CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
The victorious and dominant Brisbane Lions have arrived at an inner-Brisbane pub for Mad Monday celebrations after their 2024 AFL Grand Final win on Saturday.
This comes after they generously went and visited some fans at their mythical ‘Melbourne home’ on Sunday.
But now the celebrations have returned home to Queensland. To where they belong.
As one of the most ‘outsider’ clubs in the modern game, the Lions have been victims of rumour-mongering and Victorian umpire bias throughout the entire duration of their 2020s premiership window.
But Saturday’s scoreline just proves that the game’s dirty tactics and media hubris is simply no match for pure heart.
And at 18.12 (120) 9.6 (60) – it could have only happened with the entire Aussie Rules heartland cheering them on. Queensland. The home of Aussie Rules football.
The fact that not one Melbourne team even made it to the preliminary finals, before watching Brisbane dismantle Sydney at the Big Dance, has caused a collective identity crisis across Victoria today.
So much so, that there are now serious discussions about changing the AFL’s name to the QFL. To better represent the modern game.
Because the fact of the matter is, the days of Melbourne’s dominance are over. Even with the game hosting more clubs in one metropolitan area than outside of it – it seems that Queensland is now the real priority when it comes to grassroots.
The Queensland style of play, and Queensland feeder programmes, are the only aspects of the game that truly matter when looking into the future.
While the skiing pals from Thredbo that have stacked the executive levels of the AFL are now screeching, it seems that the Brisbane Lions 2024 Premiership victory is too hard to argue against.
It’s time for those who run the game to be honest. It doesn’t matter how many terrace houses in North Melbourne are decorated in obscure club colours. The heartland is in the north.
There is far too much talent coming out of Queensland to ignore. And there are far too many passengers eating away at funding in the South and West.
QFL it is.
