Back pocket: Jordan Clark
On a difficult day for defenders from both sides, Clark kept Kai Lohmann fairly quiet for the first half before Alex Pearce's absence forced their back six into a reshuffle. Finished with 14 disposals, four marks, seven rebound 50s and an equal game-high of nine intercept possessions. One negative is that his seven turnovers was second only to Caleb Serong's ten.
Full back: Harris Andrews
Not a single disposal in the first quarter but he was singled out by teammate Dayne Zorko at half-time for some key first quarter spoils. His 15 one-percenters - which refer to unheralded acts such as spoils, smothers and shepherds - was more than twice as many as any other player other than Ty Gallop (nine).
Back pocket: Ryan Lester
Tight grand finals are all about game-winning moments and Ryan Lester's desperate tackle on Josh Treacy will be up there with Heath Shaw's 'librarian' tackle for years to come. A Treacy goal would have put the Dockers up by 15 and intensified their momentum going into the final seven minutes. It was one of four tackles and 11 pressure acts completed by Lester to go with seven defensive marks.
Half-back flank: Jaspa Fletcher
20 disposals including 15 kicks for five rebound 50s and 537 metres gained, which was third only to Shai Bolton (686) and Dayne Zorko (660). He also wasn't afraid to get down and dirty with 15 pressure acts and seven ground ball gets.
Centre half-back: Dayne Zorko
Zorko is not naturally a CHB due to his diminutive stature, but Oscar McDonald and Darcy Gardiner have both been forced out in favour of three influential rebound flankers. Zorko received best on ground selections from two of the five Norm Smith Medal panellists because of a tireless 23 kicks for 660 metres gained, 17 pressure acts, nine marks, seven tackles, six score involvements and nine rebound 50s. Five turnovers and a disposal efficiency of 78% was a bit of a let-down, but the 37-year-old can be immensely proud of his effort - not least because he battled through a minor hamstring strain suffered in the first quarter.
Half-back flank: Heath Chapman
Near the bottom of the tree for the obvious stats counts such as disposals (10) and fantasy points (41) but he played a lot of thankless footy, positioning himself smartly to make a positive impact on more marking contests than most. Had 12 pressure acts, four spoils and four marks to show for his efforts.
Wing: Zac Bailey
Kicking the second of Brisbane's four consecutive goals to close out the comeback was the most memorable of Bailey's 20 disposals. His 70% disposal efficiency left a lot to be desired but seven score involvements, five marks and 17 pressure acts were an indication of his deep involvement in the contest.
Centre: Hayden Young
Started on the bench and spent only 76% of the game on the ground but he ended up as one of the most impactful players of the game, piling on nine tackles, 22 possessions, four clearances, 25 pressure acts (third only to Brayshaw and Dunkley) and eight score involvements. He also booted the final two goals of the third quarter to give the Dockers the lead at the last break. His snap goal from almost the exact same spot as Dom Sheed's iconic 2018 goal would have been one of the highlights of the match had the Dockers held on.
Wing: Will Ashcroft
Lions coach Chris Fagan summed up Ashcroft's influence when saying that if Norm Smith Medals could be awarded for four minutes of football, Will Ashcroft would have won a third one. He was given best on ground by one of the five voting members (Herald Sun journalist Lauren Wood) for making four clearances during 'Wharfie Time' and putting on the afterburners in the final seconds to set up Logan Morris for the game-winning goal. Ended up with a game-high 31 disposals along with 11 ground ball gets, nine clearances and a game-best three goal assists. Ashcroft was this writer's pick for the Norm Smith Medal based on his ability to lift himself and his teammates when it mattered most.
Half-forward flank: Sam Switkowski
Bowed out of league football in devastating circumstances, but he can be proud of his last shift. Just outside the top-ten for pressure acts (14) along with 81% efficiency for his 16 disposals along with six marks, five ground ball gets, five score involvements and only one clanger. It was a very typical game for the 29-year-old, who never racked up big numbers but rarely wasted the ball.
Centre half forward: Logan Morris
Even by Chris Fagan's own admissions, Morris had very little to say in the first three quarters of the contest. But he made up for lost time by being a key cog in the Brisbane comeback, kicking three of their five fourth-quarter goals. His very strong one-on-one mark against Oscar McDonald and ice-cold veins to slot the goal that put the Lions ahead will live on in footy folklore for a very long time. An over-the-head handball under pressure to unlock Kai Lohmann's third-quarter goal with Freo ahead by 15 was also crucial.
Half-forward flank: Charlie Cameron
The Adelaide and Brisbane finals specialist moved to equal-seventh for most career finals played with 31 and finished the match in equal-eighth for most finals goals, stretching his tally out to 64 as one of three men (alongside Patrick Voss and Logan Morris) to kick three goals for the game. Seven ground ball gets and seven score involvements had him amongst the top-ten on ground on both counts.
Forward pocket: Jye Amiss
Had a very quiet start to the game but then humiliated direct opponent Darcy Gardiner to claim four marks and kick two goals. One of a handful of players to not register a single clanger all day despite spending 95% of the match on the ground. Amiss slotted goals in the first five minutes of the second and third quarters to get the team off to a good start, but couldn't go on with it in the last.
Full forward: Patrick Voss
After he held Lions fullback Harris Andrews to a touchless first quarter, Brisbane's defence almost lost complete control of Patrick Voss in the second quarter, when he kicked the Dockers' first and third of the term. His nine disposals, five marks and five tackles contributed to eight score involvements - the equal-second most of the match. He'll be left to rue his two missed shots at goal, however.
Forward pocket: Kai Lohmann
Lohmann backed up his scintillating finals performances against Adelaide and Hawthorn to finish the finals series with nine goals and two behinds, taking his career tally in finals to 26.9 from just 12 matches. He also committed to 16 pressure acts, picked up two goal assists before half-time and recorded ten tackles, beating his career-best of eight.
Ruck: Luke Jackson
As the best ruckman of the season by a long way, it was no surprise to see him shred both Sam Draper and Darcy Fort at the ball-up and the throw-in, amassing 47 hitouts compared to Brisbane's 33. Also laid four tackles and made four clearances to reaffirm his all-round skills in the contest, assisting a goal and being involved in eight scores in total.
Midfield: Shai Bolton
The decision to award him the Norm Smith Medal in a losing side certainly raised a lot of eyebrows around the footy world, and whilst we disagreed with the decision, it's a tough argument to make that he was not deserving. His 17 kicks and game-high counts of nine inside 50s and 686 metres gained kept the Lions defenders under consistent pressure, though his disposal efficiency of 57.7% suggests he missed the target a little too often. With seven marks, five tackles and nine score involvements, his work ethic cannot be faulted.
Midfield: Josh Dunkley
Dunkley became the first current AFL player to play in six Grand Finals - four for Brisbane and two for Western Bulldogs - and this performance was by far his best. Chris Fagan had special praise for Dunkley after the match, who committed to 30 pressure acts, laid 12 tackles, made two spoils - and his consecutive smothers in the last quarter will be one of the defining moments of the Grand Final. Fagan revealed he tracks tallies of what he calls 'fight to win acts' - similar to but not the same as one-percenters - and said that Dunkley topped the count almost every week in 2026. His 14 contested possessions was ahead of Will Ashcroft's 13 and second only to Caleb Serong's 17, all adding up to a performance that would have been worthy of the Norm Smith Medal.
Aaron Murphy has been with Flashscore since 2018 and, as the founding editor of the Australian newsdesk, has reported on-site at several major events in Melbourne including the Australian Open, State of Origin, A-League, NBL and international cricket. You can read his pieces here and contact him on X or LinkedIn.
