These are the “hard luck” stories that have ensured the Brisbane Lions have never lost their hunger for sustained success, and transformed them from hapless cellar dwellers to premiership juggernauts throughout the past decade.
For all the plateaus this outfit have scaled en route to a fourth-straight grand final against Fremantle this Saturday, injuries have prevented many key members from featuring at this stage of the season.
Last year, Eric Hipwood (ACL) and Jarrod Berry (shoulder) were among those names, having hoisted the trophy in 2024.
“I wouldn’t say I ever feared it was going to be my last chance because I have so much faith and belief in this group. But it definitely drove me throughout the off season,” Berry admitted.
“I had my shoulder [surgery] done, and with the mundane nature of rehab, it gave me a bit of a driving factor.”
Hipwood added: “I was still able to see my best mates win a grand final, and I wouldn’t want to see anything else.”
While the pair tasted ultimate glory two years ago, Jack Payne and Keidean Coleman have missed the chance more often than not.
Payne missed the 2025 campaign’s title run after suffering a left patellar tendon tear, and surgery on the issue in February cost the defender his 2026 season.
Coleman, meanwhile, arguably went within a goal of being the 2023 Norm Smith Medal winner, only for Collingwood to break Brisbane hearts, and has missed the two premiership wins due to recurring issues with a ruptured ACL sustained in the opening round of 2024, as well as a quad strain.
The 26-year-old played just two games in the two years following, and has been limited to just 13 this season after hamstring and concussion concerns. While he has proven his fitness, he has not taken the field since the round 23 defeat to Carlton.
“They come in here and bring so much energy, and it does give guys getting the opportunity a bit of a kick. I’ll be out there playing for those guys, having been in their position last year,” Berry said.
“I know how much it hurts. I do feel for them, but … who knows what happens there? Potentially there’s a really good-luck story coming. I feel a responsibility that I owe them to go out and play with massive effort and do it for them.”
Hipwood added: “There’s always a fairytale in sport, and there’s always a hard-luck story in sport. In the last few years they’ve been that hard-luck story, but I’m fully aware – and I saw this last year with my own eyes – it takes much more than the 23 players out there to win a premiership.”
Having attained so much success in the past four years, questions have been asked from outside the Lions’ four walls whether they still had the hunger needed to emerge victorious by season’s end.
But Hipwood, as he “reminds Logan Morris every week”, appreciates how quickly things can turn.
The forward made his AFL debut during Brisbane’s time in the doldrums, finishing 17th in 2016 and claiming the wooden spoon the following year. In contrast, Morris, Will Ashcroft, Levi Ashcroft and Jaspa Fletcher have only finished their career campaigns with grand final appearances.
Those were harrowing days the 29-year-old concedes he was “never going to forget”, and made maintaining the intensity a simple task, even in the midst of his knee rehabilitation.
Hipwood returned in round 16, and has produced some of his most consistent form – kicking 13 goals from his past six games, having been a maligned figure in the eyes of fans for his inconsistency.
While Lions coach Chris Fagan last week alluded to Hipwood deleting his social media accounts, the man himself said he did not do so intentionally, having been hacked while holidaying overseas and deciding his lack of screen time in that period had been beneficial.
But his time on the sidelines afforded him the opportunity to stack on eight kilograms of muscle, a factor he credits for his resurgent form.
“When you’re training on the track a fair bit you focus on footy, but when you’re out for nine months you can focus on a few different things – whether that’s in the gym, or doing code swapping like swimming, you can focus on that,” Hipwood said.
“Fortunately, or unfortunately, I’ve done an ACL before and missed out in 2021, and we got knocked out in straight sets. I think that made last year’s experience a little bit easier, and I also had Lincoln McCarthy and Kiddy to lean on for advice with how to deal with it.”
While Coleman will use the week to push for his first grand final appearance in three years, he will face stern competition from Noah Answerth to force his way into the backline should any changes occur.
An ankle injury kept Answerth sidelined for the semi-final and preliminary final wins against Adelaide and Hawthorn, having already missed the 2023 flag battle against the Magpies with a shoulder issue, and the 2026 win against Geelong with a ruptured Achilles.
Fellow defender Ryan Lester, who announced a one-year contract extension on Tuesday – despite conceding he contemplated retirement before last year’s premiership win – sensed the battle between those who have missed selection thus far would make for one of their more enthralling grand final build-ups yet, and would ensure they remained committed to achieving a title three-peat.
“The competition is so hard, and it’s so hard to get to the position we are now. I look at the teams who have played finals this year, and think most of them are probably going to improve next year, so there are absolutely no guarantees that we’ll get back here,” he said.
“In terms of that hunger, we’d love to win another one, clearly.”
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