103-552: 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 the 2024 Grand Final by sixty points. The Lions came into existence in 1996 when
206-674: A 21-year lease) and the football club, that the Fitzroy Football Club was forced to find another ground. They had held discussions with the Northcote and Preston VFA clubs and also had approached the Heidelberg Council about relocating to the Olympic Training Ground. From 1967 to 1969, the club moved their home games to Carlton's Princes Park while keeping their training and administration at
309-512: A 50-player senior list into the 1997 season. This is compared with the Brisbane Lions bid, which proposed a 44-player senior list for 1997, and did not have the potential off-field strength of an all-Victorian merge. Then North Melbourne CEO Greg Miller has accused the AFL of contriving the two bids in this manner to manufacture a result which would fulfil its strategic direction to strengthen
412-534: 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 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
515-475: A long and rich shared history. See Fitzroy FC honour roll for list of winners 1884–1996. Under Throughout its history, Fitzroy had multiple colours and kits, in conjunction with the changing of its nicknames. The Fitzroy Football Club song is sung to the tune of " La Marseillaise ", the French national anthem . Bill Stephen wrote the lyrics on an end-of-season football trip to Perth in 1952. We are
618-511: A long way in 1995 and 1996, winning just three matches in those seasons combined. With financial and on–field performance issues plaguing the club and with Port Adelaide due to enter the AFL in 1997 requiring a team to either merge or fold to make way for them, the writing for Fitzroy was on the wall. On 28 June 1996, the Nauru Insurance Company, a creditor of the Fitzroy Football Club, appointed Michael Brennan to administer
721-685: 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 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
824-585: 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 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
927-609: 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 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 ,
1030-444: 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 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
1133-560: A young team about to breakout into finals contention. Fitzroy Football Club The Fitzroy Football Club is an Australian rules football club currently competing in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA). Formed in 1883 to represent the inner- Melbourne municipality of Fitzroy , the club is based at the W. T. Peterson Community Oval in Fitzroy North . The club nickname
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#17328014614261236-701: Is the Roys , having previously been the Maroons (until 1938), Gorillas (1938–1957) and Lions (1957–1996). Since 1975, the club's colours have been red, blue and gold. Fitzroy was established as a member of the Victorian Football Association (VFA), winning one premiership in that competition. In 1897, it was a foundation member of the breakaway Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest senior professional league in Victoria and later, as
1339-504: 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 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
1442-464: The Australian Football League (AFL), in Australia. Fitzroy was one of the most successful clubs over the league's first three decades, contesting 19 finals series and winning a league-high seven premierships in that time. However, success was limited thereafter, and its last seventy years yielded only one premiership from eleven finals appearances. The club suffered persistent financial losses through
1545-529: The Brisbane Bears , with the agreement of the AFL commission and a majority vote of the AFL's constituent clubs. The Brisbane Bears would then change their name to Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club (trading as Brisbane Lions ), playing at The Gabba in the Brisbane suburb of Woolloongabba . The arrangement ensured that all creditors were repaid, at least eight Fitzroy players were to be selected by
1648-707: The Footscray Football Club and Fitzroy Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). One of a handful of players to have won a Brownlow Medal and Coleman Medal , Quinlan was an inaugural inductee in the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996. Renowned for his prodigious long kicking, which earned him the nickname "Superboot", Quinlan played his best football late in his career, earning most of his individual accolades after he had turned 30. He holds
1751-621: 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 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
1854-595: 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 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
1957-548: The Seven Network when they regained the rights in 1988. He worked as a commentator with the Seven Network until 1995. Quinlan returned to Fitzroy as senior coach for the 1995 AFL season , when he replaced Robert Shaw , who left at the end of the 1994 season. However, it soon became clear that he was out of his depth as a senior coach and was sacked after a 126-point loss to Sydney Swans in Round 19, 1995. It
2060-595: 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 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
2163-693: The Victorian Amateur Football Association and the Fitzroy Junior Football Club in the Yarra Junior Football League . Both wear the old Fitzroy jumper, play the old theme song, and play from Brunswick Street Oval in the heart of Fitzroy. In December 2008, at the instigation of the then Fitzroy (University) Reds president Craig Little, the University Reds Football Club (known as the 'Fitzroy' Reds from 1997) transferred all its assets to
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#17328014614262266-411: The Western Bulldogs in a Semi Final. The 2009/2010 off-season was dominated by the arrival of Brendan Fevola from Carlton, with 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
2369-708: The Western Oval , sharing the venue with Footscray , as it sought a better financial arrangement than it had received at its previous home Princes Park. and over the same time it moved through several different training and administrative bases, spending time first at the Northcote Park in Northcote , then later Lake Oval in South Melbourne and Bulleen Park in Bulleen . Talk of the death of
2472-445: 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 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
2575-456: The 1906 season which led to the players and set the club back for several seasons, the 1913 team won the flag after winning 16 of 18 matches in the home-and-away season, earning the nickname "Unbeatables". In contrast, the 1916 Fitzroy team only won 2 home-and-away matches and finished last in a competition reduced by the effects of World War I to four teams. All four teams qualified for the finals, and Fitzroy won their next three games to win one of
2678-529: The 1980s and 1990s, culminating in being placed into administration in 1996 , and its AFL operations were merged into those of the Brisbane Bears , who became the Brisbane Lions from 1997. Fitzroy came out of administration in 1998, and formed sponsor partnerships with local amateur clubs over the next ten years. Since 2009, the club has competed in the VAFA in its own right, and as of 2025 plays in
2781-607: 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 the Gabba in Brisbane, and its headquarters and training facilities are located at Springfield Central Stadium . The Lions are one of
2884-439: The AFL. Fitzroy agreed to a compromise whereby Brisbane would use both the old and new logos alongside each other in an official capacity for the next 14 years on all official club stationery and club publications, as well as the Lions' official website for the shorter period of seven years. After immense pressure from both Brisbane and Fitzroy fans, Brisbane returned to using the old logo on its playing guernseys from 2015, but
2987-436: 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 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,
3090-560: 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 , 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
3193-451: The Brisbane Lions before the 1996 National Draft and three Fitzroy representatives were to be on Brisbane's 11-member board. None of the three Fitzroy representatives, Laurie Serafini , David Lucas and Ken Levy, chosen to serve on Brisbane's board, were Fitzroy directors at that time. Those involved have different opinions on why the merger with North Melbourne was rejected, despite negotiations being so far advanced and indeed concluded on
Brisbane Lions - Misplaced Pages Continue
3296-513: 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 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
3399-619: The Brunswick Street Oval. Further problems with the Cricket Club and the high cost of rent imposed by Carlton saw Fitzroy move to the Junction Oval in 1970, where they had a short-lived promising start to the decade. This was followed by a night premiership win in 1978 and a then-League-record score of 36.22 (238) and greatest winning margin of 190 points in 1979. However, Fitzroy's most significant post-war success
3502-631: The Fitzroy Cricket Club. The Football Club had to pay the Cricket Club to use the ground. Despite pressure from the Lions and other VFL clubs, the Cricket Club refused to make the needed upgrades. The Fitzroy City Council, despite repeated requests from the Football Club, also refused to help, even rejecting the idea of a $ 400,000 loan to Fitzroy Football Club, and a 40-year lease of the ground so they could make some repairs. The football club put forward various ideas to try and change
3605-514: The Fitzroy Football Club (formed 1883). The university (Fitzroy) Reds terminated its membership of the VAFA and was wound up as an incorporated company and football club. By special dispensation from the VAFA, the Fitzroy Football Club then replaced the Fitzroy [University] Reds in D1 of the VAFA from the 2009 season, fielding a senior and reserves side, as well as two Under-19 sides and a Club 18 side. All
3708-533: 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 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
3811-401: 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 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
3914-490: The Lions and the football public were shocked when it was announced by club president Frank Bibby that Quinlan had told the committee he wanted to devote more time to his farm. With a year remaining on his contract, Fitzroy were desperate to retain his services and made Quinlan a substantial financial offer to stay. Quinlan relented and returned for the 1980 VFL season . Fitzroy had an ordinary season in 1980. When Robert Walls took over as senior coach for 1981 , Quinlan and
4017-434: The Lions being defeated by 151 points, the second greatest loss in the club's history: Richmond 28.19 (187) defeated Fitzroy 5.6 (36). The club played its final VFL/AFL game the following week on 1 September against Fremantle at Subiaco Oval , losing by 86 points. The original Fitzroy Football Club came out of administration after its AFL operations were absorbed by Brisbane, in late 1998. The shareholders voted to continue
4120-544: The Lions experimented with playing four home matches in Tasmania in 1991 and 1992 to avoid a takeover bid by the Brisbane Bears but lost money in the process. In 1994, the club moved its home matches to Western Oval , its fourth match-day home ground in 10 years. Amid uncertainties about the financial future of the club, its on-field performances continued to deteriorate, to the point where the Lions finished last by
4223-413: 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 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
Brisbane Lions - Misplaced Pages Continue
4326-537: The Lions returned to form. He won the Brownlow Medal in 1981, tying with his former Bulldog teammate Barry Round (who had left the Bulldogs too by this stage). He also twice kicked more than 100 goals in a season: 1983 and 1984. Quinlan led a formidable forward line in the mid-1980s with the likes of Michael Conlan, Garry Wilson , David McMahon and Gary Sidebottom. Together with Paul Roos and Gary Pert in
4429-416: 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 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
4532-421: 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 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
4635-609: 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, 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
4738-540: The Premier B division. The Fitzroy Football Club was formed at a meeting at the Brunswick Hotel on 26 September 1883, at a time when Melbourne's population was rapidly increasing. 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
4841-619: The Service Corp unit and rose to the rank of Lance Corporal. During his playing career, Quinlan worked as a clerk for the State Electricity Commission of Victoria . He said in later years that he considered it a "dead-end job" and wished he had taken up a trade instead. After retiring as a player, Quinlan first joined the ABC football commentary team when they had the broadcasting rights in 1987, and then switched to
4944-476: The VAFA Premier C and the VAFA Premier C reserves grand finals. Fitzroy Football Club improved its relationship with the Brisbane Lions in the ten years from 1999 to 2009. Brisbane have used the letters BBFFC printed below the back of the neck of the club's guernseys from 2002 to reflect the members vote to change their club's name to Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club (trading as Brisbane Lions) towards
5047-658: The VFL. However, the Cricket Club rejected the idea outright. The club also considered leaving Brunswick Street, and in 1962 it appealed to the Preston Council for a 40-year lease of the Preston City Oval , which was rejected. It was only when the Council Health Officer condemned the change rooms at the Brunswick Street Oval in 1966 and negotiations broke down between the council, (who offered
5150-747: 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 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
5253-511: The affairs of the Fitzroy Football Club to ensure a loan of A$ 1.25 million was to be repaid. During the 1996 season, there were fears that the club would collapse in mid-season due to its lack of cash. This was averted when the AFL guaranteed funds to Fitzroy to allow the club to continue in the competition for the remainder of 1996. Fitzroy had been in merger discussions with several teams, but discussions were most advanced with North Melbourne . By
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#17328014614265356-575: The back line, they propelled Fitzroy to their most successful years in the post-war era. He was a prodigious kicker of the football which earned him the nickname "Superboot". He regularly featured in the World of Sport kicking competitions (a sports program which was popular in Melbourne for three decades). Quinlan was picked up in the January 1972 national service intake and posted to Puckapunyal with Footscray teammate Peter Welsh . He served in
5459-518: The beginning of July 1996, the club had agreed to arrangements to become the North Fitzroy Kangaroos Football Club . Negotiations for elements such as club colours, guernsey and song were to be settled by the morning of 4 July by the Fitzroy board. However, later that afternoon the administrator of Fitzroy, who had been appointed to temporarily replace the Fitzroy board, agreed to merge the club's AFL operations with
5562-402: The boys from old Fitzroy, we wear the colours maroon and blue, we will always fight for victory, and we'll always see it through, win or lose, we do or die, in defeat, we always try, Fitzroy, Fitzroy, the club we hold so dear, premiers, we'll be this year! Bernie Quinlan Bernard Francis Quinlan (born 21 July 1951) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for
5665-497: The club due to financial troubles occurred as early as 1986. In 1989 the directors agreed to amalgamation with equally troubled Footscray to form the Fitzroy Bulldogs , but a fightback from Footscray supporters, in which almost two million dollars was raised in three weeks, averted the merger. At other times, joining with Melbourne or relocating to Brisbane was suggested. As well as trying several fund-raising ventures,
5768-728: The club initiated in a partnership with the Australian Catholic University to start fielding a women's team in the VWFL under the name of Fitzroy-ACU. They played their debut season in the same year. The interest grew after the first year of women's Fitzroy footy, growing numbers within the women's league. This enabled the club to enter another women's team into the VWFL, in the North West division. Both teams were hoping to make finals in 2016. In 2018 , Fitzroy won both
5871-451: The club were individual achievements of their players, especially Haydn Bunton Sr. Originally a source of controversy, lured to Fitzroy with an illegal £222 payment, and subsequently not allowed to play in the 1930 season, Bunton became one of the game's greatest players, winning three Brownlow Medals while at Fitzroy. Brownlow Medals were also won by Wilfred Smallhorn and Dinny Ryan , while Jack Moriarty set many goalkicking records. It
5974-411: 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 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
6077-665: The club, and Fitzroy then developed a partnership with the Coburg Lions in the VFL . Coburg were known as the Coburg-Fitzroy Lions for just over a season (from August 1999 until the end of 2000). However, when Coburg entered into an affiliation with the AFL's Richmond Football Club , the Fitzroy connection was abandoned. Fitzroy began a sponsorship arrangement with the Fitzroy Reds (formerly University Reds) in
6180-495: The club, which became known as the Lions in 1957, entered one of 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 throughout 1963 and 1964 – known as the Miracle Match when it defeated eventual premiers Geelong in Round 10, 1963 – but its 1964 season
6283-483: 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 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
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#17328014614266386-419: 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 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
6489-476: 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 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
6592-446: 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 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,
6695-475: The eight clubs who broke away from the VFA to form the Victorian Football League (VFL). Despite winning only four games and finishing sixth in the first season, the Maroons, as they were then known, won the premiership the following year, winning the VFL's first "Grand Final" against Essendon . Fitzroy was the most successful club in the first 10 years of the VFL, winning four premierships and finishing runners-up on three occasions. Despite internal problems after
6798-555: The end of 1996, in accordance with the Deed of Arrangement between Fitzroy Football Club and Brisbane Bears. In 2003, the then- Fitzroy Reds played the curtain-raiser at the MCG when the Brisbane Lions met the Collingwood Magpies in the AFL Heritage Round , and from 2008 Brisbane started wearing a version of Fitzroy's AFL guernsey with red instead of maroon in most matches played in Victoria , consistent with Fitzroy's most recent colours. Relationships between Fitzroy and Brisbane were strained in late 2009, when Brisbane announced that it
6901-411: 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 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,
7004-454: 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 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
7107-409: The final of the NAB Cup , with Daniel Rich winning the Michael Tuck Medal for best on ground. However, 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
7210-413: 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 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
7313-494: The game in Queensland. Additionally, then North Melbourne vice-president Peter de Rauch believes that his club's decision not to include Fitzroy president Dyson Hore-Lacy on the board of the merged club was a catalyst for the temporary unravelling of negotiations between the clubs, allowing the appointment of the administrator and keeping the Brisbane Bears involved in negotiations. During this time, senior coach Mick Nunan resigned after Fitzroy's game against Essendon on 6 July and
7416-494: 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 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
7519-406: 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 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
7622-506: The morning of 4 July. The other AFL club presidents rejected the North Melbourne-Fitzroy merger by a vote of 14–1. It was commonly thought, and claimed by then Richmond president Leon Daphne, that an all-Victorian merge would create a superteam with on-field and off-field strength out of all proportion to the rest of the league. Not only would North Melbourne go on to the 1996 premiership, the merged team had proposed to take
7725-462: 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 a foundation team in the AFL Women's competition in 2017, and have featured in five grand finals in that time, winning
7828-591: The most successful clubs, drawing large crowds to their home at the Brunswick Street Oval in Edinburgh Gardens , and consistently in the top four and winning the VFA premiership in 1895. Fitzroy's season-by-season records throughout its thirteen seasons at VFA level are given below. (Under VFA rules at the time, only goals were counted to the total team score). In 1897, Fitzroy were one of
7931-488: 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 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
8034-460: The new logo or any other logo other than 'the Fitzroy lion logo', in line with Brisbane's legal obligations as specified in the Deed of Arrangement, including their obligation to use the Fitzroy logo in perpetuity. On 15 July 2010, the two clubs reached a settlement, agreeing that the Fitzroy logo symbolically represents the historic deal between Brisbane and Fitzroy, and represents the Brisbane Lions in
8137-399: The new logo will remain for corporate purposes. Brisbane have since maintained and renewed strong ties with Fitzroy. They sponsor a male and female Fitzroy player each year, conduct coaching workshops for Fitzroy, frequently invite the Fitzroy juniors to form a guard of honour for Victorian games, have many Fitzroy past players and representatives as elected board members, and both celebrate
8240-576: 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 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
8343-500: The record for the most career games without playing in a Grand Final and is one of five VFL/AFL players (the others being Shaun Burgoyne , Heath Shaw , Lance Franklin and Patrick Dangerfield ) to have played 150 or more games at two separate clubs. Quinlan was recruited from Traralgon , which was in Footscray 's zone , and arrived at Footscray halfway through the 1969 VFL season . Teammate Barry Round also made his debut in
8446-478: The resignation of Simon Taylor . Tim Bell resigned for personal reasons at the end of 2011 and assistant coach Michael Pickering , a former AFL player with the Richmond and Melbourne Football Clubs was appointed as coach for the 2012 season. Having reached the Premier C Grand Final at the end of 2012 season, Fitzroy was promoted to Premier B for season 2013 which coincided with the club's 130th birthday. In 2015
8549-478: The same year, and coincidentally they would tie for the Brownlow Medal 12 years later in 1981, both by that time playing at different clubs. Quinlan played 177 games for the club, playing mostly at centre half-forward (also occasionally playing as a centre half-back ). The 1970s were a tough time financially for the Bulldogs, and many quality players were cleared to other clubs. Quinlan was cleared to Fitzroy in 1978 for 70,000 dollars . In October 1979, Quinlan
8652-476: 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 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
8755-504: 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 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
8858-561: The situation, including the amalgamation of the Football and Cricket Clubs to form one club as in the manner of the Carlton Social Club. The Cricket Club held the liquor licence and managed the ground, and it was thought that a combined club could more efficiently manage funds. With a stake in the ground, the football club could have better agitated for improvements to the ground by sourcing funds from other organisations such as
8961-417: The strangest VFL premierships; this is the first and only time a club that finished last on the ladder won the premiership in the same year. The Maroons won their seventh premiership in 1922, a season which included four very rough games against eventual runners-up Collingwood . However, after this their fortunes waned, and they did not make the finals at all from 1925 to 1942. During this time, highlights for
9064-526: The teams were made up mainly of Fitzroy Reds personnel. Dyson Hore-Lacy, chairman of Fitzroy in the AFL in 1996, automatically became chairman of the Club in the VAFA. Fitzroy lost in the VAFA D1 Grand Final to Rupertswood in 2009, but as a Grand Finalist was promoted to C-Grade for the 2010 season. At the beginning of the 2011 season, Fitzroy appointed Tim Bell as their new senior coach following
9167-464: 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 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 ,
9270-488: 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 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
9373-416: The triple-premiership era remaining at the club. On 29 August 2016, just one day after 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
9476-409: Was winless , and as of 2023 stands as the only winless season by any club in the men's competition since 1950. Nevertheless, the club continued to produce great individual players over this period, including Brownlow Medallists Allan Ruthven and Kevin Murray . By the mid-1960s, Fitzroy's traditional home ground, the Brunswick Street Oval was in a state of disrepair. However, the ground managers were
9579-492: Was adopting a new logo for season 2010 and beyond, which contravened Section 7.2 c) of the Deed of Arrangement between Fitzroy and Brisbane. The new logo, a lion's head facing forward, replaced the former Fitzroy logo of a passant lion with a football. On 22 December 2009, Fitzroy lodged a Statement of Claim with the Supreme Court of Victoria, seeking an order that the Brisbane Lions be restrained from using as its logo,
9682-406: Was announced as Brisbane's senior coach from the 2017 season onwards. The Lions claimed the 2017 wooden spoon , despite winning 5 games for the season, 2 more than the previous season. Their percentage of 74.3 was the worst in the league, behind Fremantle with a percentage of 74.4. The 2018 season was very similar, recording 5 wins to finish in 15th place, but multiple close losses showed signs of
9785-599: Was confirmed as the senior coach of the Lions for the next three seasons. During Round 13, 2014 Lions captain Jonathan Brown 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
9888-426: Was during this time that the Maroons became known as the Gorillas. Football was less affected by World War II than it had been in 1916, and by 1944 was starting to return to its normal level. It was in this year, under captain-coach Fred Hughson , that the Gorillas won their eighth VFL flag against Richmond in front of a capacity crowd at Junction Oval . However, it was also to be their last senior premiership, as
9991-564: Was fined $ 500 for missing two training sessions with the Victorian squad the previous month. Quinlan had recently moved to Baxter and complained that he had not been notified in time by Fitzroy, but the VFL's administration manager Alan Schwab dismissed these as "inadequate excuses". In the end, he was left out of the squad going to Perth for the State of Origin Carnival . In December 1979,
10094-684: Was in the early '80s, when the Lions made the finals four times, culminating in a preliminary final appearance in 1986. This success occurred under the coaching of Robert Walls and David Parkin , with players such as 1981 Brownlow Medallist Bernie Quinlan , Ron Alexander, Garry Wilson , Gary Pert and Paul Roos . The club was evicted from Junction Oval at the end of 1984 after a fifteen-year tenure, and entered another nomadic period of existence. It played its home games at Victoria Park , sharing it with Collingwood in 1985 and 1986, then at Princes Park , sharing it with Carlton from 1987 until 1993; In 1994, Fitzroy then began playing its home matches at
10197-411: Was later revealed that senior player John McCarthy was one of the key voices in having him removed. Quinlan was then replaced by Alan McConnell as caretaker senior coach of Fitzroy Football Club for the rest of the 1995 season. The Brisbane Lions mascot Bernie "Gabba" Vegas is partially named as a tribute to Quinlan. In 2017, Quinlan joined former footballers Don Scott and Tony Jewell to form
10300-401: 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 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
10403-504: Was replaced by Alan McConnell for his second stint in just twelve months. With eight rounds to go until the end of the season, Fitzroy's on field performances continued to deteriorate to the point where the team was thrashed week in, week out. In Round 21, 48,884 people attended the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on 25 August 1996 for Fitzroy's last ever game in Melbourne as part of the AFL competition. They witnessed
10506-590: 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 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
10609-513: 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 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
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