I have to be honest with you all – I did not think the Brisbane Lions had this in them.
Not this level.
Not against this opposition.
I’ve never been more happy to be wrong.
What we witnessed at the MCG in the 2025 AFL Grand Final, was not just a win, but a statement. It was a team at its peak, making damn sure that they left nothing to chance, as they corrected the errors from their last meeting with the Cats, and put on a dominant display. Aspects where they floundered in the Qualifying Final become a strength in the decider, as they completely reversed the trouncing they got in the middle to record a +12 clearance advantage.
The game of Hugh McCluggage probably best sums up the way the Lions went about it. It was a game where they absorbed and then punished on the counterpunch. When Oisin Mullin went to Clug early in the first quarter, he was able to nullify him and hit the scoreboard, himself, but as soon as he headed to the bench, McCluggage pounced and goaled, himself.
The Lions had done their homework – Cal Ah Chee went to Ollie Dempsey on the wing and broke even (across the first three quarters until Dempsey hit the scoreboard heavily in junk time). And on the inside, the combination of Brandon Starcevich, Josh Dunkley, and both Ashcrofts, nullified the crash-and-bash style of Patrick Dangerfield in the first half, before Danger retreated to the forward line.
Despite a first half that saw the scores level at the main break, you just got the feeling that the Cats had fired their best shot, and the Lions had absorbed it.
There is an argument that, but for inaccuracy (a big hello to Zac Bailey) the Lions could have jumped out to a big lead in this one. But that would be disrespectful to the Cats – they were in it up to their eyeballs as the teams headed to the sheds.
I genuinely felt that there would be a ten-minute patch that would blow the game apart – at that stage, I just didn’t know which team would provide it.
As we now know, it was the Lions, with a stunning finish to the “Premiership Quarter” that did the trick. Consecutive goals to Charlie Cameron brought the crowd to its feet, and another from Lachie Neale set the Lions alight. From there, the Cats were on the back foot, and the momentum was well and truly swinging in favour of the reigning premiers.
All that was left was to finish the job.
Again, it was Charlie Cameron, playing his most potent football in months, slamming through another.
They could taste it, at that stage, and not even a fifty-metre penalty and goal to Mark Blicavs could stop the Lions. Cam Rayner answered that with a goal before the avalanche started.
In a dominant last quarter, the Lions kicked seven in a row to destroy their challengers, with three late ones to Geelong wallpapering over what was a blistering second-half from the Brisbane Football Club.
Will Ashcroft collected a second Norm Smith Medal, elevating him into the category of Luke Hodge, Andrew McLeod, and Gary Ayres, as dual winners. Still a little bit more to do to catch Dusty, though… right?
Maybe next year.
Meanwhile, Harris Andrews could think himself unlucky to miss out on the award. He was incredible in this contest again, and if he lost a one-on-one at all, I reckon there would not have been more than one for the afternoon.
In the end, it was a 47-point win to Brisbane, as they celebrated long before the final siren sounded to end Geelong’s misery. McCluggage got off the chain, Lachie Neale’s body held up and many of those who advised against playing him fell silent. Players like Zorko, Fletcher, and Bailey joined in on the fun as the Lions went into party mode.
The final quarter was a celebration of what this Lions team is, and importantly, where it has come from. It was the smiles and huge on the bench, the hard running, and powerful contested work, and the consistent attack on the Cats that propelled this team into immortality as back-to-back premiers.
This, for a team nobody really wanted to play for just a decade ago. What a turnaround. What a team. What a premiership!
Time to jump into the Big Questions emanating from the 2025 AFL Grand Final.
IS HARRIS ANDREWS THE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER IN THE AFL?
The way I look at the game of Harris Andrews, not just in this contest but the entire finals series, is as follows – give him a cloak and a staff, tell him to grow his beard out, and put him on a stone bridge in Moria, because as far as he is concerned, you WILL NOT PASS if he is in the vicinity.
He played a complete captain’s game in this one, once again making those around him walk taller. Most will look at his intercepts and nod – 11 is a great number in a Grand Final, or any game for that matter. However, to me, it is the little things he does that make the biggest difference. The way he has perfected the art of running interference to allow a teammate clean intercept mark, or the way he bodylines the footy at ground level, keeps it in front of him, absorbs the contact, and takes it to the boundary line… falling over at the end to make it look as though it was never his intention to get it there. That, my friends, is defensive artistry.
It is also the thing that too often gets overlooked.
Kate McCarthy was ridiculed for her inclusion on the Norm Smith Medal voting panel. Most were having a crack because she is a woman and because the other voters were all former winners of the medal. Personally, I was a little against it because she is on the Sportsbet payroll, but in the end, I reckon her votes were a better reflection of how the game was played.
She had Andrews as the best player on the park.
Because he was.
It’s as simple as that. And he is often the best player on the park… or more importantly, the most valuable player on the park. Nobody else out there can do for their team what Harris does for the Lions.
Not consistently.
Dangerfield did it last week for the Cats. Andrews has done it all finals long for the Lions.
So good has Andrews been in this finals series, he has elevated his stature in the game to a level I often pondered him doing. I have been a fan for years, so to see him playing such an important role in the premiership team… how he was not more strongly considered for the Leigh Matthews MVP Award escapes me.
The Lions have class everywhere, but he is the one who, if you remove him from this side, it changes everything. The Lions’ coverage of injured players has been great, but Harris is their irreplaceable component. To me, that makes him the most valuable.
Maybe people will now catch on?
And it’ll be about damn time.
IS THAT A LESSON TO NEVER WRITE OFF CHARLIE CAMERON?
I’ve been guilty of it this season. Several times, actually.
If you take your maroon, gold, and blue goggles off, I reckon you would have seen some games from Charlie where you wondered where he was headed in 2025, right?
In Round 22, he had six touches and didn’t look close to hitting the scoreboard.
In the Qualifying Final, he was blanketed by Zach Guthrie and had two disposals for the game. One of them was the first kick of the night, so for 115 minutes, he managed one touch.
I wondered whether the end was near, but still… I held out hope. Here is a line from our Grand Final Crystal Ball predictions.
FIRST GOAL – Charlie Cameron. He does seem to get a chance early in games, and I reckon he needs a big one (game, not dick) to get up and about.
Sorry about the dick joke… I didn’t want to edit, because you’d accuse me of being a liar, or something.
Anyway, he didn’t kick the first goal, but I wanted to see Charlie play well, even if it was just one more time. Perhaps he has a few more big games in him, but he made the most of his chances in this one.
Against the opponent that picked his game apart just three weeks earlier, Charlie turned the tables. He kicked four massive goals, including two in the later stages of the third quarter as the Lions put their stamp on the game, in a brilliant return from him.
I looked across at Mrs Mongrel, who was busily tapping away at her own Grand Final review (keep your eyes peeled for that one… I guarantee you will read nothing like it anywhere… ever) and said “I am genuinely happy for Charlie. Rapt for him.”
I don’t know whether she took notice or not, but I actually gave Charlie a little clap.
Former Houston Rockets coach, Rudy Tomjanovich, once said “never doubt the heart of a champion.”
I made the mistake of doing so a couple of times this season. Apologies Charlie… I am thrilled to have witnessed you turn it on in a big game once more.
WHY DID THE TAG ON HUGH MCCLUGGAGE NOT HAVE THE SAME IMPACT?
It seemed disjointed in this game – as though the Cats had not properly worked out how to maintain the tight tag when Mullin needed a rest.
And why did he need a rest when he did? Why didn’t he rest when McCluggage went to the bench?
See? Disjointed.
Mullin started on the bench, and spent the first few minutes of the game waiting to get on and assume his role of applying the brakes on Clug. And yet, halfway through the next quarter, he was back on the pine again, and I couldn’t work out why.
McCluggage was still on the ground, but it appeared as though Mullin had a designated time to rest.
What an error! If Clug was out there, Mullin needed to be out there, too. Damn the rest – he’ll get it when he gets it; he had a job to do!
After Mullin hit the pine, McCluggage quickly went about evening up the goal tally, slotting a running goal to steady the Brisbane ship. It just seemed like sloppiness from the Geelong bench, as Bailey Smith was the one who took responsibility for McCluggage at some stoppages, and seriously, I wouldn’t trust Baz to play a defensive role on a corpse, let alone someone with the wheels of McCluggage.
Things changed again late, as Mullin was switched forward to keep an eye on the rampant Charlie Cameron.
And now, children… can we guess what happened next?
That’s right… McCluggage got right off the chain, slotted three last quarter goals, and collected 12 disposals. Hell, that last quarter was good enough for Luke ‘Goldfish’ Hodge to award him a vote in the Norm Smith Medal, but really, the majority of McCluggage’s damage came in junk time. Hodgey should be better than that, especially when you consider he left Harris Andrews out of his votes, entirely.
WAS DAYNE ZORKO’S THIRD QUARTER THE REAL GAME BREAKER?
It certainly played a big part.
How about we look at this through the lens of something else Mason Cox could add to his “He is kind, I think he’s a great man. A great role model. A person I think I’d be great friends with… are all things I would not say about Dayne Zorko” schtick?
What else would he not say?
“Geez, Dayne Zorko is an average kick of the footy.”
That’s one.
“That Dayne Zorko, he never, ever has the guts to bite off a hard kick in traffic in the biggest game of the year.”
Yeah, could add that to the list of things he wouldn’t say.
“He only has one premiership.”
Haha… good one, Mason – wouldn’t say that now, because the bloke has two! And the second one came around 24 hours after you were told to explore your options because at 34, you were told you were no longer required at Collingwood, and at 36, Zorko was an integral part of the way the Lions dismantled the Cats in the decider.
When I look at the big ball-winners in this game, and I am looking at bang for buck when the game was hot, Zorko’s third quarter was a standout. He gained 267 metres for the quarter, but this was not the run-of-the-mill bomb it long and hope, type of kicks. This was precision through the guts, opening up the running game of the Lions.
I had Mrs Mongrel ask me what was so good about the Zorko kicks, so I showed her, and she immediately lost interest, but I am guessing you are all reading this far because you ARE interested.
He broke the Geelong zone down. He found people either through it, or over it, and in doing so, sowed the seeds of chaos. It was not his most potent game – his best is close to THE best from half-back – but what he was able to conjure in fits and starts, was enough to completely scramble the Cats’ back six and mids, as they retreated.
His kick out up the guts to break open the game, and his long ball inside fifty to set Charlie Cameron running toward goal are just two that spring to mind in that third quarter alone, as the former captain once again took on the responsibility, and it paid off for his team.
Love him or hate him (and there are plenty in AFL fandom that feel the second way about him) he is a huge difference-maker in games where the pressure is on.
“He doesn’t thrive under pressure.”
Nup, you won’t be saying that, either, Mason.
“Can I have a job, Mr Fagan?”
You might be saying that, though…
Hope the answer is no.
WHY WAS JEREMY CAMERON STILL OUT THERE?
That was almost sad to watch in the last quarter, as a clearly injured Jeremy Cameron attempted to play through what looked like severe pain.
In a collision with Patrick Dangerfield, Cameron not only took a knock to the head that the Geelong medicos decided wasn’t worth looking at, but was left clutching at his forearm.
The early diagnosis is that he has a broken arm.
Given that, a quick question – why not sub him off?
Cameron was evidently struggling when the Cats pulled the trigger on Rhys Stanley later in the game, and then, Chris Scott sits there in his press conference, and starts making mention of the sub-rule? Mate… it’s the same rule for everyone! You chose not to substitute him – you wear it.
Jezza had one genuine highlight for the afternoon, as Jaspa Fletcher decided to take him on and test out whether he was going to be able to bring him down. Jez gave it all he had and stretched out at full pace, collaring Fletcher as the defender arched his back, and slung him to the ground.
I posted a highlight of this and some were calling for a dangerous tackle in that incident… seriously, is that where we’re at in AFL fandom, now? Cut that shit out. It was a great tackle!
In taking Fletcher down, Cameron landed on his arm again and was once again in pain.
But nah… it’s the substitution, and the confusion about how to plan that kept him out there.
With the game dead and buried in the last quarter, Cameron was still on the field. Still trying his guts out, and managed to kick a behind under duress from a tackler. Again, he fell to the turf. Again, he hurt his arm. Again, he should not have been out there. Not at that stage, anyway.
Many lament the acts of bravery from players of yesteryear. “Crazy brave” some call it, whilst others, who mostly live at home with their parents, call it “stupid.”
Jeremy Cameron was genuinely brave in this one, battling hard to offer his team something. However, the stupidity was on display from the Geelong coaching box who opted not to take their injured star out of the game, and then had the audacity to complain about the system they failed to implement.
DID CAM RAYNER WAKE UP AFTER HALFTIME?
He did, and there are two Cats who wish he’d stayed asleep.
Cam was off in the first half, seemingly determined to have a physical say in the game, but unable to find the footy often enough to make this a balanced performance. As a matter of fact, the first half was heavily weighted toward his direct opponent, Mark O’Connor, who Rayner had bowled over off the footy three times, resulting in three free kicks against him.
Those three free kicks against bettered Rayner’s disposal total in the first half – ouch.
However, there is more than one way to skin to Cat… pardon the pun, and after half-time, the Brisbane Bull started hitting the contest hard off half forward. This resulted in three bone-crunching tackles. The first one made Mark Blicavs wonder what hit him, as Rayner used that powerful body to floor him in a great takedown.
The second and third came at the expense of Bailey Smith, who looked far too used to having more time than he was afforded in this game. One of those tackles rendered Smith headband-less… which was the first time this year I’ve seen someone tackled clean out of their headband. Given how many headbands there are at Geelong (they look like an ugly girl band) I thought it might have happened earlier.
In those actions, alone, Rayner did the things a player down on form has to do to stay involved in the game. And from there, good things start to occur.
Rayner had nine touches and goal in the second half, as he joined in the Lions’ party, and whilst he likely enjoyed every one of those touches, I reckon it is his three big tackles on unsuspecting Geelong midfielders that’ll be the highlights he looks back on and smiles.
They sure as hell made me smile.
I am an unashamed fan of smashmouth footy, and Rayner has that mongrel-element that can be a difference-maker in the modern game. Watching him attack the Geelong players from half-forward was brutally beautiful to observe, and it was great to see him willing to apply himself to defensive acts to work himself into the game.
DO YOU THINK SOMEONE HAD A WORD TO THE UMPS AT HALFTIME
This will likely be discussed in a number of forums, but if you could not see a potential turnaround coming, I reckon you need to have a look at the way umpires over-correct in games during the season.
Free kick counts rarely remain very lopsided.
The first half saw the Cats garner a 17-4 advantage in the free kick count, and as soon as the second half started, it was as though the umps were on the lookout for a way to even up. Two quick free kicks to Brisbane set the tone, and the Lions took full advantage.
In the first half, there was a definite sense that Brisbane were having momentum halted by some decisions, but with those shackles off, their ball-winning and physicality came to the fore.
The final free kick total was 22-17 in Geelong’s favour, meaning the Cats received just five second-half free kicks.
Not that I think that changed the game at all, but it is amazing to see what happens when the umps come to the realisation that one team is being hard-done-by in the free kick count, and make an effort to bring it back to level.
WAS WILL ASHCROFT THE MOST DESERVING NORM SMITH MEDALLIST?
Yeah, he was… last year.
This year, it was Harris Andrews, but I reckon the co-captain got the defenders’ tax, and the award went to Will.
Personally, I like to assess the game of players when the contest is at its hottest, and we can argue that ten minutes into the final quarter, this game was decided. That was just after Ashcroft slotted his goal. From there, junk time commenced, and Will took full advantage.
Not McCluggage-like levels of advantage, but he still enjoyed being part of the feast.
The reason I rate Andrews’ game better than Ashcroft’s is because of Andrews’ 11 intercepts, nine came before the final quarter commenced. He was monstrous in the third quarter when the game was there to be won – a one-man wall making Shannon Neale hum the chorus to “What About Me…”
That’s right, Shannon… it isn’t fair to have to play on the best defender in teh game..
However, some of the voters defaulted to mids like they thought it was the Brownlow, and Will Ashcroft becomes just the fifth man (far out, calling him a man feels wrong… he is still just a kid to me) to win multiple Norm Smith Medals.
I made my case for the big fella, but with 32 touches, ten clearances, and eight tackles, Ashcroft was in everything. If anything, I reckon there were four or five blokes that would have made good winners. Ashcroft and Andrews aside, Zorko’s influence was huge, as was Fletcher’s, and had Zac Bailey kicked straight, this could have been a performance for the ages.
In the end, I am still team Harris, but I am content with team Will Ashcroft, as well.
ANYONE SPOT BAILEY SMITH WHEN IT MATTERED?
Despite what many might think, Bailey Smith has matured as a player in 2025. There may be some members of the press, or the photography profession who disagree, but on the field, his game has gone to another level.
But he found the going a little tougher this week – a little more physical.
The Lions did a wonderful job of applying pressure on Smith when he collected the footy, and that led to eight turnovers for the game from his 29 possessions. However, it was the third quarter… yep, that third quarter again – that brought Bailey undone, and along with him, the Cats.
Usually, as the game progresses, Smith gets better, but the increased pressure of the Brisbane mids meant that he found himself continually under the pump whenever he found himself in possession. Tackles seemed to come from all angles, and situations that would normally see Smith with the time and space to take a few steps and balance, were now resulting in him having to either dispose of the footy immediately, or in the third quarter, at least, getting caught and the ball either being held up or spilling out without a disposal.
He returned five disposals for the quarter, unable to perform to the level the Cats required of him. It was probably the only real time this season he has fallen off the pace – he just picked a very bad time to have a very bad time.
Of course, at least he remained involved. Not sure we can say the same for…
WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH DANGER?
I can only assume that Patrick Dangerfield was pretty bloody sore from his effort last week.
Of his nine centre bounce attendances this week, just one came after halftime, and that was the point the Cats were screaming out for someone to stand up and win the footy.
In the Qualifying Final, it seemed that the Cats had the balance right with his time forward and his time in the guts. However, with Shannon Neale being destroyed by Harris Andrews (again), and Jeremy Cameron nursing his arm injury, the decision was made to leave Danger forward.
And he just couldn’t impact.
Early on, it was Brandon Starcevich. Later, it was Darcy Gardiner and Ryan Lester taking the contest to the Geelong champ. All did admirable jobs.
Earlier in the day, I asked the question – whose career would you rather have had – Danger or Dusty? I did this with the expectation that Danger would rise to the occasion and have a big say in proceedings.
Ten disposals, zero clearances, and zero goals later, anyone who was on the fence has now firmly set up at Camp Dusty.
If the Preliminary Final was THE Dangerfield game, the Grand Final was the antithesis of that. He had no impact. None. It was not commensurate with what we saw last week.
QUICKIES
I’ve glossed over the impact of Hugh McCluggage, and I really shouldn’t have. His second efforts and hard run could have possibly shaken the Mullin tag for all I know, but instead we got to see him have fun as Chris Scott released the shackles in the last quarter.
Did the Cats make an error playing Rhys Stanley? They had Jed Bews available and that would have allowed Mullin to remain on McCluggage… hindsight, huh?
Damien Barrett tipped Jack Martin for the Norm Smith Medal. Just thought I’d mention that.
You have to wonder what this game does to the future of Brandon Starcevich? I thought he was doing a pretty damn good on Danger when he got that head knock, but with West Coast reportedly offering a four-year deal… not to sound callous, but would you sign him if you were the Eagles?
I would not. Not for anything more than a two-year stint. I hope this concussion is mild – as in really mild, and Starc is fine, but it is a massive risk for any club to sign a player with this type of history on any deal of length.
Like AFL player ratings? They had Hugh McCluggage as number one, Max Holmes at two, and Will Ashcroft at three.
I really missed the Fox Footy coverage today. How have those without access tolerated this shitful Channel Seven effort all year. The only positive was seeing Richo and Snoop Dogg, then seeing Richo getting stuck in the Grandstand looking directly into the sun like the rest of us plebs when we go to the footy.
And finally… the Big O with a premiership medal. The wait was worth it, big fella. Enjoy every second of it.
Congrats Lions fans – this is truly a golden era for you guys, and with the Ashcrofts, Fletcher, Morris, Gallop, and a host of noobs joining the pride next season, this thing might have legs. A dynasty, you say?
Hmmmm… maybe. 🙂
As for the Cats, they’ll be back again. They’re always back again, and to write them off at any point has left people with egg on their faces.
Five flags since the turn of the century… Geelong may have the words in their song, but today, the Brisbane Lions are the greatest team of all.
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
Like this content? You could buy me a coffee – I do like coffee, but there is no guarantee I won’t use it to buy a doughnut… I like them more. And I am not brought to you by Sportsbet or Ladbrokes… or Bet365, or any of them.
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