Michael Voss

by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

100 games as captain: Jonathan Brown (BRIS) joins Michael Voss (210 games 1997-2006) and Roger Merrett (125 games 1990-96) as the only men to have captained the Brisbane Lions/Brisbane Bears in 100 or more games. Brown was appointed captain in 2007 after Voss retired as a player. Merrett's last year as captain was also the last year of the Brisbane Bears. At the end of 1996, the merger with the Fitzroy Lions was finalized and the Bears became the Brisbane Lions starting in 1997.

by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

Longest Gap Between Matches Against an Opponent: Kevin Sheedy (GWS) met Essendon for the first time since he was a player for Richmond in Round 17, 1978, on July 29. This gap of 33 years and 302 days is the longest gap in League history for any person between matches against one club. Fitzroy's Paddy Noonan played against Geelong in 1898, then coached North Melbourne against Geelong in 1929, a gap of 30 years, 355 days.

The following is the time line for the the Grand Final day events including key times for match and TV related activities.   All times are listed first in Australian AEST and then in US EDT.  This is based on information from the AFL, AFANA, press reports and past history. This story will be periodically updated with late information.  Click on "read more" to see the entire table of events.

Brisbane has a good record at the Gabba and has not lost an encounter against the West Coast Eagles at its home ground in five years. Conditions were wet and slippery after six hours of torrential rain but the Eagles had a lot at stake, fighting for fourth position on the Ladder to secure a home Final. The opening of the game proved that the Lions were not going to make it easy for them.

Fremantle kept its Finals' hopes intact with a convincing win over the Brisbane Lions at Patersons Stadium in Round 14. The Dockers were without Michael Barlow who pulled up sore after his comeback game last week, but Alex Silvagni was back to add some muscle in defense. Brisbane had been doing well since the return of bruising full forward and captain Jonathon Brown, but had their worries without classy midfielder Drew Banfield in the team.

A week is a long time in football, as the saying goes, well try 40 years. It's that long since the League trialled a shortened version of the game with a round robin format called the Lightning Premiership. Decades later and for the early rounds of the NAB Cup the lightning format was back.

With Greater Western Sydney and the Gold Coast coming into the competition, the AFL has slightly reformatted the NAB Cup.

Former Melbourne and West Coast player Andy Lovell has taken the last assistant coaching position at the Gold Coast Suns.

Brisbane traveled west having lost their last thirteen out of fourteen games, including their last eight in a row. The Eagle had not fared much better with one win from ten. Not much is anticipated in terms of a football spectacle when the bottom two teams play and whilst this game had its moments, it largely lived up to expectations.