascot. In 2021 the club unveiled their Lioness mascot Auroara. ^[47]

Song[]

The club's team song, "The Pride of Brisbane Town", is based on the Fitzroy club song, and is sung to the music of "La Marseillaise", the French national anthem.^[48]

Training base[]

The club trains out of the Gabba. The club's administrative facilities are located in the stadium. Due to the cricket season in the summer, the club has been required to train at alternative locations, such as Coorparoo and Burpengary. In 2021, the club will move into The Reserve, Springfield, a 10,000-capacity high-class facility in Ipswich that will ensure the club can base itself in the single location and play reserve-grade and AFLW matches at the one location.^[49]

Rivalries[]

Collingwood[]

Angst between supporters of Collingwood and Brisbane had been caused by plenty of history between the two clubs, despite the Brisbane Lions having a relatively short existence as a merged club. Pre-merger Fitzroy was a neighbouring suburb to Collingwood, with the boundary being based on Smith Street, along with the fact that Fitzroy and Collingwood topped the VFL/AFL premiership tally during the early existence of what was then the VFL competition.^[50] There was also animosity between the Brisbane Bears and the Magpies after the Bears' number one draft pick Nathan Buckley famously defected to Collingwood after one season on the Bears list.^[51] The Bears also lost their final regular season match in their final season (1996) to the Magpies, costing the Bears the minor premiership that season. However, the rivalry between the Lions and the Magpies was properly ignited post-merger, beginning in late 1999 when Collingwood played their last ever VFL/AFL game at their spiritual home ground, Victoria Park. The Lions emerged 42 point victors that day and consigned the Magpies to their second wooden spoon in their VFL/AFL history. The rivalry between the two clubs peaked in the early 2000s, as the clubs played off in two consecutive Grand Finals in 2002 and 2003, with the Lions emerging victors on both occasions.^[51]

Gold Coast[]

The Brisbane Lions have a rivalry with fellow Queensland AFL team the Gold Coast Suns. The two teams contest the QClash twice each season. The first QClash was held in 2011, with the game establishing the highest pay TV audience ever for an AFL game, with a total of 354,745 viewers watching the game.^[52]

The medal for the player adjudged best on ground is known as the Marcus Ashcroft Medal. It is named after former footballer Marcus Ashcroft, who played junior football on the Gold Coast for Southport and 318 VFL/AFL games for the Brisbane Bears/Lions between 1989 and 2003. He later joined Gold Coast's coaching staff and was the first Queenslander to play 300 VFL/AFL games.^[53] Lion Dayne Beams has won the medal three times, the most by any player.

The trophy awarded to the winner of the game is currently known as the "QClash Trophy". The trophy is a "traditional style" looking silver cup with a wooden base and a plaque. The plaque's inscription reads from left to right, "Brisbane Lions AFC", "QCLASH", "Gold Coast Suns FC".^[54]

Port Adelaide[]

This rivalry dates back to 1997, the inaugural season of Port Adelaide and the newly merged Brisbane Lions. In their early days, the two clubs couldn’t be separated and had multiple close encounters, with a draw in two of their first three meetings.^[4] In the early 2000s, the rivalry reached its peak as the two clubs would be the most dominant of the era, meeting in consecutive finals series between from 2001 to 2004 and consistently finishing at the top of the Ladder.^[55] The most notable meeting between the two sides is the 2004 AFL Grand Final, where Port Adelaide ended Brisbane's chances of a fourth consecutive premiership.

Honours[]

Club honours[]

Premierships
Competition	Team	Wins	Years Won
Australian Football League	Seniors	3	2001, 2002, 2003
AFL Women's	Seniors	1	2021
Queensland Australian Football League (1998–2010)	Reserves	1	2001
North East Australian Football League (2011–2019)		4	2012, 2013, 2017, 2019
Victorian Football League (2021–)		0	Nil
Other titles and honours
AFL Preseason competition	Seniors	1	2013
AFLX Tournament	Seniors	1	2018
Finishing positions
Australian Football League	Minor premiership (McClelland Trophy)	0	Nil
	Grand Finalist	1	2004
	Wooden spoons	2	1998, 2017
AFL Women's	Minor premiership	1	2017
	Grand Finalist	2	2017, 2018

Individual[]

Club facts[]

Coaches (men's)[]

No.	Coach	P	W	L	D	W%	Years
1	John Northey	34	12	21	1	35.29	1997–1998
2	Roger Merrett	11	3	7	1	27.27	1998
3	Leigh Matthews	237	142	92	3	59.92	1999–2008
4	John Blakey	1	0	1	0	0.00	2005
5	Michael Voss	109	43	65	1	39.45	2009–2013
6	Mark Harvey	3	2	1	0	66.67	2013
7	Justin Leppitsch	66	14	52	0	21.21	2014–2016
8	Chris Fagan	87	41	46	0	47.13	2017–present

Coaches (women's)[]

No.	Coach	P	W	L	D	W%	Years
1	Craig Starcevich	25	14	10	1	56.00	2017—
2	Daniel Merrett	1	0	0	1	0.00	2020

Captains (men's)[]

Captain	Image	Season(s)	Achievements
				Alastair Lynch		1997–2000 (co-captain)
Michael Voss		1997–2000 (co-captain) 2001–2006 (sole captain)	3× AFL premiership captain: 2001, 2002, 2003 2× All-Australian captain: 2002, 2003 4× AFLPA best captain: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Australian Football Hall of Fame
Simon Black		2007–2008 (co-captain)
Jonathan Brown		2007–2008 (co-captain) 2009–2012 (sole captain) 2013 (co-captain)	2× AFLPA best captain: 2007, 2009 All-Australian vice-captain: 2007
Chris Johnson		2007 (co-captain)
Nigel Lappin		2007–2008 (co-captain)	Australian Football Hall of Fame
Luke Power		2007–2008 (co-captain)
Jed Adcock		2013 (co-captain) 2014 (sole captain)
Tom Rockliff		2015–2016
Dayne Beams		2017–2018
Dayne Zorko		2018–

Captains (women's)[]

Captain	Image	Season(s)	Achievements
				Emma Zielke		2017–2018, 2020
Leah Kaslar		2019

Match records (men's)[]

• Biggest winning margin: 141 points – 29.15 (189) vs. Adelaide 6.12 (48), The Gabba, 24 July 2004
• Biggest losing margin: 139 points – 7.5 (47) vs. St Kilda 28.18 (186), Telstra Dome, 27 August 2005
• Highest score: 29.15 (189) vs. Adelaide, The Gabba, 24 July 2004
• Lowest score: 2.5 (17) vs. Richmond, MCG, 14 April 2018
• Highest score conceded: 28.18 (186) vs. St Kilda, Telstra Dome, 27 August 2005
• Lowest score conceded: 3.10 (28) vs. Essendon, Metricon Stadium, 31 July 2020
• Highest aggregate score: 293 points – Brisbane Lions 25.21 (171) vs. Fremantle 19.8 (122), The Gabba, 29 April 2001
• Lowest aggregate score: 76 points – Brisbane Lions 6.6 (42) vs. Collingwood 5.4 (34), The Gabba, 4 September 2020
• Most goals in a match: Jonathan Brown, 10 goals vs. Carlton, The Gabba, 22 July 2007

Biggest home crowds[]

Rank	Crowd	Round, Season	Result	Opponent	Brisbane Lions	Opposition	Margin	Venue	Day/Night/Twilight
1	37,478	QF2, 2019	Loss	Richmond	8.17 (65)	18.4 (112)	−47	The Gabba	Night
2	37,224	15, 2005	Win	Collingwood	19.19 (133)	7.13 (55)	+78	The Gabba	Night
3	37,032	PF2, 2001	Win	Richmond	20.16 (136)	10.8 (68)	+68	The Gabba	Night
4	36,803	4, 2003	Win	Collingwood	14.11 (95)	11.15 (81)	+14	The Gabba	Night
5	36,780	2, 2010	Win	Carlton	16.11 (107)	12.16 (88)	+19	The Gabba	Night
6	36,467	3, 2004	Win	Collingwood	21.11 (137)	12.5 (77)	+60	The Gabba	Night
7	36,197	1, 2003	Win	Essendon	14.20 (104)	8.13 (61)	+43	The Gabba	Night
8	36,149	10, 2001	Win	Essendon	15.12 (102)	10.14 (74)	+28	The Gabba	Night
9	36,077	17, 2005	Win	Essendon	17.12 (114)	14.17 (101)	+13	The Gabba	Night
10	35,898	3, 2002	Win	Essendon	17.15 (117)	9.13 (67)	+50	The Gabba	Night

AFL finishing positions (1997–present)[]

Legend: Premiers, Wooden spoon

Finishing Position	Year (Finals in Bold)	Tally
Premiers	2001, 2002, 2003	3
Runner-up	2004	1
3rd	nil	0
4th	1999, 2020	2
5th	2000, 2019, 2021	3
6th	2009	1
7th	nil	0
8th	1997	1
9th	nil	0
10th	2007, 2008	2
11th	2005	1
12th	2013	1
13th	2006, 2010, 2012	3
14th	nil	0
15th	2011, 2014, 2018	3
16th	1998	1
17th	2015, 2016	2
18th	2017	1

Players[]

Current squad[]

Brisbane Lions

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Senior list						Rookie list		Coaching staff
1  2 Deven Robertson  3 Joe Daniher  4 Callum Ah Chee  5 Mitch Robinson  6 Hugh McCluggage  7 Jarrod Berry  8  9 Lachie Neale 10 Daniel Rich 11 Lincoln McCarthy 12 Nakia Cockatoo 13 Tom Berry 15 Dayne Zorko (c) 16 Cameron Rayner 17 Jarryd Lyons 18 Keidean Coleman 19		20 21 Tom Fullarton 22 Harry Sharp 23 Charlie Cameron 24 Marcus Adams 25 Daniel McStay 26 27 Darcy Gardiner 28 Cam Ellis-Yolmen 30 Eric Hipwood 31 Harris Andrews (vc) 32 33 Zac Bailey 34 35 Ryan Lester 37 Brandon Starcevich 40 Jack Payne 43 Noah Answerth 46 Oscar McInerney				14 Grant Birchall 36 Rhys Mathieson 38 Connor Ballenden 39 41 (B) 42 James Madden (B) 44 Archie Smith 45		Head coach Chris Fagan Assistant coaches Mark Stone (strategy) Murray Davis (backline) Dale Tapping (midfield) Ben Hudson (ruck/midfield) Jed Adcock (forwards) Scott Borlace (head of development) Mitch Hahn (VFL head coach) Paul Henriksen (development) Zane Littlejohn (development) Legend: (c) Captain(s) (vc) Vice captain(s) (B) Category B rookie italics - Inactive player list Long-term injury (ret.) Retired Updated: 8 September 2021 Source(s): Players, Coaches

Reserves team[]

The Brisbane Lions have fielded reserves teams in various competitions since 1998. In its inaugural year (1997) the club affiliated with the Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL), allowing players not selected for the AFL team to be drafted to individual clubs.^[56] Between 1998 and 2010 the club's reserves team participated in the QAFL, where it was initially known as the "Lion Cubs",^[57] until 2004 when it became the Suncoast Lions. In 2011 the team, whose name was now formally the "Brisbane Lions reserves", moved to the multi-state North East Australian Football League (NEAFL). The Lions won their first reserve-grade premiership in 2001 when they defeated the Southport Sharks in the QAFL Grand Final, and went on to claim four NEAFL premierships in 2012/13 and 2017/19. Following the NEAFL's dissolvement after the 2019 season, the Lions reserves moved to the Victorian Football League (VFL), and commenced playing in the competition in 2021.^[58] The Lions currently play reserves matches at South Pine Sports Complex in Brendale, a facility opened in 2016.

Premierships[]

Premierships (5)
Year	Competition	Opponent	Score	Venue
	QAFL	Southport Sharks	13.20 (98) – 13.8 (86)	Giffin Park
2012	NEAFL	Queanbeyan Tigers	22.12 (144) – 11.9 (75)	Manuka Oval
2013	NEAFL	Sydney Swans	12.9 (81) – 10.13 (73)	Graham Road Oval
2017	NEAFL	Sydney Swans	12.13 (85) – 10.22 (82)	Sydney Cricket Ground
2019	NEAFL	Southport Sharks	20.15 (135) – 8.11 (59)	Fankhauser Reserve

Season summaries[]

Season	Competition	W–L–D	Ladder position	Finals result/Wooden spoon?	Coach
1998	QAFL	Unknown	Unknown	Un­known[a]	Roger Merrett
1999					Un­known
2000
2001				Premiers	Craig Brittain
2002				Un­known[a]
2003
2004
2005
2006					John Blakey/Daryn Cresswell
2007					Craig Brittain
					Justin Leppitsch (caretaker)
2008					Paul Hudson
					Justin Leppitsch (caretaker)
2009					Craig Brittain
2010		6–12–0	8th	N/A	Craig McRae
2011	NEAFL (Northern Conference)	4–13–1	10th	Wooden spoon	Nathan Clarke
2012		14–4–0	2nd	Northern Conference Premiers League Premiers
2013		16–2–0	1st (minor premiers)	Northern Conference Premiers League Premiers	Leigh Harding
2014	NEAFL	6–12–0	9th	N/A
2015		2–16–0	10th		Shane Woewodin[59]
2016		3–15–0	10th	Wooden spoon
2017		15–3–0	2nd	Premiers	Mitch Hahn
2018		10–7–1	5th	Elimination finalists
2019		18–0–0	1st (minor premiers)	Premiers
2020	Season cancelled due to COVID-19
2021	VFL	TBC

Statistics highlighted in bold denote the best known season for Brisbane in that category
Statistics highlighted in italic denote the worst known season for Brisbane in that category

AFL Women's team[]

In May 2016, the club launched a bid to enter a team in the inaugural AFL Women's season in 2017.^[60] The Brisbane Lions were granted a licence on 15 June 2016, becoming one of eight teams to compete in the league's first season.^[61] Former AFL Queensland employee Breeanna Brock was appointed to the position of Women's CEO the following day.^[61]

Tayla Harris and Sabrina Frederick-Traub were the club's first signings, unveiled along with the league's other 14 marquee players on 27 July 2016.^[62] A further 23 senior players and two rookie players were added to the club's inaugural list in the league's drafting and signing period. Emma Zielke captained the team for their inaugural season.^[63]

Former Collingwood and Brisbane Bears player and AFL Queensland coach Craig Starcevich was appointed the team's inaugural head coach in June 2016.^[64] The rest of the coaching team was announced on 8 November 2016 as David Lake as the midfield coach, Daniel Merrett as the backline coach and Brent Staker as the forward coach.^[65] Car company Hyundai, along with Epic Pharmacy, sponsored the team in 2017.^[66]

The Lions have been a successful team in the AFLW reaching the finals in 4 of the first 5 seasons. They narrowly lost grand finals in 2017 and 2018, before missing out on finals in 2019. In a shortened 2020 season, the Lions played a Qualifying Final against Carlton before the season was prematurely ended due to COVID border restrictions. No premiership was awarded in 2020. In 2021 the team won their first premiership by defeating Adelaide in the grand final.

The team plays its home games at Hickey Park in Brisbane.

Current squad[]

Brisbane Lions (AFL Women's)

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Senior list						Rookie list		Coaching staff
1 Emily Bates  2 Tahlia Hickie  3 Breanna Koenen (vc)  4 Sharni Webb (i)  5 Jade Ellenger  6 Lily Postlethwaite  7 Gabby Collingwood (i)  8 10 Nat Grider 11 Phoebe Monahan 12 Sophie Conway 13 Kate Lutkins 14 Dakota Davidson 16 Bella Smith 17 Belle Dawes 18 Ally Anderson 19		20 Shannon Campbell 22 23 Jess Wuetschner 24 25 Cathy Svarc 26 Indy Tahau 27 28 Maria Moloney 29 30 Jesse Wardlaw 31 Taylor Smith				9 Orla O'Dwyer 15 Greta Bodey 21 Courtney Hodder		Head coach Craig Starcevich Assistant coaches Brent Staker (defence) Daniel Merrett (forwards) Clark Keating (midfield) Simon Black (stoppages) Matt Green (high performance manager) Phil Lovett (development) Legend: (c) Captain(s) (vc) Vice captain(s) (i) Inactive player(s) Updated: 8 September 2021 Source(s): Players, Coaches

Non-playing/coaching staff[]

Name	Position
Breeanna Brock	Chief Executive Officer
Jess Blechnyden	Football Analyst
Lana McLoughan	Sports Psychologist
Michael Swann	Wellbeing Mentor
Matt Green	High Performance Manager
Miranda O'Hara	Head of Medical
Tara Long	Physio
Jeremy Schoenmaker	Head Trainer
Kieran Miles	Doctor

Season summaries[]

Brisbane AFLW honour roll
Season	Ladder	W–L–D	Finals	Coach	Captain(s)	Best and fairest	Leading goal kicker
2017	1st	6–0–1	Runners-up	Craig Starcevich	Emma Zielke	Emily Bates	Kate McCarthy (9)
2018	2nd	4–3–0	Runners-up	Craig Starcevich	Emma Zielke	Kate Lutkins	Jess Wuetschner (13)
2019	9th ^	2–5–0	DNQ	Craig Starcevich	Leah Kaslar	Ally Anderson	Jess Wuetschner (8)
2020	7th ^	3–2–1	Qualifying final	Craig Starcevich[a]	Emma Zielke	Emily Bates	Jesse Wardlaw (9)
2021	2nd	7–2–0	Premiers	Craig Starcevich	Emma Zielke	Ally Anderson	Dakota Davidson (16)

^ Denotes the ladder was split into two conferences. Figure refers to the club's overall finishing position in the home-and-away season.
^a Daniel Merrett was coach for round 3, and Starcevich was coach for all other matches.

See also[]

• Wikipedia listing of Brisbane Lions players
• Merrett–Murray Medal
• Australian rules football in Queensland
• Sport in Queensland
• Sport in Australia
• Brisbane Broncos

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brisbane Lions.

• Official website
• The Brisbane Lions – an Overview – Official AFL website of the Brisbane Lions Football Club