![\"Danny](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/14200608ab3621357a740646c1e6f58c8cefb511.png\")
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September 20, 2026 \u2014 11:59am<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n As Hawthorn snatched the lead in a pulsating final three minutes of a preliminary final for the ages, Oscar Allen accepted his brave move across the country 12 months earlier had fallen a week short of his dream.<\/p>\n Interchange rotations had reduced the powerful forward to a late-game spectator, removed from the frantic action and unable to influence the outcome from the sidelines as a trickle of blood rolled down his cheek from a gash beside his left eye.<\/p>\n \u201cI was on the bench at the end, and probably during the last couple of minutes when we went down, I was thinking about everything,\u201d he told this masthead.<\/p>\n \u201cI was thinking about things we could have done better, things I could have done better. I was thinking about the (coming) off-season, you know, your head goes everywhere.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then, yeah, you flip to next week.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article The flip to next week will go down in footy folklore \u2013 a holding-the-ball decision paid against Hawthorn defender Jarman Impey in the final minute that allowed Hugh McCluggage to kick the match-winning goal.<\/p>\n The decisive moment sent the baying Hawthorn crowd into meltdown and the umpires were loudly, and unfairly, booed as they left the ground.<\/p>\n But there was no such angst in the raucous Lions rooms after the match. There was sheer joy and relief. They had been to grand final in the previous three years, but this one felt harder fought, harder earned.<\/p>\n Spent-looking skipper Harris Andrews labelled the breathtaking aftermath a \u201cserious\u201d emotional high, beaming teammate Jarrod Berry kept saying \u201ccrazy\u201d about his best mate McCluggage\u2019s ability to kick two late clutch goals, while Conor McKenna said he felt grateful after a \u201cwild last two minutes\u201d to be back in a grand final.<\/p>\n The Irishman also acknowledged his part in a match filled with exhilarating highs, a skilful two-touch soccer goal while dancing through congestion.\u201cI play a bit of soccer, so it is something I can do,\u201d he smiled.<\/p>\n For Allen, there were no such highs. He played a bit-part to the dynamic Kai Lohmann\u2019s five-goal heroics, or watched in awe as Charlie Cameron did Charlie Cameron things.<\/p>\n Not that the 27-year-old blond forward minded. He said it was simply great to be a part of something special.<\/p>\n Nor did he feel a sense of vindication for handing in the Eagles captaincy last year, amid ongoing media speculation, and departing his native Western Australia for Brisbane.<\/p>\n Instead, he said, the move had provided its own rewards.<\/p>\n \u201cEven without the on-field team success, like the way they made me feel welcome in this group \u2013 not only me, but my wife and my family \u2013 you can see why they\u2019ve been so successful,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s such a great culture and great people. Footy aside, I\u2019d do that 100 times over again.\u201d<\/p>\n While Andrews, Berry and McKenna have been to the final week of the season on multiple occasions before, the experience is not entirely unique to Allen.<\/p>\n \u201cIn my first year, in 2018, I was playing at West Coast when they won the flag. I was an emergency,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I went through the parade, going to Melbourne and all that. But to now be a part of it as a playing player is something I\u2019m really looking forward to. \u201d<\/p>\n Brisbane\u2019s hunger has often been questioned this season, as commentators debated whether the Lions could repeat the feat of Leigh Matthews\u2019 dynasty at the start of the century and chalk up a three-peat.<\/p>\n Allen and ruckman recruit Scott Draper have helped refuel the desire for success, according to Berry.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can see how much it means to those boys,\u201d he said. \u201cAt the end of the game, I think Drapes had tears in his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cBut there are also those guys who aren\u2019t playing at the moment, you just want to do it for them \u2013 the hard luck stories.\u201d<\/p>\n No one should question the Lions\u2019 appetite for victory this week, according to their skipper. It was on show during their third-quarter against the Hawks, reeling in a 14-point half-time deficit to take a 20-point lead into the final term.<\/p>\n \u201cWe saw in that third quarter how much we wanted it,\u201d Andrews said. \u201cWe\u2019re able to play \u2013 I don\u2019t know what the score was in third \u2013 but play the right way and get the result on the scoreboard.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then, in the end, we had to fight our way out of it. And we did.\u201d<\/p>\n So, now, it is over to Fremantle. A side that has made one grand final in its history and never won a flag.<\/p>\n They have the hunger, no doubt. But do they have the nerve against a hardened Lions outfit that can practically navigate grand final week in their sleep?<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no advantages in this game, mate\u201d Andrews said. \u201cEveryone wants it just as much as each other.<\/p>\n![\"Oscar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/b1c091fc6b2f1dfe5c6a17203ba1d3d522faa30f.jpeg\")
Oscar Allen leaves the field under the blood rule during Brisbane\u2019s preliminary final win over Hawthorn.AFL Photos via Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Cometh](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789876817_970_eeb33a46a21861ebf7a9bb3d3345fa2b95d8bad2.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Conor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/6776baa30fb784fdcd1f824d1c84341fd216caa4.jpeg\")
Conor McKenna celebrates his soccer goal against Hawthorn.AFL Photos via Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Battered](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/3f8121f27dae06b8c13b86228bf00c9f90b0c530.jpeg\")
Battered and bruised, Oscar Allen laps up the love of the Brisbane Lions faithful.via Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Overjoyed](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/d092e98fea67196042dbdde4cd3f370f3b4f857f.jpeg\")
Overjoyed Brisbane Lions fans welcome Harris Andrews into the change rooms after the win over Hawthorn.via Getty Images<\/p>\n
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