The Brisbane Lions won their third consecutive Australian Football League premiership on Saturday, holding off the Fremantle Dockers by seven points in a Grand Final thriller at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Before a crowd of 100,023, Brisbane completed a 14.12 (96) to 12.17 (89) victory to claim the club's second three-peat — emulating its 2001–03 dynasty — and its sixth title in the top flight of Australian Rules football. The triumph denied Fremantle a first-ever AFL premiership in the club's first Grand Final appearance since 2013.
Four-goal burst decides it
The game came down to the wire. Brisbane trailed by 17 points before nailing four goals in the final four minutes. Forwards Logan Morris and Charlie Cameron combined for six goals, and Morris ensured the Lions edged ahead in the final 60 seconds, taking a strong contested mark before icing the game with a snap from 40 metres.
Fremantle, the ladder-toppers, were not overawed early: nothing separated the teams at half-time at 43 apiece. Command shifted to the Dockers in the third quarter, but a leg injury to captain Alex Pearce left a void in their back-line, which Brisbane capitalized on with three straight majors. From 10 points down at the final break, Brisbane's experience told as the defending champions weathered the storm.
Sources:
Brisbane hold off Fremantle in thriller to win third straight AFL Grand Final (Reuters): https://www.reuters.com/sports/aust...e-thriller-win-third-straight-afl-2026-09-26/
Before a crowd of 100,023, Brisbane completed a 14.12 (96) to 12.17 (89) victory to claim the club's second three-peat — emulating its 2001–03 dynasty — and its sixth title in the top flight of Australian Rules football. The triumph denied Fremantle a first-ever AFL premiership in the club's first Grand Final appearance since 2013.
Four-goal burst decides it
The game came down to the wire. Brisbane trailed by 17 points before nailing four goals in the final four minutes. Forwards Logan Morris and Charlie Cameron combined for six goals, and Morris ensured the Lions edged ahead in the final 60 seconds, taking a strong contested mark before icing the game with a snap from 40 metres.
Fremantle, the ladder-toppers, were not overawed early: nothing separated the teams at half-time at 43 apiece. Command shifted to the Dockers in the third quarter, but a leg injury to captain Alex Pearce left a void in their back-line, which Brisbane capitalized on with three straight majors. From 10 points down at the final break, Brisbane's experience told as the defending champions weathered the storm.
Sources:
Brisbane hold off Fremantle in thriller to win third straight AFL Grand Final (Reuters): https://www.reuters.com/sports/aust...e-thriller-win-third-straight-afl-2026-09-26/
