It's natural to associate Michael Voss with Grand Finals: he won three of them as a Brisbane Lions captain and lost a fourth. But his side's NAB Cup Grand Final clash with the Blues was the first time Voss has been involved in a pre-season decider. He missed the game in 2001, had retired by 2007, and the Lions haven't been in one since. Their win, the first time they have taken home the pre-season cup, was a notch on the belt of Voss' coaching records. For his counterpart, new Carlton coach Mick Malthouse, it was the fourth time he has coached in a pre-season Grand Final. His only victory was in 2011, when Collingwood beat Essendon.
Match report: Lions back in silverware business
2. Judd returns?
A hamstring strain interrupted Chris Judd's pre-season, but the champion midfielder returned against the Lions for his first hit-out. He started the game on the bench, but five minutes into the first quarter the former Blues skipper ambled onto the field to cheers from the Etihad Stadium crowd. Given it was his first outing for the season, the 29-year-old took a while to get into the game and had to wait until the 18th minute to get a possession. His quiet night continued; the dual Brownlow medallist finishing with 15 disposals and not a lot of impact.
3. Ireland-bound Sherrins
We saw two first-half supergoals from the Blues, but it was the second one which might have had a few in the game's development department smiling. After Eddie Betts took a mark near the 50-metre arc, he handballed to Irishman Zach Tuohy. Tuohy possesses a long, booming kick and this was no exception, with the ball sailing through for a nine-pointer. NAB gives a bag of Sherrin footballs to the local club of every player who kicks a supergoal in the pre-season competition. They might have to get Tuohy to take the bag with him the next time he travels home, with the 23-year-old's 'previous club' listed as County Laois, his local town in the midlands region of Ireland.
4. Moloney has got a lot left?
Brent Moloney went to the Brisbane Lions intent to prove he could still play good football at the top level. And, if the NAB Cup is anything to go by, the 29-year-old has plenty left in him. The former Melbourne and Geelong midfielder capped a strong pre-season with another solid showing against the Blues, collecting 23 disposals and 11 clearances. He gathered 13 of those in the first half, and his precision kicking and strength around the ball adds some grunt to the Lions. The Lions have assembled a strong group if young midfielders who will take the club forward, headed by Michael Tuck medallist Daniel Rich, but Moloney is a handy addition.
5. Lions' Green machine?
There's something about Josh Green. The Brisbane Lions forward is quick, he's creative, he's classy and he's also got a dose of cheekiness about him. If you were building a prototype small forward, they would all be important ingredients. And they were all on show against the Blues, with Green an important player in the win. He kicked three goals himself but set up a number of other scoring opportunities with tackles, pressure acts and taps and touches which might not find a place on the stats sheet. At only 20, you can see Green sitting at the feet of Jonathan Brown all year.
Follow AFL website reporter Callum Twomey on Twitter at AFL_CalTwomey
