Ruby Svarc celebrates a goal during Brisbane’s preliminary final against Carlton on November 22, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
A THIRD-QUARTER avalanche has ensured Brisbane will play its fourth straight Grand Final – and third on the trot against North Melbourne – with a commanding 35-point win over Carlton on Saturday night.
With the game in the balance at half-time, the Lions slammed on five goals in a frenzied 10-minute burst to rubber stamp the 10.7 (67) to 5.2 (32) win in front of 6511 vocal spectators at Brighton Homes Arena.
LIONS v BLUES Full match coverage and stats
It ensures a tiebreaker in the Lions-Kangaroos trilogy at Ikon Park next Saturday, with Craig Starcevich’s team winning in 2023 and Darren Crocker’s last year.
It will be Brisbane’s seventh Grand Final in the competition’s 10th season.
Understated small forward Ruby Svarc was Brisbane’s hero, kicking a career-high four goals – three of them when the game was up for grabs – before her dynamic forward line teammates joined the party.
Dakota Davidson kicked two, including one remarkable finish from the right boundary line, as did Ellie Hampson, while Belle Dawes (24 disposals and seven tackles), Jade Ellenger (12 intercepts) and Tahlia Hickie (16 and five clearances) also had big influences.
The tidal wave of goals early in the third quarter that broke the game open began with a Svarc checkside for her third goal.
She then used a clever sidestep and nifty pass to Courtney Hodder for another goal moments later, before Davidson kicked her freakish right foot effort from deep in the pocket.
Hampson kicked the first of her two for the term after standout Carlton defender Harriet Cordner was pinged for deliberately rushing a behind, and when Davidson kicked truly from 45m, the game was effectively over.
Brisbane had dominated large periods of the opening half without having the score to show, often fumbling and rushing their disposals under the Blues’ pressure.
Carlton kicked the only goal of the first quarter through Dayna Finn following some slick ball movement.
The Lions finally capitalised on their field position in the second term through two goals to the hard-working Svarc, but young Blues star Poppy Scholz kept her team in the match with two of her own.
Brisbane led by just five points at the main break.
They were dealt a setback midway through the term when reliable defender Shannon Campbell was temporarily taken from the field.
In typical courageous fashion, Campbell backed into oncoming traffic under a high ball, only to receive a knee in the back from the oncoming Scholz.
She returned after half-time to play out the match, as Brisbane got its outside game going in the third quarter.
Carlton never stopped trying, but struggled to get into the game as the Lions had the better of the game in-tight and were then able to overwhelm their opponents on the outside.
Cordner was fantastic in defence, while Finn (23 and two goals) and Maddy Guerin (21) were also highly involved.
A night to remember for Ruby
So often Ruby Svarc is the hard-working Brisbane small forward that goes without reward on the scoreboard. But not tonight. In her previous 56 AFLW games, Svarc had never kicked more than two goals, but in this preliminary final, she booted four – and when her team needed them. With the Lions dominating field position but unable to kick goals, it was Svarc who got her teammates and the crowd going with two majors in a five-minute second quarter burst. Then, at the start of the second half she kicked a checkside for her third, laid on a goal for Courtney Hodder and then iced the game with her fourth in the final quarter.
The off-field banter made it on-field
From the moment Sophie McKay said “we’re comin’ for ya” following Carlton’s semi-final win over Hawthorn, the teams exchanged light-hearted barbs during the week in an entertaining build-up. Belle Dawes bit back during a press conference, holding up a cardboard cutout of her screaming face saying: “come to Brighton Homes Arena, we’re pumped for it”. The game was played in good spirit and Ellie Hampson shared her own cheeky goal celebration during the third quarter. After kicking her first, she grabbed her shoulder and then did a shimmy – just as McKay did following a goal last week.
Up next
For the third straight year it’s a Brisbane and North Melbourne Grand Final at Ikon Park next Saturday. It wasn’t the finish Carlton wanted, but it can be incredibly proud of the progress in 2025, getting all the way to the penultimate weekend.
BRISBANE 0.3 3.5 9.6 10.7 (67)
CARLTON 1.0 3.0 4.0 5.2 (32)
GOALS
Brisbane: R.Svarc 4, Davidson 2, Hampson 2, Hodder, Smith
Carlton: Scholz 2, Finn 2, S.McKay
BEST
Brisbane: R.Svarc, Hodder, Ellenger, Dawes, Hickie, Hampson
Carlton: Cordner, Finn, Guerin, Hill
INJURIES
Brisbane: Nil
Carlton: Nil
Reports: Nil
Crowd: 6511 at Brighton Homes Arena
