AFL

Blues' rally falls short as Lions add to Voss pain

May 8, 2026

Carlton captain Patrick Cripps and coach Michael Voss suffered a narrow loss in Brisbane. -AAP Image

Carlton have flirted with a second Gabba miracle in three seasons before Michael Voss's men fell to a seventh straight AFL loss.

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The Brisbane Lions looked set to canter clear when leading by 49 points early in the third term, before the Blues surged to within 10 of the lead.

The 14.16 (100) to 13.11 (89) result came barely two years after the Blues came from 46 behind to beat the Lions by one point at the Gabba.

They couldn't finish the job on Friday, but after coughing up six first-half leads to lose in eight games already this season, there was a different narrative for Voss and his besieged Blues (1-8) to digest.

The Lions dominated from the outset, venturing inside the Blues' 50 five times before eventually kicking a goal.

Lachie Neale (33 disposals, nine clearances, one goal) led the assault at clearances, and the one-way traffic eventually told as Logan Morris (four goals for the game) and big men Sam Draper and Darcy Fort added majors.

Brisbane led clearances 24-11 and centre bounce 10-2 at halftime and it was more of the same when they resumed, even with Neale copping a tag.

Hugh McCluggage's goal was a sixth straight for Brisbane - the seventh time the Blues had conceded that many consecutively this season.

But that's where it turned, a high-flying Morris spilling a mark and Ben Ainsworth ending a 40-minute goal drought for the Blues.

Jagga Smith and Patrick Cripps (32 touches, nine clearances, one goal) followed suit, and Mitch McGovern (three goals) snuck two goals in the final stages of the quarter to make it a 20-point game.

It was a complete turnaround, the Blues up 16 in contested possessions, seven in clearances and 14 in inside-50s.

Harry McKay (three goals) goaled immediately from the restart, with a Kai Lohmann goal ending a six-major Blues run.

Fort hit the post, and Levi Ashcroft and Neale followed up with frustrating misses to keep the Blues in it.

Ashcroft made no mistake on his next chance, the goal sparking a push-and-shove that gifted him a free kick and chance for another.

He pushed it wide but the damage, with six minutes to play, was done.

Nobody told the Blues though, with McKay, McGovern and Will Hayward (three majors) booting goals to make it a 10-point game with three minutes to play.

But Neale finally iced it, intercepting a handball and snapping truly to settle the nerves of 31,147 fans.