Arabic version: موهبة ومرونة بريزبن لايونز تقودان سلالة مهيمنة في دوري AFL

According to The Guardian, Brisbane’s latest AFL premiership has placed the club in position to challenge the four consecutive flags won by Depression-era Collingwood. The Lions defeated Fremantle in a grand final at the MCG after a rapid late shift that left Fremantle supporters facing desolation and bewilderment.

Brisbane’s achievement follows years in which the club repeatedly recovered from adversity. After losing the 2023 grand final, coach Chris Fagan said close grand-final defeats could become the making of a team rather than define or destroy it. The Lions then endured injuries, including multiple ACL ruptures in 2024, a 13th-place position after nine rounds, and finals deficits against Sydney and Geelong before winning through.

The squad’s depth and age profile are central to its prospects. Will Ashcroft, Jaspa Fletcher and Darcy Wilmot are 22, while Logan Morris is 21. Harris Andrews, Josh Dunkley, Hugh McLuggage, Jarrod Berry and Zac Bailey remain in their 20s. The side’s midfield, forward line and defence each offer different roles, while its list has been shaped by management, talent identification, family links and AFL policy.

Fagan’s coaching has also been credited with sustaining the group. He inherited a struggling side and retained faith in a core of players through seasons marked by missed opportunities, poor game management, inaccurate goalkicking and bad luck. The coach has been described as loyal to finals performers while adapting his approach to players who respond differently to instruction.

Brisbane’s recent campaign again included off-field controversy, uneven home-and-away performances, a qualifying-final loss and a grand-final-week issue involving Lachie Neale. Yet the team again prevailed. Fagan has said his players need to put themselves in a “dire situation”, a trait that has become part of a side now pursuing an extended era of success.