Australian Football

Match Report

Brisbane has recorded one of the most amazing wins in recent AFL history, coming from 52 points behind late in the third quarter to defeat Geelong with a goal after the siren, kicked by Ash McGrath, who celebrated his milestone 200th match in the best way imaginable.

For three and a half quarters the match went to the script that most would have penned for this match, with getting on top in the first quarter and gradually extending their lead as the game wore on. But that script was thrown out the window just before three-quarter time, when Brisbane defied the trend of the match to kick the last 2.2 of the term to cut the lead from 52 to 38 points at the final change.

Geelong had a chance to halt Brisbane's momentum early in the last quarter but Steven Motlop and Steve Johnson booth missed gettable shots at goal. Still, with the margin sitting at 40 points, nobody at that stage believed the misses would eventually prove costly. Soon after Johnson's miss, a bizarre incident, in which another Johnson kick saw the ball accidentally hit the field umpire's leg, led to a Brisbane goal to Dayne Zorko. With the margin cut to 34 points, the Lions attacked the game with renewed fervour.

Brent Moloney kicked the Lions' second of the term at the nine-minute mark to reduce the lead to 27 points, and the momentum shift became obvious to all watching the game. Jed Adcock kicked another five minutes later to Bring the Lions with 20 points but a snap goal from Johnson took the margin back out to 26 and Geelong again appeared comfortable. But Brisbane hit back immediately with a goal top Pearce Hanley and the Lions freight train appeared almost unstoppable. The only issue for Michael Voss's team was weather the Lions would run out of time, and it proved to be a very close run affair.

Brent Moloney followed Hanley's goal with another a minute later, before Mitch Golby kicked Brisbane's sixth for the quarter to make the difference just seven points. Jonathan Brown missed a set shot from the boundary to make the difference an even goal before a long, raking left-foot bomb from Daniel Rich saw the Lions draw level with just 1:44 left on the clock.

A behind to Geelong's Tom Hawkins appeared to have snuffed out any chance of a fairy tale ending for the Lions but with 15 seconds remaining they somehow managed to transfer the ball from virtually full back into the waiting arms of 200-gamer Ash McGrath, who marked just inside 50 a second before the final siren sounded. McGrath cooly went back and slotted the goal from 52 metres out, giving Brisbane victory by five points, before he was mobbed by his teammates.

The win represented the eighth-biggest comeback in VFL/AFL history and was the biggest since West Coast's comeback from 54 points at Kardinia Park in 2006, also against Geelong.

Simon Black, who was part of that final chain of disposals that saw the ball end with McGrath, was one of Brisbane's best, with 33 disposals. Brent Moloney (three goals) and McGrath himself (three goals) were also very good. The vanquished Cats were well-served by Steve Johnson (two goals, 31 possessions) and Jimmy Bartel (31 disposals).

The loss left Geelong coach Chris Scott seething and served to remind all that, while the Cats have only lost two matches, they have rarely put in a consistent four-quarter effort in 2013. Brisbane, although languishing in 14th spot with just four wins from 11 games, will glean hope from the fact that they are the only side from outside of the top eight to have beaten a top four team, and they have done so twice, having also beaten Essendon in round eight. They'll get a chance to make it three next Sunday when they take on top side Hawthorn at York Park. Geelong, meanwhile, will have another tough task of their own. They'll host Fremantle, which has not lost since round four, at Kardinia Park.

GOALS
Brisbane: McGrath, Moloney 3; Rich 2; Lisle, Patfull, Brown, Zorko, Adcock, Hanley, Golby
Geelong: Hawkins 3; Christensen, Motlop, Johnson 2; Mackie, Guthrie, Murdoch, Blicavs, Podsiadly

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Brisbane: Moloney, McGrath, Rich, Black, Redden
Geelong: Bartel, Johnson, Blicavs, Selwood, Stokes, Enright

BEST - SPORTAL.COM.AU
Brisbane: Black, Leuenberger, Moloney, Yeo, McGrath
Geelong: Motlop, Blicavs, Johnson, Hawkins, Enright, Bartel

COACHES' COMMENTS
Michael Voss (Bris): We simplified a lot of things and our work-rate increased [in the last quarter]. More players willed themselves to the contest. Ash McGrath was a good guy to have the ball in his hands. If you're going to have a 52-metre shot for goal, Ash McGrath would be one of the ones I'd pick. To get the win was a great effort for these guys [the players]. Fantastic.

Chris Scott (Geel): It was extremely disappointing. I would describe the mood at the moment as restrained fury. We're disappointed, but we're 10 [wins] and two [losses]. We'll move on after we've reviewed it [the game] thoroughly, because we're certainly not going to sweep this one under the carpet. The players are angry and so they should be. But the only thing that matters from here is that we channel that the right way.

SUBSTITUTES
Brisbane: Ryan Harwood replaced Sam Mayes during the third quarter
Geelong: Jesse Stringer replaced Jordan Murdoch during the third quarter

UMPIRES: Donlon, Bannister, Wenn