A glorious Brisbane winter day set the scene as AFLW took to the Gabba for the first time, as the Lions triumphed over local rivals Gold Coast by 17 points on Saturday.

Game 3 of the QW Winter Series, the first home game for the Lions in the series against the Suns, saw the home team sweep the series 3-0 in convincing fashion. 

The Lions came out firing early, with half-forward Brianna McFarlane kicking the first goal within a minute. McFarlane, an AFLW Other Sport Rookie, went on to kick a game-high three goals in front of the home crowd.

MacFarlane, who sat out her first full AFLW season with injury, said she was playing purely on instinct early on. 

“It just popped into my hands and my first reaction was to just turn around and kick it. It was a pretty good feeling kicking the first goal at The Gabba” Macfarlane told lions.com.au.

“It didn’t really sink in until I was home that I had kicked 3 goals at The Gabba. It was a pretty special moment.”

A late surge by the Suns in the final term with two goals had the home crowd worried, but ultimately the Brisbane side were too strong running out winners by 17 points.

Brisbane Lions AFLW CEO, Breeanna Brock, praised the Brisbane supporters for their attendance at the inaugural match.

“(It was) such a special moment for our team to run onto the ground in front of such a supportive crowd. Our fans are just so passionate, and you couldn’t ask for more positive energy.” Brock said.

“To see close to 3000 come to a stand-alone game is incredible. Just goes to show that the interest in Women’s Footy is strong. With such a fantastic venue on show and picture-perfect weather it allowed both teams to provide a great contest.”

While the QW series has now finished, players selected from the Lions and Suns will travel to Optus Stadium in Perth to take on Western Australia this weekend. 

FINAL SCORE


Lions    2.2       3.5       5.7       7.8 (50)
Suns   1.1       2.1       3.2       5.3 (33)