The Lions, humbled by Mt Gravatt in last year’s elimination final, streeted their rivals 24.15 (159) to 10.7 (67) at the Gabba.
Rockliff booted two goals in two minutes twice in the second half of the opening term after the Vultures had booted 4.0-1.3 in the opening 12 minutes.
He then moved into the midfield and cut the Vultures to ribbons, collecting possessions at will and booting three more majors to finish with seven in a stunning performance.
Rockliff was so good that it would not have been unfair for the umpires to give him all six Grogan Medal votes after the game.
He was nonetheless well supported by Lions rookie Claye Beams who worked hard all around the ground and also chipped in with four goals.
The Lions’ running ability was far too powerful for a Vultures combination that looked slow and underdone.
“It was very clear - they were better than us,” said a calm and composed Mt Gravatt coach David Lake afterwards.
“We were underdone compared to them and that’s how the game is played at this level.”
Lake predicted before the game that the Lions would be well drilled and desperate under new coach Craig McRae.
“Their urgency really stood out,” Lake said. “The game was very quick - they ran us off our feet early and in the end we had no-one left on the bench. The more they worked us, the worse it got.
“We weren’t underdone at our level, we were underdone at their level.”
The Vultures’ early burst was inspired by PNG recruit John James, whose chasing and pressure created several goals.
There was plenty of turnovers by foot early, especially by the Lions, but once they started hitting the targets the scoreboard ticked over quickly.
The Lions reeled in the early deficit and led by 11 points at quarter-time, then Rockliff dominated the early part of the second term as the lead stretched out.
In fact, the Vultures would go exactly two quarters through the middle stages without scoring a goal, managing just four behinds while the Lions piled on 11.9.
There was little resistance, with Grogan Medallist Nathan Gilliland looking short of a run in his first hit-out of the season, Daniel Savage well held, and Mick Hamill not coming into the game until late.
In contrast the Lions had even contributions from Albert Proud, James Hawksley, and Jesse O’Brien, and received good support from top-up players Daniel Mowat and Luke Edwards.
Troy Selwood was his usual consistent self and Josh Dyson was lively in what was a terrific team performance.
Mowat kicked four goals and marked strongly, while Edwards did some powerful work in the air and on the ground.
Mt Gravatt face another tough assignment against Morningside in the grand final replay at Esplen Oval in 11 days’ time, while the Lions gear up for a trip to Darwin and the NT Thunder next Friday.
