Brisbane have beaten Sydney 17.11 (113) to 13.11 (89) for a 24-point win in a frenetic encounter on Sunday night.
The Lions move up to second on the ladder behind reigning premiers Melbourne.
A slow burner of a match — it was 9-9 at the first break — burst into life in the second quarter as the Lions hit the accelerator through two Dayne Zorko goals from outside 50.
The visitors led by 33 points at half time and looked to be rolling towards a comfortable victory.
However, a vintage four-goal burst from Lance Franklin in the space of five, third-quarter minutes, plus a major from Will Hayward, meant the Lions lead was trimmed to just three.
That flurry of activity in the Lions defensive 50 threatened to disrupt the otherwise stellar performances of the Lions back line and bought the crowd back into play, the weight of the Lions' terrible recent record at the SCG seemingly pressing on the back of the Lions.
Franklin's excellence could not last though, and despite finishing with six goals for the match, the Lions were able to keep the dangerous Isaac Heeney relatively quiet from thereon out, not before he scored three goals.
It was Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale who provided the stabilising presence in midfield in the third quarter, adding 12 disposals, nine contested possessions, three clearances and a momentum-shifting goal to help Brisbane ease back out to a 29-point lead at the final change.
Neale had a game-high 37 disposals for the Lions, 26 contested, with Hugh McCluggage (28) and Zorko (22) also playing major roles in midfield.
Daniel McStay, Charlie Cameron and Cam Rayner all scored three for the Lions, who had ten different goalscorers.
Joe Daniher was subbed off at half time for the Lions with a shoulder injury.
The win was the Lions' first at the SCG since 2009, following a run of six-straight defeats.
In a record-breaking subnote, Darcy Fort improved upon his incredible start to his goalkicking career at senior level.
Fort nailed a long range set shot in the second quarter to claim a new league record of 12 consecutive goals without kicking a behind, the best run since records were kept in 1999.
ABC
Western Bulldogs cruise past Essendon by 32 points
Essendon's AFL season is on the brink of collapse after a 32-point loss to the Western Bulldogs, their sixth defeat in the opening seven rounds.
Out-of-contract star Josh Dunkley was best afield for the Bulldogs with 29 disposals and two goals in their 16.7 (103) to 10.11 (71) win on Sunday at Docklands stadium.
Dunkley stood tall in a dominant midfield, with a support cast featuring Jack Macrae and Bailey Smith, that generated a 66-39 landslide in forward entries.
It gave their dangerous forward line more than enough chances to post a winning score as Lachie McNeil (three goals), Robbie McComb, Mitch Wallis and Cody Weightman (two each) spread the load.
After being heavily criticised for their defensive work rate in recent weeks, the Bombers were sliced apart far too easily and conceded their third triple-figure score of the year.
They laid 52 tackles — an increase on their lowly season average of 41 — but it wasn't enough.
Zach Merrett (36) and Darcy Parish (32) racked up disposals and Mason Redman (29) fought well in a losing cause, while Peter Wright finished with four goals.
Axed midfielder Dylan Shiel was given a selection reprieve as the medical substitute and had 11 disposals after replacing Nic Cox (calf) at half-time.
The Bombers, who take on Hawthorn in round eight, recovered from a 2-6 start last season to play finals.
But it's hard to see Ben Rutten's struggling side being able to plug their leaky defence and engineer a similar turnaround this time around.
An emotional Wallis kicked the Bulldogs' first two goals and gave a nod to the heavens after a traumatic period that included his mother-in-law's shock death and the birth of his second child.
It was a tight start but the Dogs opened up a 22-point break before half time on the back of five consecutive goals.
Shiel entered the fray at he start of the third quarter and had five disposals within a minute but the Bulldogs answered every challenge Essendon threw at them.
They piled on seven goals in the third term to build a match-winning 36-point lead by the final change and were never challenged from there.
Wallis was substituted out of the game during the final quarter with a foot injury and Essendon kicked the last three goals of the game to hide some of their pain.
Collingwood hold on to beat Gold Coast by 25 points at the MCG
Collingwood have started life without Brodie Grundy by dominating Gold Coast early for a 25-point AFL win.
Brody Mihocek kicked four goals and midfielder Patrick Lipinski racked up 30 possessions on Sunday at the MCG as the Magpies won 17.13 (115) to 14.6 (90).
Grundy is out for months with the knee injury he suffered on Anzac Day and Suns co-captain Jarrod Witts took full toll in the ruck.
Despite Witts's strong form and Suns midfielder Touk Miller being best afield, Gold Coast paid dearly for their poor first quarter.
After Gold Coast kicked the first two goals of the game inside three minutes, Collingwood went on a seven-goal run that would form the bedrock of their win.
They repeatedly pounced on Suns' turnovers and quickly amassed a 32-point lead late in the opening term that proved a crucial buffer.
The Suns counter-attacked, reducing the margin to 13 points early in the second term and then nine points early in the third.
But each time, the Magpies' strong first term meant they could absorb the Gold Coast momentum and then quickly ease the pressure with a rebounding goal.
Anzac Day medallist Jack Ginnivan lived up to his growing reputation early in the second term, dodging three Suns opponents in the forward pocket to kick a goal of the year contender.
The game was still in the balance at 22 minutes into the third term, with the Suns only 13 points down and putting fierce pressure on Collingwood.
But Ginnivan marked in the goal square and his third goal cracked Gold Coast's resistance.
Collingwood kicked another two goals to end the quarter, giving them a 31-point lead.
The Suns kept pressing but Callum Brown's goal at 23 minutes into the last quarter from a blocking free was the sealer.
Miller continued his strong form with a game-high 36 disposals and two goals, while Witts racked up 45 hitouts and Levi Casboult kicked four goals for Gold Coast.
AAP
