As Brisbane’s 2025 AFL premiership side strolled into the MCG changerooms for the first time after their incredible 47-point grand final win over Geelong, the first of many fitting acts greeted the eyes of family, club affiliates and media alike.
Their club’s newest premiership heroes in Oscar McInerney and Darcy Gardiner walked side-by-side, one hand each on the premiership cup — with only 304-game veteran and future Lions legend Dayne Zorko ahead of them.
The former duo endured two very different types of heartbreak that saw them miss out on a maiden senior flag in 2024. McInerney dislocated his shoulder twice the week before last year’s grand final, while Gardiner tore his ACL in Round 8.
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It was almost poetic that they were the pair to first hold the cup aloft in front of those nearest and dearest to the Brisbane Lions faithful.
In a matter of seconds Logan Morris, then Zac Bailey, and then Charlie Cameron raced towards the gigantic esky full of XXXX Gold sat in the middle of the changerooms.
Twenty seconds later, every Lions player and staff member had a yellow 330mL can in their hand, ready to belt out the club song even louder than they did 12 months prior at the Sporting Colosseum.
Zorko thudded the lid of the esky nine times, a clear signal for silence.
Darcy Wilmot broke the quiet with a booming call, finishing with: “Pick up the phone!” — before the Lions boys erupted: “WASSSUUUUUPP!”
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‘WE ARE THE PRIDE OF BRISBANE TOWN…’
The 21 seconds of singing drowned out their changeroom and Geelong’s alike down the hallway, before the club once more erupted into cheers.
First-year players Ty Gallop and Sam Marshall instantly embraced with a handshake and hug, as did Cameron Rayner and Levi Ashcroft. Jubilation was everywhere.
Gallop, who had played more finals than home-and-away matches in his six-game career, simply couldn’t believe he was now an AFL premiership player.
“It’s an unreal experience. To come in at the time of the year that I did … it’s been insane,” Gallop told foxfooty.com.au in the minutes after the club song.
“You definitely dream about it, but the chances, you think are pretty slim. But it just shows that absolutely anything can happen.”
The 19-year-old made his senior debut on June 6 against Adelaide, before being omitted the very next week. The Maroochydore product looked at long odds to play again at the top level in his debut AFL season.
Fast forward two-and-a-half months, and an Eric Hipwood calf injury — which sadly ended his season — saw Gallop recalled for their Round 24 clash with Hawthorn at the Gabba.
Less than a month later, Gallop kicked three huge goals against Collingwood in a preliminary final, and the rest is history.
“My family have been huge, they’ve been huge. They encourage me every day, and my girlfriend’s also my number one supporter,” Gallop added.
“The boys at the footy club, they’re all unreal. We’ve got so many good leaders guiding me in the right direction, and they all give me the confidence to play my best come game day.”
One of those leaders is McInerney, who Gallop described as “one of the best blokes you’ll ever meet” — a consensus widely shared by anyone who comes across the 205cm ruck giant.
The 31-year-old, who overcame the ultimate adversity that came his way 12 months ago, showed the personality that so many have come to love in the moments following Brisbane’s second straight flag.
“They took me as a rookie; immature and naive. I thought I was coming in for a one-year gap year, and they just kept showing me faith,” McInerney told foxfooty.com.au.
“It’s a credit to guys like Danny Daly, ‘Fages’, obviously all our coaches. But then the boys that bought into that, and (players like) Jarrod Berry. You think about him, he’s just an absolutely typical guy that built our brotherhood. It’s gut-wrenching to me (that he missed).
“Now we owe him to get to work as he’s trying to pound the rock again.”
In a quieter corner of the changeroom sat an ever-humble Darcy Gardiner.
The 30-year-old key defender returned from his horrific knee injury in Round 7 against St Kilda, and was forced to shoulder extra responsibility later in the season as fellow defenders Noah Answerth and Jack Payne suffered season-ending injuries.
But the Queenscliff product stood tall, nullifying Jeremy Cameron for the vast majority of Saturday afternoon — well before Cameron’s gruesome arm injury.
“It definitely hasn’t sunk in yet. It was an interesting last quarter the way it panned out; we got to celebrate a few moments early on and then it just kept dragging out!” Gardiner revealed to foxfooty.com.au.
“It means a lot. It was very special last year, even though I wasn’t out there.
“(This year) I’ve been working really closely with the backline group and line coach Dale Morris … there’s certainly a reason I’ve been able to get my job done.”
As the beers continued to fizz down the throats of Brisbane players, staff and family, the enormity of what Brisbane had done was visibly beginning to sink in.
Twice the grand final underdogs, twice the ultimate victors. And back-to-back flags have now once more etched Brisbane’s place in history.
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