The Brisbane Lions took a retro theme into their match against the Gold Coast Suns at the Gabba on Sunday night. The team rolled out in the original Brisbane Bears strip from 1987. The cute and cuddly Carrara Koala roared at diehard fans from the LED scoreboard – an unsubtle reminder of the days when the club played its “home” games a full 80 kilometres down the M1. Other relics from the past (cheerleaders; Mike Brady’s original club song) would have been better left there. Warwick Capper was a no-show. Christopher Skase was unavailable.
See how far we’ve come? was the message to the home crowd. The purpose was to pay tribute to those who had done the hard yards to raise the profile of the indigenous code north of the Tweed River. Nearly 40 years later, fresh off their fourth premiership, the Lions still battle for respect from parts of the Victorian media who mourn the development of the national competition. As for the Gold Coast Suns – based at the Bears’ old Carrara home – they’re still battling, full stop, after 14 years in the AFL without a finals appearance.
