Draper wins flag in first Lions year as Brisbane runs over Fremantle for three-peat
Brisbane Lions beat Fremantle by seven points in the 2026 Toyota AFL Grand Final to make it three premierships in a row.
The Lions trailed by 17 points with four minutes left on Saturday at the MCG, then kicked the last four goals to steal it. The last two came from Logan Morris, closing one of the great Grand Final finishes, according to AFL.com.au.
For Sam Draper, the win capped a sharp turn in fortune. Twelve months earlier he ruptured his Achilles tendon in round six playing for Essendon, a season-ending injury. A year later he held a premiership medal in his first season at Brisbane, according to the ABC.
Draper plays in the ruck, the tall role that contests the tap when play restarts after a stoppage. He moved from Essendon to Brisbane via free agency in the trade period, the window when out-of-contract players can switch clubs without a trade.
Brisbane entered 2026 already holding back-to-back flags. The club added Draper and former West Coast captain Oscar Allen ahead of its tilt at a three-peat.
The contrast with Draper’s old club was stark. Essendon finished 18th in 2026, last on the ladder. Brisbane finished first when it mattered.
Draper and Allen arrived as outsiders together. They shared a car to training for their first four months in Brisbane before lining up as Grand Final teammates at the MCG, according to the Brisbane Lions.
It was not a smooth start. Draper missed Opening Round as he continued his recovery. He then played the next 25 games straight to reach the decider.
Brisbane named him on its five-man interchange bench for the Grand Final, the group of substitutes who rotate on and off through the game. He gave the Lions a physical presence around the ball late, when Fremantle had been on top at the stoppages.
The numbers tell that part. Fremantle won the clearances 45 to Brisbane’s 31, the first tap-and-gather from a stoppage, but could not hold on, according to The West.
Fremantle led deep into the last term. Brisbane kept coming. Four straight goals. Silence, then noise.
What makes this stand out is the speed of Draper’s swing. A ruptured Achilles is a long rehab, often a full year away from the game. He went from that low to a premiership in his first year in new colours.
