Sep 28 (Askume) – The Brisbane Lions defeated the Sydney Swans by 60 points in the Australian Football League (AFL) grand final on Saturday to win the Premier League championship in front of 100,013 spectators at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Brisbane, four points behind the previous year’s finalists Collingwood Magpies, won 18.12 (120) to 9.6 (60) to win their first title since 2003 and their first since 1990.
Brisbane took the lead at every break and scored with ease, overwhelming Sydney, losing for the fourth time in a Grand Final under head coach John Longmire.
The pre-match entertainment ended with a headline performance by American pop singer Katy Perry, and Sydney forwards Will Hayward and Tom Papley scored twice in the first over.
Twenty-one-year-old Kai Loman scored twice in the space of a minute to help Brisbane maintain possession, which continued into the second quarter as Queensland dominated.
At one point, after kicking five majors in 19 overs, Lions fans watched in disbelief as winger Eric Hipwood unceremoniously delivered a dreadful drop shot from the boundary line into the swirling air.
The minor premiership team could not recover from a slow start to the third quarter after losing a 46-point lead at half-time, but the Lions’ midfield, led by Lachie Neale (34 disposals) and Will Ashcroft (30 disposals), ensured the win.
Lowman scored his fourth goal in the closing stages to equal teammate Callum Ah Chee as the match’s top scorer, before tall forward Joe Daniher) (two goals) struck a perfect shot before being booed by the crowd, ending the match in disaster.
At 63, Brisbane boss Chris Fagan has become the oldest coach to win a grand final and only the second to not have competed at the highest level.
His fifth-ranked team had trouble reaching the tiebreaker and faced Carlton, Carlton and Chicago in the playoffs without the possibility of a bye week for teams ranked first to fourth in the regular season, eventually losing.
