THE BRISBANE Lions have made it three straight wins and 10 for the season with a comfortable 67-point victory over the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba on Sunday.
After a terrible first quarter by both teams, the Lions blew the game apart in the second, kicking eight goals to two and running out 19.14 (128) to 9.7 (61) winners.
It was the first time since the opening four rounds of 2010 the Lions have won more than two straight.
Watch match highlights from the Round 23 clash on the media player above.
They finished in 13th place with a 10-12 record - a marked improvement from last year's meagre tally of four wins.
Conversely, the season could not finish quick enough for the Bulldogs, who lost their last 11 matches.
Early on it looked like the 13th and 15th placed teams were already thinking about their end-of-season holidays.
View the best action photos from the match.
Both missed targets, lacked intensity and barely laid a tackle in what resembled a glorified training run.
It resulted in a lacklustre 1.4 to 0.3 lead to the Lions at quarter-time.
Enter Daniel Rich, whose sublime second quarter oozed class and changed the the contest.
The blonde Lions midfielder kicked two goals - including one from 55m on the half-time siren - and put three precise passes on to the chest of skipper Jonathan Brown who converted with 2.1.
Rich had six disposals for the quarter and sparked a dreary contest.
He finished with 25 touches - each and every one of them quality - and four goals to a clear best-on-ground.
Rich had plenty of mates though, with veteran Simon Black showing he has at least another season left in him.
The 2002 Brownlow medallist - still negotiating with the Lions to extend his stellar 314-game career - played a strong hand for the home team and finished with 24 disposals.
Brown was the beneficiary of the lead-up work by his midfield, kicking five goals to end with a tally of 47 for the season.
The Bulldogs tried hard after quarter-time but were outclassed most of the way and relied on experienced hands Matthew Boyd (37), Adam Cooney (29) and Ryan Griffen (27) for most of their positive play.
BRISBANE LIONS 1.4 9.7 14.12 19.14 (128)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 0.3 2.5 4.6 9.7 (61)
GOALS
Brisbane Lions: Brown 5, Rich 4, Bewick 2, Lisle 2, Beams, Green, Polkinghorne, Hanley, Raines, Redden
Western Bulldogs: Higgins 2, Dickson, Grant, Boyd, Cooney, Wallis, Picken, Campbell
BEST
Brisbane Lions: Rich, Black, Redden, Brown, Hanley, Beams
Western Bulldogs: Boyd, Cooney, Murphy, Wood, Higgins, Wallis
INJURIES
Brisbane Lions: Drummond (virus) replaced in selected side by Buchanan
Western Bulldogs: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Brisbane Lions: Ryan Harwood replaced Ryan Lester at three-quarter time
Adelaide: Zephaniah Skinner replaced Lin Jong in the third quarter
Reports: Dayne Zorko reported for striking Clay Smith in the fourth quarter
Umpires: Stewart, Armstrong, Mitchell
Official crowd: 18,289 at the Gabba
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
