There was genuine emotion as the retiring Buchanan and the de-listed Stiller and Hawksley wore the Lions jumper for the last time as the Reserves side capped a sensational season with a thumping 69-point win over Queanbeyan to claim the overall NEAFL Championship.
Clarke spoke without a moment's hesitation of how much the club would miss the three old men, relatively speaking, of a side which included 14 teenagers and surprised even their coach with a powerhouse win over the Eastern Conference NEAFL premiers.
"Absolutely, they've been outstanding people for our football club. As a coach of a side which is really all about development I couldn't have asked for three better role models," he said."
The respect the exiting trio were shown by the Lion cubs was enormous, and was typified when the players gathered in the small dressing rooms at Manuka Stadium to sign the club song for the 17th and last time for the season.
There was one player missing. "Wait for Monty (Buchanan)," yelled someone.
And they did. Just a few seconds until the retiring midfielder jumped into the circle to join Stiller, Hawksley and their young side in pumping out the words 'We are the pride of Brisbane town" with as much gusto as ever.
Among the celebrating Lions was first-year rookie Sam Michael, who capped a sensational finals campaign by winning the best afield Andrew Ireland Medal, named in honor of the highly-respected former Brisbane Lions Chief Executive and AFL Queensland General Manager who is now in charge of Sydney Swans.
Michael, who had played in the Redland Reserves premiership side last year, was one of 14 Lions players celebrating the rare treat of a second senior grand final win in six days.
Jordan Lisle was among them. And after kicking five goals in the first grand final he added a further eight against Queanbeyan in another standout performance as he rivalled Michael and Buchanan for the medal.
It was an occasion of mixed significance at the end of a game of which the relevance has been questioned at the end of a long, hard campaign.
Truth be known the second grand final of the NEAFL season wasn't a game on which Buchanan, Stiller and Hawksley were ever going to live or do.
They'd got the flag they were really after six days earlier when they beat the NT Thunder by 10 goals at Yeronga to win the NEAFL Northern Conference.
But they took exactly the same enthusiasm and professionalism to the national capital for the post-script premiership game against Queanbeyan, who had beaten the Sydney Swans Reserves to claim the Eastern Conference pennant.
And they played accordingly as the Lions, barely recognisable from the line-up which had beaten the Thunder, dealt the local Tigers a lesson in run, enthusiasm and class.
