Josh Dunkley, Darcy Wilmot and Cam Rayner enjoyed special moments in AFL history at the Gabba on Saturday night as the Brisbane Lions qualified for a 2025 AFL preliminary final that is the next chapter in a finals journey that will surprise most.

The grand final qualifier against Collingwood at the MCG next Saturday twilight will mark the 11th time the Queensland club has played on the penultimate weekend of the season since 1987.

Only two clubs in the now national competition have played more often in the preliminary final in that time – Geelong will mark their 20th against Hawthorn on Friday night, and Collingwood their 12th against Brisbane.

The PF ladder since the one-time 12-team Victorian competition added Brisbane and West Coast in 1987 to begin the establishment of the national competition (including this week) is:

20 – Geelong
12 – Collingwood
11 – Brisbane
10 – Sydney, North Melbourne
9 – Hawthorn
8 – Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs, West Coast
7 – Essendon, Melbourne
6 – Richmond, St. Kilda
5 – Carlton
4 – GWS
3 – Fremantle

The Lions will play in their fourth consecutive preliminary final this week under coach Chris Fagan, equalling their own run in 2001-02-03-04 and the four-year run of Geelong (2019-22), Richmond (2017-20) and Collingwood (2009-12).

The only longer PF streaks since 1987 have been the seven-year run of North Melbourne (1994-2000), and the five-year runs of Geelong (2007-2011) and Hawthorn (2011-15).

Brisbane have played in six grand finals to rank sixth overall. Since ’87 it is Geelong (10), Hawthorn (9), Sydney (8), Collingwood and West Coast (7), Brisbane (6), Carlton and Essendon (4), Adelaide, Melbourne, North Melbourne, Richmond and St. Kilda (3), Port Adelaide and Western Bulldogs (2), Fremantle and GWS (1).

The Brisbane streak of four grand finals in row from 2001-04 is equal with Hawthorn’s 2012-15 stretch as the longest in the national competition, and if they can win on Saturday to make it three-in-row they would equal the hat-trick of Hawthorn (1987-89) and Geelong (2007-09).

Yet still the Lions have been installed $2.15 outsiders by TAB, with Collingwood $1.70 favourites. In the other preliminary final it’s Geelong ($1.52) and Hawthorn ($2.55).

But it’s how coach Fagan likes it. And it fits with a 2025 ‘bounce-back’ strength which was at its best when they beat Gold Coast by 54-points on Saturday night after a bad qualifying loss to Geelong at the MCG  on 5 September.

The record Q-Clash crowd of 36,628 was treated to a rare performance from Dunkley, whose 18 tackles was a record for a player in an AFL final since the introduction of tackling statistics in 1987.

Dunkley, with a previous best of 15 tackles, had more than twice as many tackles as any other player in the game, with Gold Coast’s Matt Rowell next best with eight.

He bettered the previous all-finals best of 16, set by Geelong’s Jimmy Bartel in the 2009 grand final, and the all-games Brisbane record of 17, set by Tom Rockliff in 2015.

His feast against the Suns saw him crash through a mark that for a long time was thought to be beyond reach – 200 tackles in a season. He now has 203 tackles in 25 games this year, having obliterated the single-season club record of 167 he set in 27 games last year.

He now has the third-best season tackle count in history behind the ‘live’ count of Geelong’s Tom Atkins this year of 215, and Rowell’s 214 tackles for the Suns this year.

All three have broken the previous AFL record for most tackles in a season of 202, set in 2011 by West Coast’s Scott Selwood.

Dunkley’s 18 tackles against the Suns fell two tackles short of the AFL record for most tackles in a game, which was set by Adelaide’s Rory Laird at 20 in 2022.

Three other players have bettered Dunkley’s 18 – his ex-Bulldogs teammate Tom Liberatore (19), ex-North captain Jack Ziebell (19) and ex-Sydney midfielder Jude Bolton (19).

While Dunkley’s record covers 39 years of football, Wilmot covered off 129 years since the inception of the competition in 1897 with his 12th final.

The 21-year-old livewire, who has played 81 games without missing a game since his debut in the 2022 elimination final against Richmond at the Gabba, has been three years 12 days to his 12th final.

This beat by five days the AFL record of Hawthorn champion Dermott Brereton, who debuted during the 1982 finals and played his 12th final in the 1985 grand final.

Before Brereton the record was held by Essendon ruckman Bob McClure in 1949. He was three years 52 days to 12 finals after serving in the Australian navy in World War Two before beginning his career in the then VFL in 1946.

Rayner bettered a single-game AFL record in a statistical category that has been in place for 10 years – he had eight ‘tackle breaks’.

This was most by a player this year, and bettered the record set by Hawthorn’s Jarman Impey playing with Port Adelaide in 2016, and equalled in 2017 by Richmond’s Dustin Martin.

In other statistical highlights on Saturday night:

Hugh McCluggage’s 33 possessions, a brilliant bounce-back performance after a quiet qualifying final and his best in 18 finals, is a mark that has been bettered by only five Brisbane players in 43 finals.

Lachie Neale holds the club record at 46, and also has had games of 35-37-39, while Simon Black had 39 possessions in the 2003 grand final and a 37. Dayne Zorko had 35 against Geelong 10 days ago, Marcus Ashcroft 34 in 1997 and Craig Lambert 34 in the club’s first final in 1995.

And the 18th finals appearance in Brisbane colours by Harris Andrews, Dayne Zorko and Charlie Cameron sees them set to break into the top 10 in all-time finals appearances for the club this week.

They are equal 11th behind only Nigel Lappin and Justin Leppitsch (23), Jason Akermanis and Shaun Hart (22), Darryl White (21), Simon Black and Alastair Lynch (20), Marcus Ashcroft, Michael Voss, Luke Power and Chris Johnson (19), and equal with Craig McRae (18).

In the votes for the Gary Ayres Medal, awarded to the player judged best in the finals on the votes of the coaches, Will Ashcroft (8) topped the count from Dunkley (7), Andrews (6), McCluggage and Jarrod Berry (4) and Rayner (1).

In Hawthorn’s win over Adelaide it was Hawthorn’s Jai Newcombe (10), Jack Gunston (8), Josh Ward (4), Lloyd Meek (3), Josh Battle (1) and Nick Watson (1), and Adelaide’s Josh Worrell (4).