In 37 years in the AFL there have been a multitude of cliff-hanger Brisbane games to close out the home-and-away season, with high stakes on the line. Just as there is this year with today's must-win clash with Essendon at the Gabba. In fact, it’s happened more often than not.

The most memorable and emotional last round game was in 1995 when, as the Brisbane Bears, they snuck into the finals for the first time in the most unlikely of circumstances.

Sitting 14^th on the ladder at Round 15 with a 4-11 record, they’d made a late charge at the finals with five wins in six weeks, broken only by a 14-point loss to ladder leaders Carlton.

Going into Round 22 in what always going to be coach Robert Walls’ last season at the helm, Brisbane were equal 8^th at 9-12 but behind Melbourne and Collingwood on percentage.

Their fate, in part, was in their own hands as they were drawn to play Melbourne at the Gabba on the Friday night. But they also needed 13^th-placed Sydney to beat Collingwood at the SCG.

Brisbane did their bit, accounting for the Demons by 21 points with a side that included a 20-year-old Michael Voss, who picked up three Brownlow Medal votes in his 54^th game as two other familiar names figured in the votes – Adrian Fletcher (two) and Marcus Ashcroft (one).

The Bears side, led by 295-gamer Roger Merrett, included a host of other stars in the making. Shaun Hart at 24 had finally cemented his place in the side, Craig McRae was 22 in his first season, Darryl White was 22, Nigel Lappin, Chris Scott and Justin Leppitsch were 19, and Jason Akermanis was 18.

The players and coaching staff gathered at Kelly’s Saloon at South Brisbane on the Sunday to watch the Sydney game on the Sunday afternoon.

It didn’t look good when Collingwood, coached by Leigh Matthews, led by 25 points at halftime. They were still 12 up at three-quarter time but, with Tony Lockett creating all sorts of havoc at full forward, at least there was hope as TV cameras and media waited patiently outside.

And when the Swans kicked 8-1 to 2-2 in the final term to win by 23 points all sort of mayhem broke loose. ‘Plugger’ had kicked seven goals and Andrew Dunkley, father of Josh, picked up three Brownlow Medal votes as Brisbane snuck into eighth with a 10-12 record.

So much did it mean to fullback Richard Champion, who had won just 17 of 75 games in his first year, that he was was famously caught crying on national television as the media moved in.

The Bears lost by 13 points to Carlton the following week before the Blues beat North by 62 points in the preliminary final and Geelong by 61 points in the grand final. Brisbane were clearly the second-best side in the competition as their ninth year closed.

Eight years earlier it hadn’t taken long for what can-be a ‘dead rubber’ in the last round of the home-and-away season to take on major importance when, in the club’s first season in 1987, Round 22 was a wooden-spoon grand final.

The then Bears went into the last game of the year on the bottom of the ladder, behind Richmond by 7.4%, but beat the Tigers by 56 points on a Friday night at the MCG to avoid the dreaded ‘spoon’.

It was an unforgettable night for Southport wingman Darren Carlson in just his 11^th game. The 20-year-old Queensland football Hall of Famer had a team-high and career-best 28 possessions in an all-the-way Brisbane win. Brad Hardie kicked seven goals and Jim Edmond four goals as the Brownlow Medal votes went to Mike Richardson, ex-Tigers champion Geoff Raines and captain Mark Mickan.

In 1990 the Bears also had a chance to avoid the ‘spoon’ in Round 22 when they were a game behind Sydney but ahead on percentage. A win over eighth-placed Footscray at Whitten Oval would have done the job if 11^th-placed Richmond beat Sydney.

Richmond did their bit on the Sunday afternoon, but by then it didn’t matter. In what was the last game for Bears coach Norm Dare, who had only accepted the role on a caretaker basis ahead of Robert Walls’ arrival in 1991, the Dogs won by 21 points on the Friday night.

It was also the last game for inaugural Bears club champion Phillip Walsh, 1988 club champion Mark Withers, Rodney Eade, Richardson, Carlson, Chris O’Sullivan and Peter Davidson, the last Brisbane game for Mark Roberts, who moved to North, and the 50^th AFL game for Queenslander Michael Gibson.

In the 24-round season of 1991 after the Adelaide Crows had joined the competition the Bears went into Round 24 equal at the bottom of the ladder with Fitzroy but ahead by 5%. In the expectation that Fitzroy would fall to minor premiers West Coast at Princes Park, the Bears needed to beat 10^th-placed Footscray at Carrara to avoid the spoon.

But again it didn’t matter. In one of Fitzroy’s great victories, they beat the Eagles by 10 points after trailing by 26 points at halftime. Brett Stephens kicked five goals and Darren Harding four for Fitzroy as Ross Lyon picked up three Brownlow votes, Paul Roos (two) and Alastair Lynch (one).

Brisbane lost to Footscray anyway, going down by six goals after leading at each change. Michael McLean, playing against his former club for the first time, earned one medal vote on route to the first of two Brisbane best & fairest awards.

In 1996 Brisbane were on top of the ladder at Round 21, well ahead of Sydney on percentage, and needed only to beat 11^th-placed Collingwood at Victoria Park to claim their first minor premiership.

It didn’t happen. They conceded seven goals in the final quarter to lose by 49 points and slip to third. They beat Essendon by a point a week later in the first Gabba final and Carlton by 97 points at the Gabba in the semi-final but fell to eventual premiers North in the preliminary final at the MCG.

In 1997, the first year of the Brisbane Lions, the season looked over when they lost by 39 points to West Coast at the WACA on the Friday night of Round 22 after going into the last round in a dogfight for eighth spot.

They flew home hoping against home, needing Richmond (13^th) to beat Carlton (10^th) at Princes Park and Melbourne (16^th) to beat Fremantle (11^th) at the MCG on the Saturday, and eventual minor premiers St Kilda to beat Port Adelaide (9^th) at Football Park on the Sunday.

Richmond won by two points and Melbourne shocked Fremantle by 40 points to end a six-game losing streak, and all of a sudden the last game of the home-and-away season took on a whole new importance.

Port led by a point at halftime but StKilda won by 33 points and the Lions were in. They finished 13.4% ahead of Port and half a game clear of Collingwood, Carlton, Fremantle and Richmond. They fell by 46 points to StKilda at Waverley in the qualifying final.

In 2000 the Lions were seventh going in to Round 22, and could finish anywhere from 5^th to 9^th. They beat Fremantle by 107 points at the Gabba on the Saturday night, with  Voss (three votes), Simon Black (two votes), Jarrod Molloy (five goals) and Alastair Lynch (four goals) leading the way to finish sixth and grab a home final.

They beat the Bulldogs by 34 points a week later but were pumped by Carlton by 82 points at the MCG in the semi-final after Daniel Bradshaw had withdrawn from the side on the morning of the game to attend the birth of his first child.

In 2002 the Lions were again within reach of the minor premiership when they led Port Adelaide by 5.4% ahead of a Round 22 clash with Port at Football Park.

The stakes were high, but coach Matthews reasoned that whatever happened the following week would be more important. So it was ‘just another game’ for the Lions. The Power treated it like a final and won by a goal, but three weeks later, after Port had stumbled in the first final, the Lions beat the Power by 56 points at the Gabba in the preliminary on route to a grand final win over Collingwood.

In 2009, after a four-year absence from the finals, the Lions had a top eight spot locked away going into Round 22 in their first season under coach Voss. They beat 11^th-placed Sydney to leapfrog sixth-placed Carlton and earn homeground advantage for an elimination final against the Blues the following week. They won by seven points – their last finals win until 2019 – before going down to the Bulldogs by 51 points in an MCG semi-final.

In 2015 the Lions beat sixth-placed Western Bulldogs by eight points at the Gabba on the Saturday afternoon of Round 23, and avoided the wooden-spoon when eventual premiers Hawthorn beat Carlton by 57 points a couple of hours later.

In 2016 they were a game and 2.9% ahead of Essendon going into Round 23, but when Essendon beat Carlton (14^th) by four goals at the MCG on the Saturday it came down to the Lions Sunday clash with StKilda (9^th) at Marvel Stadium.

They didn’t win, but a 58-point loss in what was Justin Leppitsch’s last game as coach was enough – just. They finished 0.6% ahead of the Bombers, who had fielded a side in rebuilding mode after the supplements scandal.

The Round 23 dramas continued into the Chris Fagan era when, in 2019, the Lions again were within reach of the minor premiership. They were a game ahead of Geelong, West Coast and Richmond, but with a percentage inferior to Geelong.

Needing to beat Richmond at the MCG on the Sunday afternoon for top spot, they went down by 27 points and finished 17.4% behind the Cats. So, they started their first finals campaign in 10 years from second place, and were beaten by 47 points by the Tigers, the eventual premiers, and by three points by GWS in a heart-breaker, both at the Gabba.

And what happened in 2020? They shared top spot with Port Adelaide going into Round 18 of the shortened Covid season and beat Carlton (10^th) at the Gabba before a Port win over Collingwood (6^th) at the Gabba meant the Lions finished second on percentage – again. They beat eventual premiers Richmond in the first final but were eliminated by eventual beaten grand finalists Geelong in the preliminary final.

In Round 2021 the  Lions (5^th) beat West Coast (9^th) in Round 23 to grab fourth spot and the double-chance on percentage from the Bulldogs and Sydney. They needed it after losing by 33 points to minor premiers Melbourne in Adelaide, but lost by a point in another heart-stopper against the Bulldogs at the Gabba in the semi-finals anyway.

And in 2022 they went in to the last home-and-away game fourth on the ladder but lost by 58 points to third-placed Melbourne at the Gabba to fall to sixth and in to sudden-death territory.

They were good enough to beat Richmond by two points at the Gabba and Melbourne by 13 points at the MCG in one of Fagan’s great wins. But it call caught up with them and they lost to eventual premiers Geelong at the MCG in the preliminary final.

This year it’s pretty simple. Beat Essendon at the Gabba on Saturday night and the Lions will finish at worst fifth and earn a home final. And if by some curious way 16^th-placed West Coast can beat 4^th-placed Geelong in Geelong on Saturday afternoon they could be playing Saturday night for fourth and the double-chance.