Brisbane Lions complete third straight AFL premiership with late comeback over Fremantle at MCG
The Brisbane Lions defeated Fremantle 14.12 (96) to 12.17 (89) at the MCG in the AFL Grand Final on 26 September 2026 to secure a third consecutive premiership, overturning a 17-point deficit with a four-goal burst in the final four minutes.
Kylie Minogue opened the spectacle with a performance that included The Loco-Motion amid steady rain and heavy skies at the venue, and the match produced a rare comeback from three-quarter time: only the second grand final win from a team trailing at three-quarter-time since 1981, following Geelong’s 2009 recovery over St Kilda.
The decisive sequence began when Patrick Voss put Fremantle ahead with four minutes remaining and the Wharfie Time horn sounded; Fremantle led by 17 at that moment. Charlie Cameron replied with a goal seconds later to cut the margin to 11, Zac Bailey reduced it to five from the ensuing centre bounce, and Logan Morris converted a set shot before adding the final goal to seal the comeback as Dockers players fell to their haunches.
Late in the third quarter Hayden Young produced two stunning goals, including a boundary bender, to give Fremantle a 10-point advantage going into the final term. The Lions responded in the fourth, with the contest tightening further after an extraordinary miss from Docker Josh Treacy from the goal square.
The game opened in driving rain with Charlie Cameron kicking the first score while Take Me Home, Country Roads echoed around the MCG; Treacy then took a mark and goaled from 55. At the first break umpires ruled Treacy’s later mark invalid on the basis the ball had not travelled the required distance, an end-of-quarter decision that culminated in a heavy collision between the forward walking back to his mark and Oscar Allen.
The second quarter played out goal for goal, featuring a celebration from Voss and strong contributions from Conor McKenna and Jye Amiss, while Kai Lohmann’s shoulder on Karl Worner allowed Levi Ashcroft to level the scores. Isaiah Dudley set up Voss to push Fremantle seven points clear at one stage, but Sam Draper then drew Brisbane back and the sides were level at half-time, the fourth occasion that has occurred in VFL/AFL grand final history and the third time in successive years.
Fremantle again extended their advantage in the third when Dudley evaded a McKenna tackle to finish from 45 and put the Dockers 15 points up; the loss of Alex Pearce was noted as Brisbane replied with three goals to retake the lead before Young rose to restore Fremantle’s advantage, which they held until the closing minutes.
The premiership is the seventh instance in VFL/AFL history of a club winning three successive flags, and Brisbane are now alongside Melbourne as the only clubs to have completed that feat twice. The Demons’ previous three-peat came in 1957 when the competition had 12 teams, and Brisbane will mark 30 years since their first match as a merged entity next year, a point the club cites in claiming status among the competition’s most successful sides.