fbpx
Wikipedia

Brisbane Lions

The Brisbane Lions are a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that compete in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition.

Brisbane Lions
Names
Full nameBrisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club Limited, trading as Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club[1]
2023 season
After finalsAFL: 2nd
AFLW: Premiers
Home-and-away seasonAFL: 2nd
AFLW: 4th
Leading goalkickerAFL: Joe Daniher (61)
AFLW:
Merrett–Murray MedalAFL: Harris Andrews
AFLW:
Club details
Founded1 November 1996

From the Incorporated AFL operations of:

Fitzroy Football Club (formed 1883)[2][3]

Brisbane Bears (formed 1987)[4][5]
Colours  Maroon   Blue   Gold
CompetitionAFL: Senior men
AFLW: Senior women
VFL: Reserves men
ChairmanAndrew Wellington[6]
CEOGreg Swann
CoachAFL: Chris Fagan
AFLW: Craig Starcevich
VFL: Ben Hudson
Captain(s)AFL: Harris Andrews and Lachie Neale
AFLW: Breanna Koenen
Number-one ticket holder(s)Dan Anstey
Abby Coleman
PremiershipsAFL (3)[7]AFLW (2)Reserves (5)
Ground(s)AFL: The Gabba (1997–present)
AFLW: Springfield Central Stadium (8,000)
VFL: Springfield Central Stadium
Training ground(s)Springfield Central Stadium (2022–present)
Uniforms
Home
Away
Clash
Other information
Official websitelions.com.au
Current season

The Lions came into existence in 1996 when the AFL expansion club the Brisbane Bears, established in 1987, absorbed the AFL operations of one of the league's foundation clubs, Fitzroy, established in Melbourne, Victoria in 1883.[8][9][10][11] Its colours of maroon, blue, and gold were drawn from both Fitzroy and the Bears.[12][13][14][15]

The club plays its home matches at the Gabba in Brisbane, and its headquarters and training facilities are located at Springfield Central Stadium. The Lions are one of the most successful AFL clubs of the 2000s, appearing in four consecutive grand finals from 2001 to 2004, a period in which they won three premierships (2001, 2002, 2003). They also finished runners-up in 2023.

The Lions were a foundation team in the AFL Women's competition in 2017, and have featured in five grand finals in that time, winning the premiership in 2021 and again in 2023 also finishing runners-up on the other occasions. They also field a reserves men's team in the Victorian Football League, and operate an under-18s academy which contests Division 2 of the men's and women's underage national championships and the Talent League.

History of Fitzroy Football Club pre-1996, and Brisbane Bears edit

Fitzroy Football Club edit

The Melbourne-based Fitzroy Football Club was formed 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.[16]

 
Fitzroy's 1898 premiership-winning side

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 then went on to be one of the eight break-away clubs who formed the Victorian Football League in 1897. They continued 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 while 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.[17]

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

The club 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. Fitzroy entered one of the least successful periods any VFL/AFL club has had. The club finished in the bottom three 11 times in the 1960s and 1970s, including three wooden spoons in four years between 1963 and 1966. The club won only a single game between 1963 and 1964 – known as the Miracle Match when it defeated eventual premiers Geelong in Round 10, 1963 – but its 1964 season was winless, and as of 2023 stands as the only winless season by any club since 1950.

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 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.[18] 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. 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.[3]

Brisbane Bears (1987–1996) edit

 
Carrara Stadium was the original home ground of the Brisbane Bears.

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 Carrara 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 finished last in 1990 and 1991.[19]

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.[19]

The Bears only qualified for the finals series in 1995 and 1996, and the closest the club came to a Grand Final was a preliminary final in 1996.

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 club's existence was still at threat due to severe financial problems, and since 1990, The Bears had been actively exploring merger options with Fitzroy.[20]

Brisbane Bears absorb Fitzroy's AFL operations, become Brisbane Lions edit

Fitzroy's directors had agreed in principle to merge with the eventual 1996 premiers, North Melbourne, as the "North-Fitzroy Kangaroos". However, that proposal was rejected 15–1 by the club presidents, 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 AFL operations with Brisbane.

The club became the Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club (trading as Brisbane Lions),[21] remained at the Gabba, and were coached by Bears coach John Northey. However, the club's identity, logo, song, and guernsey were based on those of Fitzroy, three Fitzroy representatives served on the board, and the Lions kept an office in Melbourne. None of the Fitzroy representatives, former Fitzroy champion Laurie Serafini, David Lucas and Ken Levy, chosen to serve on Brisbane's board, were Fitzroy directors at that time.[22][23]

Eight Fitzroy players were allowed to be recruited to the Brisbane Lions outside of the normal draft or trade system. They were Brad Boyd, Chris Johnson, Jarrod Molloy, John Barker, Nick Carter, Simon Hawking, Scott Bamford and Shane Clayton.[24]

Fitzroy played its last VFL/AFL game on 1 September 1996 against Fremantle at Subiaco Oval, and the Bears' last match was a preliminary final on Saturday 21 September 1996 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against North Melbourne.

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

Brisbane Lions history edit

Beginnings: 1997–2000 edit

In 1997, the Lions narrowly made the finals, finishing eighth. They ended up with the same win–loss record as fellow 1997 newcomers Port Adelaide, who missed out due to having an inferior percentage.[25] 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 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 finished last 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.[26] 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.[27] Brisbane won 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 period the club drafted and recruited key players who went on to be pillars of the Lions triple premiership years. Victorian Luke Power, Fitzroy father-son selection Jonathan Brown, and exciting WA product Simon Black came via the draft, and Brad Scott, Mal Michael, and ex-Fitzroy B&F winner Martin Pike were recruited from Hawthorn, Collingwood, and North Melbourne respectively.

Triple premiership success: 2001–2004 edit

 
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,[28] who they had also been scheduled to play in Round 1 at the same venue. After an inconsistent start to their 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 a Predator quote, "if it bleeds, we can kill it", to inspire his team for the game.[29] The Lions then won 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 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.[30]: 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.[31] 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)[30]: 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.[32]

2003 AFL Grand Final G B Total
Brisbane Lions 20 14 134
Collingwood 12 12 84
Venue: MCG Crowd: 79,451
 
Brunswick Street Oval has been called the spiritual home of both Fitzroy and the Brisbane Lions.

During their premiership years, the club took the premiership cups to Brunswick Street Oval, Fitzroy, the home of the Fitzroy Football Club, each morning after the grand final. Honouring Fitzroy's history at their traditional home ground was seen as an important way of connecting with the Melbourne-based Fitzroy supporters who'd chosen to support the Brisbane Lions.[33][34]

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.[35] 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.[36] 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.[37] 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.[38]

Rebuild and Michael Voss: 2005–2013 edit

 
Players training in 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 lost 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.[39] Some believed that the St Kilda game, rather than the 2004 Grand Final, had signaled the end of Brisbane's triple premiership dynasty.[40]

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 runners-up to Carlton in the 2007 NAB Cup Grand Final. The Lions failed 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.[41] 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 finished the season. They also recorded 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 only won 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.[42] 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.[43][44] 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 became known as the Miracle on Grass.[45]

On 13 August 2013, coach Michael Voss was told his contract would not be renewed.[46][47][48][49]

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

Playing under Justin Leppitsch: 2014–2016 edit

On 25 August 2013, a former premiership player for the Lions, Justin Leppitsch, was confirmed as 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.[50]

On 29 August 2016, Leppitsch was sacked as coach of the Lions after multiple disappointing seasons.[51]

Chris Fagan era: 2017–present edit

On 4 October 2016, Hawthorn football manager Chris Fagan was announced as Brisbane's senior coach from the 2017 season onwards.[52]

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, but multiple close losses showed signs of a young team about to breakout into finals contention.

The Lions had a dramatically improved 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 repeated their form displayed in 2019 the following year, once again finishing second 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.

Brisbane reinforced their squad with multiple star signings in the off-season, such as star midfielder Josh Dunkley, tall forward Jack Gunston and father-son draftee Will Ashcroft, to make them one of the competition's flag favourites for the 2023 AFL season. Additionally, Fagan also penned a two-year contract extension to keep him at the club until 2025, with Lachie Neale and Harris Andrews also taking over as co-captains from long-serving Lions veteran Dayne Zorko, who stepped down before the commencement of the 2023 season.

Brisbane finished the 2023 Home & Away season in second position, finishing in the Top 2 for the third time under Fagan after previously doing so in 2019 and 2020, and finishing in the Top 4 for the fourth time after also doing so in 2021. They faced Port Adelaide in the Second Qualifying Final on the 9th of September at the Gabba, beating the Power by 48 points and going straight through to a home preliminary final, their third under Fagan, where they faced Carlton on the 23rd of September for a place in the 2023 AFL Grand Final.

After conceding the first five goals, The Lions fought back, prevailing by 16 points over the Blues to progress to the AFL Grand Final for the first time since 2004. This meant that they faced Collingwood, exactly 20 years on since they faced the Magpies in the 2003 Grand Final and completed the historic three-peat.

The Lions fell short of the premiership in 2023, losing to the Magpies in an extremely close Grand Final with a final score of 12.18.(90) to 13.8.(86).

Membership base and sponsorship edit

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, 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, Jonathan Brown, and Chris Johnson on its Alexandra Parade side.[53]

To add to this presence in Melbourne, the Lions Historical Society is based at Etihad Stadium, containing exhibits from Fitzroy, the Bears, and the Brisbane Lions.[54]

A 2000 Roy Morgan AFL survey of household incomes suggested that Brisbane Lions supporters were among the lowest-earning supporters in the league.[55]

Year Members
[56]
Change from previous season Finishing position Finals result/Wooden spoon Average home crowd
[57]
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)[58]
2002 22,288   3,958 2nd Premiers 26,895 Un­known
2003 24,365   2,077 3rd Premiers 31,717 $2,200,000[59]
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[60]
2008 22,737   761 10th 28,128 ($2,200,030)[61]
2009 24,873   2,136 6th Semi-finalists 29,172 ($603,207)[62]
2010 26,779   1,906 13th 29,933 ($2,713,848)[63]
2011 22,338   4,441 15th 20,462 ($1,855,926)[64]
2012 20,762   1,576 13th 20,344 ($2,513,262)[65]
2013 24,130   3,368 12th 21,083 ($1,574,762)[66]
2014 24,012   118 15th 19,743 ($3,543,138)[67]
2015 25,408   1,396 17th 18,810 ($681,053)[68]
2016 23,286   2,122 17th 17,074 ($1,783,506)[69]
2017 21,362   1,924 18th Wooden spoon 16,455 ($2,261,990)[70]
2018 24,867   3,505 15th 18,405 ($230,641)[71]
2019 28,821   3,954 2nd Semi-finalists 24,741 $648,618,[72] [a]
2020 29,277   456 2nd Preliminary finalists 10,648[b] $3,073,413[73]
2021 40,289   11,012 4th Semi-finalists 20,603 $2,938,037 [74][c]
2022 43,319   3,030 6th Preliminary finalists 25,818 $2,384,997[75][d]
2023 52,373   9,054 2nd Grand finalists 27,455

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
  3. ^ excludes ~$15 million grant funding for construction of Springfield training ground
  4. ^ excludes ~$13 million in grant funding for construction of Springfield training ground

Non-playing/coaching staff edit

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 edit

Year Kit Manufacturer Major Sponsor Shorts Sponsor Back Sponsor Above number sponsor Neckline 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
2022 XL Express (Home) Youi (Away) Youi (Home) XL Express (Away) Hyundai [76]
2023 New Balance Caltex (Home) Youi (Away) XXXX Youi (Home) Caltex (Away) McDonald’s [77]

Relationship with the Fitzroy Football Club edit

The Fitzroy Football Club 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. Fitzroy largely resumed its original VFL/AFL identity playing in the VAFA through its continued use of its 1975–1996 VFL/AFL jumper, its club song, and its 1884–1966 home ground at the Brunswick Street Oval.

The goal was to not only maintain a strong presence in Melbourne for Victorian-based Fitzroy/Brisbane Lions supporters, but to also provide for the Fitzroy supporters who chose not to support Brisbane in the AFL. This was all done with the full support of the Brisbane Lions.[78]

 
Brisbane Lions flag flying over Fitzroy Town Hall during the 2021 finals series

Fitzroy Football Club improved its relationship with the Brisbane Lions in the ten years from 1999 to 2009. In that time Brisbane have used the letters BBFFC printed below the back of the neck of the club's guernseys from 2002 onwards, in line with Brisbane's official name.[79][80] Fitzroy 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, South Australia and Western Australia with the exception of away games played in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, 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 Deed of Arrangement between Fitzroy and Brisbane. The new logo, a lion's head facing forward, replaced the former Fitzroy logo of a passant lion with a football.

Mockingly referred to as 'The Paddlepop Lion', the new logo on the club jumper proved deeply unpopular amongst Lions fans who demanded it be changed back to the traditional Fitzroy passant Lion.[81]

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', in line with Brisbane's legal obligations as specified in the Deed of Arrangement, including their obligation to use the Fitzroy logo in perpetuity. On 15 July 2010, the two clubs reached a settlement, agreeing that the Fitzroy logo symbolically represents the historic deal between Brisbane and Fitzroy, and represents the Brisbane Lions in the AFL. Fitzroy agreed to a compromise whereby Brisbane would use both the old and new logos alongside each other in an official capacity for the next 14 years on all official club stationary and club publications, as well as the Lions' official website for the shorter period of seven years.[82][83][84][85]

After immense pressure from both Lions and Fitzroy fans, Brisbane returned to using the old logo on its playing guernseys from 2015, but the new logo will remain for corporate purposes.[86][87]

The Brisbane Lions have since renewed and maintained strong ties with the Fitzroy Football Club in the VAFA and the Fitzroy junior football club. The Brisbane Lions sponsor a male and female Fitzroy player each year, conduct coaching workshops for Fitzroy, frequently invite the Fitzroy juniors to form a guard of honour for Victorian games, and have had many Fitzroy past players and representatives as elected board members.[88][89]

Club identity edit

Emblem edit

 
A 2019 match between Brisbane and the Sydney Swans at the Gabba, Brisbane's home ground
 
The Fitzroy passant lion became the emblem of the Brisbane Lions.

In 1997, the club unveiled its new 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 2000. In 2001, the club unveiled 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, and the last of the club logos to have the AFL logo on it & this emblem was used until 2009, when the emblem was again changed, this time in favour of a forward-facing Lion head.

Guernseys edit

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. For shorts, maroon home shorts are worn in home games including the away match against the Swans at the SCG, while the white shorts are worn with the guernsey in the AFL Grand Final, only if the Lions were to played as the away team.

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. White away shorts are worn when this guernsey is used and played predominantly in matches except against the Suns, Giants and the Swans.

Clash Guernsey (worn since 2023): This predominantly gold guernsey features a maroon Fitzroy lion on a gold background (reminiscent of the Bears' first guernsey), with a maroon yoke and golden cuffs, only to be worn if playing against both the Suns and the Giants. The same shorts as the Away Guernsey are worn.

Mascot edit

The Lions' Mascot Manor representative and club mascot was Bernie "Gabba" Vegas until 2015 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.[90]

Song edit

The club's team song, "The Pride of Brisbane Town", is based on the Fitzroy Football Club song written by ex-Fitzroy player Bill Stephen, and is sung to the music of "La Marseillaise", the French national anthem.[91][92]

Training base edit

 
Springfield Central Stadium serves as both the training base of the Brisbane Lions and the home ground of Brisbane's AFLW team.

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,[93] Leyshon Park in Yeronga,[94] 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.[95][96][97] The Lions moved into the facility in October 2022.[98]

Rivalries edit

Collingwood edit

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

Pre-1996, Fitzroy and Collingwood were fierce local rivals for over 100 years, sharing a suburban boundary down Smith Street, Melbourne, meeting in the 1905 and 1922 grand finals (both won by Fitzroy), and both clubs topping the premiership tally in the early days of the VFL.[99][100] The bad blood between The Bears and Collingwood began in 1993 after top draft pick Nathan Buckley walked out on them and went to the Magpies after playing only a single season in Brisbane. Buckley was adamant that the move was the right career direction, with the belief he had more chance of winning a premiership elsewhere.[101] However the rivalry between the Lions and the Magpies was properly ignited 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.[102] The two clubs clashed once again in the 2023 Grand Final, 20 years on from their 2003 contest, with the Magpies emerging as the victors this time.

Gold Coast Suns edit

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.[103]

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.[104] 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".[105]

Port Adelaide edit

The Port Adelaide Football Club entered the AFL in 1997 after Fitzroy's AFL operations were merged with Brisbane. Supporters of Fitzroy and the Brisbane Bears were aggrieved about Port's entry having taken place under these circumstances.

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.[25] In the early 2000s, the rivalry reached its peak as the two clubs were the most dominant of the era, consistently finishing at the top of the ladder.[106] 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,[31] 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 edit

Club honours edit

 
Historical Society at Docklands Stadium, Melbourne, covering the histories and records of Fitzroy, the Bears, and the Brisbane Lions.

Individual edit

Team of the Decade edit

In June 2006, to recognise ten years since the creation of the Brisbane Lions, a Team of the Decade was announced.[107]

Hall of Fame edit

Legends edit
Name Year inducted as inductee Year inducted as legend Reference Hall of Fame profile
Haydn Bunton Sr. N/A 2012 [108] Profile
Kevin Murray N/A 2012 [108] Profile
Michael Voss 2012 2014 [109] Profile
Garry Wilson 2012 2016 [110] Profile
Simon Black N/A 2023 [111]
Jonathan Brown 2019 2023 [111] Profile
Inductees edit
Name Year inducted Reference Hall of Fame profile
Marcus Ashcroft 2012 [108] Profile
Fred Hughson 2012 [108] Profile
Nigel Lappin 2012 [108] Profile
Justin Leppitsch 2012 [108] Profile
Alastair Lynch 2012 [108] Profile
Leigh Matthews 2012 [108] Profile
Jack Moriarty 2012 [108] Profile
John Murphy 2012 [108] Profile
Percy Parratt 2012 [108] Profile
Bernie Quinlan 2012 [108] Profile
Paul Roos 2012 [108] Profile
Allan Ruthven 2012 [108] Profile
Bill Stephen 2012 [108] Profile
Norm Brown 2014 [109] Profile
Shaun Hart 2014 [109] Profile
George Holden 2014 [109] Profile
Chris Johnson 2014 [109] Profile
Harold McLennan 2014 [109] Profile
Roger Merrett 2014 [109] Profile
Chris Scott 2014 [109] Profile
Bill Walker 2014 [109] Profile
Darryl White 2014 [109] Profile
Len Wigraft 2014 [109] Profile
Jason Akermanis 2016 [112] Profile
George Coates 2016 [112] Profile
Jimmy Freake 2016 [112] Profile
Norm Johnstone 2016 [112] Profile
Gary Pert 2016 [112] Profile
Luke Power 2016 [112] Profile
Matt Rendell 2016 [112] Profile
Arthur Wilson 2016 [112] Profile
Frank Curcio 2019 [113] Profile
Alan Gale 2019 [113] Profile
Andrew Ireland 2019 [113] Profile
Warwick Irwin 2019 [113] Profile
Richard Osborne 2019 [113] Profile
Robert Walls 2019 [113] Profile
Daniel Bradshaw 2023 [111]
Mick Grace 2023 [111]
Clark Keating 2023 [111]
Michael McLean 2023 [111]
Craig McRae 2023 [111]
Harvey Merrigan 2023 [111]
Mal Michael 2023 [111]
Martin Pike 2023 [111]
Wilfred "Chicken" Smallhorn 2023 [111]

Club facts edit

Coaches (men's) edit

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 162 92 70 0 56.79 2017–present

Coaches (women's) edit

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) edit

Captain Image Season(s) Achievements
Alastair Lynch   19972000 (co-captain)
Michael Voss   19972000 (co-captain)
20012006 (sole captain)
Simon Black   20072008 (co-captain)
Jonathan Brown   20072008 (co-captain)
20092012 (sole captain)
2013 (co-captain)
Chris Johnson   2007 (co-captain)
Nigel Lappin 20072008 (co-captain)
Luke Power   20072008 (co-captain)
Jed Adcock   2013 (co-captain)
2014 (sole captain)
Tom Rockliff   20152016
Dayne Beams   20172018
Dayne Zorko   20182022
Lachie Neale   2023– (co-captain)
Harris Andrews   2023– (co-captain)

Captains (women's) edit

Captain Image Season(s) Achievements
Emma Zielke   20172018, 20202021 AFLW premiership captain: 2021
Leah Kaslar   2019
Breanna Koenen   2022 (S6)–present

Match records (men's) edit

  • 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), Docklands Stadium, 27 August 2005
  • Highest score: 29.15 (189) vs. Adelaide, the Gabba, 24 July 2004
  • Lowest score: 2.5 (17) vs. Richmond, Melbourne Cricket Ground, 14 April 2018
  • Highest score conceded: 28.18 (186) vs. St Kilda, Docklands Stadium, 27 August 2005
  • Lowest score conceded: 3.10 (28) vs. Essendon, Carrara 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 edit

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 36,020 QF2, 2023 Win Port Adelaide 19.9 (123) 11.9 (75) +48 The Gabba Night

AFL finishing positions (1997–present) edit

Legend: Premiers, Wooden spoon

Finishing Position Year (Finals in Bold) Tally
Premiers 2001, 2002, 2003 3
Runner-up 2004, 2023 2
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 edit

Current squad edit

Senior list Rookie list Coaching staff

Head coach

Assistant coaches

  • Dale Morris (backline)
  • Cameron Bruce (midfield and stoppage)
  • Murray Davis (forwards)
  • 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: 12 April 2024
Source(s): Players, Coaches


Reserves team edit

Brisbane Lions
Names
Former name(s)Suncoast Lions (2004–2011)
Former nickname(s)Lion Cubs
2023 season
Home-and-away season4th
Club details
Founded1998 (as a reserves side)
CompetitionVictorian Football League
CoachBen Hudson
PremiershipsQAFL (1) NEAFL (4)
Ground(s)Springfield Central Stadium
Uniforms
 
 
 
 
 
Home

The Brisbane reserves are the reserves team of the club, currently competing in the Victorian Football League.

History edit

In the inaugural year of the Brisbane Lions (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.[114] Reserves players not on an AFL list cannot be called up to the AFL team, they must first be drafted into the AFL.

Between 1998 and 2010 the club's reserves team participated in the QAFL, where it was initially known as the "Lion Cubs".[115] The club won their first reserve-grade premiership in 2001 when they defeated the Southport Sharks in the QAFL Grand Final. In 2004, they began to compete as the Suncoast Lions Football Club. The side played home matches at the Gabba (as a curtain raiser game for Brisbane Lions matches) and, formerly, at the Fishermans Road football complex on the Sunshine Coast.[116]

In 2011, the team moved to the multi-state North East Australian Football League (NEAFL), where they won four premierships − 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2019.

Following the NEAFL disbanding after the 2019 season, the reserves side moved to the Victorian Football League (VFL), with their first season in 2021.[117]

Since 2023, the side has played reserves matches at Springfield Central Stadium.

Premierships edit

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 edit

Season Competition W–L–D Ladder position Finals result 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
2008 Paul Hudson
2009 Craig Brittain
2010 6–12–0 8/10 Craig McRae
2011 NEAFL
(Northern Conference)
4–13–1 10/10 Nathan Clarke
2012 14–4–0 2/10 Northern Conference Premiers
League Premiers
2013 16–2–0 1/10 Northern Conference Premiers
League Premiers
Leigh Harding
2014 NEAFL 6–12–0 9/14
2015 2–16–0 10/11 Shane Woewodin[118]
2016 3–15–0 10/10
2017 15–3–0 2/17 Premiers Mitch Hahn
2018 10–7–1 5/10 Elimination finalists
2019 18–0–0 1/10 Premiers
2020 Season cancelled due to COVID-19
2021 VFL 3–7–0 17/22
2022 14–4–0 2/21 Preliminary finalists
2023 13–4–1 4/21 Preliminary finalists Ben Hudson

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. ^ a b While the finals result is unknown, it is known the team were neither premiers nor runners-up.

AFL Women's team edit

 
Brisbane Lions AFLW team during the S7 Grand Final at Springfield Stadium
 
Captain Breanna Koenen and coach Craig Starcevich hold up the 2023 premiership trophy at Ikon Park.

In May 2016, the club launched a bid to enter a team in the inaugural AFL Women's season in 2017.[119] The Brisbane Lions were granted a licence on 15 June 2016, becoming one of eight teams to compete in the league's first season.[120] Former AFL Queensland employee Breeanna Brock was appointed to the position of Women's CEO the following day.[120]

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.[121] 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.[122]

Former Collingwood and Brisbane Bears player and AFL Queensland coach Craig Starcevich was appointed the team's inaugural head coach in June 2016.[123] 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.[124] Car company Hyundai, along with Epic Pharmacy, sponsored the team in 2017.[125]

The Lions have been a successful team in the AFLW, reaching the finals in six of the first seven seasons. They narrowly lost grand finals in 2017, 2018, and 2022 (S7), and only missed out on finals in 2019. Due to 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 finally broke through to win their first premiership by defeating arch-rival Adelaide in the grand final.

In 2023 the Lions took out their second premiership by defeating North Melbourne at IKON Park by 17 points. Captain Breanna Koenen was adjudged best afield for her performance in the grand final.

The team plays their home games at Springfield Central Stadium in Ipswich.

Current squad edit

Senior list Rookie list Coaching staff

Head coach

Assistant coaches

  • Phil Lovett (forwards)
  • Daniel Webster (midfield)
  • Paul Henriksen (backs)
  • Damien Richards (development)
  • Matt Green (high performance manager)

Legend:
  • (c) Captain(s)
  • (vc) Vice-captain(s)
  • (i) Inactive player(s)

Updated: 12 April 2024
Source(s): Players, Coaches: [6]


Non-playing/coaching staff edit

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 edit

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 (S6) 3rd 8–2–0 Preliminary final Craig Starcevich Breanna Koenen Emily Bates Greta Bodey (13)
2022 (S7) 1st 9–1–0 Runners-up Craig Starcevich Breanna Koenen Emily Bates Jesse Wardlaw (22)
2023 4th 7–3–0 Premiers Craig Starcevich Breanna Koenen Ally Anderson Dakota Davidson (23)

^ 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.

Brisbane Lions Academy edit

The Brisbane Lions Academy consists of the club's junior development signings. It was formed in 2010 as one of four Northern AFL Academies including the Gold Coast Suns Academy, Sydney Swans Academy and GWS Giants Academy.

28 staff (including 3 full time) manage 220 selected underage players from age 12 up.[126]

The men's and women's U16 and U18 teams have contested Division 2 of the men's and women's underage championships since 2017. The Under 16 women's was crowned inaugural champions in 2023.

The Lions Academy also joined the Talent League in 2019.

Notable members edit

 
Local Brisbane product and Lions captain Harris Andrews was recruited via the club's Academy as a 17 year old.

Past academy members include the Brisbane Lions senior men's AFL players Harris Andrews, Ben Keays, Eric Hipwood, Keidean Coleman, Jack Payne, Jaspa Fletcher and Matthew Hammelmann. It also includes players who went on to other clubs : Mabior Chol, Noah Cumberland, Wylie Buzza, Samson Ryan and Will Martyn. Academy members who went on to excel in other sports include Kalyn Ponga[127] and Corey Horsburgh.[128]

Notable female academy players include Brisbane Lions senior AFLW players Mikayla Pauga, Sophie Conway, Belle Dawes, Gabby Collingwood, Nat Grider, Tahlia Hickie, Jade Ellenger, Lily Postlethwaite, Luka Yoshida-Martin and Charlotte Mullins. Players who went on to other clubs include: Jesse Wardlaw, Zimmorlei Farquharson and Jacqui Yorston.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Current details for ABN 43 054 263 473". ABN Lookup. Australian Business Register. November 2014. from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Fitzroy Football Club – About".[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ a b "Fitzroy Football Club – Lions".
  4. ^ "Official AFL Website of the Brisbane Lions Football Club".
  5. ^ "Official AFL Website of the Brisbane Lions Football Club".
  6. ^ . Brisbane Lions. Archived from the original on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  7. ^ "A history of Premierships". Brisbane Lions. 30 September 2011. from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  8. ^ "ASIC corporate records for Fitzroy Football Club". asic.gov.au. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club, ASIC corporate records". asic.gov.au. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  10. ^ "Fitzroy Football Club – Lions". fitzroyfc.com.au. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  11. ^ Maine, Jim (12 April 2012). Aussie Rules For Dummies – Jim Maine – Google Books. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781118348758. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Fitzroy". australiaforeveryone.com.au. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  13. ^ "The Deed – Victorian Lions Supporters Group". viclions.wordpress.com. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  14. ^ "The Deed of Arrangement between Fitzroy's administrator and the Brisbane Bears". Big Footy. 27 October 2011. from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  15. ^ "Official AFL Website of the Brisbane Lions Football Club". lions.com.au. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  16. ^ "Fitzroy Football Club | Maroons".
  17. ^ "Fitzroy Football Club – Gorillas".
  18. ^ "VFL could go to Qld". The Canberra Times. Vol. 60, no. 18, 536. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 2 July 1986. p. 44. from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ^ a b "The Merge". 12 September 2019.
  20. ^ "Fitzroy rejects Bears' takeover bid". The Canberra Times. Vol. 65, no. 20, 235. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 5 September 1990. p. 38. Retrieved 27 March 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  21. ^ "The Deed of Arrangement between Fitzroy's administrator and the Brisbane Bears". viclions.wordpress.com. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  22. ^ "Fitzroy disappeared from the AFL in 1996, but it left behind a rich history as a VFL founder". 27 February 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  23. ^ "The Day That Changed Everything". 1 September 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  24. ^ "The Merger: Where Are They Now?". 6 July 2021.
  25. ^ a b "Lions and Port: A history". 26 July 2013. from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020. Remarkably, the first three encounters between the two sides had resulted in two draws and a two-point thriller
  26. ^ Ralph, Jon (11 October 2020). "The curious case of Lyons: How did Suns let midfield bull go?". Herald Sun. from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  27. ^ "AFL Tables – Quarters & Halves". from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  28. ^ "Memories of Football Park". portadelaidefc.com.au. 13 March 2019. from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  29. ^ "Essendon Flashback: If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It…". lions.com.au. 15 April 2021. from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  30. ^ a b Lovett, Michael (2010). AFL Record Season Guide. Geoff Slattery Media Group. ISBN 978-0-9806274-5-9.
  31. ^ a b "Footy Park Flashbacks #6: Port Adelaide v Brisbane Lions, 2002 Round 22". portadelaidefc.com.au. 28 August 2013. from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  32. ^ Blake, Martin (28 September 2003). "Black right on the ball". The Age. Australia. from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  33. ^ "Fans of the Brisbane Lions celebrate after their 2001 AFL Grand Final..." Getty Images. 15 November 2006. from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  34. ^ "What becomes of the broken hearted: the footy stalwarts who kept Fitzroy alive | Russell Jackson". The Guardian. 24 August 2016. from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  35. ^ Wilson, Caroline (15 August 2014). "Fairer finals clause comes back to bite AFL". from the original on 30 May 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  36. ^ Akermanis, Jason. Sacked Podcast, 2020.
  37. ^ "Port Adelaide stun Brisbane". 25 September 2004. from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  38. ^ "Lynch biggest villain since Daniher". The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 September 2004. from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  39. ^ "Saints inflict record loss on Lions". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 27 August 2005. from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  40. ^ "St Kilda flogs Lions". 27 August 2005. from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  41. ^ "Lions secure upset of the season". 7 July 2007. from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  42. ^ "Suns rise in Queensland shoot-out". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 7 May 2011. from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  43. ^ "Lions AFL player Claye Beams ruptures ACL". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 April 2013. from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  44. ^ "Power's Jared Polec reveals his last season's foot injury nearly 'ended his career'". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 February 2016. from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  45. ^ Beaton, Robert (7 July 2017). "Remember When... 'Miracle on Grass'". AFL Players. from the original on 20 July 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  46. ^ "My fate was 'inevitable': Voss". Herald Sun. 13 August 2013. from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  47. ^ Wilson, Jake Niall and Caroline (13 August 2013). "Voss not boss". Brisbane Times. from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  48. ^ "Voss not boss". The Sydney Morning Herald. from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  49. ^ "Michael Voss sacked by Brisbane Lions". The Age. Melbourne. from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  50. ^ Brisbane Lions' Ash McGrath Retiring From AFL 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Triple M Melbourne, 21 August 2014
  51. ^ "Brisbane Lions sack coach Justin Leppitsch after 'bitterly disappointing' AFL season". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 29 August 2016. from the original on 30 August 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  52. ^ "Brisbane Lions unveil Chris Fagan as new coach". Herald Sun. 4 October 2016. from the original on 7 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  53. ^ "Greats immortalised in Fitzroy". lions.com.au. 7 March 2020. from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  54. ^ "Celebrating the faces of Fitzroy". lions.com.au. 3 July 2019. from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  55. ^ "Essendon Bombers blitz off-field in Victoria But Sydney Swans Australia's Favourite Team". Roy Morgan. from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  56. ^ . Footy Industry. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  57. ^ . afltables.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  58. ^ Matthews, Leigh (2013). Accept the Challenge (2nd ed.). Random House Australia. p. 415. ISBN 978-0-85798-210-0.
  59. ^ Brown, Jonathan (2015). Life and Football (1st ed.). Penguin Group (Australia). p. 192. ISBN 978-0-14379-977-1.
  60. ^ Denham, Greg (16 May 2012). "Brisbane Lions heading down financially stricken path of Port Adelaide as on-field performance fades". Fox Sports. from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  61. ^ [1] 5 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine 2009 Brisbane Lions Annual Report (2008 comparison values)
  62. ^ [2] 5 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine 2009 Brisbane Lions Annual Report
  63. ^ [3] 5 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine 2010 Brisbane Lions Annual Report
  64. ^ [4] 5 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine 2011 Brisbane Lions Annual Report
  65. ^ "Lions announce financial loss".[permanent dead link]
  66. ^ [5] 10 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine 2013 Brisbane Lions Financial Report
  67. ^ (PDF). Brisbane Bears – Fitzroy Football Club Limited. 31 October 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  68. ^ (PDF). Brisbane Lions. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  69. ^ (PDF). Brisbane Lions. 31 October 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  70. ^ (PDF). Brisbane Lions. 31 October 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  71. ^ (PDF). Brisbane Lions. 31 October 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 January 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  72. ^ . Brisbane Lions. 6 December 2019. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  73. ^ "2020 Financial Report" (PDF). Brisbane Lions. (PDF) from the original on 22 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  74. ^ "2021 Financial Report" (PDF). Brisbane Lions. (PDF) from the original on 22 August 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  75. ^ "2022 Financial Report" (PDF). Brisbane Lions. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  76. ^ "Hyundai Motor Company Australia renews partnership with Brisbane Lions | Hyundai News | Hyundai Australia".
  77. ^ "Lions Upsize with McDonalds to Take Partnership to a New Level". 23 November 2022.
  78. ^ "Fitzroy back from the dead in alignment with VAFA club". 8 December 2008.
  79. ^ "Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club Membership and Supporters Charter" (PDF). afl.com.au. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  80. ^ "Deed of Company Arrangement Between Fitzroy Football Club and Brisbane Bears – details of vote and name change on Page 10". viclions.wordpress.com. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  81. ^ "Traditional lion matters, say Brisbane and Fitzroy supporters of old". 2 June 2013.
  82. ^ "Deed of Company Arrangement Between Fitzroy Football Club and Brisbane Bears – details about Brisbane use of the Fitzroy lion logo on Page 11". viclions.wordpress.com. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  83. ^ "Fitzroy Football Club win day in court". perthnow.com.au. 3 May 2010. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  84. ^ "Lion logo row: Brisbane v Fitzroy in court". theage.com.au. 3 May 2010. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  85. ^ "Brisbane Lions settle logo dispute with Fitzroy". afl.com.au. 15 July 2010. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  86. ^ "Brisbane members vote against Paddlepop Lion". 13 August 2021.
  87. ^ Greg Davis (21 October 2014). "Back to the future as 'Paddlepop Lion' ditched". Herald Sun. Melbourne. p. 58.
  88. ^ "Ross Thornton elected to Brisbane Lions board". fitzroyfc.com.au. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  89. ^ "Thornton elected to Board". lions.com.au. 16 December 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  90. ^ "Brisbane Lions ask fans to name new 'fierce and determined' mascot". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 May 2015. from the original on 2 May 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  91. ^ Tony Eastley (29 October 2009). "Brisbane Lions face court action over new logo". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. from the original on 7 April 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  92. ^ "Origins of our Club song". 10 February 2015.
  93. ^ Lions Commence Pre-Season Training from Lions 7 November 2011
  94. ^ What happens when a fit journo trains with the Lions? By Michael Whiting from Lions 13 November 2018
  95. ^ . Austadiums. 31 January 2019. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  96. ^ "Final renders of The Reserve Community Arena at Springfield revealed before construction commences". lions.com.au. 19 February 2020. from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  97. ^ "Brighton Homes Arena Coming Together Quickly". Brisbane Lions. 9 September 2021. from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  98. ^ "We're on the move! The Brisbane Lions move into Brighton Homes Arena". Brisbane Lions. 14 October 2022.
  99. ^ "AFL Tables – Season Summary".
  100. ^ "Fitzroy Flashback: A Collingwood Thumping". 28 April 2022.
  101. ^ "How Bucks went from a Bear to a Magpie". 29 May 2013.
  102. ^ Naghten, Tom (16 April 2020). "AFL rivalries: Alive or dead? We run the rule over these clashes". Sporting News. from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020. ...the Magpies poached Nathan Buckley, the contempt continued. The Lions got their own back with a couple of grand final wins over Collingwood in '02 and '03.
  103. ^ – afl.com.au. Published 9 May 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  104. ^ QClash 1: Marcus Ashcroft Medal announced (1 May 2011)
  105. ^ Davis, Greg; Hamilton, Andrew (21 April 2012). "Lions star Jonathan Brown issues rallying cry ahead of QClash". The Courier-Mail. from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  106. ^ "Lions Rewind: Port Adelaide". 14 May 2020. from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020. Brisbane v Port Adelaide. During the early 2000s it was one of the biggest rivalries in football.
  107. ^ "Brisbane names the Lions team of the decade". Footystats Diary. 24 June 2006.
  108. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Lions honour former champions". Brisbane Lions. 23 June 2012. Archived from the original on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  109. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k . Brisbane Lions. 21 May 2014. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  110. ^ "Garry Wilson: The Legend". Brisbane Lions. 25 June 2016. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  111. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Blucher, Peter (30 August 2023). "Brisbane Lions Hall Of Fame 2023 Re-Cap". Brisbane Lions. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  112. ^ a b c d e f g h "2016 Hall of Fame wrap". Brisbane Lions. 25 June 2016. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  113. ^ a b c d e f "Hall of Fame – Follow the Night". Brisbane Lions. 8 June 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  114. ^ "Scoreboard", Courier Mail, p. 18, 2 June 1997
  115. ^ "Scoreboard", Courier Mail, p. 15, 11 May 1998
  116. ^ "Australian Football – Suncoast Lions Football Club – Info". australianfootball.com. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  117. ^ "VICTORIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE 2021 SEASON SET TO BEGIN APRIL 17". vfl.com.au. 1 February 2021. from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  118. ^ Allen, Steve (29 September 2015). "Brownlow Medal 2015: remember when Shane Woewodin shocked the footy world?". The Age. from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  119. ^ Burton, Cassie (6 May 2016). . Brisbane Lions. Bigpond. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  120. ^ a b Tallon, Steele (16 June 2016). . Brisbane Lions. Bigpond. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  121. ^ Matthews, Bruce (27 July 2016). "Sixteen of the best: women's marquees named". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  122. ^ . lions.com.au. Archived from the original on 8 January 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  123. ^ Whitling, Michael (22 June 2016). . AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Archived from the original on 2 November 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  124. ^ . Brisbane Lions. 8 November 2016. Archived from the original on 9 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  125. ^ . Brisbane Lion. Bigpond. 26 September 2016. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  126. ^ How the northern football academies work By Michael Whiting on Feb 18, 2015
  127. ^ Kalyn Ponga reveals how close he came to joining AFL by Ben Cotton for Zero Tackle 17 March 2019
  128. ^ From Brisbane Lions Academy to State of Origin: Corey Horsburgh by Ethan Lee Chalk for Zero Tackle 8 July 2023

External links edit

  • Official website  
  • – Official AFL website of the Brisbane Lions Football Club
  • Brisbane Lions results – Latest scores for Brisbane Lions Football Club

brisbane, lions, soccer, team, formerly, known, queensland, lions, professional, australian, rules, football, club, based, brisbane, queensland, that, compete, australian, football, league, sport, elite, competition, namesfull, namebrisbane, bears, fitzroy, fo. For the soccer team formerly known as Brisbane Lions see Queensland Lions FC The Brisbane Lions are a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane Queensland that compete in the Australian Football League AFL the sport s elite competition Brisbane LionsNamesFull nameBrisbane Bears Fitzroy Football Club Limited trading as Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club 1 2023 seasonAfter finalsAFL 2nd AFLW PremiersHome and away seasonAFL 2nd AFLW 4thLeading goalkickerAFL Joe Daniher 61 AFLW Merrett Murray MedalAFL Harris Andrews AFLW Club detailsFounded1 November 1996 From the Incorporated AFL operations of Fitzroy Football Club formed 1883 2 3 Brisbane Bears formed 1987 4 5 Colours Maroon Blue GoldCompetitionAFL Senior menAFLW Senior womenVFL Reserves menChairmanAndrew Wellington 6 CEOGreg SwannCoachAFL Chris FaganAFLW Craig StarcevichVFL Ben HudsonCaptain s AFL Harris Andrews and Lachie NealeAFLW Breanna KoenenNumber one ticket holder s Dan AnsteyAbby ColemanPremiershipsAFL 3 7 200120022003AFLW 2 20212023Reserves 5 20012012201320172019Ground s AFL The Gabba 1997 present AFLW Springfield Central Stadium 8 000 VFL Springfield Central StadiumTraining ground s Springfield Central Stadium 2022 present UniformsHomeAwayClashOther informationOfficial websitelions com auCurrent seasonThe Lions came into existence in 1996 when the AFL expansion club the Brisbane Bears established in 1987 absorbed the AFL operations of one of the league s foundation clubs Fitzroy established in Melbourne Victoria in 1883 8 9 10 11 Its colours of maroon blue and gold were drawn from both Fitzroy and the Bears 12 13 14 15 The club plays its home matches at the Gabba in Brisbane and its headquarters and training facilities are located at Springfield Central Stadium The Lions are one of the most successful AFL clubs of the 2000s appearing in four consecutive grand finals from 2001 to 2004 a period in which they won three premierships 2001 2002 2003 They also finished runners up in 2023 The Lions were a foundation team in the AFL Women s competition in 2017 and have featured in five grand finals in that time winning the premiership in 2021 and again in 2023 also finishing runners up on the other occasions They also field a reserves men s team in the Victorian Football League and operate an under 18s academy which contests Division 2 of the men s and women s underage national championships and the Talent League Contents 1 History of Fitzroy Football Club pre 1996 and Brisbane Bears 1 1 Fitzroy Football Club 1 2 Brisbane Bears 1987 1996 1 3 Brisbane Bears absorb Fitzroy s AFL operations become Brisbane Lions 2 Brisbane Lions history 2 1 Beginnings 1997 2000 2 2 Triple premiership success 2001 2004 2 3 Rebuild and Michael Voss 2005 2013 2 4 Playing under Justin Leppitsch 2014 2016 2 5 Chris Fagan era 2017 present 3 Membership base and sponsorship 3 1 Non playing coaching staff 3 2 Sponsorship 4 Relationship with the Fitzroy Football Club 5 Club identity 5 1 Emblem 5 2 Guernseys 5 3 Mascot 5 4 Song 5 5 Training base 6 Rivalries 6 1 Collingwood 6 2 Gold Coast Suns 6 3 Port Adelaide 7 Honours 7 1 Club honours 7 2 Individual 7 2 1 Team of the Decade 7 2 2 Hall of Fame 7 2 2 1 Legends 7 2 2 2 Inductees 8 Club facts 8 1 Coaches men s 8 2 Coaches women s 8 3 Captains men s 8 4 Captains women s 8 5 Match records men s 8 6 Biggest home crowds 8 7 AFL finishing positions 1997 present 9 Players 9 1 Current squad 10 Reserves team 10 1 History 10 2 Premierships 10 3 Season summaries 11 AFL Women s team 11 1 Current squad 11 2 Non playing coaching staff 11 3 Season summaries 12 Brisbane Lions Academy 12 1 Notable members 13 See also 14 References 15 External linksHistory of Fitzroy Football Club pre 1996 and Brisbane Bears editFitzroy Football Club edit See also History of the Fitzroy Football Club The Melbourne based Fitzroy Football Club was formed 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 16 nbsp Fitzroy s 1898 premiership winning sideThey 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 then went on to be one of the eight break away clubs who formed the Victorian Football League in 1897 They continued 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 while 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 17 nbsp Haydn Bunton Sr won three Brownlow Medals and two club best and fairest medals in his time at Fitzroy The club 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 Fitzroy entered one of the least successful periods any VFL AFL club has had The club finished in the bottom three 11 times in the 1960s and 1970s including three wooden spoons in four years between 1963 and 1966 The club won only a single game between 1963 and 1964 known as the Miracle Match when it defeated eventual premiers Geelong in Round 10 1963 but its 1964 season was winless and as of 2023 stands as the only winless season by any club since 1950 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 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 18 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 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 3 Brisbane Bears 1987 1996 edit See also Brisbane Bears nbsp Carrara Stadium was the original home ground of the Brisbane Bears 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 Carrara 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 finished last in 1990 and 1991 19 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 19 The Bears only qualified for the finals series in 1995 and 1996 and the closest the club came to a Grand Final was a preliminary final in 1996 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 club s existence was still at threat due to severe financial problems and since 1990 The Bears had been actively exploring merger options with Fitzroy 20 Brisbane Bears absorb Fitzroy s AFL operations become Brisbane Lions edit Fitzroy s directors had agreed in principle to merge with the eventual 1996 premiers North Melbourne as the North Fitzroy Kangaroos However that proposal was rejected 15 1 by the club presidents 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 AFL operations with Brisbane The club became the Brisbane Bears Fitzroy Football Club trading as Brisbane Lions 21 remained at the Gabba and were coached by Bears coach John Northey However the club s identity logo song and guernsey were based on those of Fitzroy three Fitzroy representatives served on the board and the Lions kept an office in Melbourne None of the Fitzroy representatives former Fitzroy champion Laurie Serafini David Lucas and Ken Levy chosen to serve on Brisbane s board were Fitzroy directors at that time 22 23 Eight Fitzroy players were allowed to be recruited to the Brisbane Lions outside of the normal draft or trade system They were Brad Boyd Chris Johnson Jarrod Molloy John Barker Nick Carter Simon Hawking Scott Bamford and Shane Clayton 24 Fitzroy played its last VFL AFL game on 1 September 1996 against Fremantle at Subiaco Oval and the Bears last match was a preliminary final on Saturday 21 September 1996 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against North Melbourne The Brisbane Lions were officially launched on 1 November 1996 joining the national competition in 1997 Brisbane Lions history editBeginnings 1997 2000 edit In 1997 the Lions narrowly made the finals finishing eighth They ended up with the same win loss record as fellow 1997 newcomers Port Adelaide who missed out due to having an inferior percentage 25 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 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 finished last 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 26 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 27 Brisbane won 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 period the club drafted and recruited key players who went on to be pillars of the Lions triple premiership years Victorian Luke Power Fitzroy father son selection Jonathan Brown and exciting WA product Simon Black came via the draft and Brad Scott Mal Michael and ex Fitzroy B amp F winner Martin Pike were recruited from Hawthorn Collingwood and North Melbourne respectively Triple premiership success 2001 2004 edit nbsp 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 28 who they had also been scheduled to play in Round 1 at the same venue After an inconsistent start to their 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 a Predator quote if it bleeds we can kill it to inspire his team for the game 29 The Lions then won 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 TotalBrisbane Lions 15 18 108Essendon 12 10 82Venue MCG Crowd 91 482However 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 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 30 521 2002 AFL Grand Final G B TotalBrisbane Lions 10 15 75Collingwood 9 12 66Venue MCG Crowd 91 817In 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 31 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 30 860 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 32 2003 AFL Grand Final G B TotalBrisbane Lions 20 14 134Collingwood 12 12 84Venue MCG Crowd 79 451 nbsp Brunswick Street Oval has been called the spiritual home of both Fitzroy and the Brisbane Lions During their premiership years the club took the premiership cups to Brunswick Street Oval Fitzroy the home of the Fitzroy Football Club each morning after the grand final Honouring Fitzroy s history at their traditional home ground was seen as an important way of connecting with the Melbourne based Fitzroy supporters who d chosen to support the Brisbane Lions 33 34 2004 AFL Grand Final G B TotalPort Adelaide 17 11 113Brisbane Lions 10 13 73Venue MCG Crowd 77 671The 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 35 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 36 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 37 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 38 Rebuild and Michael Voss 2005 2013 edit nbsp Players training in 2007The 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 lost 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 39 Some believed that the St Kilda game rather than the 2004 Grand Final had signaled the end of Brisbane s triple premiership dynasty 40 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 runners up to Carlton in the 2007 NAB Cup Grand Final The Lions failed 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 41 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 finished the season They also recorded 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 only won 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 42 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 43 44 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 became known as the Miracle on Grass 45 On 13 August 2013 coach Michael Voss was told his contract would not be renewed 46 47 48 49 On 18 October 2013 Brisbane Lions Hall of Famer Simon Black announced his retirement Playing under Justin Leppitsch 2014 2016 edit On 25 August 2013 a former premiership player for the Lions Justin Leppitsch was confirmed as 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 50 On 29 August 2016 Leppitsch was sacked as coach of the Lions after multiple disappointing seasons 51 Chris Fagan era 2017 present edit On 4 October 2016 Hawthorn football manager Chris Fagan was announced as Brisbane s senior coach from the 2017 season onwards 52 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 but multiple close losses showed signs of a young team about to breakout into finals contention The Lions had a dramatically improved 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 repeated their form displayed in 2019 the following year once again finishing second 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 Brisbane reinforced their squad with multiple star signings in the off season such as star midfielder Josh Dunkley tall forward Jack Gunston and father son draftee Will Ashcroft to make them one of the competition s flag favourites for the 2023 AFL season Additionally Fagan also penned a two year contract extension to keep him at the club until 2025 with Lachie Neale and Harris Andrews also taking over as co captains from long serving Lions veteran Dayne Zorko who stepped down before the commencement of the 2023 season Brisbane finished the 2023 Home amp Away season in second position finishing in the Top 2 for the third time under Fagan after previously doing so in 2019 and 2020 and finishing in the Top 4 for the fourth time after also doing so in 2021 They faced Port Adelaide in the Second Qualifying Final on the 9th of September at the Gabba beating the Power by 48 points and going straight through to a home preliminary final their third under Fagan where they faced Carlton on the 23rd of September for a place in the 2023 AFL Grand Final After conceding the first five goals The Lions fought back prevailing by 16 points over the Blues to progress to the AFL Grand Final for the first time since 2004 This meant that they faced Collingwood exactly 20 years on since they faced the Magpies in the 2003 Grand Final and completed the historic three peat The Lions fell short of the premiership in 2023 losing to the Magpies in an extremely close Grand Final with a final score of 12 18 90 to 13 8 86 Membership base and sponsorship editCrowds 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 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 Jonathan Brown and Chris Johnson on its Alexandra Parade side 53 To add to this presence in Melbourne the Lions Historical Society is based at Etihad Stadium containing exhibits from Fitzroy the Bears and the Brisbane Lions 54 A 2000 Roy Morgan AFL survey of household incomes suggested that Brisbane Lions supporters were among the lowest earning supporters in the league 55 Year Members 56 Change from previous season Finishing position Finals result Wooden spoon Average home crowd 57 Profit loss 1997 16 769 8th Qualifying finalists 19 550 Un known1998 16 108 nbsp 661 16th Wooden spoon 16 6751999 16 931 nbsp 823 3rd Preliminary finalists 21 8902000 20 295 nbsp 3 364 6th Semi finalists 27 4062001 18 330 nbsp 1 965 2nd Premiers 27 638 845 000 58 2002 22 288 nbsp 3 958 2nd Premiers 26 895 Un known2003 24 365 nbsp 2 077 3rd Premiers 31 717 2 200 000 59 2004 30 941 nbsp 6 576 2nd Grand finalists 33 619 Un known2005 28 913 nbsp 1 308 11th 33 2672006 26 459 nbsp 2 454 13th 28 6302007 21 976 nbsp 4 483 10th 28 848 1 058 000 60 2008 22 737 nbsp 761 10th 28 128 2 200 030 61 2009 24 873 nbsp 2 136 6th Semi finalists 29 172 603 207 62 2010 26 779 nbsp 1 906 13th 29 933 2 713 848 63 2011 22 338 nbsp 4 441 15th 20 462 1 855 926 64 2012 20 762 nbsp 1 576 13th 20 344 2 513 262 65 2013 24 130 nbsp 3 368 12th 21 083 1 574 762 66 2014 24 012 nbsp 118 15th 19 743 3 543 138 67 2015 25 408 nbsp 1 396 17th 18 810 681 053 68 2016 23 286 nbsp 2 122 17th 17 074 1 783 506 69 2017 21 362 nbsp 1 924 18th Wooden spoon 16 455 2 261 990 70 2018 24 867 nbsp 3 505 15th 18 405 230 641 71 2019 28 821 nbsp 3 954 2nd Semi finalists 24 741 648 618 72 a 2020 29 277 nbsp 456 2nd Preliminary finalists 10 648 b 3 073 413 73 2021 40 289 nbsp 11 012 4th Semi finalists 20 603 2 938 037 74 c 2022 43 319 nbsp 3 030 6th Preliminary finalists 25 818 2 384 997 75 d 2023 52 373 nbsp 9 054 2nd Grand finalists 27 455Statistics 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 For a short period in the 2018 19 off season from November 18 to March 19 the Lions co major sponsors were Oaks Hotels amp Resorts and SOOW however the contract with SOOW was cancelled before the first game of the home and away season was played Due to the COVID 19 pandemic there were capped crowd capacities during the 2020 season excludes 15 million grant funding for construction of Springfield training ground excludes 13 million in grant funding for construction of Springfield training ground Non playing coaching staff edit Name PositionGreg Swann Chief Executive OfficerAndrew Wellington ChairmanSarah Kelly Deputy chairmanCyril Jinks DirectorsLeigh MatthewsPeter McGregorMick PowerRoss ThorntonDanny Daly General Manager of FootballDom Ambrogio List ManagerAndrew Crowell Personal Excellence and Wellbeing ManagerDamien Austin High Performance ManagerStephen Conole Senior Recruiting ManagerLeon Harris Recruitment ConsultantSponsorship edit Year Kit Manufacturer Major Sponsor Shorts Sponsor Back Sponsor Above number sponsor Neckline sponsor1997 98 Puma Carlton amp United Breweries Spam Coca Cola1999 Devine Homes2000 AAPT Spam Cellular One2001 Russell Athletic Bio Organics Vitamins AAPT Cellular One2002 AAMI2003 06 AAPT2007 Puma Vodafone Vodafone2008 HBA2009 MBF2010 Bank of Queensland Home Conergy Away Conergy Home Bank of Queensland Away 2011 12 Kooga Bupa2013 Vero Insurance Home National Storage Away National Storage Home Vero Insurance Away 2014 BLK Technology One2015 Garuda Indonesia2016 Vero Insurance Home Camperdown Dairy International Away Camperdown Dairy International Home Vero Insurance Away 2017 Majestic Athletic XXXX2018 Vero Insurance Home Oaks Hotels amp Resorts Away Oaks Hotels amp Resorts Home Vero Insurance Away 2019 Neds Home Oaks Hotels amp Resorts Away The Coffee Club Oaks Hotels amp Resorts Home Neds Away 2020 Classic Sportswear XL Express Home Neds Away Neds Home XL Express Away 2021 Taubmans2022 XL Express Home Youi Away Youi Home XL Express Away Hyundai 76 2023 New Balance Caltex Home Youi Away XXXX Youi Home Caltex Away McDonald s 77 Relationship with the Fitzroy Football Club editThe Fitzroy Football Club 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 Fitzroy largely resumed its original VFL AFL identity playing in the VAFA through its continued use of its 1975 1996 VFL AFL jumper its club song and its 1884 1966 home ground at the Brunswick Street Oval The goal was to not only maintain a strong presence in Melbourne for Victorian based Fitzroy Brisbane Lions supporters but to also provide for the Fitzroy supporters who chose not to support Brisbane in the AFL This was all done with the full support of the Brisbane Lions 78 nbsp Brisbane Lions flag flying over Fitzroy Town Hall during the 2021 finals seriesFitzroy Football Club improved its relationship with the Brisbane Lions in the ten years from 1999 to 2009 In that time Brisbane have used the letters BBFFC printed below the back of the neck of the club s guernseys from 2002 onwards in line with Brisbane s official name 79 80 Fitzroy 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 South Australia and Western Australia with the exception of away games played in Queensland New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory 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 Deed of Arrangement between Fitzroy and Brisbane The new logo a lion s head facing forward replaced the former Fitzroy logo of a passant lion with a football Mockingly referred to as The Paddlepop Lion the new logo on the club jumper proved deeply unpopular amongst Lions fans who demanded it be changed back to the traditional Fitzroy passant Lion 81 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 in line with Brisbane s legal obligations as specified in the Deed of Arrangement including their obligation to use the Fitzroy logo in perpetuity On 15 July 2010 the two clubs reached a settlement agreeing that the Fitzroy logo symbolically represents the historic deal between Brisbane and Fitzroy and represents the Brisbane Lions in the AFL Fitzroy agreed to a compromise whereby Brisbane would use both the old and new logos alongside each other in an official capacity for the next 14 years on all official club stationary and club publications as well as the Lions official website for the shorter period of seven years 82 83 84 85 After immense pressure from both Lions and Fitzroy fans Brisbane returned to using the old logo on its playing guernseys from 2015 but the new logo will remain for corporate purposes 86 87 The Brisbane Lions have since renewed and maintained strong ties with the Fitzroy Football Club in the VAFA and the Fitzroy junior football club The Brisbane Lions sponsor a male and female Fitzroy player each year conduct coaching workshops for Fitzroy frequently invite the Fitzroy juniors to form a guard of honour for Victorian games and have had many Fitzroy past players and representatives as elected board members 88 89 Club identity editEmblem edit nbsp A 2019 match between Brisbane and the Sydney Swans at the Gabba Brisbane s home ground nbsp The Fitzroy passant lion became the emblem of the Brisbane Lions In 1997 the club unveiled its new 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 2000 In 2001 the club unveiled 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 and the last of the club logos to have the AFL logo on it amp this emblem was used until 2009 when the emblem was again changed this time in favour of a forward facing Lion head Guernseys edit 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 For shorts maroon home shorts are worn in home games including the away match against the Swans at the SCG while the white shorts are worn with the guernsey in the AFL Grand Final only if the Lions were to played as the away team 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 White away shorts are worn when this guernsey is used and played predominantly in matches except against the Suns Giants and the Swans Clash Guernsey worn since 2023 This predominantly gold guernsey features a maroon Fitzroy lion on a gold background reminiscent of the Bears first guernsey with a maroon yoke and golden cuffs only to be worn if playing against both the Suns and the Giants The same shorts as the Away Guernsey are worn Mascot edit The Lions Mascot Manor representative and club mascot was Bernie Gabba Vegas until 2015 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 90 Song edit The club s team song The Pride of Brisbane Town is based on the Fitzroy Football Club song written by ex Fitzroy player Bill Stephen and is sung to the music of La Marseillaise the French national anthem 91 92 Training base edit nbsp Springfield Central Stadium serves as both the training base of the Brisbane Lions and the home ground of Brisbane s AFLW team 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 93 Leyshon Park in Yeronga 94 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 95 96 97 The Lions moved into the facility in October 2022 98 Rivalries editCollingwood edit nbsp The Lions playing against Collingwood in a 1960s Fitzroy jumper for the 2003 heritage roundPre 1996 Fitzroy and Collingwood were fierce local rivals for over 100 years sharing a suburban boundary down Smith Street Melbourne meeting in the 1905 and 1922 grand finals both won by Fitzroy and both clubs topping the premiership tally in the early days of the VFL 99 100 The bad blood between The Bears and Collingwood began in 1993 after top draft pick Nathan Buckley walked out on them and went to the Magpies after playing only a single season in Brisbane Buckley was adamant that the move was the right career direction with the belief he had more chance of winning a premiership elsewhere 101 However the rivalry between the Lions and the Magpies was properly ignited 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 102 The two clubs clashed once again in the 2023 Grand Final 20 years on from their 2003 contest with the Magpies emerging as the victors this time Gold Coast Suns edit 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 103 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 104 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 105 Port Adelaide edit The Port Adelaide Football Club entered the AFL in 1997 after Fitzroy s AFL operations were merged with Brisbane Supporters of Fitzroy and the Brisbane Bears were aggrieved about Port s entry having taken place under these circumstances 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 25 In the early 2000s the rivalry reached its peak as the two clubs were the most dominant of the era consistently finishing at the top of the ladder 106 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 31 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 editClub honours edit nbsp Historical Society at Docklands Stadium Melbourne covering the histories and records of Fitzroy the Bears and the Brisbane Lions PremiershipsCompetition Team Wins Seasons WonAustralian Football League Seniors 3 2001 2002 2003AFL Women s Seniors 2 2021 2023Queensland Australian Football League 1998 2010 Reserves 1 2001North East Australian Football League 2011 2019 4 2012 2013 2017 2019Victorian Football League 2021 0 NilOther titles and honoursAFL pre season competition Seniors 1 2013AFLX Tournament Seniors 1 2018Finishing positionsAustralian Football League Minor premiership 0 NilGrand Finalist 2 2004 2023Wooden spoons 2 1998 2017AFL Women s Minor premiership 2 2017 2022 S7 Grand Finalist 3 2017 2018 2022 S7 Individual edit Main article List of Brisbane Lions individual awards and records Team of the Decade edit In June 2006 to recognise ten years since the creation of the Brisbane Lions a Team of the Decade was announced 107 Team of the DecadeBacks Chris Johnson Mal Michael Darryl WhiteHalf Backs Marcus Ashcroft Justin Leppitsch Chris ScottMidfielders Nigel Lappin Michael Voss c Brad ScottHalf Forwards Jason Akermanis Jonathan Brown Craig McRaeForwards Luke Power Alastair Lynch Daniel BradshawFollowers Clark Keating Simon Black Shaun HartInterchange Martin Pike Tim Notting Jamie Charman Richard ChampionCoach Leigh MatthewsHall of Fame edit Legends edit Name Year inducted as inductee Year inducted as legend Reference Hall of Fame profileHaydn Bunton Sr N A 2012 108 ProfileKevin Murray N A 2012 108 ProfileMichael Voss 2012 2014 109 ProfileGarry Wilson 2012 2016 110 ProfileSimon Black N A 2023 111 Jonathan Brown 2019 2023 111 ProfileInductees edit Name Year inducted Reference Hall of Fame profileMarcus Ashcroft 2012 108 ProfileFred Hughson 2012 108 ProfileNigel Lappin 2012 108 ProfileJustin Leppitsch 2012 108 ProfileAlastair Lynch 2012 108 ProfileLeigh Matthews 2012 108 ProfileJack Moriarty 2012 108 ProfileJohn Murphy 2012 108 ProfilePercy Parratt 2012 108 ProfileBernie Quinlan 2012 108 ProfilePaul Roos 2012 108 ProfileAllan Ruthven 2012 108 ProfileBill Stephen 2012 108 ProfileNorm Brown 2014 109 ProfileShaun Hart 2014 109 ProfileGeorge Holden 2014 109 ProfileChris Johnson 2014 109 ProfileHarold McLennan 2014 109 ProfileRoger Merrett 2014 109 ProfileChris Scott 2014 109 ProfileBill Walker 2014 109 ProfileDarryl White 2014 109 ProfileLen Wigraft 2014 109 ProfileJason Akermanis 2016 112 ProfileGeorge Coates 2016 112 ProfileJimmy Freake 2016 112 ProfileNorm Johnstone 2016 112 ProfileGary Pert 2016 112 ProfileLuke Power 2016 112 ProfileMatt Rendell 2016 112 ProfileArthur Wilson 2016 112 ProfileFrank Curcio 2019 113 ProfileAlan Gale 2019 113 ProfileAndrew Ireland 2019 113 ProfileWarwick Irwin 2019 113 ProfileRichard Osborne 2019 113 ProfileRobert Walls 2019 113 ProfileDaniel Bradshaw 2023 111 Mick Grace 2023 111 Clark Keating 2023 111 Michael McLean 2023 111 Craig McRae 2023 111 Harvey Merrigan 2023 111 Mal Michael 2023 111 Martin Pike 2023 111 Wilfred Chicken Smallhorn 2023 111 Club facts editCoaches men s edit No Coach P W L D W Years1 John Northey 34 12 21 1 35 29 1997 19982 Roger Merrett 11 3 7 1 27 27 19983 Leigh Matthews 237 142 92 3 59 92 1999 20084 John Blakey 1 0 1 0 0 00 20055 Michael Voss 109 43 65 1 39 45 2009 20136 Mark Harvey 3 2 1 0 66 67 20137 Justin Leppitsch 66 14 52 0 21 21 2014 20168 Chris Fagan 162 92 70 0 56 79 2017 presentCoaches women s edit No Coach P W L D W Years1 Craig Starcevich 25 14 10 1 56 00 2017 2 Daniel Merrett 1 0 0 1 0 00 2020Captains men s edit Captain Image Season s AchievementsAlastair Lynch nbsp 1997 2000 co captain Michael Voss nbsp 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 FameSimon Black nbsp 2007 2008 co captain Jonathan Brown nbsp 2007 2008 co captain 2009 2012 sole captain 2013 co captain 2 AFLPA best captain 2007 2009 All Australian vice captain 2007Chris Johnson nbsp 2007 co captain Nigel Lappin 2007 2008 co captain Australian Football Hall of FameLuke Power nbsp 2007 2008 co captain Jed Adcock nbsp 2013 co captain 2014 sole captain Tom Rockliff nbsp 2015 2016Dayne Beams nbsp 2017 2018Dayne Zorko nbsp 2018 2022Lachie Neale nbsp 2023 co captain Harris Andrews nbsp 2023 co captain Captains women s edit Captain Image Season s AchievementsEmma Zielke nbsp 2017 2018 2020 2021 AFLW premiership captain 2021Leah Kaslar nbsp 2019Breanna Koenen nbsp 2022 S6 presentMatch records men s edit 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 Docklands Stadium 27 August 2005 Highest score 29 15 189 vs Adelaide the Gabba 24 July 2004 Lowest score 2 5 17 vs Richmond Melbourne Cricket Ground 14 April 2018 Highest score conceded 28 18 186 vs St Kilda Docklands Stadium 27 August 2005 Lowest score conceded 3 10 28 vs Essendon Carrara 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 2007Biggest home crowds edit Rank Crowd Round Season Result Opponent Brisbane Lions Opposition Margin Venue Day Night Twilight1 37 478 QF2 2019 Loss Richmond 8 17 65 18 4 112 47 The Gabba Night2 37 224 15 2005 Win Collingwood 19 19 133 7 13 55 78 The Gabba Night3 37 032 PF2 2001 Win Richmond 20 16 136 10 8 68 68 The Gabba Night4 36 803 4 2003 Win Collingwood 14 11 95 11 15 81 14 The Gabba Night5 36 780 2 2010 Win Carlton 16 11 107 12 16 88 19 The Gabba Night6 36 467 3 2004 Win Collingwood 21 11 137 12 5 77 60 The Gabba Night7 36 197 1 2003 Win Essendon 14 20 104 8 13 61 43 The Gabba Night8 36 149 10 2001 Win Essendon 15 12 102 10 14 74 28 The Gabba Night9 36 077 17 2005 Win Essendon 17 12 114 14 17 101 13 The Gabba Night10 36 020 QF2 2023 Win Port Adelaide 19 9 123 11 9 75 48 The Gabba NightAFL finishing positions 1997 present edit Legend Premiers Wooden spoon Finishing Position Year Finals in Bold TallyPremiers 2001 2002 2003 3Runner up 2004 2023 23rd nil 04th 1999 2020 2022 35th 2000 2019 2021 36th 2009 17th nil 08th 1997 19th nil 010th 2007 2008 211th 2005 112th 2013 113th 2006 2010 2012 314th nil 015th 2011 2014 2018 316th 1998 117th 2015 2016 218th 2017 1Players editCurrent squad edit Brisbane Lionsviewtalkedit 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 vc 7 Jarrod Berry 8 Will Ashcroft 9 Lachie Neale c 11 Lincoln McCarthy 12 Tom Doedee 13 Logan Morris 14 James Madden 15 Dayne Zorko 16 Cameron Rayner 17 Jarryd Lyons 18 Keidean Coleman 19 Luke Lloyd 20 Jaxon Prior 21 Zane Zakostelsky 22 Harry Sharp 23 Charlie Cameron 24 Brandon Ryan 25 Henry Smith 27 Darcy Gardiner 28 Jaspa Fletcher 29 James Tunstill 30 Eric Hipwood 31 Harris Andrews c 32 Darcy Fort 33 Zac Bailey 36 Reece Torrent 37 Brandon Starcevich 39 Carter Michael 40 Jack Payne 43 Noah Answerth 44 Darcy Wilmot 46 Oscar McInerney 26 Conor McKenna 34 Shadeau Brain B 35 Ryan Lester 38 Bruce Reville B 41 Darragh Joyce 45 Kalin Lane Head coach Chris FaganAssistant coaches Dale Morris backline Cameron Bruce midfield and stoppage Murray Davis forwards 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 nbsp Long term injury ret RetiredUpdated 12 April 2024Source s Players CoachesReserves team editBrisbane LionsNamesFormer name s Suncoast Lions 2004 2011 Former nickname s Lion Cubs2023 seasonHome and away season4thClub detailsFounded1998 as a reserves side CompetitionVictorian Football LeagueCoachBen HudsonPremiershipsQAFL 1 2001 NEAFL 4 2012201320172019Ground s Springfield Central StadiumUniforms nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp HomeThe Brisbane reserves are the reserves team of the club currently competing in the Victorian Football League History edit In the inaugural year of the Brisbane Lions 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 114 Reserves players not on an AFL list cannot be called up to the AFL team they must first be drafted into the AFL Between 1998 and 2010 the club s reserves team participated in the QAFL where it was initially known as the Lion Cubs 115 The club won their first reserve grade premiership in 2001 when they defeated the Southport Sharks in the QAFL Grand Final In 2004 they began to compete as the Suncoast Lions Football Club The side played home matches at the Gabba as a curtain raiser game for Brisbane Lions matches and formerly at the Fishermans Road football complex on the Sunshine Coast 116 In 2011 the team moved to the multi state North East Australian Football League NEAFL where they won four premierships 2012 2013 2017 and 2019 Following the NEAFL disbanding after the 2019 season the reserves side moved to the Victorian Football League VFL with their first season in 2021 117 Since 2023 the side has played reserves matches at Springfield Central Stadium Premierships edit Year Competition Opponent Score Venue2001 QAFL Southport Sharks 13 20 98 13 8 86 Giffin Park2012 NEAFL Queanbeyan Tigers 22 12 144 11 9 75 Manuka Oval2013 NEAFL Sydney Swans 12 9 81 10 13 73 Graham Road Oval2017 NEAFL Sydney Swans 12 13 85 10 22 82 Sydney Cricket Ground2019 NEAFL Southport Sharks 20 15 135 8 11 59 Fankhauser ReserveSeason summaries edit Season Competition W L D Ladder position Finals result Coach1998 QAFL Unknown Unknown Un known a Roger Merrett1999 Un known20002001 Premiers Craig Brittain2002 Un known a 2003200420052006 John Blakey Daryn Cresswell2007 Craig Brittain2008 Paul Hudson2009 Craig Brittain2010 6 12 0 8 10 Craig McRae2011 NEAFL Northern Conference 4 13 1 10 10 Nathan Clarke2012 14 4 0 2 10 Northern Conference PremiersLeague Premiers2013 16 2 0 1 10 Northern Conference PremiersLeague Premiers Leigh Harding2014 NEAFL 6 12 0 9 14 2015 2 16 0 10 11 Shane Woewodin 118 2016 3 15 0 10 102017 15 3 0 2 17 Premiers Mitch Hahn2018 10 7 1 5 10 Elimination finalists2019 18 0 0 1 10 Premiers2020 Season cancelled due to COVID 192021 VFL 3 7 0 17 22 2022 14 4 0 2 21 Preliminary finalists2023 13 4 1 4 21 Preliminary finalists Ben HudsonStatistics 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 a b While the finals result is unknown it is known the team were neither premiers nor runners up AFL Women s team edit nbsp Brisbane Lions AFLW team during the S7 Grand Final at Springfield Stadium nbsp Captain Breanna Koenen and coach Craig Starcevich hold up the 2023 premiership trophy at Ikon Park In May 2016 the club launched a bid to enter a team in the inaugural AFL Women s season in 2017 119 The Brisbane Lions were granted a licence on 15 June 2016 becoming one of eight teams to compete in the league s first season 120 Former AFL Queensland employee Breeanna Brock was appointed to the position of Women s CEO the following day 120 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 121 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 122 Former Collingwood and Brisbane Bears player and AFL Queensland coach Craig Starcevich was appointed the team s inaugural head coach in June 2016 123 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 124 Car company Hyundai along with Epic Pharmacy sponsored the team in 2017 125 The Lions have been a successful team in the AFLW reaching the finals in six of the first seven seasons They narrowly lost grand finals in 2017 2018 and 2022 S7 and only missed out on finals in 2019 Due to 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 finally broke through to win their first premiership by defeating arch rival Adelaide in the grand final In 2023 the Lions took out their second premiership by defeating North Melbourne at IKON Park by 17 points Captain Breanna Koenen was adjudged best afield for her performance in the grand final The team plays their home games at Springfield Central Stadium in Ipswich Current squad edit Brisbane Lions AFL Women s viewtalkedit Senior list Rookie list Coaching staff 2 Tahlia Hickie 3 Breanna Koenen c 5 Jade Ellenger 6 Lily Postlethwaite 7 Ellie Hampson 10 Nat Grider vc 12 Sophie Conway 13 Kate Lutkins 14 Dakota Davidson 15 Poppy Boltz 17 Belle Dawes 18 Ally Anderson 19 Luka Yoshida Martin 20 Shannon Campbell 23 Dee Heslop 24 Jade Pregelj 25 Cathy Svarc 28 Charlotte Mullins 29 Ruby Svarc 31 Taylor Smith Jacinta Baldwick Rania Crozier Shanae Davison Eleanor Hartill Evie Long Sophie Peters Indiana Williams 8 Jennifer Dunne 9 Orla O Dwyer 21 Courtney Hodder Head coach Craig StarcevichAssistant coaches Phil Lovett forwards Daniel Webster midfield Paul Henriksen backs Damien Richards development Matt Green high performance manager Legend c Captain s vc Vice captain s i Inactive player s Updated 12 April 2024Source s Players Coaches 6 Non playing coaching staff edit Name PositionBreeanna Brock Chief Executive OfficerZachary Zropf Football AnalystAlex Gorman Sports PsychologistMichael Swann Wellbeing MentorMatt Green High Performance ManagerAlice Walker Head of MedicalJessica Clarey PhysioAbbey Le Busque Head TrainerKieran Miles DoctorSeason summaries edit Brisbane AFLW honour rollSeason Ladder W L D Finals Coach Captain s Best and fairest Leading goal kicker2017 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 S6 3rd 8 2 0 Preliminary final Craig Starcevich Breanna Koenen Emily Bates Greta Bodey 13 2022 S7 1st 9 1 0 Runners up Craig Starcevich Breanna Koenen Emily Bates Jesse Wardlaw 22 2023 4th 7 3 0 Premiers Craig Starcevich Breanna Koenen Ally Anderson Dakota Davidson 23 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 Brisbane Lions Academy editThe Brisbane Lions Academy consists of the club s junior development signings It was formed in 2010 as one of four Northern AFL Academies including the Gold Coast Suns Academy Sydney Swans Academy and GWS Giants Academy 28 staff including 3 full time manage 220 selected underage players from age 12 up 126 The men s and women s U16 and U18 teams have contested Division 2 of the men s and women s underage championships since 2017 The Under 16 women s was crowned inaugural champions in 2023 The Lions Academy also joined the Talent League in 2019 Notable members edit nbsp Local Brisbane product and Lions captain Harris Andrews was recruited via the club s Academy as a 17 year old Past academy members include the Brisbane Lions senior men s AFL players Harris Andrews Ben Keays Eric Hipwood Keidean Coleman Jack Payne Jaspa Fletcher and Matthew Hammelmann It also includes players who went on to other clubs Mabior Chol Noah Cumberland Wylie Buzza Samson Ryan and Will Martyn Academy members who went on to excel in other sports include Kalyn Ponga 127 and Corey Horsburgh 128 Notable female academy players include Brisbane Lions senior AFLW players Mikayla Pauga Sophie Conway Belle Dawes Gabby Collingwood Nat Grider Tahlia Hickie Jade Ellenger Lily Postlethwaite Luka Yoshida Martin and Charlotte Mullins Players who went on to other clubs include Jesse Wardlaw Zimmorlei Farquharson and Jacqui Yorston See also edit nbsp Sports portal nbsp Australia portalWikipedia listing of Brisbane Lions players Merrett Murray Medal Australian rules football in Queensland Sport in Queensland Sport in Australia Brisbane BroncosReferences edit Current details for ABN 43 054 263 473 ABN Lookup Australian Business Register November 2014 Archived from the original on 19 December 2019 Retrieved 4 August 2020 Fitzroy Football Club About permanent dead link a b Fitzroy Football Club Lions Official AFL Website of the Brisbane Lions Football Club Official AFL Website of the Brisbane Lions Football Club Andrew Wellington appointed Chairman Brisbane Lions Archived from the original on 25 April 2018 Retrieved 25 April 2018 A history of Premierships Brisbane Lions 30 September 2011 Archived from the original on 27 September 2021 Retrieved 27 September 2021 ASIC corporate records for Fitzroy Football Club asic gov au Retrieved 25 October 2023 Brisbane Bears Fitzroy Football Club ASIC corporate records asic gov au Retrieved 10 May 2023 Fitzroy Football Club Lions fitzroyfc com au Retrieved 10 May 2023 Maine Jim 12 April 2012 Aussie Rules For Dummies Jim Maine Google Books John Wiley amp Sons ISBN 9781118348758 Retrieved 10 May 2023 Fitzroy australiaforeveryone com au Retrieved 10 May 2023 The Deed Victorian Lions Supporters Group viclions wordpress com 2 June 2013 Retrieved 10 May 2023 The Deed of Arrangement between Fitzroy s administrator and the Brisbane Bears Big Footy 27 October 2011 Archived from the original on 31 May 2022 Retrieved 20 August 2020 Official AFL Website of the Brisbane Lions Football Club lions com au Retrieved 10 May 2023 Fitzroy Football Club Maroons Fitzroy Football Club Gorillas VFL could go to Qld The Canberra Times Vol 60 no 18 536 Australian Capital Territory Australia 2 July 1986 p 44 Archived from the original on 31 May 2022 Retrieved 17 December 2021 via National Library of Australia a b The Merge 12 September 2019 Fitzroy rejects Bears takeover bid The Canberra Times Vol 65 no 20 235 Australian Capital Territory Australia 5 September 1990 p 38 Retrieved 27 March 2023 via National Library of Australia The Deed of Arrangement between Fitzroy s administrator and the Brisbane Bears viclions wordpress com 2 June 2013 Retrieved 28 May 2023 Fitzroy disappeared from the AFL in 1996 but it left behind a rich history as a VFL founder 27 February 2019 Retrieved 12 June 2023 The Day That Changed Everything 1 September 2021 Retrieved 12 June 2023 The Merger Where Are They Now 6 July 2021 a b Lions and Port A history 26 July 2013 Archived from the original on 22 October 2020 Retrieved 19 October 2020 Remarkably the first three encounters between the two sides had resulted in two draws and a two point thriller Ralph Jon 11 October 2020 The curious case of Lyons How did Suns let midfield bull go Herald Sun Archived from the original on 12 October 2020 Retrieved 6 June 2021 AFL Tables Quarters amp Halves Archived from the original on 31 May 2022 Retrieved 12 November 2021 Memories of Football Park portadelaidefc com au 13 March 2019 Archived from the original on 12 November 2021 Retrieved 12 November 2021 Essendon Flashback If It Bleeds We Can Kill It lions com au 15 April 2021 Archived from the original on 6 September 2021 Retrieved 6 September 2021 a b Lovett Michael 2010 AFL Record Season Guide Geoff Slattery Media Group ISBN 978 0 9806274 5 9 a b Footy Park Flashbacks 6 Port Adelaide v Brisbane Lions 2002 Round 22 portadelaidefc com au 28 August 2013 Archived from the original on 12 November 2021 Retrieved 12 November 2021 Blake Martin 28 September 2003 Black right on the ball The Age Australia Archived from the original on 6 November 2012 Retrieved 8 May 2011 Fans of the Brisbane Lions celebrate after their 2001 AFL Grand Final Getty Images 15 November 2006 Archived from the original on 11 January 2018 Retrieved 2 December 2020 What becomes of the broken hearted the footy stalwarts who kept Fitzroy alive Russell Jackson The Guardian 24 August 2016 Archived from the original on 6 September 2021 Retrieved 6 September 2021 Wilson Caroline 15 August 2014 Fairer finals clause comes back to bite AFL Archived from the original on 30 May 2016 Retrieved 17 January 2015 Akermanis Jason Sacked Podcast 2020 Port Adelaide stun Brisbane 25 September 2004 Archived from the original on 5 March 2016 Retrieved 17 January 2015 Lynch biggest villain since Daniher The Sydney Morning Herald 30 September 2004 Archived from the original on 6 September 2021 Retrieved 6 September 2021 Saints inflict record loss on Lions Australian Broadcasting Corporation 27 August 2005 Archived from the original on 12 November 2021 Retrieved 12 November 2021 St Kilda flogs Lions 27 August 2005 Archived from the original on 12 November 2021 Retrieved 12 November 2021 Lions secure upset of the season 7 July 2007 Archived from the original on 13 November 2021 Retrieved 13 November 2021 Suns rise in Queensland shoot out Australian Broadcasting Corporation 7 May 2011 Archived from the original on 6 September 2021 Retrieved 6 September 2021 Lions AFL player Claye Beams ruptures ACL The Sydney Morning Herald 10 April 2013 Archived from the original on 31 May 2022 Retrieved 30 March 2021 Power s Jared Polec reveals his last season s foot injury nearly ended his career Australian Broadcasting Corporation 1 February 2016 Archived from the original on 25 October 2016 Retrieved 30 March 2021 Beaton Robert 7 July 2017 Remember When Miracle on Grass AFL Players Archived from the original on 20 July 2020 Retrieved 20 July 2020 My fate was inevitable Voss Herald Sun 13 August 2013 Archived from the original on 13 February 2020 Retrieved 8 January 2019 Wilson Jake Niall and Caroline 13 August 2013 Voss not boss Brisbane Times Archived from the original on 13 February 2020 Retrieved 8 January 2019 Voss not boss The Sydney Morning Herald Archived from the original on 31 May 2022 Retrieved 13 August 2013 Michael Voss sacked by Brisbane Lions The Age Melbourne Archived from the original on 31 May 2022 Retrieved 13 August 2013 Brisbane Lions Ash McGrath Retiring From AFL Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Triple M Melbourne 21 August 2014 Brisbane Lions sack coach Justin Leppitsch after bitterly disappointing AFL season ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation 29 August 2016 Archived from the original on 30 August 2016 Retrieved 29 August 2016 Brisbane Lions unveil Chris Fagan as new coach Herald Sun 4 October 2016 Archived from the original on 7 October 2016 Retrieved 11 October 2016 Greats immortalised in Fitzroy lions com au 7 March 2020 Archived from the original on 9 July 2021 Retrieved 2 December 2020 Celebrating the faces of Fitzroy lions com au 3 July 2019 Archived from the original on 31 May 2022 Retrieved 2 December 2020 Essendon Bombers blitz off field in Victoria But Sydney Swans Australia s Favourite Team Roy Morgan Archived from the original on 25 July 2021 Retrieved 25 July 2021 AFL Membership 1984 2016 Footy Industry Archived from the original on 25 July 2018 Retrieved 24 July 2018 AFL Tables Brisbane Lions Crowds afltables com Archived from the original on 18 October 2018 Retrieved 8 January 2019 Matthews Leigh 2013 Accept the Challenge 2nd ed Random House Australia p 415 ISBN 978 0 85798 210 0 Brown Jonathan 2015 Life and Football 1st ed Penguin Group Australia p 192 ISBN 978 0 14379 977 1 Denham Greg 16 May 2012 Brisbane Lions heading down financially stricken path of Port Adelaide as on field performance fades Fox Sports Archived from the original on 31 May 2022 Retrieved 11 January 2015 1 Archived 5 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine 2009 Brisbane Lions Annual Report 2008 comparison values 2 Archived 5 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine 2009 Brisbane Lions Annual Report 3 Archived 5 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine 2010 Brisbane Lions Annual Report 4 Archived 5 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine 2011 Brisbane Lions Annual Report Lions announce financial loss permanent dead link 5 Archived 10 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine 2013 Brisbane Lions Financial Report 2014 Financial Report PDF Brisbane Bears Fitzroy Football Club Limited 31 October 2014 Archived from the original PDF on 21 July 2015 Retrieved 17 July 2015 Brisbane Lions 2015 Annual Report PDF Brisbane Lions Archived from the original PDF on 12 March 2016 Retrieved 10 January 2016 2016 FINANCIAL REPORT PDF Brisbane Lions 31 October 2016 Archived from the original PDF on 1 December 2017 Retrieved 30 November 2017 2017 FINANCIAL REPORT PDF Brisbane Lions 31 October 2017 Archived from the original PDF on 1 December 2017 Retrieved 30 November 2017 2018 FINANCIAL REPORT PDF Brisbane Lions 31 October 2018 Archived from the original PDF on 20 January 2019 Retrieved 19 January 2019 Lions record first profit in 12 years Brisbane Lions 6 December 2019 Archived from the original on 6 December 2019 Retrieved 6 December 2019 2020 Financial Report PDF Brisbane Lions Archived PDF from the original on 22 August 2021 Retrieved 22 August 2021 2021 Financial Report PDF Brisbane Lions Archived PDF from the original on 22 August 2021 Retrieved 1 October 2022 2022 Financial Report PDF Brisbane Lions Retrieved 19 April 2023 Hyundai Motor Company Australia renews partnership with Brisbane Lions Hyundai News Hyundai Australia Lions Upsize with McDonalds to Take Partnership to a New Level 23 November 2022 Fitzroy back from the dead in alignment with VAFA club 8 December 2008 Brisbane Bears Fitzroy Football Club Membership and Supporters Charter PDF afl com au Retrieved 8 June 2023 Deed of Company Arrangement Between Fitzroy Football Club and Brisbane Bears details of vote and name change on Page 10 viclions wordpress com 2 June 2013 Retrieved 8 June 2023 Traditional lion matters say Brisbane and Fitzroy supporters of old 2 June 2013 Deed of Company Arrangement Between Fitzroy Football Club and Brisbane Bears details about Brisbane use of the Fitzroy lion logo on Page 11 viclions wordpress com 2 June 2013 Retrieved 12 June 2023 Fitzroy Football Club win day in court perthnow com au 3 May 2010 Retrieved 12 June 2023 Lion logo row Brisbane v Fitzroy in court theage com au 3 May 2010 Retrieved 12 June 2023 Brisbane Lions settle logo dispute with Fitzroy afl com au 15 July 2010 Retrieved 12 June 2023 Brisbane members vote against Paddlepop Lion 13 August 2021 Greg Davis 21 October 2014 Back to the future as Paddlepop Lion ditched Herald Sun Melbourne p 58 Ross Thornton elected to Brisbane Lions board fitzroyfc com au Retrieved 8 June 2023 Thornton elected to Board lions com au 16 December 2014 Retrieved 8 June 2023 Brisbane Lions ask fans to name new fierce and determined mascot Australian Broadcasting Corporation 1 May 2015 Archived from the original on 2 May 2015 Retrieved 2 December 2020 Tony Eastley 29 October 2009 Brisbane Lions face court action over new logo Australian Broadcasting Corporation Archived from the original on 7 April 2010 Retrieved 10 April 2010 Origins of our Club song 10 February 2015 Lions Commence Pre Season Training from Lions 7 November 2011 What happens when a fit journo trains with the Lions By Michael Whiting from Lions 13 November 2018 Lions secure final funding for 70m Springfield base Austadiums 31 January 2019 Archived from the original on 21 December 2019 Retrieved 20 August 2019 Final renders of The Reserve Community Arena at Springfield revealed before construction commences lions com au 19 February 2020 Archived from the original on 12 December 2021 Retrieved 12 December 2021 Brighton Homes Arena Coming Together Quickly Brisbane Lions 9 September 2021 Archived from the original on 10 October 2021 Retrieved 12 December 2021 We re on the move The Brisbane Lions move into Brighton Homes Arena Brisbane Lions 14 October 2022 AFL Tables Season Summary Fitzroy Flashback A Collingwood Thumping 28 April 2022 How Bucks went from a Bear to a Magpie 29 May 2013 Naghten Tom 16 April 2020 AFL rivalries Alive or dead We run the rule over these clashes Sporting News Archived from the original on 20 October 2020 Retrieved 19 October 2020 the Magpies poached Nathan Buckley the contempt continued The Lions got their own back with a couple of grand final wins over Collingwood in 02 and 03 QClash sets TV record afl com au Published 9 May 2011 Retrieved 11 May 2011 QClash 1 Marcus Ashcroft Medal announced 1 May 2011 Davis Greg Hamilton Andrew 21 April 2012 Lions star Jonathan Brown issues rallying cry ahead of QClash The Courier Mail Archived from the original on 26 April 2012 Retrieved 13 June 2020 Lions Rewind Port Adelaide 14 May 2020 Archived from the original on 20 October 2020 Retrieved 19 October 2020 Brisbane v Port Adelaide During the early 2000s it was one of the biggest rivalries in football Brisbane names the Lions team of the decade Footystats Diary 24 June 2006 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Lions honour former champions Brisbane Lions 23 June 2012 Archived from the original on 6 October 2016 Retrieved 6 October 2016 a b c d e f g h i j k 10 inducted into Hall of Fame Brisbane Lions 21 May 2014 Archived from the original on 4 February 2016 Retrieved 4 February 2016 Garry Wilson The Legend Brisbane Lions 25 June 2016 Archived from the original on 5 October 2016 Retrieved 6 October 2016 a b c d e f g h i j k Blucher Peter 30 August 2023 Brisbane Lions Hall Of Fame 2023 Re Cap Brisbane Lions Retrieved 1 September 2023 a b c d e f g h 2016 Hall of Fame wrap Brisbane Lions 25 June 2016 Archived from the original on 5 October 2016 Retrieved 6 October 2016 a b c d e f Hall of Fame Follow the Night Brisbane Lions 8 June 2019 Retrieved 1 September 2023 Scoreboard Courier Mail p 18 2 June 1997 Scoreboard Courier Mail p 15 11 May 1998 Australian Football Suncoast Lions Football Club Info australianfootball com Retrieved 23 January 2023 VICTORIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE 2021 SEASON SET TO BEGIN APRIL 17 vfl com au 1 February 2021 Archived from the original on 1 March 2021 Retrieved 3 March 2021 Allen Steve 29 September 2015 Brownlow Medal 2015 remember when Shane Woewodin shocked the footy world The Age Archived from the original on 27 April 2016 Retrieved 4 May 2016 Burton Cassie 6 May 2016 Brisbane Lions submit National AFL Women s League bid Brisbane Lions Bigpond Archived from the original on 25 October 2016 Retrieved 25 October 2016 a b Tallon Steele 16 June 2016 Brisbane Lions announce Women s CEO Brisbane Lions Bigpond Archived from the original on 25 October 2016 Retrieved 25 October 2016 Matthews Bruce 27 July 2016 Sixteen of the best women s marquees named AFL com au Bigpond Archived from the original on 6 November 2016 Retrieved 25 October 2016 Emma Zielke named as Brisbane Lions inaugural AFLW Captain lions com au Archived from the original on 8 January 2017 Retrieved 7 January 2017 Whitling Michael 22 June 2016 Coup for Lions as inaugural women s coach named AFL com au Bigpond Archived from the original on 2 November 2016 Retrieved 25 October 2016 Brisbane Lions Women s Coaching Structure Finalised Brisbane Lions 8 November 2016 Archived from the original on 9 November 2016 Retrieved 9 November 2016 Hyundai driving force behind women s team Brisbane Lion Bigpond 26 September 2016 Archived from the original on 25 October 2016 Retrieved 25 October 2016 How the northern football academies work By Michael Whiting on Feb 18 2015 Kalyn Ponga reveals how close he came to joining AFL by Ben Cotton for Zero Tackle 17 March 2019 From Brisbane Lions Academy to State of Origin Corey Horsburgh by Ethan Lee Chalk for Zero Tackle 8 July 2023External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brisbane Lions Official website nbsp The Brisbane Lions an Overview Official AFL website of the Brisbane Lions Football Club Brisbane Lions results Latest scores for Brisbane Lions Football Club Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Brisbane Lions amp oldid 1218563922, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.