A resolute Sydney has held off Brisbane at their home turf, running out as as 18-point winners in what was a hard-fought and low-scoring contest in greasy conditions.
Sydney's Josh Kennedy was best afield with 34 touches, while George Hewett and Jake Lloyd also found themselves with plenty of ball int the wet, finishing 28 and 26 disposals respectively.
The midfield force of the Lions was again impressive, with Stefan Martin finishing with 58 hit-outs, while Dayne Beams and temporary skipper Dayne Zorko were also influential through the centre of the ground.
Yet with their dominance around the stoppages and the hit-outs clearly in their favour (72-22), Brisbane succumbed to their 11th consecutive defeat against the Swans.
Fresh off their stunning win against Hawthorn last week, the Lions were eager to impress against another top-tier side in front of their home crowd.
The wet weather did little to dampen the spirits of the aggressive Lions, whose tackling pressure was elite in the opening minutes of the term and caused several spot-fires to break out as tempers began to flare early.
In true character, Mitch Robinson was the most determined of the Lions, finishing the term with 10 disposals - six of which were contested - while Beams and Zorko were equally effective in their approach.
A crunching bump from Robinson on Dan Hannebery only caused more hostility between the two sides, with the tone from that point on set for the rest of the match.
The tight tussle was finally broken as Will Hayward kicked the first major of the afternoon to silence the 'Gabba crowd, before they roared back to life with Jarrod Berry levelling the scores minutes later.
Two quick goals to youngsters Ben Ronke and Tom Papley had the Lions worried early, and with Kennedy head and shoulders above anyone else on the ground with 12 hard-fought disposals, there were fears a result could be determined within the opening stanza of the match.
Yet the Lions still had a lot of fight within.
Stronger around the stoppages, Brisbane's intensity left the Swans with no solutions as how to stop their rampage, with the Lions' dominant patch in the final 10 minutes of the quarter resulting in eight inside 50s, six clearances and one riveting goal from Beams.
The Lions similarly owned the hit-out count 18-2 at the end of the term, with Stefan Martin making up the bulk of his team's total with 13 of his own.
With Sydney leading by a slim four points at quarter-time, an upset victory against an elite side didn't seem to be out of the question.
Yet heading into the second term, it was a quarter of missed opportunities for either side, with neither able to assert themselves on the contest and gain a distinct upper hand.
With 17 inside 50s for the term, the Swans failed to capitalise on their forward dominance, managing just the two goals for the term, both off the boot of Isaac Heeney.
The Lions similarly let their chances up forward go begging all over the ground, despite their players getting first hands on the ball thanks to Martin's dominance in the ruck.
Brisbane's turnovers across half-forward too proved to be detrimental, with Heeney's two majors the
Although the Lions continued to dominate the clearances and hit-outs in the wet - and even had a chance to snatch the lead following an Eric Hipwood set shot - it was the Swans who kicked away, with Heeney stretching the margin to nine points.
Even with the slippery ball difficult to control at times, Sydney's ball movement and ability to win ground-balls was far more superior to that of their opposition.
The Swans' steely defence in the wet stood marked, as they continued to thwart Brisbane's attacks and subsequently run the ball right up the guts and deliver to their dangerous midfielders of Kennedy and Luke Parker.
Sydney's forward line too began to look equally as ominous, with Lance Franklin's presence continuing to manifest with each entry inside their 50.
Eventually the Swans added another to their total as Heeney managed to go back-to-back - albeit his goals being 12 minutes apart - to push the margin to three goals.
The 18-point margin remained until the siren sounded to mark half-time, with both sides ultimately disappointed in the way their quarters shaped up to be.
While the rain retreated, the greasy conditions remained, resulting in yet another physical and intense quarter.
With Brisbane needing to lift, Daniel McStay rose to the occasion with a stunning overhead mark to give his side an opportunity to cut the margin down to 12 points.
Yet the youngster was unable to elevate the confidence of his side, with his errant kick on goal seeing another golden opportunity for the Lions go amiss.
It would ultimately be costly, with debutant Ryley Stoddart converting his first league goal to extend the margin to a game-high 22 points.
Still vigorous in their approach, the Lions began to stage a fightback as Cameron Rayner converted to keep the game alive, before some magic from Zorko sliced the margin even further.
As Franklin finally hit the scoreboard seconds later to negate the Brisbane resurgence, Hayward too minimised the damage 11 minutes later with his second.
With control of the game resting in Sydney's favour and a 23-point margin on their side at three-quarter time, a win was by no means a certainty with the Lions' heart unwavering.
Refusing to bow out, a massive long goal from Tom Cutler had the Lions poised for another spirited fightback, before a skilful Hewett clearance paved the way for a roving Ronke to kick a splendid goal.
A stunning snap from Allen Christensen kept the Lions within a sniff, before a contentious 50m penalty paid against him restored the margin to 21 points as Kieren Jack put through an all-important major.
While Brisbane continued to scrap their way into the 50 and subsequently lock it in on repeat occasions, a series of tantalisingly close misses all but ruled out their chances of a second consecutive upset.
A final fracas in the dying seconds of the game closed out the game, with resounding boos around the 'Gabba closing out what was a tight contest.
With the final margin sitting at 18 points, the Swans' victory sees them temporarily leap into the top-four, while Brisbane retain 17th position on the ladder.
Sydney will be back home next week when they face Carlton on Friday night to kick off the Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round, while Brisbane will hit the road in an attempt to secure their second win of the season against North Melbourne on Sunday afternoon.
BRISBANE 2.2 2.3 4.7 6.13 (49)
SYDNEY 3.0 5.3 8.6 10.7 (67)
GOALS
Brisbane: Zorko, Christensen, Cutler, Rayner, Beams, Berry
Sydney: Ronke 2, Hayward 2, Heeney 2, Franklin, Stoddart, Jack, Papley
BEST
Brisbane: Beams, Zorko, Martin, Robinson, Robertson, Berry
Sydney: Parker, Hewett, Grundy, Lloyd, Heeney, McVeigh
INJURIES
Brisbane: Eagles (groin), Berry (hamstring)
Sydney: Nil
TALKING POINTS
1. LIONS SHOW HEART, BUT SWANS ALL CLASS
Off the back of their inspiring victory over Hawthorn, the Lions were brimming with confidence as they set their sights on knocking off another top-tier side in front of their home crowd.
Despite the heart of Brisbane, their opposition were destined to play spoiler, with their class in the wet conditions giving the Swans that extra edge which got them over the line.
With Josh Kennedy leading the way (34 disposals) and the Sydney defence unwavering, the added polish of the Swans could not be challenged by the Lions.
A noble defeat nonetheless, and one which the Lions should still hold their heads high over.
2. BEAMS STILL A LEADER, DESPITE STEPPING DOWN
It was undoubtedly a big week for Dayne Beams, who stepped down as captain of the Lions temporarily in order to cope with personal matters following the passing of his father, Phillip, earlier in the year following a prolonged battle with cancer.
Even without the title of skipper, Beams still put together a brave performance against the Swans, finishing with a game-high 38 touches (16 contested), a goal and nine clearances.
Along the newly-anointed skipper in Dayne Zorko, the two were impressive through the middle for Brisbane, keeping their side within the game for the entirety of proceedings.
Still displaying leadership on the field and clearly leading by example, Beams' heroic efforts are ones which should be commended by every footy fan.
3. SYDNEY DEFENCE SOLID EVEN WITH NO MILLS
Sydney's run-in with unfortunate injuries has been nothing short of absurd, with Dane Rampe last season breaking his arm after attempting to jump a fence at training.
Callum Mills was the latest luckless Swan to fall, with the defender breaking his foot after falling over during a mock game of American football.
Despite the big loss, the Swans' defence stood firm, with Jarrad McVeigh, Jake Lloyd and Zak Jones playing pivotal roles in the back half of the ground to minimise the Lions' press.
Sydney's ability to have solid stars despite key absences is a trait which will put them in good stead as they approach the midway point of the season.
4. KEY FORWARDS QUIET AFTER SOUND GAMES THE WEEK BEFORE
It was a game where the key forwards failed to fire, even although many predicted they alone would be the difference.
Eric Hipwood and Charlie Cameron were kept goalless for the entire match and minimal impact, while the Lions as a whole failed to register a multiple-goalkicker.
Sydney's main man in Lance Franklin similarly was quiet, with Darcy Gardiner keeping the superstar scoreless up until half-time.
Although Franklin managed to score one goal in the third term, he was still important in the structure of his side's forward line, and helped assist several Sydney majors.
5. RECORD STREAK CONTINUES AGAINST LIONS
The Lions have had little luck against Sydney, and have failed to knock off the Swans since round 22, 2009.
Today's defeat serves as the 11th consecutive defeat against their interstate rivals, and although the Lions were able to overcome their nine-year losing streak against Hawthorn last week, today they weren't so lucky.
But if the Lions continue their form going into 2019, longstanding records could at long last be broken.
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