Jackson soccers with the left boot from a stoppage 20m out deep in the pocket but it’s touched through in the square. (Q1 1:34)
Hunt passes to Neal-Bullen 40m out in front, he passes to Langdon near the boundary 25m out showing low confidence in himself… Langdon kicks the first goal anyway. (Q1 5:15)
Gawn intercepts and starts a rebound up the guts, Spargo marks a Petracca pass 40m out on a slight angle but misses. (Q1 10:00)
Bailey passes to McCluggage who has a lash from 55m in front, but the ball bounces wide left. (Q1 12:00)
Melksham passes to Neal-Bullen in the pocket 30m out on the end of a switch move, he kicks his first goal. (Q1 13:01)
Melksham leaps over Fort to clunk a long ball up the guts to the top of the square for the Demons’ third goal. Not much opposition from the Lions so far, it’s one-way stuff. (Q1 15:26)
Langdon roves his own pass to Brown on the HFF but misses a pressured checkside from 35m. (Q1 18:58)
Sparrow misses a set shot from the HFF. (Q1 22:11)
Harmes misses a snap after a stoppage from the pocket. (Q1 23:46)
The Lions make a rare foray forward, looks like a certain goal to McStay from the square but Petty dives on the line to touch it through. (Q1 24:43)
Rivers drops an intercept mark near the Lion hotspot and compounds the error by holding Rayner without the ball… but Rayner sprays the free for a point. (Q1 27:46)
Cameron, who was struggling early in the quarter with a foot complaint, takes a nice mark in front of Hibberd at the hotspot for his first goal. (Q1 29:45)
Pickett drops into a Starcevich tackle 20m out in the pocket to draw a free, but shanks OOTF. (Q2 3:39)
Pickett roves a Brown contest in a pack 30m out on the flank, drops it, gathers, gets slung in a tackle and dribbles through a quality goal. (Q2 9:49)
McStay drops a mark in a contest with May on the wing but regathers and passes off the left to Hipwood 40m out on the flank, who kicks truly. (Q2 12:42)
Hipwood wheels in the centre square and goes long towards McCarthy but the ball bounces wide for a point. (Q2 14:51)
Petracca tumbles a kick from behind a stoppage at CHF to the hotspot where Fritsch marks over Gardiner and boots his first goal. (Q2 21:36)
Neal-Bullen curls a snap wide from half forward. (Q2 27:02)
Payne spoils a long speculator to the top of the square towards the pocket but straight to Pickett who rolls through a classic opportunist goal. (Q2 27:28)
Ah Chee roves a long centre clearance to the square and snaps the goal just before the HT siren! (Q2 28:48)
McStay tries to tap a loose ball to Hipwood near the goalsquare but Petty comes in to catch Hipwood HTB and stop what looked a big goal chance. (Q3 0:38)
Repeat inside 50 early for the Lions, high ball from the HFF to the hotspot where Hipwood marks in front of Petty and goals. (Q3 1:05)
Rich delivers a nice kick on a rebound around outer wing, Cameron roves on the HFF, jinks clear and bounces home another Lion goal from 40m! (Q3 5:52)
Petracca gives to Sparrow who misses from 40m on a slight angle, after both those two had snaps that went OOTF over the past few minutes. (Q3 14:06)
McStay takes a link mark at half forward, wheels and delivers a nice pass in between three Demons to the lead of Hipwood 40m out on a slight angle, who converts. (Q3 15:06)
Brisbane has always been at its best when playing to a plan, something they can forget about at times, but their all-ground pressure game has lifted in Q3 and it shows. (Q3 15:46)
The connection between Brisbane’s forwards has been of particular note in its recent scores. (Q3 16:01)
Harmes misses a coupe of mid-range snaps. (Q3 18:15)
Hipwood feeds McCluggage on a rebound up the guts after Brown can’t mark inside 50, he runs to true CHF and chips through the big goal, a point in it now! (Q3 24:07)
Coleman passes to the lead of Coleman 45m out on the flank. This for the lead… Charlie misses, scores level. (Q3 26:02)
Petracca clears from a pack in the centre to Pickett who feds Jackson for the pass to Fritsch 40m out in front, he restores Melbourne’s lead with his second goal. (Q3 28:54)
Answerth spoils Brown at half back but Brown regathers and feeds Neal-Bullen who pops through the goal from 20m on the flank. (Q3 30:32)
Jackson gives May a hospital handball after a stoppage 45m out from Brisbane’s goals, Fort catches May HTB and kicks a big red-time goal. (Q3 32:37)
Neale clears from the centre again, McStay catches Rivers HTB, play on advantage just before the 3QT siren and it’s Hipwood who levels the scores once again! (3 Qtr Time)
McStay draws a holding free on Petty and kicks the go-ahead goal from 15m on a slight angle! (Q4 3:48)
Oliver falls over to allow Berry to come out the front of the next bounce, long ball towards the square but it bounces wide right for a point. (Q4 4:19)
Berry gets another chance off a few steps from 50m on a slight angle but that one sails wide left. (Q4 4:49)
Brayshaw squeezes in a very tough snap from near the boundary 45m out to bring the margin back under a kick. Now it’s Melbourne who are just hanging on. (Q4 6:28)
Spargo is pinged for high contact on McCluggage in the pocket 25m out, who tries an inboard pass that doesn’t work. (Q4 8:18)
McCarthy roves a Rich kick to the flank 25m out but misses on the spin. (Q4 9:18)
Brayshaw misses everything from a stoppage near the hotspot off the left. It’s a rollicking contest now. (Q4 12:18)
McCluggage tumbles a kick down the flank to a pack where Bailey beats Hunt to juggle a fine mark 25m out, he kicks truly. (Q4 14:18)
Petracca sharks an Answerth handball after a stoppage on the HFF but misses off a step from 40m. (Q4 18:47)
Hipwood keeps his feet after halving a contest with Lever on the wing and bounds away with the footy, long to the pocket for Cameron to mark next to the behind post… goal! (Q4 21:48)
5:13 to go and you can just about rev up the Harley and ride away with this one! (Q4 21:57)
Berry roves and feeds McCarthy for the next centre clearance kick, long to the pocket where Bailey gets a nice bounce and runs into the open goal for the official sealer! (Q4 24:19)
Petty roves a Jackson contest to a Viney inside 50 and feeds Pickett but his grubber is into the post. (Q4 26:18)
Petty takes a big pack grab from a May speculator to 30m on a slight angle. No time to waste, he hurries the set shot… and converts. (Q4 27:19)
3:07 to go and 13 points… almost impossible but this year’s finals have gone to the wire. (Q4 27:44)
Viney soccers for Petracca at half forward whose handball misses, that might have been the last chance… (Q4 28:48)
Gardiner coughs it up on the wing, Neal-Bullen drives to the hotspot, Petty roves and feeds Langdon who dribbles home! 2:08 and seven points in it! (Q4 29:19)
Lever runs after an aimless kick to the HBF but gets caught HTB by McStay then wastes time to concede 50m and the certain goal, that settles it finally! (Q4 31:44)
