Brisbane Lions Win The 2025 AFL Grand Final
What a spectacle that was. On Saturday 27 September 2025, in front of 100,022 roarin’ fans at the MCG, the Brisbane Lions put the foot down and trampled the Geelong Cats 18.14 (122) to 11.9 (75) to clinch back-to-back flags. Let’s kick this off properly: we’ll do a cheeky intro to both clubs, talk through the blood, sweat and tears getting there in 2025, highlight who carked it or got suspended, then dive into the game — the dramas, the injuries, the scuffles — and quarter by quarter how it all unfolded.
Club Introductions & Season Baggage
Brisbane Lions: Pride, pressure & expectation
The Lions are riding high these days. After winning the 2024 premiership, they came into 2025 with a target painted firmly on their backs — everyone’s watching, everyone wants to see them slip. But that weight of expectation can be a curse. They’ve had patches this year where their midfield showed signs of fatigue, their scoring up front wasn’t always sharp, and defending — especially when injuries piled up — became a real worry. One big concern was Lachie Neale, one of their co-captains. He was nursing a calf injury leading into the finals, and for a while there many thought his season might be done. Still, he gritted it out to push back in. Defensively, they had holes. Some of the depth backs had been bitten by injuries, and without a fully healthy set of tall defenders, they were more vulnerable than they’d like. Also, the club had to manage complacency. After winning a flag, keeping the hunger is hard. They couldn’t rest on laurels. And in patches of 2025, they were a bit flat out of the blocks, especially in the first halves of games. Nevertheless, they’ve built serious culture, toughness, and a squad with enough weapons to hurt you. Going deep again was realistic — though not a walk in the park.
Geelong Cats: The challengers, the comeback crew
Geelong Cats are no slouches. They’ve been perennial competitive, always lurking in the finals convo. In 2025, they were expected to be right in the mix. Their style, experience, and cunning footy make them dangerous in deciders. They too had challenges: injuries, managing a mix of youth and veterans, handling pressure in big games, and beating the Lions — who’d already beaten them earlier. In this particular Grand Final, Geelong lost forward Jeremy Cameron to a broken arm in a collision in the second quarter. Also, Patrick Dangerfield, their old warhorse, had a rough time — he got concussed and his influence was blunted. So yes, Geelong came into the game missing bits, but they’ve got heart. The question was: could they hang with a full-tilt Brisbane in a big final?
Road to the Grand Final: The Grit & The Gets
Brisbane’s path
The Lions finished the regular season strongly, securing a top-4 finish. But they didn’t have it easy in the finals. In their qualifying final against Geelong, Brisbane copped a pasting: Cats beat them by 38 points (16.16 (112) vs 11.8 (74)). That meant Brisbane had to take the long route. Next they hosted the Gold Coast Suns in a Semi-Final (QClash in finals) and smashed them. Then they went to the MCG and took down Collingwood in a Preliminary Final by 29 points (15.10 (100) to 11.5 (71)). So they came in battle-tested, bruised but believing.
Geelong’s path
Geelong likely had a smoother finals climb (as top teams generally do). They played through the qualifying and preliminary finals to tee up the decider. Their run was more conventional, less bruising. Their reward was to host Brisbane in the qualifying, beat ‘em, and then wait for the opponent in the Grand Final. Thus when Brisbane showed up in the big dance, Geelong had the advantage of a bit more rest, a more direct path, perhaps less fatigue. But finals footy is never easy, and the Lions made them pay.
Injuries, Suspensions & Missing Faces
On the Lions’ side, Lachie Neale’s calf was a worry. But he made do. Also, there were concerns about depth in defence. Some below-the-radar names in the backline had been injured earlier in the year, stretching their coverage. I did not find any clear record of suspensions hitting Brisbane in the final or lead-up. Their problems were more injury, fitness, and form. For Geelong, the key blow was Jeremy Cameron’s broken arm in that second quarter collision. Dangerfield’s concussion also hampered their traditional engine. If there were any other suspensions or omissions, they were less noteworthy in the mainstream reports. The big ones were those.
The Game: Chaos, Kicks & Carnage
Righto, here’s how it played out — fun, fierce, and full of grit.
Pre-bounce & vibes
The build-up was electric. The crowd was massive (100,022). Brisbane won the toss and presumably took advantage of the end they wanted. The Lions’ confidence was high; Geelong’s belief was built on years of finals experience.
Problems, scuffles & drama
Early on, both teams whacked into each other hard. There were some scraps, contested marks, crunched tackles. In the second quarter, that collision that did for Cameron was a turning point. He left (or was severely hampered) and Geelong lost a focal forward. Dangerfield was tagged hard, which limited his capacity early. Brisbane might’ve had a blow or two — stamina, cramping, maybe niggles. Free kicks got hairy in tight contests. Fatigue and pressure caused turnovers, especially from Geelong, in the second half. By half-time, the game was tight — the first half ended tied, 36 apiece (Brisbane 5.6, Geelong 5.6). And that was historic in its own right — a main break tie, rare in Grand Final land. Then the Lions just turned the screw in the second half and blew the Cats off the park.
Injuries during the game
Jeremy Cameron’s broken arm. He soldiered on for a bit with heavy strapping but was obviously hampered. Dangerfield’s concussion or head knock limited him; he never really got into a rhythm. Perhaps a few mid-game tweaks from subbing, cramps, soft tissue tweaks — not always reported carefully — but likely some Lions players had to manage tight legs, soreness, etc. The Lions’ fitness and depth allowed them to keep pushing; the Cats’ injuries and fatigue caught up.
Quarter by quarter scoreline & commentary
Here’s how the scoring went:
| Quarter | Geelong (Home) | Brisbane (Away) |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 2.3 (15) | 1.6 (12) |
| Q2 | 5.6 (36) | 5.6 (36) |
| Q3 | 6.8 (44) | 9.9 (63) |
| Q4 | 11.9 (75) | 18.14 (122) |
| First quarter | ||
| Geelong started sharper, kicked two goals to the Lions’ one, but Brisbane hit their 6 behinds, so they were in it. Close, tense. The Cats were trying to impose their experience, the Lions trying to weather the storm. | ||
| Second quarter | ||
| It got interesting — both sides matched blow for blow. By half-time, the ledger was deadlocked, 36 to 36. That was rare for a Grand Final main break. The Lions’ midfield was doing work, Geelong’s structural discipline was holding. The collision that would eventually take Cameron away happened late in this quarter. | ||
| Third quarter | ||
| Here Brisbane started to crank it. They kicked 4 goals 3 behinds in the quarter (to Geelong’s 1 goal 2 behinds) and built a buffer. Geelong were starting to feel pressure, their forward options limited, their defenders under strain. The corridor control that Brisbane are known for came into play: they were moving the ball clean through the guts, opening up space. | ||
| Fourth quarter | ||
| All gas. The Lions erupted. They piled on 9 goals 5 behinds in that last term while Geelong only managed 5 goals 1 behind. Brisbane’s fitness, depth, headspace all showed. They ran away with it. Geelong just couldn’t match them. The final margin: 122 to 75 (47 points). |
Main Players & Best on Ground
Will Ashcroft was monstrous. He won the Norm Smith Medal for the second year in a row — becoming one of the few to do so. He piled on 32 disposals, 10 clearances, kicked a goal, and controlled the flow in that second half. Charlie Cameron bounced back. He bagged 4 goals, bringing spark and energy when the Lions needed it. Hugh McCluggage also kicked four. His presence in the forward half and ability to link play was vital. Harris Andrews held the backline steady, marking everything that came near him. His leadership in defence was crucial. On Geelong’s side, Max Holmes tried hard, got 33 disposals, and was one of their better links. Jeremy Cameron, despite injury, tried to soldier on with a strapped arm, but he couldn’t influence things much after the break. Patrick Dangerfield was stifled by that tag, and the concussion took him out of the contest. He ended with just 10 disposals, two marks, no clearances.
A Bit of Fun & Bogan Banter
Alright mate, picture this: the Lions are the big cats of the north, commin’ down to Melbourne with fire in their guts. The Cats tried to put the claws out, but Brisbane said “not today, cobber.” In that first half, it was like two drunks at a pub trade insults — tight, scrappy, no one wants to back off. But in the second half, Brisbane got liquored up on confidence and hammered Geelong right in the guts. You could see the Cats’ forwards getting battered, the mids slogging to get the pill, and their veteran stars looking knackered. Meanwhile, the Lions had the legs — that second half was like they turned on turbo boost. Watching Cameron hobble, Dangerfield dazed, the Cats’ structure buckling — it was brutal. The Lions fans were cackling, the Cats fans just shaking their heads. When the final siren blew, Brisbane’s mob exploded — chant, confetti, flag, the lot. Back in Queensland, pubs were busting, roads clogged with maroon and blue, people doing burnouts downtown. A back-to-back — you beauty.
Final Thoughts & Legacy
This 2025 Grand Final win does more than just give the Lions silverware — it cements a new era. Back-to-back premierships are rare. They now boast five AFL flags total. The dominance, the culture, the hunger — they’ve got it. And while Geelong gave it a crack, injuries, fatigue and Brisbane’s midfield strength made the difference. For the Cats, it’s back to the drawing board: recover, reload, and come again. For Brisbane, the simple aim becomes: three-peat? But that’s for another day. There you go — a wild, bruised, glorious Grand Final, told in Aussie lingo, with a bit of bogan spice.
