The Brisbane Lions have pulled off a stunning win against the reigning premiers as they shattered an ugly MCG hoodoo.
The Brisbane Lions have booked their spot into a preliminary final showdown against Geelong after taking down the reigning premiers.
The Lions entered the contest after scraping through in week one and looked down and out in the first half against a rampant Melbourne outfit.
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As the second half got underway however it was a different looking Lions who turned the tables and put the Demons to the sword as they came roaring back into the contest.
An 11 goal to five second half saw the Lions claim the 14.8 (92) to 11.13 (78) victory and advance into the third week of the finals.
In doing so the Lions broke their MCG hoodoo, a venue they haven't won at since 2014 and were riding an 11-game losing streak.
Brisbane's Jarrod Berry may face a nervous wait from the match review panel after a third quarter scuffle with Clayton Oliver, but that didn't stop him from producing a second half for the ages after he was put on Oliver.
Berry had 22 second half touches and got the better of Oliver all over the ground.
"That is as good a second half as I've seen anyone play on a bloke who I think is in the best couple of players in the league," Garry Lyon said on Fox Footy.
Jarrod Berry, take a bow. A massive bow. #AFLDeesLions #AFLFinals
Berry's second half was unbelievable, but that suspect gouging vision means he might not play again this year... #AFLDeesLions
Tempers flared between Clayton Oliver and Jarrod Berry. #AFLFinals pic.twitter.com/6gA5NbAlIf
The Lions will take on the Cats next Friday night, back at the MCG with the winner booking a spot in the 2022 AFL Grand Final.
Melbourne join the West Coast Eagles (2007) and Hawthorn (2016) as reigning premiers to be knocked out in straight sets the following season.
A late scare wasn't enough as the Brisbane Lions came back from 22 points down at halftime to take down the reigning premiers.
A final minute contest saw the Demons through it away with Jake Lever being tackled by Daniel McStay and failing to give the ball back in time to put McStay on the goal line.
Brain explosion of the century— Darren Parkin (@Darren_Parkin) September 9, 2022
Brain explosion of the century
Harrison Petty being thrust forward has turned this game on its head. Petty goaled and then offloaded a handball to an open Ed Langdon to bring the margin back to seven points with 2 minutes to play.
Charlie Cameron has kicked it and more likely than not, that's all she wrote for the Melbourne Demons in 2022.
With a tick over five minutes on the clock the Lions have a 14 point margin.
"What an epic win, minus a few of their superstars," Brian Taylor said on the coverage.
Out of the very next centre clearance the Lions streaked forward and Zac Bailey sprung out the back and put the sealer on it as the margin blew out to 20 points.
A scrappy kick out of congestion ended up in the hands of Lions forward Zac Bailey after some brilliant body work to get rid of Jayden Hunt.
A little bit of a juggle from Bailey but he was able to control it and calmly went back and slotted the goal to give the Lions a nine point buffer with still over 10 minutes to go.
Brisbane are holding onto the slender lead and look to still have the majority of the momentum in this contest, but the Demons aren't going away.
There's still a LOT of time left on that clock and there's some tired looking bodies out on the ground right now.
Daniel McStay has kicked the opening goal in the final quarter and for the first time in this semi-final contest, Brisbane have the lead.
After being down 22 points at halftime, the Lions have put the reigning premiers on the back foot and have all the momentum in this contest.
The Lions had it all their own way, the Demons couldn't get anything going.
Then in the blink of an eye the reigning premiers have slammed home back-to-back goals through Bayley Fritsch and Alex Neal-Bullen.
But just as the Demons looked like they had grabbed the momentum, the Lions bit back in the final minute and a half to kick two of their own and leave it all tied up with one quarter to play.
A dominant third quarter from the Lions has this one well and truly sitting on a knife's edge.
The Brisbane Lions have kicked five in a row to close the margin to a single point.
It's one-way traffic in the premiership quarter with the Demons failing to capitalise with their chances, the Lions have continually cut them open through the middle of the ground and have cashed in on their end.
"This has been turned on its head," Gerard Whateley said on SEN.
Five in a row for the Lions 🦁 pic.twitter.com/NfqlJpdiOO— 7AFL (@7AFL) September 9, 2022
Five in a row for the Lions 🦁 pic.twitter.com/NfqlJpdiOO
A middle of the ground scuffle could cost a Lions star dearly if they're to advance to the preliminary final.
Jarrod Berry and Clayton Oliver tangled in the middle of the MCG and as the wrestle went on, Berry put his left hand on Oliver's head and his fingers made pretty clear contact with Oliver's eyes. If the Lions make it through, Berry may well be watching the final from the sidelines.
Tempers flared between Clayton Oliver and Jarrod Berry. #AFLFinals pic.twitter.com/6gA5NbAlIf— AFL (@AFL) September 9, 2022
Tempers flared between Clayton Oliver and Jarrod Berry. #AFLFinals pic.twitter.com/6gA5NbAlIf
Berry might have a case to answer there#aflfinals @abcsport— Tom Wildie (@tomwildie) September 9, 2022
Berry might have a case to answer there#aflfinals @abcsport
Brisbane have come charging out of the halftime break and applied the blowtorch to the Demons.
After struggling at the centre clearances for most of the game, it's been all Brisbane in the early going of the third as they close the margin down to only 10 points.
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