The Club's Victorian Office is hosting a major Lion Loyalist Luncheon: Leigh Matthews Tribute on Friday 7 August followed by a Lions Lounge match coterie for the Lions v Essendon blockbuster at the MCG on Saturday night 8 August.
We've dubbed this 'dynamic double-header' the Lions Lethal Weekend and have packaged it up for corporates, members and supporters who would like to attend both or either football events.
To share the excitement leading up to this big weekend, we will be presenting some of Leigh Matthews' Lethal Moments from our Club's history each week...
LETHAL MOMENT #1. The rise of the Lions (1999)
After being appointed the Lions' Senior Coach to replace caretaker Roger Merrett at the end of the 1998 season, Leigh Matthews made an immediate impact.
Matthews inherited a list that had 'won' the AFL wooden-spoon a year earlier and was determined to turn the team's fortunes around.
The Lions responded immediately with an 89-point drubbing of St Kilda at the Gabba and went on to record a solid 8-6 record by the end of Round 14. The Lions then recorded 11 straight wins to finish third at the end of the home-and-away season.
The Lions were ultimately eliminated at the hands of eventual premiers North Melbourne in the Preliminary Final.
It remains the equal best single-season turnaround in AFL history.
LETHAL MOMENT #2. "If it bleeds, we can kill it" (2001)
Upon reflection, the Round Nine clash against the then powerhouse team Essendon in 2001 was the defining game in the Club's golden era.
In the lead-up, Matthews used a quote from the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Predator saying "If it bleeds, we can kill it", suggesting the Bombers weren't invincible.
His team responded with a determination that had previously been masked and took it up to Essendon - both physically and mentally - from the outset.
The Lions ultimately prevailed by 32 points and went on to win the next 15games in a row with their new-found self-belief. The streak culminated in the Club's historic 2001 premiership triumph.
Want to meet the man behind these moments and hear about these events from Leigh Matthews first-hand?
Want to re-join your friends and colleagues the very next night to watch the Lions claw into the Bombers in style at the MCG as they battle to make their first Finals appearance since 2004?
Then please check out our Lions Lethal Weekend package flyer.
For booking and enquiries, please contact Andrew McLeish in the Lions Victorian Office:
Tel (direct):03 8850 5602 or 0412 865 555
Email:amcleish@lions.com.au
