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Lions hold on in a thriller


On the back of a seven goal to one second quarter burst, the Brisbane Lions held off a fast finishing North Melbourne by four points.


PT1M29S http://ift.tt/1qmFZTj 620 349 June 29, 2014



BRISBANE LIONS 1.1 8.4 10.5 10.10 (70) NORTH MELBOURNE 3.5 4.7 6.9 9.12 (66)

Goals: Brisbane Lions: J Green 3 C Beams 2 J Aish 2 D Merrett D Zorko M Close. North Melbourne: D Petrie 4 A Swallow 2 B Harvey L Thomas S Gibson.Umpires: Chris Donlon, Craig Fleer, Andrew Stephens.

Injuries: Brisbane Lions: R Lester (calf). North Melbourne: L Hansen (general soreness) replaced in selected side by B Jacobs.

Best: Brisbane Lions: Hanley, Aish, Bewick, Taylor, Rockliff, Redden. North Melbourne: Petrie, Dal Santo, Gibson, Swallow, Harvey.

Official Crowd: 15,862 at Gabba.


There are few fairytales in football. Even the very best players rarely get to leave the game in the manner they deserve and desire. Jonathan Brown got the least that he deserved; one last lap (ever so slowly, and on foot) of his beloved Gabba in front of his home crowd, who stood to applaud their fallen champion.


Brown had, at least, lived his fairytale early: three premierships in his first four years in the game, when his size and physical presence, even as a teenager, stood out among men like Michael Voss and Leigh Matthews. Only Joel Selwood has experienced anything like the same early career success.


James Aish of the Lions is tackled by Drew Petrie of the Kangaroos.

James Aish of the Lions is tackled by Drew Petrie of the Kangaroos. Photo: Getty Images



The other thing about fairytales is that, like superstar key forwards, they don't come around too often. North Melbourne last experienced sustained success in the late 1990s, in the halcyon years of Wayne Carey. It will surely be a long time before the Lions see Brown's like again.