Brisbane coach Chris Fagan summed it up perfectly.
“I’m stuffed, so don’t ask me too many questions,” Fagan said with a laugh after his side’s stunning preliminary final win over Hawthorn at the MCG on Saturday night.
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Brisbane led by 28 points early in the fourth quarter before Hawthorn kicked five unanswered goals to snatch the lead.
In a game full of epic moments, Hawthorn defender Jarman Impey was pinned holding the ball with 30 seconds left deep inside 50.
Lions midfielder Hugh McCluggage was the beneficiary of the free kick and ultimately sent the Lions into a fourth consecutive decider.
Fagan felt the free kick was warranted.
“I didn’t necessarily have the greatest of views but it didn’t look like Impey was actually trying to get the ball out,” Fagan said.
“I think that’s what caused the umpire to pay the free kick and I’ve seen a replay of it now, I actually think that’s an OK decision.
“I would expect one of my players to be paid a free kick against if that was what he did and I don’t know what the whole world thinks but that’s the way they interpret it.
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“You’ve got to be making a genuine attempt to get rid of the ball and he didn’t. He held it, held it, held it, held it until the last second he tried to kick it.
“I think that’s an OK decision.”
Fagan feared Hawthorn would still kick a goal from the last centre ball up after McCluggage’s goal and snatch the lead again.
But Will Ashcroft, as he often does in big games, won the crucial ball and pushed Brisbane forward.
The veteran coach said he still would have appreciated one of the greatest games of all time had Brisbane fallen short.
“Look, has there ever been a more exciting game of AFL football than that one? If I was a spectator, I’d be rapt by that,” Fagan said.
“I’m obviously really happy we came out on the right side of the ledger but even if we hadn’t, I still would’ve celebrated that game with our players and the way they went about it.
“Hawthorn are unlucky, no team deserved to lose tonight. We were just lucky enough we were in front when the siren went and we get to fight another day.”