Brisbane Lions

The Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club, shortly Brisbane Lions, is an Australian football team from Brisbane, which plays in the Australian Football League since 1996. The Lions emerged from the merger of the Fitzroy Lions and the Brisbane Bears and currently play at the Brisbane Cricket Ground. With the Geelong Cats Brisbane is the most successful club of the 21st century. The club colors are maroon ( maroon ), blue and gold.

History

The predecessor of the Lions clubs were financially at the end of the 1996 season from ruin. The Brisbane Bears still celebrated a success by reaching the semi-finals, while the Fitzroy Lions ranked at the lower end of the table. A fusion of Lions with North Melbourne was rejected by the clubs of the AFL, so that the Brisbane Bears were the only fusion partner in question. On 1 November 1996, the Brisbane Lions were eventually founded and took part in the first time in 1997 league play.

After a successful first season with the eighth place in the standings and making the play -offs, where already in the first round was against the St Kilda Saints conclusion was followed by a weak season with the wooden spoon as Table. The next few years were marked by a steady increase in performance and reached its climax in reaching the first Grand Finals 2001. Here the Essendon Bombers were defeated and thus won the first title of the Lions. In 2002, the title was successfully defended when the Lions defeated the Collingwood Magpies. A year later, the third title in a row, followed by a final victory over the Collingwood Magpies. Thus, the Lions were only the fourth team, which was in series champions of the AFL three years. 2004 was followed by another Grand Final participation, which, however, was lost to Port Adelaide Power.

In the years following the success could not be repeated, but instead the Lions slid down into the bottom third of the table. As recently as 2009 succeeded in re- making the play -offs, but was where lost in the semifinals against the Western Bulldogs. Then more years followed in the lower third of the table, in 2011 reached the Lions only rank 15 and thus their worst result of the season since the Wooden Spoon 1998.

Achievements

• Championships ( 3): 2001, 2002, 2003
• Vice - Championships ( 1): 2004
• Wooden Spoons ( 1): 1998