BRISBANE coach Chris Fagan admitted he had concerns about Lachie Neale's fitness heading into Saturday's Grand Final.

Now, following the powerful 47-point win over Geelong, the back-to-back premiership mentor says the future "all bodes well" for the young Lions if they don't get ahead of themselves.

After being ruled out for 2025 following his calf tear in the qualifying final loss to the Cats, Neale's availability was the centre of much speculation during Grand Final week.

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He was named in the 23 on Thursday night and then announced as the sub, with Fagan admitting he had a nervous night's sleep before the big day.

"I was lying in bed last night thinking 'I'm going to look like a total idiot or a total genius after today's game'," Fagan said.

"If we had have lost and he only played a half we'd probably be bemoaning the fact we went about it in that way."

But, a genius he was proven, with the Lions co-captain have a huge influence when he entered the game to start the second half, finishing with 17 disposals that included seven clearances.

His third quarter goal from a Dayne Zorko handpass was the game's signature moment.

"The bottom line was this; Lachie was fit to play, but how much game time could he play?" Fagan said.

"He'd played one game in 56 days and coming into a Grand Final. I was worried about his ability to play the game out if he had to start.

"We had a good chat during the week, that 'I want to play you mate, but this is the bit of the puzzle we had to sort out' and we both agreed that the best way to do it was for him to start as the sub.

"I didn’t know when it was going to be.

"It was a bit of a bold plan I suppose, and it's come off, but it might not have, too."

Brisbane's second consecutive flag was built on resilience, overcoming adversity and having an unshakeable belief.

Fagan conceded he had concerns following his team's 38-point loss to the Cats three weeks ago, but said overcoming a litany of injuries and a difficult draw had made this premiership special.

The Lions had seven players aged 21 or older on the ground, along with 22-year-old Kai Lohmann.

"We had a lot of blokes in last year's Grand Final that didn't play in today's Grand Final," he said of the six changes.

"We went out there with a lot of 22 and unders playing, so it all bodes well for the future if we stay calm and don't get ahead of ourselves.

"It's been an amazing ride. They're such a good group of men.

"They handled the premiership win last year particularly well, I thought, and that's not easy to do because you get a lot of accolades when you win a premiership and it's quite intoxicating.

"Probably the last three weeks we've played the best footy we have all year.

"I was even a little bit worried today we might have run our race coming into this game, but it wasn’t the case.

"They're just an amazing group that keep on keeping on."