The Lions kicked the last four goals of the 2026 AFL Grand Final to beat Fremantle 14.12 (96) to 12.17 (89) at the MCG on Saturday. The win completes the club’s second three-peat, matching the 2001-03 side.
The lead did not last. Charlie Cameron and Zac Bailey goaled before Logan Morris took over. Morris took a contested mark and kicked the go-ahead set shot, then sealed it with a snap in the dying seconds.
Reuters reported that Brisbane kicked all four of those goals in the final four minutes.
Morris finished with three goals, as did Cameron. It was Morris’s third premiership in his third season.
A Contest Decided by Centimetres
For most of the afternoon, Fremantle looked the better side.
One point separated the teams at quarter-time and scores were level at half-time, 6.7 apiece. Caleb Serong was dominant around the ball, collecting eight clearances in the first half, according to AFL.com.au.
Fremantle stretched the lead to 15 points in the third term after a clever Isaiah Dudley goal. Brisbane then kicked three in six minutes through Kai Lohmann, Oscar Allen and Cameron to hit the front.
Hayden Young answered with two goals, the second just before the siren, and Freo took a 10-point lead into the last change.
Bolton Joins a Rare Club
Shai Bolton won the Norm Smith Medal as best on ground, polling 10 votes.
He is only the fifth player to win the medal in a losing Grand Final side, and the first since Chris Judd in 2005.
In his first decider for Fremantle, the former Tiger had 26 disposals (the most of any Docker), 10 contested possessions, nine inside 50s, nine score involvements, seven marks and five tackles, AFL.com.au reported.
Dayne Zorko and Will Ashcroft tied for second with six votes each. Serong polled four and Young three.
Norm Smith Medal Votes
- Shai Bolton (Fremantle) – 10
- Dayne Zorko (Brisbane) – 6
- Will Ashcroft (Brisbane) – 6
- Caleb Serong (Fremantle) – 4
- Hayden Young (Fremantle) – 3
- Charlie Cameron (Brisbane) – 1
For Brisbane, Ashcroft had 31 disposals. Josh Dunkley had 21 disposals and 12 tackles on his way to a fourth premiership.
Pearce Blow Changed the Game
Fremantle’s day turned in the third quarter when captain Alex Pearce went down without contact while chasing the ball on the wing.
The Dockers confirmed he had ruptured his Achilles. Nine reports he is likely to miss most of the 2027 season.
The West Australian noted that Pearce had kept Morris goalless until then. Morris went on to kick all three of his goals in the last quarter.
Coach Justin Longmuir said the injury forced him to reshuffle and play smaller. He told reporters, as quoted by The West Australian, that the Dockers “clearly missed his leadership late”.
Longmuir said Pearce had been “a little bit sore” going into the game, but he was not sure that had contributed to the injury.
Pearce still made it up to the dais to deliver the losing captain’s speech.
Longmuir Defends ‘Wharfie Time’
Longmuir rejected any suggestion that switching on Wharfie Time had backfired, even though Lions players revealed Chris Fagan had told them to use it as motivation if it came.
He credited the result to “one of the better teams of all time”, which he said found something with its back against the wall.
“There’s no sugar-coating the result,” Longmuir said, calling the loss devastating but saying he was proud of how his side competed.
Neale Signs Off, Fagan Ponders His Future
Lachie Neale only made it onto the ground after the AFL Appeals Board downgraded his one-match striking ban to a $10,000 fine on Thursday night. We covered how the Neale appeal could shape the Grand Final earlier in the week.
After the siren, the dual Brownlow medallist all but confirmed he had played his last game for the Lions.
Speaking to Channel 7, Neale called his time in Brisbane “the best eight years of my life” and said he would miss the group “very much”.
He is an unrestricted free agent. Multiple outlets, including Fox Sports and Nine, report he is widely expected to join Collingwood on a three-year deal when the trade period opens. That has not been confirmed.
Fagan, 65, also left the door open to walking away. He is contracted until the end of 2027, SEN reported.
“I don’t really want to be the guy that hangs around until we fail,” Fagan said in his post-match press conference.
He said he needed a few days to clear his head and would not take long to decide.
What It Means
For Brisbane, it is a dynasty confirmed. The Lions came from behind again and again, and never looked more dangerous than when they seemed beaten.
For Fremantle, the pain will linger all summer. The minor premiers led late in the game, had the Norm Smith medallist and still missed out on a maiden flag.
For our pre-game view, see our Grand Final team changes, match insights and tips.
