Brisbane Lions 20.14 (134) d Collingwood 12.12 (84)
After the drama of the thrilling 2002 premiership decider, the rematch between the Brisbane Lions and Collingwood was a dream match-up. After going back to back, the Lions were supposed to be on the slide in 2003, but they threw off a string of mid-season losses and a host of injury concerns to earn the right to face off against the Magpies in their bid to make history. The expected tight struggle failed to materialise and 2002 Brownlow Medallist Simon Black wrote his name into the history books by claiming the Norm Smith Medal with a superb display.
The coach: Leigh Matthews
“We won by a fair margin, but one play that sticks in my mind was late in the second quarter when Simon Black received a hand pass and kicked a long left-foot goal that put us about seven goals up. That was a significant moment for us to open up a really big gap going into half time.”
The player: Simon Black
“I don’t kick many, but that was my favourite goal I’ve ever kicked.
“It was a throw in at half-forward and there was a bit more space around the outside than inside 50 so I took off around the arc. A lot of the time you think you’re running to the right spots, but the ball just doesn’t bobble out to you. On this occasion it came my way and it was just the perfect situation to have a ping. I wheeled around onto my left and I don’t think I’ve ever hit one sweeter that went any straighter.
“I remember jumping up in the air and looking like a bit of a twit with a fist pump after. I jumped around like a schoolgirl a bit. But I haven’t been a massive goalkicker over the years, so it was nice to kick one on the big day.”
