The AFL world has given a long-standing ovation to Sydney and Geelong for their masterful recruiting and player development, but Brisbane has produced a post-COVID scouting masterclass which could deliver their first premiership in 21 years.

The building blocks of Brisbane's recent run of success leading to back-to-back grand final appearances, began well before the pandemic.

After finishing 17th, 18th and 15th from 2016-2018, Chris Fagan and his team set about restoring the Lions.

Those three years provided the club with two top ten draft picks, Hugh McCluggage and Cameron Rayner, and another group of talented youngsters: Jarrod Berry, Zac Bailey, Brandon Starcevich, Jack Payne, and Noah Answerth.

This core of players helped rebuild the team alongside Dayne Zorko, Harris Andrews, and Eric Hipwood.

The biggest and best deal of Brisbane's recent history came at the end of 2018 when Lachie Neale was recruited from Fremantle, before he became a two-time Brownlow Medallist. Charlie Cameron moving in from Adelaide was also an enormous fillip.

Former top 10 draftee Callum Ah Chee's trade from Gold Coast to Brisbane was also a winner — he has played 97 games in four seasons, fulfilling his potential.

But what has propelled the Lions from consistent finals contenders to being on the cusp of a premiership came during COVID, and the fruits of their scouting have shone through this finals series.

Why Brisbane’s new brigade is made for September

The Lions have not enjoyed much luck with injuries in 2024, with Lincoln McCarthy, Darcy Gardiner, and Keidean Coleman all tearing their ACLs.

But Brisbane are arguably in a better position this year to win the flag, with almost every Lion they have picked up since 2020 playing his part in this magnificent finals run.

The 2021 national draft was a tricky one for all recruiters because Victorian teenagers had missed playing footy for the entire 2020 season and much of 2021 due to COVID lockdowns.

Who could tell what those untried prospects would become in a few years?

Brisbane had picks 16 and 20 and wisely chose Darcy Wilmot and Kai Lohmann.

Wilmot matured quickly as an AFL attacking defender, playing every game last year and improving in 2024 — highlighted by 10 intercepting disposals against the Cats in the preliminary final.

Lohmann, recruited from the respected Greater Western Victoria Rebels in Ballarat, seems like he was born to play in September.

After taking part in only eight games in 2022 and 2023, he is now a goal kicking crumber who can hit up with leads or take hangers — a tough match-up for any backman.

A year after Wilmot and Lohmann bolstered the depth of Brisbane, the Lions benefited from two father selections: Jaspa Fletcher and Will Ashcroft.

Fletcher plays with the composure of a veteran.

Ashcroft is in the same class of player as Brownlow Medal runner-up Nick Daicos; if you're pulling out a name in a Norm Smith Medal sweep, cross your fingers for number eight.

The last two pieces in the premiership puzzle

A premiership team needs depth in all positions to cover unexpected setbacks, especially in the finals.

To further illustrate Brisbane's improvement in 2024, rewatch just 20 seconds of last weekend's preliminary final against Geelong.

There were two and half minutes remaining.

Ollie Henry had kicked his fourth goal to put the Cats one point in front. Brisbane needed one more comeback to avoid elimination.

In the ruck for the centre bounce for the Lions was matchwinner Joe Daniher, recruited from Essendon in 2020.

Daniher, who has played 94 games and kicked 202 goals in the past four seasons, was rucking because Oscar McInerney had twice dislocated his shoulder.

Earlier, Fagan must have been worried about Daniher's permanence in the ruck meaning he could no longer be the number one target in the forward line, but this was remedied by the presence and coolness and two goals of 19-year-old Logan Morris.

Morris was drafted from the Western Jets at pick 31 last year and has since pulled the jumper on 18 times.

The umpire bounced the ball.

Neither Daniher nor Geelong's ruckman Rhys Stanley won a meaningful tap in consecutive stoppages before Daniher made an arms-up smother that catapulted the ball to Answerth, who hoofed it forward, where Cameron created a contest so that Ah Chee could kick his third goal.

Brisbane was back in front.

After the next bounce and another stoppage, the ball fell to Geelong's Mitch Duncan, pursued by prolific midfielder Josh Dunkley.

Dunkley became a Lion in a trade at the end of 2022. His pressure on opponents is now a familiar and reassuring sight, and, under such pressure, Duncan gave a wayward handball that was seized by Ashcroft.

A week after igniting a victory against the Giants, Ashcroft caught the ball like a rugby league fullback in a gap and dashed forward, handballing to Hipwood and calling for it to be returned.

Instead, Hipwood handballed to Rayner, who kicked one of the goals of his life.

Just like that, the Lions did what they failed to do against Collingwood in the final game of 2023.

The courageous McInerney will need replacing, probably by Darcy Fort.

Otherwise, all the moving parts are there for another go at it this Saturday.

While all focus is on the grand final, the future for the Lions is looking promising.

Across the other side of Melbourne, the AFL's teenage competition was won by the Sandringham Dragons, whose two best grand final performers were Will Ashcroft's little brother Levi and Brisbane youth academy midfielder Sam Marshall.

Both will play for the pride of Brisbane town next season.