Brisbane coach Chris Fagan has hailed the never-say-die spirit of his team after the Lions extended their AFL winning streak to seven matches with a dramatic two-point win over ladder leaders Sydney.
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In front of a packed crowd of 33,924 fans at the Gabba on Sunday, the Lions overcame a 15-point deficit at three-quarter time to defeat an injury-hit Swans 11.13 (79) to 11.11 (77) and cement their spot in the top four.
Two quick goals by Hugh McCluggage at the start of the fourth quarter brought the Lions within touch and from there the teams exchanged the lead five times before Callum Ah Chee's sealer with just less than three minutes to play secured the victory.
"It does a lot for the culture of your footy club, just that resilience to hang in there and never give up," Fagan said.
"Not that we've ever been a team that's given up but it just reinforces that.
"They showed an incredibly strong will to win and a strong mindset. Things hadn't gone our way since the first quarter really, so to turn it around like that is a great sign."
The defeat was the Swans' fourth of the season, all by less than a goal, but was far from a worrying one for coach John Longmire.
Having travelled to Queensland without Justin McInerney and James Rowbottom, the Swans lost Dane Rampe (calf) and Tom Papley (ankle) before halftime while Will Hayward was hampered as well after straining an ankle in the second quarter.
Despite those woes, Hayward featured in nine score involvements for the Swans including two crucial goals as the visitors overcame another first-quarter deficit to push the Lions all the way.
The only disappointment for Longmire was the fact his team's efforts weren't rewarded in the end.
"I thought it was an outstanding effort by our players. Absolutely outstanding," Longmire said.
"Sometimes, you pull up short against a team that's won six in a row and I think had lost three quarters over the last month.
"Would have been a great one to win. Would have been a really top notch effort to win, and we didn't."
McCluggage finished with three goals as did Joe Daniher for the Lions while Cam Rayner had two majors in an eye-catching display that also included 20 disposals and six score involvements.
Dual Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale was well tagged by Taylor Adams but the Lions' star did see some more ball in the final term and ended with 18 disposals. Dayne Zorko had a game-high 29 possessions.
For the Swans, Adams picked up 20 disposals as well as a goal while Errol Gulden was their top possession getter with 27 touches as well as a goal.
Brisbane will aim to extend its winning run further next weekend against local rivals Gold Coast while the Swans are back at the SCG to welcome the Western Bulldogs.
Australian Associated Press
