BRISBANE has turned it on in the final quarter to record a 32-point win over West Coast at the Gabba on Saturday night
The Lions trailed at every change before booting the first six goals of the final stanza to set up a 16.18 (114) to 12.10 (82) victory.
Some of the gloss was taken off the win for Brisbane with Jed Adcock sustaining an ankle injury while former Swan Amon Buchanan suffered a broken thumb.
Lions skipper Jonathan Brown led from the front with five goals - three of which came in the last quarter while star recruit Brendan Fevola was lively but failed to make the most of his chances, booting a wasteful 3.7.
The former Carlton spearhead also managed to spray one out of bounds on the full.
Jared Brennan was influential with a game-high 31 possesions and one goal while Luke Power chipped in with three majors.
For the Eagles, Adam Selwood collected 31 disposals, Matt Priddis (28) and Daniel Kerr (27) were also prolific while Luke Shuey kicked two goals on debut.
West Coast started brightly, moving the football well through the middle of the ground as they booted four of the first five goals of the match.
Todd Banfield's first goal in AFL football in the dying seconds of the opening stanza cut West Coast's advantage to eight points at quarter-time.
The Lions could have been in front at the quarter-time but they let themselves down in front of goal, booting six behinds for the term.
Back-to-back goals from Brown saw Brisbane hit the front in the second quarter before Nic Naitanui goaled on the run and then set up one for Patrick McGinnity with a clever ruck tap.
As was the case in the first term - Brisbane was able to get a goal just before the siren - this time through Power to close to within two points at half-time.
The Eagles dominated possession early in the third quarter and managed goals through Josh Kennedy and Quinten Lynch to open up a 15-point lead.
It appeared as if West Coast would run away with the contest but Fevola's second major and Power's third - which came after the siren - ensured Brisbane trailed by less than one straight kick at three-quarter time.
A long bomb from Brennan put the Lions in front early in the last term.
It was all one-way traffic from that moment on as Brisbane added five goals without reply with a freakish soccer goal from Fevola a highlight.
BRISBANE: 2.6, 6.10, 9.12, 16.18 (114)
WEST COAST: 4.2, 7.6, 10.8, 12.10 (82)
GOALS: Brisbane: Brown 5, Fevola 3, Power 3, Brennan, Sherman, Staker, Drummond, Banfield, Brennan
West Coast: Shuey 2, Kennedy 2, Lynch 2, Cox, Waters, Embley, Kennedy, Ebert, Lynch, LeCras, Naitanu, McGinnity
BEST: Brisbane: Brown, Brennan, Power, Rischitelli, Black, Banfield
West Coast: Selwood, Priddis, Kerr, Embley, McGinnity
INJURIES: Brisbane: Adcock (ankle), Buchanan (hand)
West Coast:
REPORTS: Nil
CHANGES: Nil
UMPIRES: Hay, Wenn, Jeffery
CROWD: 29,201 at the Gabba
PRIZED Brisbane recruit Brendan Fevola will wear the No.5 guernsey after wearing number 25 during his ten years at Carlton.
Fevola was forced to adopt a new number as 25 at the Lions belongs to untried ruckman Bart McCulloch.
The No.5 has been worn by some of the club's all-time greats including five-time Fitzroy best and fairest winner John Murphy, Brownlow Medallist Bernie Quinlan and dual premiership player Brad Scott.
Brisbane's other acquistions during trade week will also wear new numbers in 2010.
Former Richmond defender Andrew Raines has swapped his No.4 Tigers jumper for the No. 29 guernsey famously worn by Garry Wilson in 268 matches with Fitzroy while Brent Staker has abandoned the number 41 jumper he wore at West Coast for the 14 which used to belong to Lachlan Henderson who was traded to the Blues as a part of the Fevola deal.
Ex-St Kilda utility Xavier Clarke will don the No.15 after wearing No.3 at the Saints while former Sydney premiership player Amon Buchanan will wear the number 32 jumper after wearing No.33 at the Swans.
Callum Bartlett - the Lions' first selection at the 2009 national draft - will wear the no. 13 guernsey which was previously worn by three-time premiership player Martin Pike.
The club's third and fifth round selections at the national draft - Ryan Harwood and Jesse O'Brien - will wear 26 and 34 respectively.
Former St Kilda defender Matt Maguire who was taken with the last live pick in November's draft takes over the 36 vacated by Daniel Bradshaw.
Matt Austin will wear the No. 8 guernsey next season after playing eight matches in number 37.
Bryce Retzlaff, who was taken with pick 84 in the national draft, will wear number 37.
The Lions' recent rookie selections Mitchell Golby (41), Josh Dyson (27), Niall McKeever (40), Claye Beams (43), Sean Yoshiura (45) and Broc McCauley (46) have been allocated high numbers.
BRISBANE has recorded a total financial loss of $603,207 for 2009.
The result includes a $75,000 grant to AFL Queensland to support grassroots community football.
However, despite the loss the Lions are debt-free and with net assets of just under $4 million.
Brisbane's on-field performances which saw them make the finals for the first time since 2004 resulted in a rise in gate receipts but it wasn't enough to cover the drop in corporate revenues due to the global financial crisis and a dip in the club's merchandise sales.
Lions chairman Tony Kelly said this year was always going to be a difficult one financially given the current economic climate.
"Recording a financial loss is always disappointing, yet there would be few major organisations that remained immune to the global market crunch and the worldwide recession," Kelly said.
"Members can be assured the club remains extremely diligent in its cost controls and continues to take active steps to grow revenues."
In some good news for Brisbane, the club's membership numbers went up from 22,737 to 24,873 this year.
The Lions are now aiming to reach the 30,000 member mark in 2010.
Brisbane's home crowds also rose from an average of 28,128 per game last year to 29,172 in 2009.
Meanwhile, the Lions recently revealed a new logo and announced major sponsorship deals with the Bank of Queensland and Conergy for the next three years.
BRISBANE has appointed dual premiership ruckman Beau McDonald and Manny Lynch to its coaching panel.
The appointments mean that the Lions' coaching panel for next season is finalised.
McDonald, who played 91 games and was a member of Brisbane's 2001 and 2002 premiership sides, retired at the end of 2007 due to chronic injuries.
He will be the club's full-time ruck coach in 2010 after taking up the role on a part-time basis this year.
"I really enjoyed my part-time ruck coach role with the club in 2009 so I'm looking forward to working more closely with the players and spending more time on their development," McDonald said.
"I've already been able to develop some good connections with the players and I played a lot of football at this club alongside Michael Voss and (new player development manager) Craig McRae."
"It's certainly an exciting group to be part of in a full-time capacity now."
Lynch - the brother of triple premiership full forward Alistair - joins the club as its leadership and development coach after coaching stints with LaTrobe in the Northern Tasmanian Football League, the Tassie Devils VFL team and the Tassie Mariners' U18 TAC Cup side.
"I'm really excited about this innovative opportunity," Lynch said.
"I have been coaching part-time for around 20 years and now I'm doing it as my full-time job which is great."
"I did my level three coaching course with Michael Voss and Jade Rawlings so there is already a pretty good relationship there."
"After listening to Michael Voss describe where he wants the team to go, I believe we have a similar vision. It was quite inspiring to actually hear him talk about how he wants to develop the group."
DANIEL Bradshaw has quit the Brisbane Lions.
The Lions' all-time leading goalkicker with 496 goals in 222 games rejected a two-year deal on Friday.
The 30-year-old was put up for trade along with midfielder Michael Rischitelli in a bid to secure the services of controversial forward Brendan Fevola but that deal collapsed.
Brisbane eventually landed Fevola in a trade for young key position prospect Lachlan Henderson and an exchange of draft picks.
It is understood Bradshaw was hurt by the club's willingness to offload him after 14 years of service.
Carlton looms as the front runners to snare the dual premiership player as Fevola's departure has given them plenty of room in the salary cap and there is expected to be further room with midfielder Nick Stevens likely to call it quits due to a chronic neck injury.
Bradshaw will decide on Monday whether to enter next month's national draft or the pre-season draft on December 15
TonyK
Cibbuano
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