In a dominant Friday night display at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Brisbane Lions turned in a masterclass performance to defeat the Collingwood Magpies by a staggering 63 points, securing their spot in the AFL qualifying final and putting themselves on the cusp of the ideal finals positioning for a historic third consecutive premiership.
The Lions’ victory was built on standout individual contributions across the ground, headlined by key forward Logan Morris, who delivered a career-defining performance with eight goals, keeping Collingwood’s defense under constant pressure from the opening bounce. Star midfielder Lachie Neale, who has been heavily linked to a 2027 move to Collingwood, put on a clinic in the contest, racking up 35 disposals and 16 center clearances to control the tempo of the game. Irish small forward Conor McKenna also stole the show, turning limited early opportunities into spectacular goals that had commentators and fans alike stunned. After just two touches in the first quarter, McKenna broke the deadlock to give Brisbane an early lead they never relinquished, before nailing a candidate for goal of the year: swiping the ball from a Collingwood defender in a tight pocket and converting from an impossible angle that floated the ball straight over the goal umpire’s hat. He followed that up with a second sensational 45-meter snap goal in the third quarter, prompting SEN commentator Dwayne Russell to quip, “It’s Hollywood footy from the Lions at the moment, this is Harlem Globetrotters stuff.”
Heading into the main break, the Lions held a comfortable 22-point lead, and never let Collingwood challenge for the top spot on the scoreboard. The final scoreboard reflected Brisbane’s dominance: 25.9 (159) to Collingwood’s 15.6 (96).
The result pushes Brisbane into pole position to claim third place on the AFL ladder heading into the finals, after picking up a 2.2 percent percentage boost from the win. For Hawthorn to leapfrog Brisbane into third, the Hawks will need not just a win against West Coast in Perth this weekend, but a massive 4.4 percent percentage boost – requiring a win of roughly 90 to 100 points to knock Brisbane out of the top three spot. Third place would hand Brisbane a near-perfect path to the Grand Final, with a potential qualifying final matchup against a Sydney Swans side already reeling from an alleged sexual assault scandal that has forced five key players out of their lineup.
Brisbane head coach Chris Fagan addressed the Swans scandal post-game, calling the situation “a bit of a head scratcher.” “It’s really unfortunate for Sydney because they have been such a terrific club in that regard for a long long time,” Fagan said. “You just wonder what was going through people’s heads for that to occur. But with the guys that do get to play just might go that much harder and be that much more difficult to beat.” Fagan added that Brisbane has no preferred opponent for their qualifying final, noting the scandal could galvanize the remaining Swans players.
Post-game, Neale addressed ongoing speculation about his potential move to Collingwood, admitting it would be difficult to leave the club he has called home for nine years. “I’ve been here nine years and I think this is the ninth year in a row we will play finals footy and I don’t take it for granted and I can’t wait to see what we can do,” Neale told Fox Footy. “It’s an exciting time to be a Lion.” Collingwood coach Craig McRae acknowledged Neale’s standout performance, after the star midfielder toured Collingwood’s elite facilities earlier this month. Asked if Collingwood was missing a player of Neale’s caliber, McRae called it a “pointed question” before praising the Brisbane star: “I think he’s a great player. Everyone can see that on the night. They (Brisbane) got many threats, that’s why they’re going to be really hard to beat from here on out.”
The match came with two significant sour notes for the sides: Brisbane’s Ty Gallop faces potential scrutiny from the AFL’s Match Review Officer after slamming Collingwood’s Charlie West’s head into the ground on the stroke of three-quarter-time, resulting in a free kick for dangerous tackle. For Collingwood, veteran midfielder Scott Pendlebury left the field in the first half with a knee bursa injury, leaving his availability for next weekend’s wildcard final in doubt. Collingwood will wait on Saturday’s results to confirm their opponent for the inaugural wildcard round, with the club heavily tipped to host a Friday night fixture.
Even in defeat, Collingwood star Nick Daicos reinforced his status as the overwhelming favorite to win this year’s Brownlow Medal, with experts predicting he could break the 45-vote record and even reach 50 votes this season. Despite playing just 60 percent of the match, Daicos finished with 26 disposals and a spectacular 50-meter goal that had the 66,846-strong MCG crowd roaring. “Still would have been a goal, if the posts were four inches apart,” Russell said of Daicos’ effort. Daicos was named Collingwood’s best player on the night, alongside Jamie De Goey, Sam Swadling and Charlie West. For Brisbane, Neale, McKenna, Morris, Ashcroft, Dunkley and Allen were named the team’s best, with Neale picking up three votes for the annual Player of the Year award, McKenna two, and Daicos one.