104-547: Brisbane Football Club may refer to: Brisbane Bears , a defunct Australian rules football club (1986-1996) Brisbane Broncos , a rugby league club that competes in the National Rugby League Brisbane Football Club (defunct) , a defunct football club that played Victorian Association (now Australian football), rugby union and soccer Brisbane Lions , an Australian rules football club that competes in
208-456: A 10–12 record, losing 3 games despite having at least 5 more scoring shots in each of those games. Following the season, Coach Leigh Matthews resigned after 10 seasons and 3 premierships with the club. The Lions appointed former player and Captain Michael Voss as the coach ahead of 2009. After only winning 2 games from the first 5 played in 2009, the club won 9 of the next 12 to sit in 6th on
312-453: A Brisbane-based VFL club had begun in 1984, with former actor and businessman Paul Cronin planning on purchasing a licence from the VFL believing that the VFL could not survive successfully without a national competition, however there were some in the VFL management that did not agree, most notably Alan Schwab. Cronin believed that Queensland was uniquely positioned in that it had an existing base in
416-654: A Round 20 Gabba match where the Lions led Fremantle by 113 points at half-time after having kicked 21 goals. Their half-time score of 21.5 (131) still remains the highest half-time score in VFL/AFL history. Brisbane won their first finals as a merged entity against Carlton and the Western Bulldogs before losing to the eventual premiers, the Kangaroos , in a 1999 preliminary final. The Lions played finals again in 2000 but bowed out in
520-483: A belief in the club that Fevola could help them capitalise and improve upon their strong 2009 season. Indeed, the Lions won their first four matches of the 2010 season to be top of the ladder after four rounds, but they only won three more games after that, to finish 13th by the end of the season. The Lions' 2010/2011 off-season was disrupted by the sacking of Fevola after just one season at the Lions, following repeated off-field indiscretions which included getting drunk in
624-519: A cloud, Fitzroy began to consider options for survival. The Brisbane Bears were born in 1987 and initially played home matches at Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast . In its early days, the club was uncompetitive on the field and struggled to shake the derisive tags which included "The Carrara Koalas" (in reference to the Gold Coast home and the somewhat tame marsupial) and "The Bad News Bears". After
728-538: A condition of that deal, on November 1, 1996, Brisbane Bears members voted to change the club's name to the Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club (BBFFC or Brisbane Lions) , who participate in the AFL today. The Bears played in 220 VFL/AFL matches over ten seasons, with 70 wins, 148 losses and 2 draws. From the mid-1980s, several competing parties had proposed a Brisbane licence for the VFL. The idea of
832-532: A foundation team in the AFL Women's competition in 2017, and have featured in five grand finals in that time, winning the premiership in 2021 and again in 2023 also finishing runners-up on the other occasions. They also field a reserves men's team in the Victorian Football League , and operate an under-18s academy which contests Division 2 of the men's and women's underage national championships and
936-532: A game clear inside the top eight and had one of the strongest percentages in the league. However, they lost their final three games and miss the finals, with their season culminating in a record-breaking 139-point loss to St Kilda at the Telstra Dome . It remains the club's heaviest defeat, in addition to being the largest victory in the over-100-year history of St Kilda. Some believed that the St Kilda game, rather than
1040-501: A gold with a maroon yoke and a triangular "BB" logo intended to represent a stylised map of the club's home state, Queensland, with the outline of a koala head appearing inside of the larger B. Maroon was chosen as the state colour of Queensland and gold as symbolic of the Queensland sunshine. Collingwood's Mark Williams was the new club's first player signing. Other marquee signings were Geoff Raines and Jim Edmond , however most of
1144-527: A good account of themselves in the finals, with two wins at Brisbane Cricket Ground and a loss in the Preliminary Final to eventual premiers North Melbourne. Michael Voss also became the only Brisbane Bears player to win the Brownlow Medal , sharing the honour with Essendon's James Hird . However, the club was still struggling off-field. Brisbane came close to folding prior to its move to Brisbane and
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#17328586116781248-437: A period of success. During its history, the club enjoyed only a modest amount of success, being the first non-Victorian side to win an AFL reserves premiership in 1991 . Despite the success in its later years, the club struggled to shake the derisive tags which included "Carrara Koalas" (in reference to the Gold Coast home and the somewhat tame marsupial) and "Bad News Bears" which drew comparisons of its management similar to
1352-537: A pivotal role in them taking full control of the game in the second half. The Lions won their first premiership comfortably, with a final score of 15.18 (108) to 12.10 (82). The win was topped off with Lions utility player Shaun Hart winning the Norm Smith Medal after being judged best on ground in the Grand Final . In 2002, the Lions won a club-record 17 games, spending most of the season firmly entrenched in
1456-616: A playing surface the same dimensions as the Melbourne Cricket Ground the venue was the ideal choice. Nevertheless the decision would begin a bitter and long protracted battle between the QAFL and the Bears which was not resolved until 1991. Skase spent $ 1 million redeveloping Carrara Oval over a 10-week period at the beginning of 1987. This included the erection of temporary stands, club rooms and facilities. The Bears won their first game in
1560-576: A qualifying final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground three weeks previously–the Lions went into the game as underdogs. However, they sealed their place in history as an AFL dynasty by thrashing the Magpies in cool but sunny conditions. At one stage in the final quarter, the Lions led by almost 80 points before relaxing when the match was well and truly won, allowing Collingwood to score the last four goals. The final score of 20.14 (134) to 12.12 (84) saw
1664-475: A revival in the '80s, when the Lions made the finals four times under the coaching of Robert Walls and David Parkin , and the playing group of 1981 Brownlow Medallist Bernie Quinlan , Ron Alexander , Garry Wilson , Gary Pert and Paul Roos , the club's financial situation was perilous. The VFL's plans to move or merge struggling Fitzroy to Brisbane pre-dated the Brisbane Bears, and negotiations between
1768-410: A second Queensland licence for a Brisbane-based team by 1991. The club again recruited aggressively, landing Sydney Swans glamour spearhead Warwick Capper . In 1988 and 1989 the club suffered some severe defeats, finishing 13th and 10th respectively. Knights was sacked with eight rounds to play in the 1989 season. The club psychologist, Paul Feltham , took charge of the team for the remainder of
1872-483: A state-of-the-art sporting facility. In 1994 , the Bears changed the club logo and the club song, and also began to show signs of a competitive side and were contenders for a finals berth before falling away in the last five games of the season. Then, in 1995 , the club reached the finals after an extraordinary late-season recovery. After Round 15, the Bears were third-last on the ladder with four wins, and Robert Walls had announced his resignation as coach halfway through
1976-515: A strong bid from ACTAFL for a team in Canberra , motivated by the need to sell multimillion-dollar licences to save a number of Victorian clubs which were struggling financially. The VFL at the time set a price of $ 4 million AUD for a licence to enter the league with the proceeds to be split among the existing clubs. On 1 October 1986, the VFL board was announced that teams from Brisbane (Brisbane Bears) and Perth ( West Coast Eagles ) would compete in
2080-416: A talented playing list, the disruption of the merger and injuries to key players Michael Voss and Brad Boyd took their toll. The Lions finished last at the end of the 1998 season . Accordingly, Northey was sacked as coach with eight rounds remaining in the season. During the off-season, the club hired Leigh Matthews , who in 1990 had delivered Collingwood its first premiership since 1958 . Matthews, who
2184-539: A team! (We're a team!) We're the very best team you've ever seen We're the Brisbane Bears (2nd bridge) Our home is here in Queensland and there is not a shade of doubt Right around Australia , we're gonna knock 'em out! (3rd verse – repeated) What do we shout when we sense their fear? Dare to beat the Bear! What are the words that we love to hear? Dare to beat the Bear! We're tough! (We're tough!) We're keen! (We're keen!) We're good! (We're good!) We're
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#17328586116782288-494: A team! (We're a team!) We're the very best team you've ever seen We're the Brisbane Bears (2nd verse) What do we know before every game? We're going out to win How do we know that we'll read the play? We won't let 'em in We're hot! (We're hot!) We're mean! (We're mean!) We're strong! (We're strong!) We're a team! (We're a team!) We're the very best team you've ever seen We're
2392-486: A team! (We're a team!) We're the very best team you've ever seen We're the Brisbane Bears (Home run) We're tough! (We're tough!) We're keen! (We're keen!) We're good! (We're good!) We're a team! (We're a team!) We're the very best team you've ever seen We're the Brisbane Bears We're the very best team you've ever seen We're the Brisbane Bears Beware the mighty Bears! The new theme song
2496-526: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Brisbane Bears The Brisbane Bears was the name for a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane , Queensland . Granted a Victorian Football League license in 1986, it was the first privately owned club in the history of the competition and debuted in the 1987 VFL season . The club initially played home matches at Carrara Stadium on
2600-460: The 1996 premiership . With that loss, the Bears era and its history ended after a short and mostly troubled existence, with ten seasons of competition and the third-place finish in 1996 as its best performance. Since the absorption of Fitzroy's AFL operations, examples of the Bears legacy at the Lions include: the wearing the acronym BBFFC on the back of the jumper (with the BB acknowledging the existence of
2704-510: The 2024 Grand Final by sixty points. The Lions came into existence in 1996 when the AFL expansion club the Brisbane Bears , established in 1987, absorbed the AFL operations of one of the league's foundation clubs, Fitzroy , established in Melbourne , Victoria in 1883. Its colours of maroon, blue, and gold were drawn from both Fitzroy and the Bears. The club plays its home matches at
2808-533: The Brisbane Cricket Ground (Gabba) in Brisbane in 1991, before permanently moving all home matches to the venue ahead of the 1993 season . With the club now playing in its home city, membership and attendances instantly tripled. The dog racing track around the ground was removed, the surface was upgraded and the stands gradually replaced over the next few years with a view to converting the tired old ground to
2912-594: The Brisbane Lions . Unable to secure access to a stadium, Cronin's QAFL consortium drew up plans for a $ 7 million new stadium on vacant land at Boondall (on the site of what became the Brisbane Entertainment Centre ). Brisbane's main outdoor venues, the Brisbane Cricket Ground (Gabba) and Brisbane Showgrounds' Main Oval , were unavailable due to long-term contracts and the Brisbane Cricket Ground (Gabba)
3016-531: The Gold Coast (this stadium was redeveloped many years after the relocation of the Bears to facilitate home matches for expansion club the Gold Coast Suns ). After many years of negotiation, in 1991 the AFL and the Bears convinced the Queensland Government to redevelop the Brisbane Cricket Ground (Gabba) facilitating a permanent move to the venue for the 1993 season after which the club experienced
3120-573: The Miracle on Grass . On 13 August 2013, coach Michael Voss was told his contract would not be renewed. On 18 October 2013, Brisbane Lions Hall of Famer Simon Black announced his retirement. On 25 August 2013, a former premiership player for the Lions, Justin Leppitsch , was confirmed as the senior coach of the Lions for the next three seasons. During Round 13, 2014 Lions captain Jonathan Brown
3224-641: The Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL). Migration from the southern states saw the QAFL go through a period of expansion into the Gold and Sunshine Coasts in the 1970s and despite being less popular than the Queensland Rugby League and Queensland Rugby Union had grown to include a number of well established, wealthy and well supported clubs. The early 1980s had also seen in Queensland and QAFL recruited players making an impact in
Brisbane Football Club - Misplaced Pages Continue
3328-515: The Talent League . The Melbourne-based Fitzroy Football Club was formed on 26 September 1883 at the Brunswick Hotel. The Victorian Football Association (VFA) made changes to their rules, allowing Fitzroy to join as the seventh club in 1884, playing in the maroon and blue colours of the local Normanby Junior Football Club. They quickly became one of the most successful clubs, consistently in
3432-444: The 2004 Grand Final, had signaled the end of Brisbane's triple premiership dynasty. The Lions began the 2006 season optimistically, but injuries plagued the club as they again missed the finals, with Brisbane's players recording an AFL record total of 200 matches lost to injury for the season. The Brisbane Lions' 2007 season started with them finishing runners-up to Carlton in the 2007 NAB Cup Grand Final. The Lions failed to make
3536-404: The AFL began preparing a contingency for the club's demise in the event that the move failed. The Bears made a bid in 1990 to take over a financially struggling Fitzroy but was voted down by Fitzroy's board. The AFL had offered the Bears $ 6 million to merge with Fitzroy. It offered Fitzroy a similar amount which could have enabled the club to pay off its debts and come out of administration. One of
3640-729: The Australian Football League (founded 1996) Brisbane Roar FC , an association football (soccer) club that competes in the A-League Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Brisbane Football Club . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brisbane_Football_Club&oldid=1104622583 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
3744-475: The Bears' biggest problems was its lack of support (both on and off the field) in Melbourne , the location of most of its away matches. Another problem was the imminent entry of Port Adelaide into the AFL in 1997. As a result, two teams were either required to merge, or one was to fold or exit the league to make way for Port Adelaide's entry in the 1997 season . In mid-1996, the struggling Fitzroy Football Club entered administration due to financial pressures and
3848-482: The Bears' last match was a preliminary final on Saturday 21 September 1996 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against North Melbourne. The Brisbane Lions were officially launched on 1 November 1996, joining the national competition in 1997 . In 1997, the Lions narrowly made the finals, finishing eighth. They ended up with the same win–loss record as fellow 1997 newcomers Port Adelaide , who missed out due to having an inferior percentage. Their first two games were against
3952-423: The Brisbane Bears (1st bridge) Our home is mighty Brisbane and we're playing for our state The Bear will growl across the land Our victories will be great (great) (3rd verse) What do we shout when we sense their fear? Beware the mighty Bear! What are the words that we love to hear? Beware the mighty Bear! We're tough! (We're tough!) We're keen! (We're keen!) We're good! (We're good!) We're
4056-522: The Brisbane Bears), the occasional wearing of retro Bears design guernsey during AFL heritage round (Round 18, 2004, and Round 16, 2006, for example), and an Indigenous version of their 1992 guernsey worn on three occasions in 2022, some of the club's medals, including the best and fairest: the Merrett–Murray Medal (jointly named after former Bears captain and games record holder Roger Merrett ),
4160-419: The Brisbane streets during New Year's Eve celebrations. On the field, the Lions won only four games for the year and finished 15th overall. The 2011 season saw the debut of another Queensland-based team, the Gold Coast Suns . The Suns, who were coming off a 139-point loss to Essendon the previous week, upset the Lions by 8 points in their first encounter. Despite their worst season since 1998, coach Michael Voss
4264-469: The Gabba in Brisbane, and its headquarters and training facilities are located at Springfield Central Stadium . The Lions are one of the most successful AFL clubs of the 2000s, appearing in four consecutive grand finals from 2001 to 2004 , a period in which they won three premierships ( 2001 , 2002 , 2003 ). They also finished runners-up in 2023 , and won their fourth premiership in 2024 . The Lions were
Brisbane Football Club - Misplaced Pages Continue
4368-443: The Gabba in Brisbane in 1991, moving all home matches to the venue ahead of the 1993 season. As part of the club's move to the Gabba, Pelerman agreed to release the Bears from private ownership and revert to a traditional club structure in which the club's members were able to elect the board. Membership and attendances instantly tripled now that the club was finally playing in their home city of Brisbane. The Bears only qualified for
4472-487: The Magpies 9.12 (66) to 10.15 (75) in cold and wet conditions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Early in the contest, the Lions lost both ruckman Beau McDonald and utility player Martin Pike to injury and had to complete the match with a limited bench. In 2003, the Lions became the first team in the national era to win three consecutive premierships. With a number of players under an injury cloud—and having lost to Collingwood in
4576-600: The Maroons, and one (1944) as the Gorillas. The club also boasted 6 Brownlow Medal winners who were Haydn Bunton Sr. , Wilfred Smallhorn , Dinny Ryan , Allan Ruthven , Kevin Murray , and Bernie Quinlan . The club changed its nickname to the Lions in 1957, but when Fitzroy was evicted from its home ground of Brunswick St Oval in 1965, this began a sustained period of poor on-field performance and financial losses. Fitzroy entered one of
4680-667: The Michael Voss Oval at The Reserve, Springfield (named for homegrown Bears and Lions player Michael Voss ), and the Marcus Ashcroft Medal (named for homegrown Bears and Lions player Marcus Ashcroft ) for the QClash football match against the Gold Coast . Although koalas are marsupials and not bears, the Bears' mascot was a koala . Their logo and uniform also originally featured a koala. The Brisbane Football Club had two club songs in its existence. The original theme song
4784-415: The VFL against North Melbourne at the Melbourne Cricket Ground 19.23 (137) to 15.14 (104) in front of 14,096 fans, and also won its second game, but ultimately fell towards the bottom of the ladder. The club avoided the wooden spoon by beating Richmond in the final round, and finished with six wins. The club attracted 98,616 fans to the eleven matches at Carrara Oval , an average of 8,965 per game, which
4888-589: The VFL expand into a national competition. In June 1985, Brisbane sports promoter John Brown announced he would bid for a Brisbane licence along with entertainment promoter Michael Edgely. On 22 May 1986, at the Brisbane Parkroyal Hotel , the QAFL president John Collins and Ken Murphy announced plans to lobby for a Brisbane-based VFL team the QAFL still pursuing the relocation of an existing team. The VFL's Jack Hamilton flew to Brisbane in July 1986 to explore
4992-529: The VFL, including Frank Dunell , Warren Jones , Gary Shaw , Zane Taylor and young stars like Scott McIvor and Jason Dunstall . Cronin approached premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen in November 1985 to garner government support for the idea. In 1985, the QAFL had decided that pushing for a Melbourne -based club to relocate to Brisbane was the most viable option. The idea was helped in 1986 when incoming chair Ross Oakley 's interest in mergers and relocations to help
5096-470: The Victorian Football League (VFL) from 1987 and that no $ 2.8 million AUD rescue package would be offered for struggling Fitzroy. The VFL Commission initially chose to grant John Brown's consortium Browns International Sport Limited the licence. Cronin refused to accept the VFL's decision and increased its bid to $ 4.8 million, or up to $ 6 million if Fitzroy relocated to Brisbane and became
5200-469: The admission of the Brisbane Broncos which achieved the goal set by Queensland Rugby League general manager Ross Livermore of marketing and promotions interference against the threat of the VFL's expansion, with the team making their debut in the 1988 NSWRL season . The collapse of Skase's business empire and his sudden departure for Spain in late 1989 almost resulted in the end of the club. Over
5304-758: The board, and the Lions kept an office in Melbourne. None of the Fitzroy representatives, former Fitzroy champion Laurie Serafini , David Lucas and Ken Levy, chosen to serve on Brisbane's board, were Fitzroy directors at that time. Eight Fitzroy players were allowed to be recruited to the Brisbane Lions outside of the normal draft or trade system. They were Brad Boyd , Chris Johnson , Jarrod Molloy , John Barker , Nick Carter , Simon Hawking , Scott Bamford and Shane Clayton . Fitzroy played its last VFL/AFL game on 1 September 1996 against Fremantle at Subiaco Oval , and
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#17328586116785408-476: The club become only the fourth in VFL/AFL history to win three consecutive premierships and the first since the creation of the AFL. Simon Black claimed the Norm Smith Medal with a dominant 39-possession match, the most possessions ever gathered by a player in a grand final; the record was equalled by Melbourne 's Christian Petracca 18 years later in the 2021 Grand Final . During their premiership years,
5512-430: The club began its 2013 season with back-to-back losses to the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide . Injuries took a toll on the team, with young players Claye Beams and Jared Polec suffering severe injuries. In Round 13, Brisbane defeated second-placed Geelong , coming from 52 points down late in the third quarter to win by 5 points due to an Ash McGrath goal after the siren in his 200th match, in what became known as
5616-447: The club of his choice if he so desired at the completion of the contract; he was cleared to Collingwood as he had requested, in exchange for premiership centre-half forward Craig Starcevich , goalsneak Troy Lehmann and an early draft pick which the Bears used to recruit future star Chris Scott . Off-field, Pelerman was losing millions of dollars annually on the club. At one point in 1991, Pelerman told Bears coach Robert Walls that he
5720-533: The club took the premiership cups to Brunswick Street Oval , Fitzroy, the home of the Fitzroy Football Club , each morning after the grand final. Honouring Fitzroy's history at their traditional home ground was seen as an important way of connecting with the Melbourne-based Fitzroy supporters who'd chosen to support the Brisbane Lions. The 2004 season saw Brisbane remain in the top portion of
5824-457: The club's existence was still at threat due to severe financial problems, and since 1990 the Bears had been actively exploring merger options with Fitzroy. Fitzroy's directors had agreed in principle to merge with the eventual 1996 premiers, North Melbourne , as the "North-Fitzroy Kangaroos". However, that proposal was rejected 15–1 by the club presidents, reportedly out of concern that an all-Victorian merge would be too powerful. Instead, Fitzroy
5928-460: The club's name to Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club, trading as Brisbane Lions , based at Brisbane Cricket Ground , with a new song, emblem and jumper all based on Fitzroy's. The Bears' last match was a preliminary final on Saturday 21 September 1996 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against North Melbourne, coincidentally the same location and opponent as their first match in 1987. Brisbane lost by 38 points to North Melbourne, who went on to win
6032-499: The collapse of the business empire belonging to Bears deputy chairman Christopher Skase and the resignation of chairman Paul Cronin , the club was taken over by the AFL and re-sold to Gold Coast hospitality businessman Reuben Pelerman. Off-field, Pelerman was losing millions of dollars annually on the club and at one point in 1991 told Bears coach Robert Walls that he was closing it down. The Bears finished last in 1990 and 1991. To survive, The Bears experimented with playing matches at
6136-421: The end of the club's season, Leppitsch was sacked as coach of the Lions after multiple disappointing seasons, despite being granted a one-year contract extension at the start of the year which would have seen him remain at the club until the end of the 2017 season. On 4 October 2016, Hawthorn football manager Chris Fagan was announced as Brisbane's senior coach from the 2017 season onwards. The Lions claimed
6240-412: The ensuing preseason the players threatened strike action, but Cronin resigned, the club was taken over by the AFL, re-sold to Gold Coast hospitality businessman Reuben Pelerman , and a crisis was averted. The AFL spent significant amounts of money to help the Bears survive over the coming years, and the club was provided with priority draft picks and special recruiting zones to give it access to some of
6344-485: The eventual grand finalists of that year, Adelaide and St Kilda . They went down to Adelaide by 36 points before recording an emphatic 97-point thrashing of St Kilda in round 2. The Lions met St Kilda again in a cut-throat away qualifying final, going down by 46 points after leading the Saints at half-time. The Brisbane Lions in 1997 remain the only team in VFL/AFL history to have made the finals in their first season. Despite
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#17328586116786448-582: The final of the Ansett Australia Cup , their first pre-season grand final. They went down by 85 points away to Port Adelaide, who they had also been scheduled to play in Round 1 at the same venue. After an inconsistent start to their 2001 season, the Lions took on the reigning premiers Essendon in Round 10. Brisbane finished as 28-point victors, and head coach Leigh Matthews famously used a Predator quote, "if it bleeds, we can kill it", to inspire his team for
6552-504: The finals for a third successive year, again showing promising glimpses at stages, with a shock away win against reigning premiers the West Coast Eagles , and a 93-point hiding of finalists Collingwood at the MCG. They made history in 2007 by becoming the first club in the history of the AFL to have five co-captains. The team struggled during the 2008 season and missed out on the finals with
6656-443: The finals series in 1995 and 1996, and the closest the club came to a Grand Final was a preliminary final in 1996. On extremely shaky financial ground, the Bears struggled to generate many revenue opportunities in their short and turbulent ten-year existence. Despite improving its on-field fortunes, and drafting exciting young players on such as Michael Voss , Justin Leppitsch , Jason Akermanis , Darryl White , and Nigel Lappin ,
6760-467: The game in the second term. The Lions' poor kicking for goal almost put them out of the game in the second quarter as Essendon blew their lead out to 20 points late in the term. However, The Lions managed to overrun Essendon in the third term, kicking six goals to one and turning a 14-point deficit into a 16-point lead. Brisbane's pace in the midfield and the tiring legs of most of the Essendon players played
6864-452: The game. The Lions then won 16 games straight, finishing the year undefeated and booking their place in the 2001 AFL Grand Final to play Essendon . Going in as underdogs, Brisbane started the game well, scoring the first goal of the match from a free kick awarded to Alastair Lynch for holding against Dustin Fletcher . Essendon fought back late in the first quarter and then took control of
6968-449: The hit 1970s movie . The club came close to folding prior to its move to Brisbane and the AFL began preparing a contingency for its demise in the event that the move was to fail. While the Bears improved on the field, the club continued to struggle financially. At the end of the 1996 season , the AFL helped negotiate a deal with the Fitzroy Football Club administrator whereby the Bears took over Fitzroy's AFL assets and operations and as
7072-482: The ladder for most of the season. Reaching the finals in second position, Brisbane controversially had to travel to Melbourne to play against Geelong in the preliminary final due to a contract between the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and the Australian Football League (AFL) that required one preliminary final to be played each year at the MCG. Port Adelaide had finished on top of the ladder and hosted
7176-420: The ladder, where they finished the season. They also recorded a strong victory over eventual premiers Geelong during this timeframe by 43 points. The club beat Carlton in their Elimination Final, coming from 30 points behind in the final quarter to win by 7 points, before losing to the Western Bulldogs in a Semi Final. The 2009/2010 off-season was dominated by the arrival of Brendan Fevola from Carlton, with
7280-414: The league and the club began in 1986 with the playing group voting for a move to Brisbane. However, Fitzroy resisted the move despite significant incentives and in response, the VFL made the decision to cut any further financial assistance to the club. By the start of the 1996 season, they were almost at the end of their financial tether. With no home ground, back to back wooden spoons, and their future under
7384-510: The least successful periods any VFL/AFL club has had. The club finished in the bottom three 11 times in the 1960s and 1970s, including three wooden spoons in four years between 1963 and 1966. The club won only a single game between 1963 and 1964 – known as the Miracle Match when it defeated eventual premiers Geelong in Round 10, 1963 – but its 1964 season was winless, and as of 2023 stands as the only winless season by any club since 1950. Despite
7488-586: The local names in the inaugural squad were Gary Shaw , Frank Dunell , Tony Beckett , Darren Carlson , Allan Giffard and Stuart Glascott . However few of the Queenslanders in the side made an impact. Upon its admission, the Bears did not have a large reserve of local players from which to compile a VFL-standard playing list. To assist with its inaugural playing list, the VFL arranged for every other club to provide at least two players; understandably, other clubs were averse to providing top-line players and few of
7592-404: The nation's best talent, which over the next few years allowed the club to recruit future stars such as Michael Voss , Jason Akermanis , Clark Keating , Steven Lawrence and Darryl White . Four-time QAFL premiership coach Norm Dare was appointed as coach in 1990, but after failing to improve from the Bears position from successive wooden spoons, he was sacked at the end of the season. Dare
7696-444: The options including club relocations (but denied that it was for Fitzroy), stating to the media that a Brisbane team would be possible in 1987 if a vacancy was available. He later stated that Brisbane was the preferred city for VFL expansion and that the VFL had hoped that it could retain all of its existing clubs during the expansion phase. A third bidder a consortium headed by Perth millionaire Alastair Norwood (head of Jeans West )
7800-573: The other players were from the SANFL and the WAFL . Most notably there were few local Queenslanders in the side. Queenslanders were approached, however there were very few playing in the VFL level at the time. In search of a marquee Queenslander, the Bears approached up and coming Hawthorn Football Club full-forward Jason Dunstall with a $ 2 million 10-year deal to spearhead the club, however he declined. The Bears were exposed for their lack of local talent but among
7904-462: The other preliminary final in Adelaide. Former player Jason Akermanis has since claimed that coach Leigh Matthews was furious over the preliminary final location decision. Despite this setback, Brisbane beat Geelong and reached the grand final for the fourth consecutive year. Their opponents, Port Adelaide, playing in their first grand final, were too good on the day and recorded a 40-point win in what
8008-588: The players provided were of a high quality. The Bears pursued a number of stars aggressively and did manage a few key signings, including Collingwood 's captain Mark Williams , and 1985 Brownlow Medallist Brad Hardie . A significant proportion of the player list was recruited from the South Australian National Football League and West Australian Football League. Mark Mickan , a 6'5" (196 cm) ruckman recruited from West Adelaide ,
8112-420: The proposal. In response to the moves by the other bids, on 19 August 1986, the QAFL and Cronin joined forces. Struggling Fitzroy Football Club , in conjunction with the VFL, began investigating a relocation to Brisbane in 1987. However the club under Leon Wiegard voted to remain in Melbourne . Struggling Richmond Football Club under Alan Bond proposed to play half its games in Brisbane in 1987. The move
8216-413: The season, but committed himself to seeing out the year. In Round 16, the Bears trailed Hawthorn by 45 points at three-quarter time, but mounted an astounding final-quarter comeback to win the match by 7 points; it was the largest final quarter comeback in league history. Brisbane then won five of its six remaining matches in the home-and-away season, including against Richmond and Essendon who were both in
8320-507: The second week after losing an away game to Carlton by 82 points. In this period the club drafted and recruited key players who went on to be pillars of the Lions triple premiership years. Victorian Luke Power , Fitzroy father–son selection Jonathan Brown , and exciting WA product Simon Black came via the draft, and Brad Scott , Mal Michael , and ex-Fitzroy B&F winner Martin Pike were recruited from Hawthorn, Collingwood, and North Melbourne respectively. The Lions began 2001 by making
8424-483: The selection process. The consortia found a financial backer in millionaire entrepreneur and Qintex owner Christopher Skase . In response Norwood's syndicate withdrew from the bidding. Cronin lobbied every VFL club president individually to gain their support for the bid. The VFL Commission voted unanimously to award the Cronin-Skase-QAFL bid the license. The club was given very little time to establish itself, and
8528-682: The top four, and drawing large crowds to their home at the Brunswick Street Oval in Edinburgh Gardens. This success was capped off by Fitzroy winning the VFA premiership in 1895. Fitzroy then went on to be one of the eight break-away clubs who formed the Victorian Football League in 1897. They continued their VFA form and be a powerhouse in the early days of the new VFL, winning a total of eight premierships, of which seven (1898, 1899, 1904, 1905, 1913, 1916 and 1922) were won while they were nicknamed
8632-401: The top four, to just reach the finals for the first time, albeit with a win–loss record of only 10–12. The team was eliminated, but not disgraced, after losing its first ever final to eventual premiers Carlton by 13 points. Under the coaching of former Richmond premiership player John Northey , Brisbane had an excellent 1996 season , finishing third behind Sydney and North Melbourne. They made
8736-468: The top two with Port Adelaide. They narrowly missed out on the minor premiership following a final round defeat to the Power in Adelaide. In the finals, the Lions claimed easy home victories over the two Adelaide-based teams on their way to a second consecutive Grand Final. They faced Collingwood, who had surprised many that year after having missed the finals the previous seven seasons. Brisbane ended up defeating
8840-603: The will of powerful Victorian clubs in recruitment matters, which was seen most notably in the case of the young Nathan Buckley – Buckley, who in 1992 won the SANFL's Magarey Medal and was a premiership winner with Port Adelaide , winning the Jack Oatey Medal for being Best on Ground in the SANFL Grand Final , was a zone recruit signed to the club on a one-year contract in 1993, which stipulated that he would be released to
8944-527: The year. In 1993, staving off media rumours that the Bears would merge with the Sydney Swans to form a combined Queensland/ New South Wales team, the Northern Swans, or be relocated to Tasmania or Port Adelaide . By this stage, the club was also under severe financial pressure. Attendances had been very poor due to poor performances and the long distance between Gold Coast and Brisbane and also due to
9048-506: Was an original tune. The song was played in full over the stadium's speakers after each win. The team would sing the first verse in the change room after each win. (1st verse) What do we sing when we run out to play? Dare to beat the Bear What do we sing when we're on our way? Dare to beat the Bear We're hot! (We're hot!) We're mean! (We're mean!) We're strong! (We're strong!) We're
9152-468: Was announced shortly after Brown's bid. The QAFL joined as a fourth bidder for the new licence, but stated that it was open to forming a consortium with any of the other three bids. Ken Murphy decided that Cronin's motives for the licence were genuine and aligned with the QAFL. Brown initiated discussions with North Melbourne Football Club in an attempt to lure it to Brisbane, however the Kangaroos rejected
9256-463: Was appointed captain of the Bears in its inaugural season. The club's board, however, were of the opinion the club would not be viable without if it did not own its own stadium. On 18 December 1986, the club nominated the Carrara Oval on the Gold Coast as a temporary venue with a capacity of 20,000 mooted through the use of temporary stands through the use of metal bleachers . The choice of venue
9360-441: Was closing the club down. As part of the club's proposed move to the Brisbane Cricket Ground (Gabba) , Pelerman agreed to release the Bears from private ownership and revert to a traditional club structure in which the club's members were able to elect the board. In 1992 , the club changed its guernsey to a predominantly maroon strip with a gold V and white trim. More significantly, the Bears experimented with playing matches at
9464-560: Was granted a contract extension after the board recommended that Voss was the best man to take the club forward into the future. Leading into season 2012, only two players from the triple-premiership-winning team of 2001–2003 remained: Simon Black and Jonathan Brown . The 2013 season started well for Brisbane, defeating Carlton in the final of the NAB Cup , with Daniel Rich winning the Michael Tuck Medal for best on ground. However,
9568-419: Was home to the greyhound racing club and was encircled by a dog racing track. The QAFL believed that the club should be based in Brisbane and supported the redevelopment of the Brisbane Cricket Ground (Gabba) (owned by the Gabba trust), or secondary options of a new stadium at Boondall or Chandler (on land owned by the government). With the higher price offered VFL withdrew its support for Browns and extended
9672-418: Was leaked to the public. The new marketing department intended for the bear mascot to resemble Dreamworld 's mascot Kenny to appeal to children and tourists. They created two variations of the bear, a smiling bear for the VFL logo and an "angry bear" for games that would appear roaring for matches and many of the marketing and promotional materials for the club. The club unveiled a playing strip consisting of
9776-482: Was placed into administration, and its administrator accepted an offer to merge its AFL operations with Brisbane. The club became the Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club (trading as Brisbane Lions), remained at the Gabba , and were coached by Bears coach John Northey . However, the club's identity, logo, song, and guernsey were based on those of Fitzroy, three Fitzroy representatives served on
9880-476: Was played to the music of " The Battle Hymn of the Republic ". Brisbane Lions From the incorporated AFL operations of: Fitzroy Football Club (formed 1883) The Brisbane Lions are a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane , Queensland, that compete in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. Brisbane are the reigning AFL premiers , having won
9984-418: Was replaced in 1991 by former Carlton premiership coach Robert Walls , who immediately set about rebuilding the playing list. Having inherited the oldest list in the league, by the end of the season he had the youngest. The Brisbane Bears won the wooden spoon again in 1991, but the same year also saw the Brisbane Bears win the reserves premiership against Melbourne . Walls insisted that the Bears not bend to
10088-593: Was reported to be the insistence of Christopher Skase. Bears President, Paul Cronin officially announced the home ground on December 23rd. While it raised the ire of the QAFL who were adamant that the club be Brisbane based, the decision to base the club over 70 kilomtres from its namesake baffled many. Skase's Gold Coast business interests were reportedly a major factor, with its proximity to his Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort development at Southport under construction at his subsequent promotion of corporate hospitality packages to wealthy southern travellers. Skase argued that with
10192-542: Was seeking to merge its AFL operations with another club. When a merger with North Melbourne to form the North Fitzroy Kangaroos failed to win the support of the other AFL clubs, a deal was reached between the Fitzroy administrator and the Bears, whereby Brisbane Bears took over Fitzroy's AFL operations. Subsequently, in line with the Deed of Arrangement between Fitzroy and Brisbane, Brisbane Bears members voted to change
10296-564: Was seen as a threat of relocation and met strong opposition, led by Kevin Bartlett who rallied to stop the proposal, though the club came very close to folding the following year. Despite the setback, the VFL decided to push forward with the plans for expansion into Brisbane. At the end of 1986, the VFL Commission announced plans to set up privately owned clubs based in Perth and Brisbane, ignoring
10400-477: Was the first-ever all-non-Victorian grand final . The grand final is partly remembered for a wild punch-up between Port Adelaide's Darryl Wakelin and Alastair Lynch, who was playing in his last ever game and therefore immune from suspension. The Lions endured a slow start to the 2005 season before having a form reversal towards the end of the year, which included ten-goal thrashings of top-four contenders Geelong and Melbourne. Going into Round 20, they were half
10504-558: Was the lowest in the competition behind Fitzroy's 11,498. By contrast, the other new 1987 team the West Coast Eagles, with Australian rules football long established as the major football code in Perth , attracted 291,317 to their home games at Subiaco Oval and the WACA at an average of 26,483 per game. In 1988, a rift developed between the QAFL and the Bears, who had refused a move to Brisbane. The QAFL responded by threatening to secure
10608-486: Was the victim of a facial injury in a clash between the Lions and the Greater Western Sydney Giants. He collided with Tomas Bugg's knee and was taken off the ground. He suffered a concussion and subsequently retired from football. His retirement, alongside the retirement of Ash McGrath , meant there were no players from the triple-premiership era remaining at the club. On 29 August 2016, just one day after
10712-525: Was voted "Player of the Century" in 2000, played his entire career with Hawthorn and brought many of the Hawthorn disciplines to the Lions. Importantly, he forced the Lions to embrace and acknowledge their Fitzroy heritage with murals and records being erected at the Gabba, and past players names being placed on lockers. Within a year, the Lions rose from the bottom of the ladder to fourth. The 1999 season included
10816-431: Was without a home ground. Recently retired Hawthorn footballer Peter Knights on October 27 was announced coach just weeks later getting the nod over candidates John Todd , Ron Barassi and Alex Jesaulenko . Millionaire and Qintex owner Christopher Skase was appointed deputy chairman. Qintex General Manager Ian Curtis was also appointed to the club's board. In December 1986, the branding and Brisbane Bears name
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