Brisbane's changed machine chases three in a row

Brisbane will play Fremantle in the 2026 Toyota AFL Grand Final at 2.30pm AEST on Saturday, September 26. Win it and the Lions become only the seventh club in VFL/AFL history to win three premierships in a row — league titles — in their fourth straight decider ABC News.

The start time is confirmed by the AFL for Saturday afternoon AFL.com.au. Brisbane arrives as the two-time reigning premier. Fremantle stands in the way of the three-peat.

Brisbane booked its place with a classic. The Lions beat Hawthorn 20.11 (131) to 19.8 (122) in the preliminary final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground Brisbane Lions. That is nine points. In footy scoring, 20.11 means 20 goals and 11 behinds, for 131 points.

The run started with pain. Brisbane lost the 2023 grand final to Collingwood. It then won back-to-back flags to enter this finals series as the hunted side.

Coach Chris Fagan has led the Lions to all four of those grand finals. He is still the man in charge for Saturday.

Only 11 players have played in all four. The Lions will have used 35 different players across the four deciders ABC News. Only 11 have played in all four.

That turnover is sharp. Brisbane used just 29 players across its four straight grand finals at the turn of the century. This group has already changed more. Six players in the 2025 grand final side did not play in the previous year's win over Sydney.

The method has not changed. Since 2024, Brisbane has kicked the ball more than any other side. No team has taken more marks — clean catches that earn a free kick. The Lions have also ranked in the top two for clearance difference in each of the last four seasons. A clearance is the first clean possession out of a stoppage, the ruck contest or ball-up where both midfields collide.

In short, they win the hard ball first. Then they control it by foot.

Brisbane also gets a key in. Midfielder Lachie Neale was freed from suspension ahead of the grand final.

What makes this stand out is the mix of stability and churn. The system holds. The faces change. Fagan keeps picking a team that kicks, marks and clears as well as anyone, even as premiership players drop out and new ones step in.