Brown stood head and shoulders above his teammates in his first match for eight weeks since suffering multiple facial fractures in round one against Fremantle.
He finished with 13 disposals, 11 marks (five contested) and four goals - all after the main break - to lead his team to a 10.13 (73) to 8.11 (59) victory.
The Lions trailed by 13 points at half-time and five at three-quarter time but kicked three goals to none in the last quarter to break their season drought.
The match swung either side of the last break when Brown was the recipient of two 50m penalties - with infringements from Scott McMahon and Scott Thompson - to bring the scores level early in the last.
Todd Banfield then banged home a goal from 50m and Jack Redden sealed the win with five minutes remaining when he kicked truly.
But Brown was the hero, despite a terrific contest all night from first gamer Luke Delaney, who won his share of one-on-one contests with the Lions superstar.
"There's jubilation in the rooms of course," Brown said.
"It was a gutsy effort tonight. We weren't entirely happy with our first half but we played a bit smarter footy in the second half and played to the conditions, put them under a fair bit of pressure.
"I was happy in the end to get those goals. As the game wore on I started to feel more comfortable."
It was a hard slog for both teams all night with a heavy downpour in the first half ensuring conditions were slippery the entire night.
North Melbourne dominated the first half, winning the clearances 25-9, but failed to capitalise on the scoreboard, kicking 4.6 in the second term.
Aaron Edwards (three goals) and Drew Petrie (two) were proving a handful for Lions defenders Joel Patfull and Daniel Merrett, but did not get the same chances in the second half.
First Quarter
BRISBANE Lions took a two-point lead into the first quarter, in which it took 15 minutes for the first goal to be kicked. North Melbourne captain Brent Harvey kicked his team’s first, although it was followed by a Mitch Clark goal. Bryce Retzlaff had one of the few highlights of the quarter with his first AFL goal, a creative soccer kick between two North Melbourne defenders. Drew Petrie, who had taken a screamer earlier, only to kick it out on the full, made amends with a goal late in the term to make it 2.3 (15) to 2.1(13) to the Lions.
Second Quarter
The Kangaroos handled the steady rain better in the second quarter, although their lead could have been larger at half time. Goals to Aaron Edwards and Lindsay Thomas then made way for a barrage of North Melbourne behinds. Petrie was the main culprit, taking two marks within scoring range but spraying both shots. Luke Power kicked a goal against the play for the Lions before Edwards booted another two to take his second-quarter tally to three. The Lions rallied late with a goal to Sam Sheldon to make the half time score 6.7 (43) to 4.6 (30) to North Melbourne.
Third Quarter
Jonathan Brown, in his first game back from injury, opened the third quarter in a way Lions fans have dreamed about since he was injured in Round 1, taking a sliding chest mark and converting from 35m. North Melbourne then looked likely to run away with the match, following goals from Petrie and Thomas, but Brown took control, kicking the Lions’ only other two goals for the quarter to have them within reach of the Kangaroos at three quarter time. The score at the final change was 7.10 (52) to 8.9 (57) to North Melbourne.
Fourth Quarter
Brown’s fourth goal for the game was the spark his side needed. The goal levelled the scores and a tense struggle, in which the Lions kept the ball in their forward 50, finally paid off for the home side, when Todd Banfield kicking his first for the night, to give the Lions some breathing space. Jack Redden kicked his first goal of the game and sealed the Lion’s first win of the year not long after.
Influential players
While Brown was tremendous in the forward line, the Lions got plenty of drive from the back half. Vice captain Jed Adcock (26 disposals, 11 marks) and Pearce Hanley (21 disposals, five inside 50s) constantly ran forward to lead the Lions' attacking thrusts. Hanley's final quarter mark backing into an oncoming Drew Petrie was a highlight.
On a night that was difficult for forwards, Petrie was a constant threat. He finished with 20 disposals, seven marks and two goals and gave in-form Lions fullback Daniel Merrett plenty of headaches. Despite some final quarter turnovers, Andrew Swallow (33 disposals, nine clearances) was excellent in the clinches.
What it means
It wasn't pretty but the Lions finally have a win on the board. With their captain back and firing they can look to the rest of the season with renewed vigour and confidence. One win doesn't make things rosy, but it may just turn the tide to take the pressure of coach Michael Voss. It also means they move above Port Adelaide and into 16th place.
The next four
Adelaide (AAMI Stadium); Sydney Swans (Gabba); Carlton (Etihad Stadium); Richmond (Gabba).
Dream Team highlight
After a slow first half, Jack Redden really got motoring to lead the Lions with 119 points. Jed Adcock (118) was close behind, while Brown stamped his authority in his comeback with 93 points.
Finally
Not only was it the Lions' first win of the season, it was their first win at the Gabba in almost a year. Their last win on home soil came in round 10 last year when they defeated eventual premiers Collingwood 13.10 (88) to 11.14 (80). The win came on May 29, 2010 - 357 days ago. The Lions had recorded nine straight losses on their home ground.
Turning points
On a night when goals were difficult to come by, Scott McMahon and Scott Thompson let their teammates down badly. Late in the third quarter with the Lions trailing by two goals, Brown took a mark 55m from goal. While covering the distance would have been tough on a wet night, it was made a certainty when McMahon took too long in returning the ball to Brown, resulting in a 50m penalty. Then early in the final term, Brown leveled the scores when Thompson ran over the mark to gift Brown another 50m and another goal. Brad Scott called the incidents "undisciplined".
Brisbane Lions 2.3 4.6 7.10 10.13 (73)
North Melbourne 2.1 6.7 8.9 8.11 (59)
GOALS
Brisbane Lions: Brown 4, Banfield, Clark, Retzlaff, Power, Redden, Sheldon
North Melbourne: Edwards 3, Thomas 2, Petrie 2, Harvey
BEST
Brisbane Lions: Brown, Adcock, Polkinghorne, Hanley, Banfield
North Melbourne: Rawlings, Swallow, Petrie, Harvey, Edwards.
INJURIES
Brisbane Lions: Rockliff (calf)
North Melbourne: nil
SUBSTITUTES
Brisbane Lions: Tom Rockliff replaced by Rohan Bewick in the third quarter
North Melbourne: Lachlan Hansen replaced by Cruize Garlett in the fourth quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Kennedy, Schmitt, Hay
Official crowd: 18,404 at the Gabba
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the club
