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Kangaroos captain Emma Kearney said it best following her side’s grand final defeat: “If there’s one thing you should never do, it’s underestimate the Lions.”
So who stood out in the club’s 7.2 (44) to 4.3 (27) victory, and what comes next for this champion team?
Next step? Bring more fans in
Lions coach Craig Starcevich expressed his hope Sunday’s spectacle was one of enjoyable footy for fans because, according to the joint-coach of the year, that needed to be the next step for the game to attract a greater fan base.
The Lions have claimed their second AFLW flag.Credit: Getty
While the campaign was the closest it had been, average attendance has dropped overall since bursting onto the scene in 2017.
In the opening three years of the AFLW, average crowds exceeded 6000 spectators across the season. Between the start of the 2017 campaign and end of 2020 premiership race, live audience figures averaged 6424.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, however, that number has dropped dramatically.
This year’s 2876 fans was the highest since 2020, with the average across the past three campaigns just 2597. It is worth noting that this change has coincided with games becoming ticketed in 2021.
For Starcevich, part of what could draw punters back to the gates is the style of football brought to the field.
Brisbane played high-pressure football, attempting to push forward against the Kangaroos while applying plenty of physicality to their game.
The Brisbane Lions’ high-pressure game got the job done on grand final day. Credit: Getty
They made a staggering 109 tackles to North Melbourne’s 75, breaking the record for most tackles in a game by an AFLW outfit.
But what thrills crowds are high-scoring affairs – two teams trading blows while still encompassing the same brutality Starcevich’s side brought off the ball.
The 2023 campaign was the highest scoring in the competition’s history throughout the regular season, and the five-time grand final coach implored the game to continue following that trend in a bid to strengthen its fan base.
AFLW average team points per game
2017: 32.91
2018: 35.29
2019: 35.73
2020: 32.37
2021: 35.24
2022: 33.69
Season 7 (2022): 32.63
2023: 40.71
“We’re high pressure and a bit manic going forward, would like to have a cleaner method going forward, but we enjoy playing that style,” Starcevich said.
“We like to go forward and score, seven goals to four, that’s a much better outcome than what we had last year when we had two goals each [in the grand final against Melbourne]. I know we lost the game, but it grated on me a little bit that we put on not such a good spectacle.
“I hope the general punter likes our style of footy, because we’re in a phase now we need to get people watching.
“The bigger task for AFLW generally is to get people watching, and there’s a lot of attractive footy getting played this year, so I hope we’re doing our bit.”
There are some contributing factors to this beyond the players’ control, such as the game’s decision to field all contests at smaller, regional venues, rather than have marquee battles hosted at larger stadiums.
No games were played at grounds such as the MCG, Marvel Stadium or Optus Stadium, but Starcevich believed the brand of football that could be played on those surfaces would strengthen the attacking nature he felt needed to grow.
“I have a view that is not necessarily shared by most people, but I like the stadiums for the quality of footy it produces – the quick decks and the enclosed surroundings,” Starcevich said.
Brisbane coach Craig Starcevich lifts the AFLW premiership cup with skipper Breanna Koenen, much to the delight of the Lions players.Credit: Getty
Dakota’s dominance: Is this the AFLW’s leading hard woman?
The biggest story line coming out of the Lions’ camp before the opening whistle was whether Dakota Davidson would take the field.
Not only did the key forward do so, but she stole the show and iced the two major moments that ultimately spearheaded Brisbane’s fourth-quarter charge to a second premiership.
The 24-year-old was distraught on the sidelines at the end of her side’s preliminary final win over Adelaide, with concerns that a knee injury would cruel her of the chance to take on the Kangaroos.
Dakota Davidson of the Brisbane Lions.Credit: Getty
Yet, Davidson was cleared on the eve of the clash, and her two goals – one which featured a strong contested mark – in the final term to get within a point, and then take the lead, showed that she was a woman for an occasion.
“I did say to her before the game it’s unlikely a key forward is going to dominate a grand final because we haven’t seen that happen for yonks, but it’s terrific she hung in the game and not get frustrated,” Starcevich said.
“She’s normally clunking a few early in the game getting everyone up and about, but today was more about perseverance and hanging in there and waiting for your opportunity.
“The more people up the field got on top of their roles the more supply is coming in. She loves those moments.”
Never did Davidson look hindered by the setback, so how does she rate among the AFLW’s toughest competitors?
According to Lions skipper Breanna Koenen – who finished as best on ground with a goal, 19 disposals and was a rock at the back – she is more than that, she is the key to Brisbane’s energy.
“Daks is more than just a player on our team – she’s our barometer for energy as well,” Koenen said.
“To have her on the field was pretty special, no matter what she did, and to be able to perform under that sort of pressure it’s pretty incredible.”
Queens of the rebuild
Through every competition expansion, the Lions’ success has left them gutted of talent.
Having featured now in five of eight grand finals, when new teams join the fray – all 18 AFL clubs now represented – recruitment turns to who has dominated at the top level already.
In the lead up to 2023, Brisbane lost former premiership winner, best and fairest medal holder and three-time All Australian Emily Bates (Hawthorn), as well as Greta Bodey (Hawthorn) and Jesse Wardlaw (St Kilda).
Ally Anderson is one of the foundation Lions still setting the standard in Brisbane.Credit: Getty
Lauren Bella (Gold Coast) and Tahlia Randall (North Melbourne) are among those who found new homes amid the AFL’s initial expansions.
But through the recruitment raids, Brisbane have remained synonymous with finals football, and the incoming brigade such as former Sun Ellie Hampson – who kicked two goals against the Kangaroos – have guaranteed seamless transitions.
But Starcevich declared it was a narrative that did not hold much weight in the dressing rooms, with the likes of veterans Ally Anderson, Sophie Conway and Koenen all driving the standards that were first set back in 2017.
“It gets talked about a lot, but for us, it’s more a distraction than anything else. We’ve just got to get on with what we’ve got and what cards we’ve got to play,” Starcevich said.
“From our point of view it’s just onwards with what we’ve got, try and find the best combo, bring new people in.
“The new people in have been very grateful for the opportunities … I think winning a flag helps.”
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