Roar power as Brisbane Lions have their day in the sun

* Result: Brisbane Lions 7.2 (44) d North Melbourne 4.3 (27) in front of 12,616 fans at Ikon Park.

* The story: It was hot under Melbourne's summer sun and North suffered a huge early blow when Jenna Bruton went down with a calf injury. The Kangaroos took the lead through Jasmine Garner's opening goal, which was the only score of a tense first quarter. The Lions' breakthrough eventually came at the five-minute mark of the second term, when Charlotte Mullins's hurried kick to full forward cleared a group of players and rolled through. Garner's second from a free gave North an eight-point buffer, but Ellie Hampson's cool set shot put the Lions back within one point at half-time. Momentum shifted during the third quarter as Brisbane ratcheted up the pressure and took the lead for the first time through an Orla O'Dwyer goal. Quick majors to Kate Shierlaw and Alice O'Loughlin put the Kangaroos back in front before three-quarter time, but Dakota Davidson kicked the first two goals of the final term to give Brisbane the upper hand. The Lions ran away with the flag, kicking four unanswered goals in the final quarter.

* Key stats: Brisbane became the first team since the 2018 Western Bulldogs to go scoreless for an entire quarter in a grand final and still win the premiership. The Lions failed to trouble the scorers in the first quarter, but made up for it in the final term. It was their second AFLW premiership from five grand final appearances. The Lions won a lopsided tackle count 110-76, in a sign of their superior pressure.

* Key moment: Davidson was in grave doubt to play because of a knee injury suffered during the preliminary final, and had only three touches to three-quarter time. But the Brisbane forward stood tallest when it mattered, converting a pair of set shots in the final quarter to lift her side to victory.

* Star player: Brisbane captain Bre Koenen was named best afield after an outstanding 19-disposal performance in defence. The experienced skipper took a game-high eight marks - three of them contested - and had five rebound-50s. She also laid 11 tackles.

* They said it: "To be written off year in, year out ... it just goes to show how good a group, how good a culture and program we have at the club. I couldn't be more proud of my girls today." - Lions skipper Koenen couldn't hide her emotion on the Seven Network after the final siren.

* Injuries: Davidson passed a mid-week fitness test to prove she had overcome a knee injury. Bruton went down with a right calf injury in the opening moments, the gun midfielder needing to be carried off the field by a pair of trainers. She didn't return. Brisbane's Taylor Smith and Shannon Campbell both felt the brunt of heavy collisions with leading Kangaroos forward Tahlia Randall. Lions tagger Cathy Svarc had her left leg strapped before half-time, and teammate Sophie Conway underwent a concussion assessment during the final quarter after a head knock.

Australian Associated Press