Alright, I’m spent! Thanks for joining me tonight. We’ll be back with more goal-by-goal action from the second semi-final tomorrow. Bye!
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In the rooms, here comes La Marseillaise! What a moment for the Brisbane Lions Football Club. Recency bias perhaps, but I doubt their fans they’ve enjoyed a better moment since the 2003 Grand Final. And I hope plenty of the old Roy Boys who were at the 1986 elimination final with Micky Conlan were there tonight too.
Melbourne, what a botching. They dominated the first term. Sure, they weren’t kicking straight but in general play they were untouchable, with all of their superstars up to their eyeballs in the contest. The lead got out to 28 points just before half time but a goal on the siren (as was also the case in the third term) sapped any momentum they had going into the long break. From there, Hipwood became Dermott Brereton for an hour, with plenty of help from Charlie Cameron and Jarrod Berry and Daniel McStay and Brandon Starcevich – all truly outstanding.
“Against the odds!” says Charlie Cameron. He can say that again. Has there been a semi final played in the modern era where one side was so heavily fancied? You have to go back to 2001 when Hawthorn did the unthinkable at Footy Park and Brisbane have done the same, on the road, inspired and inspirational stuff. And without Joe Daniher! Their most important forward is currently in the labour ward waiting for his first born to arrive. Well, this time next week he’ll be playing in a prelim!
FINAL SCORE: Melbourne 11.13 (79) defeated by Brisbane 14.8 (92) by 13 points
What a famous victory!!!!! Coming back from 22 points down at half time and looking so far off the pace, the Lions have run rampant after the long break to win for the first time at the MCG since 2014. And what a time to do it. They’ll be back there next week against Geelong with a chance to reach a Grand Final. And Melbourne are out. The reigining premiers have botched it. Out in straight sets. Scenes!
4th quarter (0:48 remaining) Melbourne 11.13 (73) vs Brisbane 13.8 (92) Oh my, Jake Lever what are you thinking?! He’s had a free kick paid against him and doesn’t like it and refuses to give the ball back to Daniel McStay so the 50m penalty is awarded. He’s taken to the goalsquare to convert from point blank range, his second goal of this rollicking final quarter. Brisbane are going to the preliminary final!
4th quarter (2:08 remaining) Melbourne 11.13 (79) vs Brisbane 13.8 (86) Hooley dooley, two in a minute for Melbourne – they just won’t quit! Langdon ends up with the ball after a series of desperate handballs and dribbles his snap through! Seven points, two minutes, the clearance is everything here for the premiers!
4th quarter (3:07 remaining) Melbourne 10.13 (73) vs Brisbane 13.8 (86) My wifi picked a great time to cut out! My stream returned in time to watch Harrison Petty kick truly from 40m from the Olympic Stand pocket. Melbourne are 13 points behind with three minutes to go. There’s time if they’re good enough! There really is!
4th quarter (4:52 remaining) Melbourne 9.12 (66) vs Brisbane 13.8 (86) Another clearance for Brisbane, another booming entry to the city end, another classy pick up from Zac Bailey who runs to the goal line and boots through (what looks to be) the sealer! They send it upstairs to make sure he didn’t hit the post but there’s no evidence of that - Brisbane are on the cusp of a preliminary final!
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4th quarter (5:12 remaining) Melbourne 9.12 (66) vs Brisbane 12.8 (80) Another spoil. Brisbane’s fists have been as important as their feet, ahead in that count 48 to 30. It gives Brisbane a chance to surge from their defensive 50 and within moments the ball is launched 60 metres by Hipwood into the forward pocket where Charlie Cameron takes a sprawling mark! He’ll get a set shot here from deep in the pocket. He goes back to snap and nails it with his left! Cameron, the man who was off the ground with a crook ankle earlier, who has been so instrumental to the rise of the Lions over the last few years, has put them 14 points up with five mintues to go!
Spargo to Fritsch to Vineeeeeey… not quite! It’s Daniel Rich, the veteran, with a big spoil. What a player he’s been for the Lions over the journey, going all the way back to their famous win over Carlton in the 2009 elimination final. He’s about eight minutes away from a preliminary final – the Lions still lead by eight points.
4th quarter (10:37 remaining) Melbourne 9.11 (65) vs Brisbane 11.8 (74) Pickett snap… not quite this time. And a minute later, he gives away a 50m to let Brisbane out of their defensive arc just when they look to be under some pressure from repeat entries from Melbourne. The Lions’ turn to attack and Bailey takes a juggling grab 30m out! Limbs everywhere in the build up, it’s a pressure cooker out there. And he drives it home! Back out to a nine points half way through the last quarter.
4th quarter (16:00 remaining) Melbourne 9.11 (65) vs Brisbane 10.7 (67) Angus Brayshaw! The little fella with a huge play! After taking a bounce he backs himself from the corner of the 50m arc and the boundary in front of the Olympic Stand and sneaks it home with his right foot! Punch for punch stuff, find a telly!
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The Lions are pushing hard! Jarrod Berry has a ping from 52m and it misses by no more than a good. “He’s everywhere,” says Richo on special comments.
4th quarter (17.51 remaining) Melbourne 8.11 (59) vs Brisbane 10.5 (65) Big decision! McStay is paid a holding free kick from a contest 15m from the Brisbane goal and he steers it through! Brisbane hit the lead for the first time tonight! It was Harrison Petty who had hold of his jumper – the replay shows it was there. Wow.
Siren! Here we go! Only the ninth final ever where the scores are level heading into the final stanza. Who will progress to the preliminary final? Go!
THREE QUARTER TIME: Melbourne 8.11 (59) vs Brisbane 9.5 (59)
For the second time in a row, Brisbane kick a goal right on the siren! And it’s Hipwood with his fourth, and third of the term. A huuuuge tackle – not sure who it was but the ball spills to the left-footer who ties the game up at the final change. On the evidence of those last ten minutes, this is going to be another massive finish!
3rd quarter (0:30 remaining) Melbourne 8.11 (59) vs Brisbane 8.5 (53) Fort bombs long and bombs truly! Goals every 30 seconds! Buckle up!
3rd quarter (1:40 remaining) Melbourne 8.11 (59) vs Brisbane 7.5 (47) Two in a minute for the red and the blue! It’s Ben Brown again who has a hand in there when it matters most, creating a contest at half forward. He’s having a fantastic game. Alex Neal-Bullen is the beneficiary, finishing from 20. He has two. Finals footy!
3rd quarter (2:33 remaining) Melbourne 7.11 (53) vs Brisbane 7.5 (47) Goodness me how they needed that! Melbourne’s first goal of the quarter comes at the 29 minute mark via the boot of the man who kicked six in last year’s Grand Final, Brad Fritsch. But it’s the work in the guts that makes it possible: Petracca (again!), Pickett, Brown… fantastic footy. Set shot, goal. Melbourne back in front. Big moment.
Scores level! Charlie Cameron has a set shot form 40m out, Olympic Stand pocket. But he pulls it to the near side. Melbourne have led all night until now. About four minutes left in this high-octane third quarter. Next goal is massssssive.
3rd quarter (5:46 remaining) Melbourne 6.11 (47) vs Brisbane 7.4 (46) Make that five in a row! Hipwood, who is absolutely everywhere, has the presence of mind to hand off to Hugh McCluggage at true centre half-forward position. He has time to run hard, take a bounce, set himself just outside the 50 and bang it home! Another lifter! What a quarter this has been for the Lions, now just one point behind.
Melbourne’s accuracy has been an issue all night. Jack Viney is the most recent Demon to miss. They get another chance to come forward but Harris Andrews is having none of it! The vice-captain leaps over the pack to thump the ball out of bounds in the best tradition of old-fashioned full backs. The margin is seven.
3rd quarter (10:23 remaining) Melbourne 6.10 (46) vs Brisbane 6.4 (40) Four in a row for Brisbane! Hipwood has three. This is steered with that dependable left boot of his from 30m out and the travelling supporters (and Fitzroy lifers) are going wild! Starcevich and McStay made it possible at half-forward, the latter delivering perfectly to the hot hand. Remember, they’re doing this without their main forward too with Daniher not available tonight with his partner in labour. Our expectations were measured about this final but we might be en route to another thriller!
“They’re a bit messy here,” says James Brayshaw of Melbourne and that’s the way it has looked for the last five minutes. They need to take a bit of sting out of this at the very time that Brisbane are throwing absolutely everything at them.
3rd quarter (15:46 remaining) Melbourne 6.8 (44) vs Brisbane 5.4 (34) A Shane Warne legbreak from the Shane Warne Stand by Charlie Campbell! His snap looks for all money as though it is missing to the right but it takes a right-angle bounce to die for as far as Brisbane are concerned, sneaking through for their third goal on the trot either side of the half time breather. Back to ten points. Here’s their chance!
Skittish from Melbourne for the first time tonight. Sparrow has two opportunities to use the ball well at half forward but twice miscues, giving the ball back to the Lions and… guess what? They make the very most of it. More on that in just a moment.
3rd quarter (18:37 remaining) Melbourne 6.8 (44) vs Brisbane 4.4 (28) To Brisbane’s credit, they bounce straight back from the goal-that-wasn’t to get inside the 50 again straight away, onto Hipwood’s chest this time. From 20m, he kicks truly!
Harrison Petty! Wow, what a start to the half for the defender, for the second time tonight denying Brisbane an otherwise certain goal. This time, it’s via a huge tackle on Eric Hipwood who was about to bang home a major from point blank range.
Siren! The second half begins.
Simon Goodwin is talking to TV. Truth told, these interviews at half time are absolutely useless. Asked whether they’d consider taking Petracca off and straight-batted away. Chris Fagan’s turn. He doesn’t say anything either. Why bother?
HALF TIME: Melbourne 6.8 (44) vs Brisbane 3.4 (22)
Brisbane hit back right on the siren! They had ten seconds to work with there by the time the ball was bounced and out comes the clearance with Zorko feeding Ah Chee who runs to the goalsquare before banging it through a second before the hooter.
So the half ends with two goals in 16 seconds. Melbourne have doubled Brisbane’s tally and look the more imposing of the teams but the Lions are hanging in there.
2nd quarter (0:16) remaining) Melbourne 6.8 (38) vs Brisbane 2.4 (16) Cleeeeeverrrrrrr! Oliver with yet another clearance, facilitating an inside 50 to the hotspot, and for the second time in the quarter it’s Pickett there to pick up the scraps and snap truly with the left boot with a perfect little dribble from 15m.
2nd quarter (3:23 remaining) Melbourne 5.7 (37) vs Brisbane 2.4 (16) Oliver with the hard ball get at the top of the 50, Petracca with the snap to the edge of the goalsquare where Bayley Fritsch has front position! Strong mark. Pops it through.
Petracca has 15 touches so far; Luke Hodge loves it. He spoke on SEN during the week about playing injured in finals during his huge career. I did somehow forget that, as captain, he sat out of the 2012 Preliminary Final with illness only for Hawthorn to nearly botch it. One of the more stressful nights in my footy-watching time.
May, Melksham, Spargo, Petracca… it’s all happening inside Melbourne’s 50 but nobody can get boot to ball. Brisbane’s defence has been red hot in this quarter. Meanwhile, TV reports that Max Gawn has been off the field for eight minutes.
This quarter started quietly but has fired right up in the last few minutes. No surprise that Zorko has been front and centre of that, getting plenty of the footy and getting his hands dirty in a number of mini-scraps around the contests. Margin is 15 points in favour of Melbourne with 6:26 left until the half time siren.
2nd quarter (10:12 remaining) Melbourne 4.7 (31) vs Brisbane 2.3 (15) And the Lions respond straight away! Jack Payne then Daniel McStay keep their feet and use it well, in towards Eric Hipwood who marks 40m out on a tough angle for a left footer. But that doesn’t bother him at all – that’s a beautiful kick, it splits the posts!
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2nd quarter (11:46 remaining) Melbourne 4.7 (31) vs Brisbane 1.3 (9) Melbourne are straight back into their 50 and Brown does well for a third time in this quarter getting the ball to ground where Kysaiah Pickett is there to crum and snap and goal! “Melbourne are just so impressive,” beams Luke Hodge. Over to you, Brisbane.
Pretty footy from halfback to full forward. Salem to Brown – his second strong grab of the quarter so far. Over to Melksham on his own running down the Olympic Stand flank. Goes long inside 50 in the direction of Jackson who gets his arms up but the ball doesn’t stick, Answerth, brought into the Lions side tonight, getting in the way.
A slower start to this quarter, five minutes in. Both teams inside 50 but yet to find a clean grab. Salem goes close for the Dees are finding space in the middle of the ground but Ah Chee is there for a timely intercept mark. The margin is 16 points.
Not related to this game… but the premier league is off this week. My hunch is that will now lead to the Test Match being dumped at The Oval, too. Back to the footy…
Premier League statement confirming off this weekend pic.twitter.com/Mv8PrdEhy8
— Sean Ingle (@seaningle) September 9, 2022
Siren! The second term begins. Just five touches for Lachie Neale in the first, TV tells us, the Brisbane superstar – who had 39 disposals last week, so many of those out of the guts – is being tagged hard by Angus Brayshaw.
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This moment summed up Melbourne’s efforts so far.
How good was that from Harrison Petty! @cryptocom | #AFLFinals pic.twitter.com/Iu1IUsxD6g
— AFL (@AFL) September 9, 2022
QUARTER TIME: Melbourne 3.6 (24) vs Brisbane 1.3 (9)
Brisbane will be relieved the margin is only 15 points. But in fairness to the Lions, they did, in the last three or four minutes find their way into the 50 a number of times and kicked truly inside the last 40 seconds. Something to work with.
1st quarter (0:36 remaining) Melbourne 3.6 (24) vs Brisbane 1.3 (9) Hipwood wins the contested ball at half back, over to Zorko. The captain has been quiet so far but gets to run down the outer wing a before booming it long in the direction of Charlie Cameron who takes a strong contested grab! Much neater. And the kick is too, the gun forward popping it through without any fuss. At last, they’re away.
1st quarter (2:21 remaining) Melbourne 3.6 (24) vs Brisbane 0.3 (3) Yikes. Just when it looked like something was breaking Brisbane’s way – Cam Rayner winning a free kick for too high after getting himself into a good position 25m out directly in front – he’s shanks it off his shin and misses by a long way. He offers a wry smile.
Brilliant Harry Petty! We go upstairs to see whether he got a hand on McStay’s awkward soccered attempt from point blank range and he has. A quick decision from the ARC and every Melbourne defender runs up to Petty. “It’s like they’ve kicked another goal,” observes Luke Hodge. Melbourne have come to play tonight.
1st quarter (5:21 remaining) Melbourne 3.5 (23) vs Brisbane 0.1 (1) Counter-attack, inside 50, Melbourne mark. Chris Fagan will be tearing his hair out. The only cold comfort is that Sparrow misses from the near side – the home side’s fifth behind. They could, and probably should, be six goals up already here.
Steven May again. Timing his intercept mark to perfection, it’s the catalyst for another forward thrust for the Dees. It doesn’t come to anything this time but how are the Lions going to penetrate? On their next approach, Ah Chee is the target but he has three Melbourne defenders to deal with and that’s just not happening.
Charlie Cameron is back on the bench. He went down to the Brisbane rooms to be assessed but it can only be good news for the Lions that he wasn’t there long.
1st quarter (9:52 remaining) Melbourne 3.2 (20) vs Brisbane 0.1 (1) What a grab! A pack buster by Jake Melksham who had a night he would want to forget last week but has converted at the first time of asking here. Strong mark, compact set shot from 20m. Three goals in the first ten minutes of play for the Dees – they’re flying.
1st quarter (10:47 remaining) Melbourne 2.2 (14) vs Brisbane 0.1 (1) More lovely footy, May precise by foot through the middle and it ends up with Spargo for the second time in a couple of minutes. It’s a tougher shot this time from the MCC pocket but the right footer makes no mistake. It’s early in this game but it already feels like Brisbane already are in serious need of a circuit breaker.
1st quarter (13:00 remaining) Melbourne 1.2 (8) vs Brisbane 0.0 (0) Set shot for Hipwood in front of the Olympic Stand and he shanks it. Across the face; doesn’t score. It opens up the counter attack for Melbourne, to Petracca through the middle on the charge and hits Spargo on the chest 35m out. Classy stuyff. He should have done better with the set shot, missing to the near side, but the way they moved the ball from coast to coast there… the Lions are under the pump. And Charlie Cameron hobbles off the ground as well. Looks like an issue with his left foot?
Melbourne look on. Oliver is busy, Steven May class with his first touch of the night. As TV remind us, he put in one of the great defensive performances last week to cut Buddy Franklin off entirely through the course of four quarters. The expectation was that he’d have Joe Daniher to deal with tonight but that’s not to be for the Lions.
1st quarter (16:30 remaining) Melbourne 1.1 (7) vs Brisbane 0.0 (0) Alex Neal-Bullen is found all on his, directly in front 40m out. But he quickly gives it off! Over to Ed Langdon, closer to goal but on a sharper angle, again over towards the AFL Members. But he leans back from 25 and threads it! First blood for the Dees.
A busy start for Petracca. Three touches in the first three minutes. Remember that he’s playing tonight with a fracture in his leg; the fitness test will come in time.
1st quarter (18:50 remaining) Melbourne 0.1 (1) vs Brisbane 0.0 (0) Luke Jackson deep into the AFL Members pocket gets a left boot on a snap and it snaked around like a Damien Fleming outswinger all the way to the goal mouth but is touched on the line. That would have been a brilliant goal from the big man to start this final.
Siren! We’re away in the first semi final!
To the pre-game formalities. First up, the Indigenous Welcome to Country – really nicely done. Now, to a minute of silence following the Queen’s passing yesterday, which the MCG lights are turned off for. And as reported earlier, God Save the Queen plays at the end of that minute. Next up, the Australian national anthem… to be sung by Delta Goodrem! The crowd love it. Huge performance too. What a bloody star.
And Brisbane. “It’s hard to remember a more rank outsider coming into a final,” says James Brayshaw. I reckon that might suit the visitors. They said the same when Hawthorn went to Footy Park in 2001 for this corresponding final it turned into one of the most famous nights in the history of the club with Johnny Barker’s winner.
B: D.Gardiner, D.McStay, D.Rich
HB: B.Starcevich, H.Andrews, K.Coleman
C: Z.Bailey, J.Berry, C.Ah Chee
HF: D.Zorko, E.Hipwood, L.McCarthy
F: J.Payne, J.Daniher, C.Cameron
FOLL: D.Fort, L.Neale, H.McCluggage
I/C: D.Robertson, C.Rayner, N.Answerth, D.Wilmot
And here come Melbourne. Led by Max Gawn as Enter Sandman plays as they run through the banner, which is, frankly, cringeworthy. At last, A Grand Old Flag takes over. That’s better. Here are the premiers as named and unchanged.
B: C.Salem, S.May, H.Petty
HB: A.Brayshaw, J.Lever, M.Hibberd
C: T.Sparrow, C.Oliver, E.Langdon
HF: J.Melksham, M.Gawn, J.Harmes
F: A.Neal-Bullen, B.Fritsch, C.Spargo
FOLL: L.Jackson, J.Viney, C.Petracca
I/C: T.Rivers, J.Hunt, K.Pickett, B.Brown
“The Lions have nothing to lose tonight,” says Luke Hodge as the Ch7 coverage begins – a man who knows plenty about getting into the right mindset to win finals. “They are the rankest of outsiders,” adds James Brayshaw as they walk up the race and take the field and La Marseillaise plays out across the Cricket Ground.
Chris Fagan is speaking to Richo. He says that he got a phone call from Joe Daniher this morning to tell him that his partner was in labour and he would be missing the final. “It’s great news. It’s the right thing to do.” Footy has come a long way on this.
Melbourne bullied Brisbane in both their meetings this year. In round 15, on the road, the Demons skipped to a 64-point win. Then in the final home and away round of the year, just three weeks ago, the margin was 58 points at the ground they play at tonight. Indeed, the hosts led by 11 goals at one stage in just the second term, giving some sense of how uncompetitive that game was.
Ben Brown was in the goals early on that night and they need the big man in this clash too. How they set up will be of interest. Is the skipper Max Gawn going to spend as much time inside the forward 50 this week as he did in the loss to Sydney For all of the urgency the premiers bring to the contest, especially through a player like Clayton Oliver in the engine room, that hasn’t translated to cricket scores anywhere as often this year as it did in 2021.
On the other side of the ledger, Brisbane are the second highest scoring team in the competition and live one shootout to the next, including last week against Richmond where both teams scored in excess of 100 points. Don’t get me wrong, I love me a high-scoring final but the Lions surely won’t win if they cough up 100-plus tonight.
The final teams are in for tonight's massive semi-final and there's no changes.
— AFL (@AFL) September 9, 2022
Medical subs: @melbournefc - Joel Smith@brisbanelions - Rhys Mathieson#AFLFinals
I suspect this will, um, divide opinion.
The AFL will play a portion of God Save the Queen before tonight’s game
— Tom Browne (@TomBrowne7) September 9, 2022
Preamble
An unusual day across Australia ends with a semi-final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a venue the late Queen visited on many occasions. But that will be a long way from the minds of Melbourne and Brisbane: only one of these teams will still be in the hunt for the flag after tonight. To think Melbourne, the reigining premiers, are in this situation beggars belief after the way they romped through September last year and started in 2022. But after losing a hard-fought contest to Sydney this time last week, Simon Goodwin’s team have to find a way to make it click this time.
The good news for the Demons is that their opposition tonight, the Lions, have a dreadful record at the ground where it matters most. Chris Fagan’s men haven’t got it done there since 2014 and have saluted just once in their last 15 starts. A bit reductive in the modern competition to say that if you can’t win at the ‘G then you can’t be a serious contender, but that’s where you need to fire at the time of year.
And there was a further setback for the visitors today – key forward Joe Daniher, who kicked the winner in a thriller against Richmond at the Gabba to kick off a pulsating first week of the postseason, won’t be taking the field. His partner is in labour with their first child. It shifts the emphasis onto Brisbane’s smaller men like Charlie Campbell, who has a fine record in finals, and Cam Rayner, who returns to the side after missing last week’s triumph through suspension.
All told, that makes four changes to Brisbane – also missing ruckman Oscar McInerney with concussion (veteran Mitch Robinson has also been left out), which stands in contrast to Melbourne who enter unchanged. Crucially for hosts, Christian Petracca has still made it to the line despite having a leg fracture. High stakes stuff.
Right, a lot more to get into between now and the bounce in about 40 minutes or so from now but I’ll leave it there so we can begin our conversation. Hit me up in the usual ways by either dropping me an email or pinging over a tweet.
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