For the second year in a row, Brisbane Lions fans are celebrating a dominant grand final win.
After a tight first half that saw scores level at half-time, Brisbane pulled away and never looked back, pouring on 13 goals in the second half to cruise to a 47-point victory.
For Brisbane fans, the day may have held a sense of deja vu, following a 60-point demolition of the Sydney Swans in last year’s grand final.
But the encore performance did nothing to dampen the excitement of the Brisbane faithful, who worked up a frenzy at a hotel in the shadow of Brisbane’s famous Story Bridge.
As the final siren sounded, the crowd erupted in celebration, the heartbreak from their close loss in the 2023 showpiece now a distant memory.
The mood was markedly more subdued in Geelong, where fans watched the dying moments of the game at Eastern Beach.
The dour mood there was compounded by the weather, as rain started to drench the thousands of fans who turned out to watch the game at the live site.
Back in Melbourne, diehard Brisbane fans who were unable to get a ticket to the game gathered at the Royal Derby Hotel in Fitzroy, the Victorian home of the Brisbane Lions.
One Lions fan said he was in disbelief that the side had overcome adversity to win it all.
“I can’t believe it, we lost [Joe] Daniher, all these injuries, and we’re back again this year,” he said.
“Look out, we’ve got another three or four coming on.”
Another fan couldn’t help but get a dig in at Geelong, which beat the Lions convincingly in the first week of the finals.
“What a win, to beat Geelong like that, and they are a pretty boring club, aren’t they?” he said.
The evening in Fitzroy was sound-tracked by the classic hits that now play when a Lions player kicks a goal, with fans standing on tables to belt out Take Me Home Country Roads — Charlie Cameron’s signature tune.
The celebration continued at Yarra Park, where players showed the cup off to cheering fans.
For Brisbane fans hoping to keep the party going just a little longer, the team will have its fan day at Brunswick St Oval in Fitzroy on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Geelong fans will have an opportunity to commiserate together at their fan day at St Mary’s Oval at Kardinia Park.
(ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
(ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
(ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
(ABC News: Danielle Bonica)