BRISBANE'S painful defeat to Richmond in July could well have been the moment the Lions' AFL premiership dreams died.
Up by 42 points against the Tigers, who have won three of the past five flags, the Lions appeared set to break through for their first win at the MCG in eight years.
But Brisbane were overrun in extraordinary fashion, losing by seven points to make it 11-straight defeats at the home of the Grand Final.
The Lions' 2022 prospects were completely written off by some pundits in the aftermath of that round 20 encounter.
But defender Keidean Coleman said the Lions actually took genuine belief out of that performance.
And it showed in Friday night's clash with Melbourne, as the Lions pulled off a stunning 13-point upset win to progress through to a preliminary final - back at the MCG - against Geelong.
"We hadn't won here (at the MCG) in a while but we felt like the Richmond game put us in good stead and we were confident coming here," Coleman told AAP.
"We played pretty good in that first-half (against Richmond) and coming in (against Melbourne) we were pretty confident.
FAGAN Lions have learned from finals heartbreak
"The game before (at the MCG) we lost to Melbourne (in round 15) by a lot, so as long as we were keeping the field tight, we were pretty confident.
"(Friday was) my first win at the MCG, as it is for a lot of our guys, so it's an unreal feeling and a feeling I've never had before."
The courageous Coleman exemplifies the rejuvenated Lions' spirit in this year's finals series.
The classy left-footer crashed into a pack late in the third quarter, before being assisted from the field by trainers.
Coleman immediately looked to be in trouble, but he was back on the ground to take his place at half-back for the start of the final term.
"I just got a knock to the lip," he said. "It was bleeding and just had to go off real quick and that was about it.
"Us defenders just rely on the midfielders, and the midfielders rely on the forwards. As long as we’re all smooth during the game, we were pretty confident in our defence."
Coleman finished the famous semi-final win with strapping on his left leg, but the 22-year-old said he will be fine to take on the Cats.
