Miracle on Grass (Australian rules football)

The Miracle on Grass is the nickname given to the round 13, 2013 match between Australian Football League (AFL) clubs Brisbane Lions and Geelong. In the match, the Lions came back from a 52-point deficit during the third quarter to clinch a 5-point win with a goal after the siren.[1] The win was the eighth-biggest comeback in VFL/AFL history, and the largest in the history of the Brisbane Lions.[2] The game was given its name by commentator Anthony Hudson.[3]

Miracle on Grass
Brisbane Lions Geelong Cats
15.13 (103) 14.14 (98)
1 2 3 4
BL 3.2 (20) 5.4 (34) 7.8 (50) 15.13 (103)
GEE 5.3 (33) 9.7 (61) 13.10 (88) 14.14 (98)
Date23 June 2013
StadiumThe Gabba
Attendance24,164
UmpiresDonlon, Bannister, Wenn
Broadcast in Australia
NetworkFox Footy
CommentatorsAnthony Hudson, Gerard Healy, Brad Johnson, David King

Background

Prior to the game Geelong was in second place on the ladder, with 10 wins and one loss.[4] By contrast, Brisbane was in the bottom four with only three wins.[4][5] The game was the 200th of Brisbane veteran Ash McGrath. Coming into the match, Geelong were the heavy favourites to win.[6]

The game

First three quarters

Geelong kicked the first two goals of the game, and while Brisbane managed to gain the lead early, by half-time Geelong had a 27-point lead.[4] This lead only widened, and late in the third quarter, with Brisbane down 52 points, they looked certain to go down in defeat.[7] However, Brisbane managed to kick two goals late in the quarter, lowering the lead to 38 points.[4]

Voss's speech

At three-quarter time, Brisbane coach Michael Voss gave a speech to the Brisbane players, wherein he encouraged the players to follow the game plan he had devised, and he told them that they still had a chance of winning. The speech was credited by McGrath for the Lions' victory.[4][8]

Final quarter

Early in the fourth quarter, Geelong players Steve Johnson and Steven Motlop both missed shots on goal, widening the margin to 40 points.[6] Soon after, Johnson was attempting to move the ball up the ground for another attempt on goal, but when he kicked the ball it bounced off an umpire, and, in the ensuing passage of play, Brisbane player Dayne Zorko managed to score a goal, lowering the margin to 34 points.[6] Brisbane players Brent Moloney and Jed Adcock both kicked goals afterwards, lowering the margin to 20 points.[6] Johnson then managed to kick a goal for Geelong, raising the margin to 26 points, it would however, be their last goal for the match.[4] Goals for Brisbane to Pearce Hanley, Moloney and Mitch Golby lowered the margin to 7 points, and a behind to Jonathan Brown lowered the margin to a goal.[6] Then, with just over a minute and a half on the clock Brisbane's Daniel Rich scored a goal, leveling the score. However, star Geelong forward Tom Hawkins then managed to score a behind. The ball was rushed towards the Brisbane goal, but Geelong player Josh Hunt took an intercept mark and the ball moved towards Geelong's goal, where Brisbane's Daniel Merrett managed to take a mark. With only 15 seconds left to play it seemed that Geelong would win by a point.[4][6] However, in those 15 seconds, Brisbane managed to move the ball across the ground, and McGrath took a mark a second before the siren sounded.[4] McGrath proceeded to kick a goal after the siren, winning the game for Brisbane.[9]

Aftermath

Voss stated after the match that he hoped the victory would improve Brisbane's performance for the rest of the season.[9] His position as coach had been considered to be in danger coming into the match, and the stunning victory was viewed as having potentially saved his career.[2] Voss was sacked later that year, after many Brisbane players had threatened to refuse to play if his contract was renewed.[10] Brisbane did not defeat Geelong again until 2019.[11]

The "Miracle on Grass" is an achievement in AFL Evolution 2, achieved by winning after overcoming a 52-point deficit.[12] The game was used in the promotional video for the launch of the 2021 AFL season.[13]

See also

References
  1. Esdall, Rusi (28 July 2018). "Ash McGrath Says He Celebrated The Miracle On Grass With A Big Win On The Pokies". Triple M. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  2. Davis, Greg (24 June 2013). "Ash McGrath kicked the winner after the siren as Brisbane Lions stunned Geelong". Herald Sun. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  3. Connolly, Rohan (12 June 2018). "Rounds Of Our Lives: The Greatest Moments From Round 13". Footyology. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  4. Beaton, Robert (7 July 2017). "Remember When... 'Miracle on Grass'". AFL Players. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  5. Yoder, Matt (25 June 2013). ""The miracle on grass" – the AFL gives us one of the comebacks of the year". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  6. Gigacz, Andrew (June 2013). "Match Report". Australian Football. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  7. Barnstable, Josh (25 October 2019). "The decade that was: Brisbane Lions". The Roar. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  8. Grewar, Jessie (21 June 2018). "TBT: The miracle on grass". Brisbane Lions. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  9. Jackson, Ed (23 June 2013). "Brisbane Lions stun Geelong with thrilling comeback win". The Roar. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  10. Hamilton, Andrew; Davis, Greg (13 August 2013). "Brisbane Lions sack coach Michael Voss to stop player walkout". Herald Sun. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  11. "Brisbane Lions top AFL ladder after win over Geelong, Port Adelaide and Adelaide suffer horror losses". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 17 August 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  12. "The Miracle on Grass trophy in AFL Evolution 2". True Trophies. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  13. Wilkinson, Zoe (12 March 2021). "AFL's season launch sees fans and players celebrating the winning goal after the siren". Mumbrella. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
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