Brisbane might’ve walked away with the win, but a rejuvenated Carlton walked away with more admirers after a season-best Blues blitz gave the reigning premiers an almighty scare that narrowly fell short of victory.
The Blues produced a cracking second-half performance, but it wasn’t enough to prevent their eighth loss from nine games this season on Friday night at the Gabba.
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Trailing premiers Brisbane by 49 points early in the third quarter, the Blues discovered some much-needed fight to at one stage reduce the Lions’ lead to just 10 points before eventually losing 14.16 (100) to 13.11 (89).
While the ultimately fruitless fightback will be little consolation after another defeat, it will at least give besieged Carlton coach Michael Voss hope that there are better times ahead.
For the Lions, whose performance was underpinned by 33 disposals from Robert Walls Medallist Lachie Neale and four goals from Logan Morris, the second-half scare will be a reminder that they can’t take their foot off the pedal.
“It was a bit (interesting at the end) and we knew they were going to come out in the second half and have a crack,” Morris said on Kayo Sports.
“We spoke about that at half-time and we tried to kill them in the third quarter but they were able to punish us and they smashed us around contests and around the ball, so we’ll look at that and learn from it.
“It was great to get the win in the end though.”
It was perhaps a sense of complacency brought about after Carlton conceded six or more straight goals for the seventh time this season.
Lachie Neale of the Lions celebrates kicking a goal. Picture: Chris Hyde/AFL Photos/via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
However, after copping six on the trot, the Blues responded with six consecutive majors of their own, including two from Mitch McGovern, to seemingly revive their hopes
Having trailed by 49 points early in the second-half, the Blues reduced the deficit to 20 points by three-quarter time.
It was only the fifth time this season that Carlton had won a second-half quarter.
A Harry McKay goal early in the final quarter further eroded Brisbane’s lead before Lions forward Kai Lohmann booted his second six-pointer of the night to stop Carlton’s run.
However, Carlton wasn’t done, with McKay adding two more goals to ensure the Blues at least won another quarter, if not the game.
THE 3-2-1 …
3. ‘WHAT ON EARTH?!’: BONKERS BLUES BLITZ STUNS FOOTY WORLD
It was the dramatic comeback genuinely no one would’ve expected. Yet still wasn’t enough for Carlton to earn four points.
The Lions at half-time seemed destined for a mammoth win. The Blues had no answers to the home side’s clearance dominance, while their lack of workrate and pressure was alarming.
“So on the checklist, it’s clearance diabolical and pressure non-existent at the moment for the Blues,” Kayo Sports commentator Gerard Whateley said late in the second quarter.
The already immense pressure on coach Voss appeared bound for a tipping point.
Then the Blues found a gear we haven’t seen from them – and never expected them to get into – in the second half.
Trailing by 49 points, Carlton kicked the next six straight goals as they flipped the script in the third quarter. They outscored the Lions by +39 points and convincingly won the contested possession (+16), clearance (+7), inside 50 (+14) and forward half intercept (+7) counts. Their pressure lifted, their clearance game improved out of sight and their defensive structure was sound, leading to scoreboard dominance.
“What on earth? What an effort to turn this around for Carlton,” triple premiership Lion Alastair Lynch told Fox Footy.
Mitch McGovern of the Blues celebrates kicking a goal. Picture: Chris Hyde/AFL Photos/via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Importantly, when the Lions inevitably responded to the Blues challenge in the fourth term, Voss’ troops fought and scrapped until the end.
“If any Carlton fan in your house went to bed, wake them up now – because the Blues have woken up!“ Fox Footy’s Anthony Hudson said in commentary.
Some wasteful shots at goal and ill-disciplined down back proved costly – clearly not as costly as the slow start to the match – but they “frightened the daylights out of the Brisbane Lions”,” according to Hall of Fame legend Jason Dunstall.
“Blues fans haven’t seen football like this basically all year, not against a quality opponent and not coming from behind like this. It’s exceptional. Love the risks they’re taking,” Dunstall said.
Melbourne legend Garry Lyon added on Fox Footy post-game: “If you’re a Carlton supporter, you’re sitting there going ‘where’s that been’? Because they played the kind of football, I’m sure, Michael Voss would have expected over the last six or seven weeks.”
As Whateley aptly declared on the siren: “They will leave empty-handed in terms of points, but they will leave with much fuller hearts than they came with.”
2. ‘SH*THOUSE QUARTER’ UNDOES LIONS’ EARLY DOMINANCE
And as Lyon declared on the siren: “I think they were very thankful, the Brisbane Lions, when the final siren sounded.”
While the Blues left the Gabba with more admirers, the Lions departed with four points – yet some question marks hanging over their heads.
How they allowed a lowly Carlton, who were so poor in the first half, to launch the most unlikely comeback will be heavily reviewed by Chris Fagan and his Lions coaching staff during the week.
“Have the camera on Chris Fagan at three quarter-time I would have thought because he will steam out … this is testing his patience,” Lynch said late in the third term.
Dunstall added: “Once Carlton built momentum, they couldn’t’ stop them.”
So after conceding a string of goals in the third term, Fagan let his team know exactly what he thought at the final change.
“He first told us it was a sh*thouse quarter, so we got a bit of a spray at three quarter-time,” Lions forward Logan Morris told Fox Footy post-game.
“But we came out and just pound the rock and chipped away. We got the win in the end, so it was great.”
The Blues blitz undid a lot of Brisbane’s impressive work at the start of the game.
‘First gear’ Lions still crushing Blues | 02:03
The Lions opened up a 14-point lead at the first break.
It was an advantage built from the Lions securing six centre clearances to Carlton’s one, and it should have been a bigger lead, with the hosts twice denied goals by the post.
The Lions upped the ante in the second quarter, kicking four unanswered goals to open up a 38-point lead at the main break. At one stage, Hudson said the Lions were kicking away with “alarming ease”.
It was again an advantage that was built on Brisbane’s total domination of clearances, which were 25-12 in the Lions’ favour by half-time.
“The stoppage dominance is unbelievable,” Lynch told Fox Footy.
“I haven’t seen this for a long time.”
1. ‘HISTORY THERE’: DOUBLE FREE AS BLUES PAY
Amid the tense last quarter came a spicy incident inside Brisbane’s forward 50.
With just under eight minutes to go and the Lions leading by 22 points, new Blue Ben Ainsworth caught Levi Ashcroft high when attempting to tackle, leading to a free kick directly in front of goal for the young Lion.
Ashcroft then got in Ainsworth’s face and had strong words as he walked back to his mark.
“I wouldn’t be gobbing off before I kick the ball – because if you miss it, you’re going to look like a right goose,” Dunstall said with tongue slightly in cheek.
Ashcroft dagger sparks all-in melee! | 00:38
Then Lynch suggested there was “a bit hit of history there” between Ashcroft and Ainsworth, referencing a practice match between Brisbane and Gold Coast – Ainsworth’s former team – in early 2025 where tensions flared.
Ashcroft nailed the set-shot and immediately got back in Ainsworth’s face, speaking more words and a scuffle between the two teams. Amid the tension, Sam Walsh appeared to get Ashcroft high, leading to a second free kick for the second-year Lion.
The free kick left Dunstall mightily disappointed.
“It’s one thing to be aggressive, but getting sucked in just kills any chance that you have. It kills the game off, you’ve got to have discipline,” he said.
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