It’s all over! The Lions astonishing season was wrapped up on Saturday afternoon as they steamrolled the Swans by 60 points at the MCG.
With all the action and talking points from the day hard to sum up, we’ve put together our five best moments to wrap it up for season 2024 in the final edition of 5 Lessons Learned – 2024 AFL Grand Final.
0-3 to oh-so-sweet
Staring down a dooming 2-5 start to the year, the Lions have come from the clouds to secure this premiership.
Adding to that, it’s even more of a miracle they got where they are when facing a 44-point deficit to the Giants two weeks ago.
Much like 2022, it felt over before it even started, bar the first quarter of quite entertaining footy.
It was a demolition after quarter time for the Lions who piled on seven goals in the second quarter, stemming from their marking, to win by 60, just staggering.
The star show of Kai Lohmann and Cal Ah Chee took centre stage, with a miracle goal from Eric Hipwood to add on top of that.
It was pure domination from a contested marking perspective and the Lions took full advantage inside 50 with consistent midfield delivery.
The Swans couldn’t generate any form of momentum post quarter time, and it was a sense of déjà vu they couldn’t shake off.
The reliability and consistency of veterans Lachie Neale and Dayne Zorko piped up the Lions contested dominance, and the exuberance of youth from the likes of Will Ashcroft and Logan Morris was a killer edge.
The ruck battle seemed no real difference as projected, as Darcy Fort more than held his own, imposing himself with some crafty stoppage moments.
Brisbane reduced any key forward impact the Swans tried to have, with neither Joel Amartey, Logan McDonald nor Hayden McClean kicking a single goal between them.
Chris Fagan was at the centre of attention, finally getting his reward for effort after galvanising his team to premiership glory.
There was a hint of a 100-point demolition at three-quarter time, but the Swans kicked a few late ones through Luke Parker, to make the final score a perfect doubling, 60 to 120.
Look at Lohmann!
Youth can be your best asset as a developing club, but also your deadliest weapon when you’re up there contending.
Kai Lohmann put on a show at the MCG, delivering early with the Lions first two goals of the game in electric fashion.
Early in the second quarter he nailed a pearler on the run from 40 metres out, which was the beginning of the end for the Swans.
To cap it off, his athleticism took centre stage in the final quarter with an outstanding mark over Dane Rampe, converting his fourth and final goal of the game.
It’s a testament to the excitement the Lions have brought in from a youth perspective.
Logan Morris was fresh out of the Western Jets and straight into this Lions side with an impact after a McDonalds thickshake turned his life upside down.
Will Ashcroft recovered from an ACL with ideal preparation and has slotted into senior level without any issues.
Jaspa Fletcher and Darcy Wilmot both have committed to executing heavy running roles, both pivotal in different ways.
Also helps to know they’re getting two first round picks in the draft, so life only gets better for the Lions faithful.
Wash Up!
If you follow Will Ashcroft on social media, you’ll have seen his business, WASH.
This is a high-performance training program that Will has created and developed ever since his draft year and is clear evidence of why he got back so quickly.
14 months after rupturing his ACL, Will Ashcroft won the Norm Smith Medal, becoming the second youngest player in AFL history to do so.
30 disposals, five clearances, six inside 50s, 11 score involvements, and one goal was what got the job done for Will, an exclamation point on his finals series.
What separated his game from Lachie Neale, who was his closest rival and arguably equally deserving winner, was his offensive creativity and press that created so many repeat opportunities for the Lions.
His goal in the third quarter was a toast to his stoppage craft and his ability to out-read his direct opponent in a matter of seconds.
Ashcroft went at 87% disposal efficiency and found himself at the centre of most offensive chains through the corridor.
The heartbreak of missing the 2023 Finals Series and Grand Final was the ultimate motivation factor for the young star and he certainly made amends for it with his performance.
Such is his luck, his brother Levi, who is touted as a potentially better player than Will, is joining the club next year, a player who would likely go number one without the father-son tag.
The Ashcroft legacy continues.
Fagan’s Fortress
After taking over in 2017, it certainly hasn’t been smooth sailing for Fagan and his Lions, who were almost set to see their Premiership window close this year.
The Lions had bottomed out for the past four to five seasons before Fagan came in, and they still did in his first two years.
But list management worked their magic, and with some handy top draft picks in Hugh McCluggage and Cam Rayner, there was a promising core to work with.
The Lions made their first Finals Series under Fagan in 2019, heading out in straight sets.
They missed a golden opportunity in 2020 to make a home Grand Final, instead losing to the Cats in the Preliminary Final.
2021 was a straight sets exit, 2022 was a Preliminary Final loss to the eventual premiers, and 2023 was the Collingwood Grand Final heartbreak.
So, heading into 2024 0-3 to start the year, the storylines become even more incredible, to turn the ship around and lead them through to a Grand Final, and even better, winning it.
Battling the tall forward dynamic finally came to fruition on the weekend, as both Joe Daniher and Eric Hipwood made an impact in different ways.
The midfield combination became unstoppable, and defensively they locked up on the most important day when they seemed so fragile in previous weeks.
The oldest Premiership coach to ever do it and the first to win it as coach without playing professionally, it really is quite the story.
Maybe it’s just not meant to be?
It was evident in the National Anthem that the Swans looked nervous and slightly unsettled, knowing that they simply couldn’t embarrass themselves again.
Unfortunately, they did, struggling to get the game on their terms after kicking the first two goals of the game through Will Hayward and Tom Papley.
But much like 2022, they had no answers at the contest, and simply couldn’t get their hands on the footy.
They were punished in marks around the ground and smashed in marks inside 50, conceding 22 and finding no real answer for the Lions onslaught of entries.
Errol Gulden and Chad Warner had glimpses but never seemed like taking over and flicking the switch.
Tall forwards Joel Amartey, Logan McDonald, and Hayden McClean were shut down for not even one goal between them.
Luke Parker got into a goal scoring rhythm in the second half with three nice goals, but it said a lot about the lack of forward presence the Swans had.
This loss makes it four in a row for Grand Finals for the Swans, so what is the recurring issue?
Fast-paced, low contested footy is the main problem.
It doesn’t suit high-pressure games like Grand Finals, and their midfield gets found out quite quickly when there’s a lack of free-flowing ball movement.
The need for a genuine key forward was glaring obvious today, but a low first round draft pick might see them lose out on Harry Armstrong and Jobe Shanahan, the two best key forwards in the draft.
They’ve got the list to run it back, but mentally it becomes a massive hurdle for this group collectively.