SCG -- A relentless Sydney has defied the many doubters to stun reigning premier Brisbane by 53 points, booking a home preliminary final and putting a difficult fortnight behind them.
The Swans will return to the SCG in a fortnight to host the winner of next week's semifinal between Fremantle and Geelong, while the Lions will dust themselves off for a clash against either Adelaide or the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba.
Here are three things we learned from the game:
We were foolish to completely write off the Swans in 2026
Sydney's premiership hopes went up in smoke the moment news of the Pullman Hotel saga broke last month. At least that's what every media publication and footy fan believed, given five of the club's best 23 would ultimately be ruled out of finals, including arguably their two most dynamic players in Isaac Heeney and Chad Warner.
With a qualifying final date against Brisbane, a side hunting a third consecutive premiership and having won 10 of its past 11 games, few expected the Swans would be able to put up much of a fight on Saturday afternoon. Sydney didn't just put up a fight, they produced one of the gutsiest, backs-against-the-wall finals wins in club history, stunning the Lions to advance to an unlikely home preliminary final.
Dean Cox's side roared out of the gates, playing with the kind of dare and freedom that probably comes from knowing the entirety of the football world had written them off. Sydney had the Lions rattled in the opening minutes, then shellshocked, and ultimately void of answers. At quarter-time the margin was 26. At the main break, and after absorbing a second term punch from the champs, it had still managed to grow to 30. At the final change it had ballooned to 46 points and the result was beyond doubt.
So much was spoken about the Swans players not taking part in this qualifying final, but perhaps we should have been focusing on those who would be taking to the SCG.
Midfield maestro Errol Gulden continued his incredible patch of form with a game-high 34 disposals, eight score involvements, eight clearances, 10 inside 50s, and an incredible third-term major that could easily win Goal of the Year honours, should finals games be eligible for the prestigious gong. You could now make the case that's six best on grounds in a row for Gulden.
The Swans backs were resolute all day against the prolific Lions attack and the forwards electric, with Tom Papley, Charlie Curnow, Logan McDonald, and Hayden McLean combining for 19 of Sydney's 21 goals (more on them a little later).
It wasn't a perfect afternoon, however. Co-captain Callum Mills was ruled out of the game early with what is feared to be a ruptured ACL. But the Swans proved on Saturday they have the depth in the squad to cover losses to key personnel. And now they're just one win away from yet another Grand Final.
The Lions stunk it up ... but they've still got another chance ...
You can sit there and analyse Brisbane's performance all night long, but ultimately it was just another one of those rare off days for the Lions. Although, are they that rare these days?
In Round 11, the Giants hit them for 14 goals in a wild third term and ran out 78-point winners. In Round 21, the Blues notched their highest score in a decade, winning 154-78. On Saturday afternoon, it was Sydney's turn to humble them. The 141 points was the most conceded by the Lions in a final in 26 years and, in many ways, the 53-point fulltime margin flattered them.
Much like the Dockers on Thursday evening, Brisbane started poorly and struggled to work themselves into the contest. And much like Fremantle, the Lions will now need to pick up the pieces and prepare to go to war once again, only this time there will be no tomorrow for the loser.
But before you go sounding the alarm and drawing a big red line through this team, just remember, we've seen this movie before. As recently as last year, in fact. The Lions were belted by Geelong in a road qualifying final and bounced back with three consecutive wins over the Suns, Magpies, and the Cats on Grand Final day to successfully defend their premiership. They'll have to trek a similarly tricky path again if they're to complete the three-peat, but proof of concept has to count for something, as does their 10-2 record in win-or-go-home finals since 2022.
Perhaps the greatest reason for some Lions optimism is that so many of the club's prime movers were well below their best on Saturday. Two-time Brownlow Medal winner Lachie Neale was held to just 18 touches and two clearances, while back-to-back Norm Smith Medal winner Will Ashcroft had 21 disposals at 62% efficiency. Kai Lohmann, who was in discussion for All-Australian selection, didn't touch the ball in the first half, Charlie Cameron was a complete no-show, and Logan Morris was only able to hit the scoreboard when the game was all but over.
Sure, the Lions had a stinker. But write them off at your own peril.
Charlie Curnow just completely flipped his big game narrative, and he wasn't the only Swans forward to have a day out
The monkey is off the back!
If there was any criticism one could have of three-time Coleman Medal winner Charlie Curnow, it's that he hasn't ever shown up in finals. Granted, he's only ever had one finals campaign. That was back in 2023 with the Blues where he was reduced to a non-factor and managed just one goal in each of his three finals appearances.
Three years on, Curnow is back in September, and he wasted absolutely no time in rewriting the narrative he isn't a big-game player. Curnow was lively from the outset, dragging opponent Darcy Gardiner up the ground and crashing packs with the sort of hunger you desperately want to see from your highly-compensated spearhead. Curnow kicked five goals in the win, had eight score involvements, and an equal team-high three contested marks.
Curnow wasn't the only Sydney forward to relish the finals occasion. Logan McDonald enjoyed a career outing, booting six goals from 15 disposals on All-Australian fullback Harris Andrews. Like Curnow, McDonald has been someone who has failed to ignite at the pointy end of the season, averaging just a goal per game from his six prior appearances in September.
And then there was the Energizer Bunny, Tom Papley. He booted five goals of his own, had a game-high 13 score involvements, and laid some critical tackles early in the contest.
Whoever plays the Swans in two weeks time will have to contend with a home crowd and three forwards in red-hot form.
