Arabic version: ماكلاجي يقود بريزبين إلى نهائي دوري كرة القدم الأسترالية

According to The Guardian, Brisbane Lions kept their premiership three-peat hopes alive with a 20.11 (131) to 19.8 (122) preliminary-final victory over Hawthorn at the MCG. Hugh McCluggage kicked the decisive goal with 18 seconds remaining after a holding-the-ball decision against Hawks defender Jarman Impey.

Kai Lohmann then kicked a goal on the siren after Brisbane won the centre bounce, sealing the nine-point result before 97,835 fans on Saturday. The Lions will play Fremantle in next Saturday’s grand final, the first final between the two teams.

Hawthorn rallied from 28 points down in the final quarter and briefly regained the lead when Mitch Lewis marked and kicked a goal with only minutes left. Tom Barrass and James Sicily then took major defensive marks, but Brisbane moved forward again and the crucial free kick was awarded against Impey. There were nine lead changes in the game, including four late in the final term.

McCluggage finished with 3.2 and 23 disposals, while Will Ashcroft had 28 disposals and eight clearances and Lachie Neale recorded 26 disposals and nine clearances. Lohmann kicked five goals, including three in the third quarter, while Charlie Cameron and Eric Hipwood each kicked three. Hawthorn’s Nick Watson kicked six goals, Jack Gunston added five and Lewis scored four. After the final siren, a bottle was thrown at the umpires as they left the field.