Page 34 - AFL QUEENSLAND 2013 YEAR IN REVIEW

32
The Brisbane Lions’ 2013 campaign can probably best be described as a roller-coaster ride, with some incredible highs and devastating lows.
It all started in promising fashion, with the club securing its first pre-season premiership since Fitzroy claimed the 1978 competition.
A tough summer looked to have paid off as the Lions overcame Hawthorn, Gold Coast, GWS Giants and Collingwood to book themselves
a NAB Cup grand final berth against the Mick Malthouse-led Blues.
The Lions stormed home to beat Carlton by 40 points, while Daniel Rich started his season in style, taking home the Michael Tuck Medal as the best afield.
Confidence was understandably high among Lions supporters, who approached the season with a renewed sense of hope.
An upset defeat in round one against the Western Bulldogs proved a rude wake-up call for the Lions and subsequently put them on the back foot from the start of the season.
The Lions managed just three wins from their first 11 matches – including an inspiring 10-point victory over Essendon, who had suffered just one defeat for the season to that point.
That match marked Brent Staker’s first senior match in almost two years, following consecutive knee reconstructions.
And it was Staker who proved the hero in the end, slotting the match-winning goal in the dying stages.
It was a significant year for club veteran, Simon Black, who became the Lions’ games- record holder in their Round 12 match against Fremantle.
Black took to the field for his 319th AFL match, surpassing Marcus Ashcroft’s tally of 318 games.
Unfortunately, the Lions couldn’t secure the four points against the grand final-bound Dockers, with the loss consigning them to 15th position on the ladder midway through the season.
Heading into Round 13, the Lions were in desperate need of a spark. And, in front of a home crowd celebrating Black’s record and Ash McGrath’s 200th game, the Lions pulled off the upset of the season.
The Cats looked to be cruising late in the third term, holding a 52-point lead, but the Lions refused to lie down and mounted a late charge.
At full-time, McGrath found himself with the footy, and the chance to claim an impossible win after the siren.
The milestone man followed it through, kicking truly from 55m out, securing a remarkable five- point win.
It was the club’s greatest ever comeback, and the eighth greatest in AFL history.
More importantly, it proved the catalyst for the Lions’ late-season surge, going on to win seven of their final 11 matches, only narrowly missing out on an unlikely finals berth.
Their on-field success wasn’t enough, however, to save senior coach Michael Voss, who was advised by the board that his contract would not be renewed in 2014.Voss departed at the end of Round 20, with Mark Harvey taking the reins as caretaker coach in the final three rounds.
Triple-premiership defender Justin Leppitsch was later announced as Voss’ successor, bringing with him seven years of experience as an assistant at both the Lions and Richmond.
The Lions welcomed some more silverware in September, courtesy of the Reserves’ back-to- back NEAFL title.
Under new coach Leigh Harding, the Lions reserves dominated the NEAFL competition
to claim both the Northern Conference Championship and the NEAFL Premiership for the second straight season.
Meanwhile, Joel Patfull etched his name further into club history by becoming just the fourth player since the merger to win back-to-back Merrett-Murray Medals as the Lions’ best and fairest player.
In fact, he stands alone as the only player in VFL/AFL history to have reached 300 AFL games, won a Brownlow Medal, played in a premiership (he played in three) and received the Norm Smith Medal – widely considered the four highest achievements in the game.
BRISBANE LIONS 2013 REPORT