Brisbane will face Fremantle for a shot at a premiership “three-peat” after surviving an almighty last-quarter fightback from Hawthorn to win an all-time great AFL preliminary final by nine points.
A controversial holding-the-ball decision against Hawks defender Jarman Impey gave Hugh McCluggage a free kick and he kicked the match-deciding goal with 18 seconds left.
The Lions then won the centre bounce and Kai Lohmann kicked another goal on the siren to give them a nine-point win, 20.11 (131) to 19.8 (122), in front of 97,835 fans at the MCG on Saturday.
“What a game. I’m lost for words. It was a game of momentum. They came hard at us and we were able to just fight back there at the end. Crazy,” McCluggage told the Seven Network.
“I was really nervous, but I practised a lot of them (set shots) before the game, so I knew if I just got my ball just right and sort of stayed nice and straight, then she’d go through them.”
Brisbane will play Fremantle in next Saturday’s decider – the first time the teams have played each other in a final.
“You just can’t think ahead. You’ve just got to play each game as it comes,” McCluggage said.
“Now we’ll move on, but we’ll enjoy this one because that’s special.”
The Lions are aiming to become the third team this century – Brisbane in 2001-03 and then Hawthorn in 2013-15 – to pull off a premiership three-peat.
Hawks fans were in uproar after the final siren and a bottle was thrown at the umpires as they left the field, after their team had rallied from 28 points behind during the last quarter.
There were nine lead changes in the game – four alone late in the final term.
Hawks key forward Mitch Lewis took a soaring mark and kicked a goal to put them back in front with only a couple of minutes left.
Tom Barrass and James Sicily then took two massive defensive marks, but the Lions went forward again and the crucial free was paid against Impey.
Hawthorn’s Nick Watson, dubbed “The Wizard”, was best afield with a magical six goals, and he was instrumental in their brave last-quarter charge.
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Trailing by 22 points in the second term and 16 points in the third, Brisbane went on a scoring rampage that appeared to have decided the game, before Hawthorn’s outstanding rally.
McCluggage’s ice-cold match-winner sealed his return to form, with the Lions vice-captain jagging 3.2 plus 23 disposals.
Will Ashcroft (28 disposals, eight clearances) and Lachie Neale (26, nine clearances) were big around the clinches.
Co-captain Harris Andrews was superb, cutting off multiple Hawthorn attacks.
Lohmann (five goals) turned the game with a three-goal third quarter, while Charlie Cameron and Eric Hipwood kicked three apiece.
Hawks Jack Gunston (five goals) and Lewis (four goals) hit the scoreboard, while Josh Ward (11 clearances, 25 disposals) was huge.
In the first minute of the game, Ward nudged Neale into the path of Jai Newcombe, who was shoved by Lion Josh Dunkley.
Neale dropped to the turf holding his head, but wasn’t required to leave the field for a head injury assessment (HIA) and played out the game.
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