The Brisbane Lions peeked through the window of their brightening future, and in the process helped an emotional Tom Rockliff celebrate a runaway QClash win over Gold Coast at the Gabba on Saturday night.
The result completed a horror week for the SUNS, who stormed to a 21-point quarter-time lead, only to watch the Lions dominate from then on and cruise to a 22.10 (142) to 12.12 (84) victory.
While Rockliff starred with 24 disposals and three goals, the Lions can largely thank Dayne Beams for the reversal after quarter-time, with the skipper winning his second Marcus Ashcroft Medal for the season with another sublime showing.
Beams finished with 32 disposals, four goals, four assists and 13 score involvements, and dragged his team back into the game after a lacklustre first term.
The Lions kicked the last four goals of the second quarter, with Beams drilling one from 50m and setting up others for his brother Claye and forward Josh Walker as the home team arrested the momentum.
They kicked the last six goals of the third quarter to take the sting out of the contest and race to a 32-point lead at the final change.
Beams' performance was as dominant as you'll see, but he had plenty of mates joining in as the match wore on.
Lewy Taylor (25 disposals and two goals) continued a fine season, buzzing around as a high half-forward and missing only one target for the match – in the fourth quarter.
Jake Barrett kicked three goals while Daniel Rich (22) and Dayne Zorko (22) also contributed strongly.
For the SUNS, it completed a tough five days after coach Rodney Eade left the club and the withdrawals of stars Tom Lynch (knee), Gary Ablett (hamstring) and Pearce Hanley (hamstring).
During the week, interim coach Dean Solomon asked his men to be harder at the ball and hungrier without it – and their first quarter delivered in spades.
When the ball was in dispute, they were ferocious, leading the contested possessions 47-30 on the way to a handy quarter-time lead.
And when the Lions got their hands on it, the SUNS' defensive pressure was manic, racking up 15 tackles in their forward 50 before the hosts had one.
They won that stat 25-6 for the night.
The SUNS looked like a totally different team.
Solomon said one-and-a-half quarters of competitive football just wasn't good enough.
"It's a consistent trend, we do fall away too easy," he said.
"That's what we need to address.
"There's no magic formula, it's pure hard work and that's what the boys are committed to for the next two weeks.
"What we produced tonight was unacceptable for two-and-a-half quarters."
Touk Miller (29 disposals) and David Swallow (30) dominated the clearances, and Jack Martin was sublime playing close to goal, kicking three majors in the space of five minutes to give the SUNS a well-deserved advantage at the first change.
Martin finished with 4.4 for the night and could have finished with seven or eight if he had kicked straight and grabbed the marks he got his hands to.
BRISBANE LIONS 3.2 9.4 15.6 22.10 (142)
GOLD COAST 6.5 8.9 9.9 12.12 (84)
GOALS
Brisbane Lions: D. Beams 4, Barrett 3, Rockliff 3, Walker 2, Lester 2, Taylor 2, C. Beams, Hipwood, Bastinac, Mathieson, Close, Zorko
Gold Coast: Martin 4, Schoenfeld, Lemmens, May, Hall, Wright, Currie, Miller, Swallow
BEST
Brisbane Lions: D.Beams, Taylor, Rockliff, Bastinac, Rich, Andrews
Gold Coast: Martin, Miller, Swallow, Currie, May, Hall
INJURIES
Brisbane Lions: Nil
Gold Coast: Lemmens (leg)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: O'Gorman, Nicholls, Ryan
Official crowd: 17,772 at the Gabba
