Brisbane Lions

For the soccer team formerly known as Brisbane Lions, see Queensland Lions FC.

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

Brisbane Lions
Names
Full name	Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club Limited, trading as Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club^[1]
2022 season
After finals	4th
Home-and-away season	6th
Leading goalkicker	Charlie Cameron (47)
Club details
Founded	1 November 1996 From a merger of: Fitzroy Football Club (formed 1883) Brisbane Bears (formed 1987)^[2]
Colours	Maroon   Blue   Gold
Competition	AFL: Senior men AFLW: Senior women VFL: Reserves men
Chairman	Andrew Wellington^[3]
CEO	Greg Swann
Coach	AFL: Chris Fagan AFLW: Craig Starcevich VFL: TBC
Captain(s)	AFL: Dayne Zorko AFLW: Breanna Koenen VFL: TBC
Premierships	AFL (3)^[4] 2001 2002 2003 AFLW (1) 2021 Reserves (5) 2001 2012 2013 2017 2019
Ground(s)	AFL: The Gabba (1997-present) Carrara Stadium (2021) AFLW: Brighton Homes Arena (10,000) VFL: Brighton Homes Arena
Training ground(s)	Brighton Homes Arena (2022–present)
Uniforms
Home Away Clash
Other information
Official website	lions.com.au
Current season

The club was formed in late 1996 via a merger of the Melbourne-based 1883 foundation VFL club the Fitzroy Lions, and the 1987 Queensland based expansion club the Brisbane Bears, with the colours of maroon, blue, and gold being drawn from both parent clubs.^[5]

The Lions are one of 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, which was also the site of their offices and training facilities until moving these to Springfield Central Stadium in Ipswich in 2022.

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 four 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 since 2021 the reserves team has competed in the Victorian Football League.

History

Pre-Merger

See also: History of the Fitzroy Football Club and History of the Brisbane Bears

 

Haydn Bunton Sr. won three Brownlow Medals and two club best and fairest medals in his time at Fitzroy.

The history of the Brisbane Lions traces back to the formation of the Melbourne-based Fitzroy Football Club on 26 September 1883 at The Brunswick Hotel. The Victorian Football Association (VFA) made changes to their rules, allowing Fitzroy to join as the seventh club in 1884, playing in the maroon and blue colours of the local Normanby Junior Football Club.

They quickly became one of the most successful clubs, consistently in the top four, and drawing large crowds to their home at the Brunswick Street Oval in Edinburgh Gardens. This success was capped off by Fitzroy winning the VFA premiership in 1895.

Fitzroy would then go onto be one of the eight break away clubs who formed the Victorian Football League in 1897. They would continue their VFA form and be a powerhouse in the early days of the new VFL, winning a total of eight 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 club to changed its nickname to the Lions in 1957, but when Fitzroy was evicted from its home ground of Brunswick St Oval in 1965, this began a sustained period of poor on-field performance and financial losses. Despite a revival in the '80s, when the Lions made the finals four times under the coaching of Robert Walls and David Parkin, and the playing group of 1981 Brownlow Medallist Bernie Quinlan, Ron Alexander, Garry Wilson, Gary Pert and Paul Roos, the club's financial situation was perilous.

 

The famous Fitzroy passant Lion which was chosen to be the emblem of the Brisbane Lions.

The VFL's plans to move or merge struggling Fitzroy to Brisbane pre-dated the Brisbane Bears, and negotiations between the league and the club began in 1986 with the playing group voting for a move to Brisbane.^[6] However, Fitzroy resisted the move despite significant incentives and in response, the VFL made the decision to cut any further financial assistance to the club, which contributed to its ultimate demise. 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 began to consider options for survival.

The Brisbane Bears were born in 1987 and initially played home matches at Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast. In its early days, the club was uncompetitive on the field and struggled to shake the derisive tags which included "The Cararra Koalas" (in reference to the Gold Coast home and the somewhat tame marsupial) and "The Bad News Bears".

After the collapse of the business empire belonging to Bears deputy chairman Christopher Skase and the resignation of chairman Paul Cronin, the club was taken over by the AFL and re-sold to Gold Coast hospitality businessman Reuben Pelerman. Off-field, Pelerman was losing millions of dollars annually on the club and at one point in 1991 told Bears coach Robert Walls that he was closing it down. The Bears would go onto finish last in 1990 and 1991.

To survive, The Bears experimented with playing matches at the Gabba in Brisbane in 1991, moving all home matches to the venue ahead of the 1993 season. As part of the club's move to the Gabba, Pelerman agreed to release the Bears from private ownership and revert to a traditional club structure in which the club's members were able to elect the board. Membership and attendances instantly tripled now that the club was finally playing in their home city of Brisbane.

The Bears only qualified for the finals series in 1995 and 1996, and 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 short and turbulent ten-year existence. Despite improving its on field fortunes, and drafting exciting young players on such as Michael Voss, Justin Leppitsch, Jason Akermanis, Darryl White, and Nigel Lappin, the clubs existence was still at threat due to severe financial problems, and since 1990 The Bears had been actively exploring merger options with Fitzroy.

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 an identity, 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 (including former Fitzroy champion Laurie Serafini), and the Lions would keep an office in Melbourne.

The eight Fitzroy players who would join the Brisbane Lions were Brad Boyd, Chris Johnson, Jarrod Molloy, John Barker, Nick Carter, Simon Hawking, Scott Bamford and Shane Clayton.

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

Beginnings: 1997–2000

In their debut year as a combined club, the Lions narrowly made the finals, finishing in eighth 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.^[7] Their first two games were against the eventual grand finalists of that year, Adelaide and St Kilda. They went down to Adelaide by 36 points before recording an emphatic 97-point thrashing of St Kilda in round 2. The Lions met St Kilda again in a cut-throat away 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.

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.^[8] Within a year, the Lions rose from the bottom of the ladder to fourth. The 1999 season included a Round 20 Gabba match where the Lions led Fremantle by 113 points at half-time after having kicked 21 goals. Their half-time score of 21.5 (131) still remains the highest half-time score in VFL/AFL history.^[9] Brisbane would win their first finals as a merged entity against Carlton and the Western Bulldogs before losing to the eventual premiers, the Kangaroos, in a 1999 preliminary final. The Lions played finals again in 2000 but bowed out in the second week after losing an away game to Carlton by 82 points.

In this time period the club drafted and recruited key players who would go onto be pillars of the Lions triple premiership years. Victorian Luke Power, Fitzroy father-son selection Jonathan Brown, and exciting WA product Simon Black would come via the draft, and Brad Scott, Mal Michael, and ex-Fitzroy B&F winner Martin Pike would be recruited from Hawthorn, Collingwood, and North Melbourne respectively.

Triple premiership success: 2001–2004

 

Michael Voss captained Brisbane to three successive premierships

The Lions began 2001 by making the final of the Ansett Australia Cup, their first pre-season grand final. They went down by 85 points away to Port Adelaide,^[10] who they had also been scheduled to play in Round 1 at the same venue. After an inconsistent start to their 2002 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 a Predator quote, "if it bleeds, we can kill it", to inspire his team for the game.^[11] 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 and 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 after being judged best on ground in the Grand Final.^[12]: 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 a club-record 17 games, spending most of the season firmly entrenched in the top two with Port Adelaide. They narrowly missed out on the minor premiership following a final round defeat to the Power in Adelaide.^[13] In the finals, the Lions claimed easy home victories over the two Adelaide-based teams on their way to a second consecutive Grand Final. They faced Collingwood, who had surprised many that year after having missed the finals the previous seven seasons. Brisbane ended up defeating the Magpies 9.12 (66) to 10.15 (75) 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.^{[citation needed]}

In 2003, the Lions became the first team in the national era to win three consecutive premierships. 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)^[12]: 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; the record was equalled by Melbourne's Christian Petracca 18 years later in the 2021 Grand Final.^[14]

 

Fitzroy and the Brisbane Lions spiritual home of Brunswick Street Oval

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 Brunswick Street Oval, Fitzroy, each morning after the grand final. Honouring the club's history at their traditional home ground was not only an important way of connecting with Melbourne-based former Fitzroy fans who'd supported the Brisbane Lions from the beginning but was a key step in winning over the disaffected Fitzroy fans who had not started supporting the Brisbane Lions post-merger.^[15][16]

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.^[17] 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.^[18] Despite this setback, Brisbane beat Geelong and reached the 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 in what was the first-ever all-non-Victorian grand final.^[19] 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 last-ever game and therefore immune from suspension.^[20]

Rebuild & Michael Voss: 2005–2013

 

Training, May 2007

The Lions endured a slow start to the 2005 season before having a form reversal towards the end of the year, which included ten-goal thrashings of top-four contenders Geelong and Melbourne. Going into Round 20, they were half a game clear inside the top eight and had one of the strongest percentages in the league. However, they would lose their final three games and miss the finals, with their season culminating in a record-breaking 139-point loss to St Kilda at the Telstra Dome. It remains the club's heaviest defeat, in addition to being the largest victory in the over-100-year history of St Kilda.^[21] Some believed that the St Kilda game, rather than the 2004 Grand Final, had signaled the end of Brisbane's triple premiership dynasty.^[22]

The Lions began the 2006 season optimistically, but injuries plagued the club as they again missed the finals, with Brisbane's players recording an AFL record total of 200 matches lost to injury for the season.

The Brisbane Lions 2007 season started with them finishing runner up to Carlton in the 2007 NAB Cup Grand Final. The Lions would fail to make the finals for a third successive year, again showing promising glimpses at stages, with a shock away win against reigning premiers the West Coast Eagles, and a 93-point hiding of finalists Collingwood at the MCG.^[23] They made history in 2007 by becoming the first club 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.

After only winning 2 games from the first 5 played in 2009, 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.

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.^[24] 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.

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.^[25][26] 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.^[27]

On 13 August 2013, coach Michael Voss was told that his contract would not be renewed.^{[28][29][30][31]}

On 18 October 2013, Brisbane Lions Hall of Famer Simon Black announced his retirement.

Playing under Justin Leppitsch: 2014–2016

On 25 August 2013, a 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.^[32]

On 29 August 2016, Leppitsch was sacked as coach of the Lions after multiple disappointing seasons.^[33]

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.^[34]

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 became the first team since Geelong in 1997 to finish second on the ladder and not progress to a preliminary final.

 

Brisbane Lions flag flying over Fitzroy Town Hall on Napier Street in Fitzroy, Victoria, before the 2021 finals series

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 went on to 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 games 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 ladder 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 bowed out in straight sets for the second time in three years after suffering losses to eventual premiers Melbourne and eventual runners-up Western Bulldogs in the finals, with the latter winning by a single point due to a contentious free kick paid to the Bulldogs in the final seconds of the game.

Brisbane reached the finals once again in 2022, but this time missed the top four. With a win-loss record of fifteen wins and seven losses, the Lions finished sixth and hosted seventh-placed Richmond at The Gabba in an Elimination Final. After a close game which had 17 lead changes, the Lions prevailed, defeating the Tigers by a margin of two points in a 106–104 victory thanks to a late Joe Daniher goal. The Lions then played the Melbourne Demons in the Semi-Final, and upset the reigning premiers against all odds, bundling them out in straight sets with a score of 92–79 to progress to their second Preliminary Final under Fagan, taking on Geelong once again in a rematch of the 2020 Preliminary Final.

Unfortunately for Brisbane, their impressive finals run came to an end against the Cats, suffering a 71-point defeat in the First Preliminary Final that ended their 2022 season.

Membership base & Sponsorship

 

Mural of Lions greats Kevin Murray and Jonathan Brown at the Royal Derby Hotel in Fitzroy, Melbourne.

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.^[35]

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.^[36]

A 2000 Roy Morgan AFL survey of household incomes suggested that Brisbane Lions supporters were among the lowest-earning supporters in the league.^[37]

Year	Members ^[38]	Change from previous season	Finishing position	Finals result/Wooden spoon	Average home crowd ^[39]	Profit (loss)
1997	16,769	—	8th	Qualifying finalists	19,550	Un­known
1998	16,108	661	16th	Wooden spoon	16,675
1999	16,931	823	3rd	Preliminary finalists	21,890
2000	20,295	3,364	6th	Semi-finalists	27,406
2001	18,330	1,965	2nd	Premiers	27,638	($845,000)^[40]
2002	22,288	3,958	2nd	Premiers	26,895	Un­known
2003	24,365	2,077	3rd	Premiers	31,717	$2,200,000^[41]
2004	30,941	6,576	2nd	Grand finalists	33,619	Un­known
2005	28,913	1,308	11th	—	33,267
2006	26,459	2,454	13th		28,630
2007	21,976	4,483	10th		28,848	$1,058,000^[42]
2008	22,737	761	10th		28,128	($2,200,030)^[43]
2009	24,873	2,136	6th	Semi-finalists	29,172	($603,207)^[44]
2010	26,779	1,906	13th	—	29,933	($2,713,848)^[45]
2011	22,338	4,441	15th		20,462	($1,855,926)^[46]
2012	20,762	1,576	13th		20,344	($2,513,262)^[47]
2013	24,130	3,368	12th		21,083	($1,574,762)^[48]
2014	24,012	118	15th		19,743	($3,543,138)^[49]
2015	25,408	1,396	17th		18,810	($681,053)^[50]
2016	23,286	2,122	17th		17,074	($1,783,506)^[51]	—
2017	21,362	1,924	18th	Wooden spoon	16,455	($2,261,990)^[52]
2018	24,867	3,505	15th	—	18,405	($230,641)^[53]
2019	28,821	3,954	2nd	Semi-finalists	24,741	$648,618,^[54] ^[a]
2020	29,277	456	2nd	Preliminary finalists	10,648^[b]	$3,073,413^[55]
2021	40,289	11,012	4th	Semi-finalists	20,603	$25,337,691^[56]
2022	43,319	3,030	6th	Preliminary finalists	25,818	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

1. For a short period in the 2018/19 off-season, from November '18 to March '19, the Lions' co–major sponsors were Oaks Hotels & Resorts and SOOW; however, the contract with SOOW was cancelled before the first game of the home-and-away season was played.
2. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were capped crowd capacities during the 2020 season

 

Fitzroy/Brisbane Lions historical society at Docklands stadium, Melbourne.

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

Sponsorship

Year	Kit Manufacturer	Major Sponsor	Shorts Sponsor	Back Sponsor
1997-98	Puma	Carlton & United Breweries	Spam	Coca-Cola
1999			Devine Homes
2000		AAPT	Spam	Cellular One
2001	Russell Athletic		Bio Organics Vitamins	AAPT Cellular One
2002			AAMI
2003-06				AAPT
2007	Puma	Vodafone		Vodafone
2008			HBA
2009			MBF
2010		Bank of Queensland (Home) Conergy (Away)		Conergy (Home) Bank of Queensland (Away)
2011-12	Kooga		Bupa
2013		Vero Insurance (Home) National Storage (Away)		National Storage (Home) Vero Insurance (Away)
2014	BLK		Technology One
2015			Garuda Indonesia
2016		Vero Insurance (Home) Camperdown Dairy International (Away)	-	Camperdown Dairy International (Home) Vero Insurance (Away)
2017	Majestic Athletic		XXXX
2018		Vero Insurance (Home) Oaks Hotels & Resorts (Away)		Oaks Hotels & Resorts (Home) Vero Insurance (Away)
2019		Neds (Home) Oaks Hotels & Resorts (Away)	The Coffee Club	Oaks Hotels & Resorts (Home) Neds (Away)
2020	Classic Sportswear	XL Express (Home) Neds (Away)		Neds (Home) XL Express (Away)
2021			Taubmans

Relationship with Fitzroy FC

 

The Lions playing against Collingwood in a 1960s Fitzroy jumper for the 2003 heritage round

Fitzroy FC Ltd came out of administration in 1998. For a brief time, it experimented in partnerships with other semi-professional and amateur clubs before incorporating the Fitzroy Reds in 2009 to play in the Victorian Amateur Football Association. While its AFL operations are run via the Brisbane Lions, Fitzroy largely resumed its original VFL/AFL identity playing in the VAFA through its continued use of their 1975–1996 VFL/AFL jumper, their club song, and their 1884–1966 home ground at the Brunswick Street Oval.

Fitzroy FC ltd improved its relationship with the Brisbane Lions in the ten years from 1999 to 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. Fitzroy's VAFA side 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 however 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.

Since 2015, The Lions have kept strong ties with the Fitzroy Football Club in the VAFA and the Fitzroy junior football club. A one club approach has been taken from all parties and the Lions sponsor a male and female Fitzroy player each year, conduct coaching workshops for Fitzroy, and frequently invite the Fitzroy juniors to form a guard of honour for Victorian games. With many Fitzroy people having served on the Brisbane Lions board, each iteration of the club in the AFL and in local football keeps the Fitzroy spirit alive.

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.^[57]

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.^[58]

Lyrics

We are the pride of Brisbane town,

We wear maroon, blue and gold.

We will always fight for victory,

Like Fitzroy, and Bears of old.

All for one, and one for all,

We will answer to the call.

Go Lions, Brisbane Lions,

We'll kick the winning score

You'll hear our mighty roar

Training base

 

Springfield Central Stadium, new training base for the Lions during 2022 Season 7 AFLW Grand Final

Between 1997 and 2022, the club trained out of the Gabba during the football season. The club's administrative and indoor training facilities were also located in the stadium. Due to the cricket season in the summer which is during the off-season for the Lions, the club was required to train at alternative locations over the years, this has included the University of Queensland campus,^[59] Leyshon Park in Yeronga,^[60] Giffin Park in Coorparoo, Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex in Burpengary and elsewhere, meaning the club lacked a dedicated and permanent home year-round. In 2020 the club announced that it would move its training and administrative facilities into Springfield Central Stadium (known for ground-sponsorship purposes as Brighton Homes Arena), an 8,000-capacity high-class facility in Ipswich that enables the club to base itself in the single location and play reserve-grade and AFLW matches at the one location.^[61][62][63] The Lions moved into the facility in October 2022.^[64]

Rivalries

Collingwood

The angst between supporters of Collingwood and Brisbane had been caused by plenty of history between the two clubs. Fitzroy and Collingwood are neighbouring inner northern Melbourne suburbs with a suburban boundary separating them down the middle of Smith Street. This meant they shared a fierce local rivalry pre-merger, but the rivalry between the Lions and the Magpies was properly ignited post-merger in late 1999 when Collingwood played their last ever 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.^[65]

Gold Coast Suns

Main article: QClash

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.^[66]

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.^[67] 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".^[68]

Port Adelaide

The necessity of a merger between two AFL clubs in 1996 was to enable The Port Adelaide Football Club to enter the AFL in 1997. The result of this merger produced The Brisbane Lions, and fans of parent clubs Fitzroy and the Brisbane Bears were disappointed at losing their clubs as standalone entities due to Port's entry into the league. A rivalry quickly developed between the newly merged club and Port.

In their early days, the two clubs could not be separated and had multiple close encounters, with a draw in two of their first three meetings.^[7] In the early 2000s, the rivalry reached its peak as the two clubs would be the most dominant of the era, consistently finishing at the top of the ladder.^[69] Between 2001 and 2004, the clubs met each other in the 2001 Ansett Australia Cup Grand Final, a 2001 qualifying final, a 2002 preliminary final and the 2004 Grand Final. Other notable encounters from this period include a round 22 match in 2002 to determine the minor premiership that year,^[13] which Port Adelaide won by a single goal, and a round 17 match in 2003 with 7 lead changes in the final quarter, which Port Adelaide won by a point.

Honours

Club honours

Premierships
Competition	Team	Wins	Seasons 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 pre-season 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	2	2017, S7 (2022)
	Grand Finalist	3	2017, 2018, S7 (2022)

Individual

Main article: List of Brisbane Lions individual awards and records

Team of the Decade

In June 2006, to recognise ten years since the creation of the Brisbane Lions, a Team of the Decade was announced.^[70]

Team of the Decade
Backs:	Chris Johnson	Mal Michael	Darryl White
Half-Backs:	Marcus Ashcroft	Justin Leppitsch	Chris Scott
Midfielders:	Nigel Lappin	Michael Voss (c)	Brad Scott
Half-Forwards:	Jason Akermanis	Jonathan Brown	Craig McRae
Forwards:	Luke Power	Alastair Lynch	Daniel Bradshaw
Followers:	Clark Keating	Simon Black	Shaun Hart
Interchange:	Martin Pike	Tim Notting	Jamie Charman	Richard Champion
Coach:	Leigh Matthews

Hall of Fame

Legends

Name	Year inducted as inductee	Year inducted as legend	Reference	Hall of Fame profile
Haydn Bunton Sr.	N/A	2012	^[71]	Profile
Kevin Murray	N/A	2012	^[71]	Profile
Michael Voss	2012	2014	^[72]	Profile
Garry Wilson	2012	2016	^[73]	Profile

Inductees

Name	Year inducted	Reference	Hall of Fame profile
Marcus Ashcroft	2012	^[71]	Profile
Fred Hughson	2012	^[71]	Profile
Nigel Lappin	2012	^[71]	Profile
Justin Leppitsch	2012	^[71]	Profile
Alastair Lynch	2012	^[71]	Profile
Leigh Matthews	2012	^[71]	Profile
Jack Moriarty	2012	^[71]	Profile
John Murphy	2012	^[71]	Profile
Percy Parratt	2012	^[71]	Profile
Bernie Quinlan	2012	^[71]	Profile
Paul Roos	2012	^[71]	Profile
Allan Ruthven	2012	^[71]	Profile
Bill Stephen	2012	^[71]	Profile
Norm Brown	2014	^[72]	Profile
Shaun Hart	2014	^[72]	Profile
George Holden	2014	^[72]	Profile
Chris Johnson	2014	^[72]	Profile
Harold McLennan	2014	^[72]	Profile
Roger Merrett	2014	^[72]	Profile
Chris Scott	2014	^[72]	Profile
Bill Walker	2014	^[72]	Profile
Darryl White	2014	^[72]	Profile
Len Wigraft	2014	^[72]	Profile
Jason Akermanis	2016	^[74]	Profile
George Coates	2016	^[74]	Profile
Jimmy Freake	2016	^[74]	Profile
Norm Johnstone	2016	^[74]	Profile
Gary Pert	2016	^[74]	Profile
Luke Power	2016	^[74]	Profile
Matt Rendell	2016	^[74]	Profile
Arthur Wilson	2016	^[74]	Profile
Jonathan Brown	2019	^[75]
Frank Curcio	2019	^[75]
Alan Gale	2019	^[75]
Andrew Ireland	2019	^[75]
Warwick Irwin	2019	^[75]
Richard Osborne	2019	^[75]
Robert Walls	2019	^[75]

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	120	64	56	0	53.33	2017–present (R9 2022)

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, 2020-2021	AFLW premiership captain: 2021
Leah Kaslar		2019
Breanna Koenen		2022–

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, ten 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, 2022	3
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 Kai Lohmann  2 Deven Robertson  3 Joe Daniher  4 Callum Ah Chee  5 Josh Dunkley  6 Hugh McCluggage  7 Jarrod Berry  8 Will Ashcroft  9 Lachie Neale 10 Daniel Rich 11 Lincoln McCarthy 13 Blake Coleman 14 James Madden 15 Dayne Zorko (c) 16 Cameron Rayner 17 Jarryd Lyons 18 Keidean Coleman 19 Jack Gunston 20 Jaxon Prior		21 Tom Fullarton 22 Harry Sharp 23 Charlie Cameron 24 Marcus Adams 25 Henry Smith 26 Conor McKenna 27 Darcy Gardiner 28 Jaspa Fletcher 29 James Tunstill 30 Eric Hipwood 31 Harris Andrews (vc) 32 Darcy Fort 33 Zac Bailey 37 Brandon Starcevich 40 Jack Payne 43 Noah Answerth 44 Darcy Wilmot 46 Oscar McInerney				12 Nakia Cockatoo 34 Shadeau Brain (B) 35 Ryan Lester 36 Rhys Mathieson 39 Carter Michael 45 Kalin Lane 50 Darryl McDowell-White Jr (B)		Head coach Chris Fagan Assistant coaches Jed Adcock (backline) Cameron Bruce (midfield and stoppage) Murray Davis (forwards) Mark Stone (strategy) Dale Morris (development) Ben Hudson (VFL head coach and senior ruck coach) Scott Borlace (head of development) Mitch Hahn (male academy head coach) Damien Austin (high performance manager) Legend: (c) Captain(s) (vc) Vice captain(s) (B) Category B rookie italics - Inactive player list   Long-term injury (ret.) Retired Updated: 15 January 2023 Source(s): Players, Coaches

Covid top-up list

For the 2022 season, in the event an AFL club has less than 28 players available due to Covid, each club can select from a list of 20 state league players who can be called up to AFL level.^[76]

Brisbane have selected VFL players from Coburg, Port Melbourne and Brisbane Lions' VFL team

2022 Brisbane Lions Covid Top-up list
Player	State League club
Tahj Abberley	Brisbane VFL
Harry Arnold	Brisbane VFL
Charlie Bowes	Brisbane VFL
Wylie Buzza	Brisbane VFL
Nathan Colenso	Brisbane VFL
Will Fletcher	Brisbane VFL
Riley Greene	Brisbane VFL
Jackson Hille	Brisbane VFL
Charlie Offermans	Brisbane VFL
Luke O'Sullivan	Brisbane VFL
Bruce Reville	Brisbane VFL
Toby Triffett	Brisbane VFL
Charlie Thompson	Coburg
Sam Lowson	Coburg
Jack Maibaum	Coburg
Peter McEvoy	Coburg
Corey Wagner	Port Melbourne
Paul Hunter	Port Melbourne
Fletcher Roberts	Port Melbourne
Harvey Hooper	Port Melbourne

Reserves team

Main article: Australian Football League reserves affiliations

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.^[77] Between 1998 and 2010 the club's reserves team participated in the QAFL, where it was initially known as the "Lion Cubs",^[78] 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.^[79] 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
2001	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	—	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	—
2015		2–16–0	10th		Shane Woewodin^[80]
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

1. Whilst the finals result is unknown, it is known the team was neither premiers nor runners-up.

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.^[81] The Brisbane Lions were granted a licence on 15 June 2016, becoming one of eight teams to compete in the league's first season.^[82] Former AFL Queensland employee Breeanna Brock was appointed to the position of Women's CEO the following day.^[82]

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.^[83] 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.^[84]

Former Collingwood and Brisbane Bears player and AFL Queensland coach Craig Starcevich was appointed the team's inaugural head coach in June 2016.^[85] 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.^[86] Car company Hyundai, along with Epic Pharmacy, sponsored the team in 2017.^[87]

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 (c)  4 Sharni Webb  5 Jade Ellenger  6 Lily Postlethwaite  7 Gabby Collingwood (i)  8 Maggie Harmer (i) 10 Nat Grider (vc) 11 Phoebe Monahan 12 Sophie Conway 13 Kate Lutkins 14 Dakota Davidson 16 Bella Smith (i) 17 Belle Dawes		18 Ally Anderson 19 Luka Yoshida-Martin 20 Shannon Campbell 22 Zimmorlei Farquharson 23 Dee Heslop 24 Lucinda Pullar 25 Cathy Svarc 26 Ella Smith 27 Mikayla Pauga 28 Charlotte Mullins 29 Ruby Svarc 30 Jesse Wardlaw 31 Taylor Smith 32 Kiara Hillier 36 Ava Seton				9 Orla O'Dwyer 15 Greta Bodey 21 Courtney Hodder		Head coach Craig Starcevich Assistant coaches Emma Zielke (defence) Phil Lovett (forwards) Daniel Webster (midfield) Clark Keating (ruck) Simon Black (stoppages) Damien Richards (development) Legend: (c) Captain(s) (vc) Vice captain(s) (i) Inactive player(s) Updated: 15 January 2023 Source(s): Players, Coaches: [6], [7]

Non-playing/coaching staff

Name	Position
Breeanna Brock	Chief Executive Officer
Zachary Zropf	Football Analyst
Alex Gorman	Sports Psychologist
Michael Swann	Wellbeing Mentor
Matt Green	High Performance Manager
Alice Walker	Head of Medical
Jessica Clarey	Physio
Abbey Le Busque	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)
2022	3rd	8–2–0	Preliminary final	Craig Starcevich	Breanna Koenen	Emily Bates	Greta Bodey (13)
2022	1st	9–1–0	Runners-up	Craig Starcevich	Breanna Koenen	Emily Bates	Jesse Wardlaw (22)

^ 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

•  Sports portal
•  Australia portal

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

References

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