For 10 years the trek across Bass Strait to Tasmania had been like a highway to hell for the Brisbane Lions. A paltry 1-6 win/loss record in the Apple Isle from 2008-2016 and an average losing margin of 10 goals.
Yet on Sunday the Lions will return to the island state looking to equal the longest consecutive winning streak by a visiting team in AFL history. Facing Hawthorn in Launceston on a mission to make it four wins in a row.
What has happened? Chris Fagan, a patriarch of Tasmanian football, has happened. The born and bred Tasmanian Hall of Famer has transformed a nightmare travel destination into a five-star honeymoon hotspot.
After Fagan’s first visit ‘home’ as Lions coach in 2017 ended in defeat as the ‘curse’ lived on, the Lions have since enjoyed wins by 33 points and 27 points over Hawthorn in Launceston in 2018-19 and a 23-point win over North Melbourne in Hobart in Round 14 this year.
In a history of 102 AFL games in Tasmania since 2001, hosted by St.Kilda and Hawthorn in Launceston and North in Hobart, only Port Adelaide in 2002-03-04-05 and Sydney, unbeaten in four visits in 2012-13-16-19, have won four in a row as the visiting team.
Coach Fagan, a much-revered figure in his home state, has been a welcome addition to a Lions’ Tasmanian connection headed by triple premiership ace and Tasmanian Hall of Famer Alastair Lynch, originally from Burnie product who played 186 games for Brisbane after 120 games at Fitzroy.
It is a connection carried on today by Mitch Robinson, originally from Lauderdale, near Hobart, and a 128-game Lion after 100 games at Carlton, and Grant Birchall, a 248-game Hawthorn stalwart and 2020 Lions signing who grew up in Devonport, about 100km from Launceston.
Who remembers this incredible run-down effort from Robbo last time we played the Hawks in Tassie? ??
— Brisbane Lions (@brisbanelions) July 30, 2021
See it all ?? https://t.co/jZeiOBHkiP pic.twitter.com/LeFpZQGsrf
Lynch and Birchall, Tasmanian Hall of Famers, and Robinson, surely a future Hall of Famer, are three of 13 Tasmanians who have played for Brisbane. The others are fellow Tasmanian Hall of Famers Rodney Eade, Danny Noonan, Dion Scott, Adrian Fletcher and Trent Bartlett, plus Josh Green, Aaron Cornelius, Nigel Palfreyman, Ryan Harwood and Heath Shepherd.
In the pre-Fagan era the Lions’ only win in Tasmania was in Round 12 2009, when, sitting 6th on the AFL ladder, they beat 7th-placed Hawthorn 13-15 (93) to 7-9 (51) in Launceston in Michael Voss’ 12th game as coach.
A 19-year-old Daniel Rich played his 12th game against a Hawks side that included 21-year-old 74th-gamer Birchall and 24-year-old 141st-gamer Luke Hodge, now a part-time Lions coach after a career in which he played a record 47 AFL games in Tasmania – all in Launceston.
The win was nothing like as easy as the final scores suggest. Midway through the third quarter the Lions were 12 points down before they kicked the last nine goals of the game, finishing with a strong wind at their back.
Captain Jonathan Brown kicked four of them and Justin Sherman two, with singles from Tim Notting, Cheynee Stiller and a short-haired and clean-shaven Rich, who finished the job with a trademark left-foot bomb from outside 50m near the boundary inside the last minute.
Simon Black, with 29 possessions, received three Brownlow Medal votes from Brown, who finished with five goals, and all-purpose utility Jared Brennan, who had 19 possessions, five tackles, five clearances and 12 hit-outs sharing the ruck duties with Mitch Clark.
Rich was the only member of that winning side to play in the Lions next winning side in Tasmania in Round 17 2018 and, with nine games in Tasmania, the now bearded and mop-haired defender is a runaway leader on the club list of all-time games in the island state. Brown (6), Jed Adcock (6), Tom Rockliff (6) and Dayne Zorko (6) are next.
Rich is also the only player to have played in all four Brisbane wins in Tasmania and is the club’s leading possession-winner in matches in Tasmania.
Such was the Lions’ early record on the opposite side of Bass Strait that of 106 different players to have represented the club across 11 games in Tasmania no less than 51 have not won there.
As Birchall prepares for his 42nd game in Tasmania and his 41st in Launceston, Joe Daniher will play in Launceston for the first time. This will follow his first game in Hobart in Round 14.
Other members of last week’s side who are in line for their first game in Tasmania on Sunday after Tom Fullarton, Jack Payne and Nakia Cockatoo.
BRISBANE LIONS IN TASMANIA – BY THE NUMBERS
MOST GAMES: 9 Daniel Rich, 6 Jed Adcock, Jonathan Brown, Tom Rockliff, Dayne Zorko, 5 Pearce Hanley, Ash McGrath, Joel Patfull, 4 Simon Black, Ryan Harwood, Eric Hipwood, Ryan Lester, Matthew Leuenberger, Stefan Martin, Dan McStay, Daniel Merrett, James Polkinghorne, Luke Power, Jack Redden, Mitch Robinson, Lewis Taylor.
MOST WINS: 4 Daniel Rich, 3 Eric Hipwood, Hugh McCluggage, Dan McStay, 2 Marcus Adams, Zac Bailey, Charlie Cameron, Jarryd Lyons, Lincoln McCarthy, Oscar McInernery, Lachie Neale.
MOST GOALS: Jonathan Brown, 7 Eric Hipwood, 6 Tom Rockliff, 5 Cam Rayner, 4 Charlie Cameron, 3 Allen Christensen, Josh Green, Mitch Robinson, Justin Sherman, Trent West, Dayne Zorko.
MOST POSSESSIONS: 173 Daniel Rich, 162 Tom Rockliff, 143 Dayne Zorko, 107 Simon Black, 105 Luke Power, 95 Jed Adcock, 94 Pearce Hanley, 84 Jack Redden, 82 Jonathan Brown & Mitch Robinson, 81 Hugh McCluggage.
MOST BROWNLOW MEDAAL VOTES: 4 Simon Black, 3 Lachie Neale, Cam Rayner, 2 Dayne Beams, Jonathan Brown, Stefan Martin, 1 Jared Brennan, Daniel Rich, Tom Rockliff.
MOST POSSESSIONS IN A GAME: 45 Tom Rockliff, 36 Luke Power, Jarryd Lyons, 33 Dayne Beams, Lachie Neale, 32 Jack Redden, 31 Hugh McCluggage, Tom Rockliff, Dayne Zorko, 30 Simon Black.
MOST GOALS IN A GAME: 5 Jonathan Brown, 4 Jonathan Brown (twice), 3 Jonathan Brown (twice), Eric Hipwood, Cam Rayner, Tom Rockliff, Trent West.
