The Lions will have to defend their premiership the hard way, after a 38-point loss at the hands of Geelong on Friday night.
The loss means their road to a Grand Final goes through the Gabba next week, before a blockbuster preliminary final against Collingwood in two weeks (if they make it that far).
The Sporting News looks at how some of the key Lions performed in a disappointing night at the MCG.
MORE: AFL Qualifying Final Geelong player ratings: Jeremy Cameron quiet after hot start
Who stood tall for the Lions?
Lachie Neale: 8.5
The Brisbane Lions co-captain fought valiantly in his first game back from injury. Slow start after returning from a three-week absence, initially starting on the bench while spending time forward. Came alive in the second-quarter with 14 disposals, one of the bright spots for the Lions as the Cats started to created distance.
Forced to exit early in the fourth quarter with his head in his jumper, as a calf injury ended his night prematurely, meaning a bad night just got worse. A nervous wait for Brisbane and their fans to see how severe the damage is, but they ended the season well against two finals teams without him.
Harris Andrews: 9
It wasn't the leaders that let the Lions down on Friday. Brisbane's defence were under siege early as Jeremy Cameron threatened to deliver an all-time performance, but Harris Andrews stood tall under the pressure. Led the side in intercept possessions, with his spoiling and marking a staple of his performance.
Most importantly, he shut out Shannon Neale for three quarters, before the Cat finally got his hands on the footy a couple of times late.
Dayne Zorko: 8
If Tassie do indeed enter the competition as soon as 2028, they have to be putting a call into Dayne Zorko, right? Continues to age gracefully with his performance against Geelong more evidence of that. He's been an awesome leader for a Lions side that's blossomed into a perennial premiership contender, and he'd be perfect for the infant Devils.
A turnover early cost a goal, and after playing safe for a while, Zorko returned to the ambitious playstyle Chris Fagan loves him for. Finished with 35 disposals at more than 80 per cent disposal efficiency.
Jaspa Fletcher: 7
Was arguably best afield in the first quarter. Kicked a brilliant goal for Brisbane's second of the night, before sitting under the footy and getting cleaned up by Shannon Neale. But his sacrifice led to another Brisbane goal.
Finishes with 20 disposals (80 per cent efficiency) and a goal, plus four score involvements.
Darcy Gardiner: 8
The only thing worse than playing on Jeremy Cameron is playing on Jeremy Cameron when he's red-hot. Cameron torched Ryan Lester in the first quarter, but Gardiner went to him afterwards and kept him relatively quiet. The Coleman medallist only had six disposals, two marks and zero scoring shots after quarter time, with Gardiner able to take credit for that.
Who will be nervous for selection this week?
Ryan Lester: 2
Jeremy Cameron had seven disposals, six shots at goal (two goals) and five marks almost exclusively against Lester in just the first quarter. Chris Fagan adjusted and put Gardiner on the Coleman medallist from the second quarter onwards, although ironically, the Cats put the foot on the gas afterwards.
Hugh McCluggage: 3
The Cats' midfield had the upper hand on the Lions for almost all of the night, with a large part of that able to be attributed to Hugh McCluggage being shut out of the contest by Oisin Mullin. Mullin held him to just one disposal in the first quarter, before just two more in the third. McCluggage's overall tally of 14 is flattering, but also not completely his fault.
Sam Day: 2
There was lots of intrigue surrounding who Chris Fagan would pick to support Logan Morris in the key spots up forward. With Eric Hipwood sidelined with injury, his options were limited, but he settled on veteran Sam Day and third-gamer Ty Gallop. Day entered the competition with just three goals in 12 games, and didn't improve his record on Friday night. A rough night in the 32-year-old's first ever final, as he finishes with just seven disposals and one mark.
The younger Gallop didn't feature much more prominently, accumulating just one more disposal and one more mark. But you can forgive the 19-year-old, and he did handball to Jaspa Fletcher for an amazing first-quarter goal.
Charlie Cameron: 2
After a rough season, Brisbane would've hoped their x-factor Charlie Cameron would get off to a hot start. Indeed, he got the dream start, kicking the first goal of the game. But he was basically unsighted in the ensuing three hours, touching the ball once after quarter-time. The service wasn't great inside-50 to be fair, and it's difficult as a small forward when your key forwards don't compete well enough in the contest to get you involved.
But after a tough year, is there any guarantee he remains in the side next week?