The Lions, 15^th on the ladder, were 52 points down against the second-placed Cats shortly before three-quarter-time but kicked 10 of the last 11 goals to win 15.13 (103) to 14.14 (98).

It was labelled ‘The Miracle on Grass’ by Fox Footy commentator Anthony Hudson and is a moment that will stay with Lions fans forever.

Hudson told how, sitting in his hotel room the night before, he had watched a documentary on the United States’ famous upset win over the Soviet Union in the ice hockey gold medal game at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.

“It was known as the “Miracle on Ice” and I thought “that could be a good line in the right circumstance’ and put it in the memory bank,” Hudson recounted. “Of course, I had no clue that it’d be the very next night after one of the most astonishing comebacks in history.”

Joel Patfull and Jonathan Brown goaled for Brisbane just before the last change to cut the deficit to 38 points and in the first 13 minutes of the fourth quarter Dayne Zorko, Brent Moloney and Jed Adcock did likewise to make it 20 points.

Steve Johnson kicked a steadier for the Cats but the Lions, kicking to the Wellington Road end and inspired by a three-quarter time address from coach Michael Voss, answered through Pearce Hanley and Moloney. Mitch Golby cut it to seven points and Daniel Rich tied it up with 3min31sec on the clock. 

Tom Hawkins marked on the boundary line for Geelong in the Vulture Street pocket at the Main Street end but sliced his set shot well right. The Cats led by a point with 55 seconds to play.

Brent Staker took the kick-in. Long down the middle. Simon Black crumbed it brilliantly and found Rich by hand but his hurried kick was marked by Geelong’s Josh Hunt. He went wide to captain Joel Selwood who picked out Dawson Simpson on the wing. A quick handpass set Joel Corey goalward and from 65m he kicked long.

Cats spearhead James Podsiadley was caught one-on-three and out-marked by Daniel Merrett. With nine seconds on the clock, the man they called ‘Sauce’ hesitated. The umpire called ‘play on’. He went sideways by hand to Elliott Yeo, whose 10m mis-kick found Black on the bounce.

The Brownlow Medallist looked inboard and speared a 35m bullet to Patfull, who went by foot to Adcock right in the centre circle. He pulled in a tumbling mark and, still on his knees, went by hand to a running Zorko. A perfectly-weighted 35m pick hit a leading McGrath 48m from goal literally one second before the siren.

It all came down to one kick from the 30-year-old. A point for a draw. A goal for a win. He stood at the top of his mark, took two deep breaths and let fly.

“It’s on its way … it’s there,” screamed Hudson in commentary.

“The Miracle on Grass. The Brisbane Lions have kicked eight goals in the last quarter. It’s better than a fairytale ... you can’t dream this scenario.”

Black, in his 320^th and third-last game, had 33 possessions for three Brownlow Medal votes but it was McGrath’s night. The night when the Indigenous utility star from Northam in Western Australia, a 2003 Lions premiership player, pulled off the miracle of all miracles.