The Brisbane Lions became the first club to win three consecutive AFL premierships from 2001 to 2003.
Brisbane defeated Essendon in the 2001 AFL Grand Final, Collingwood in 2002, and Collingwood again in 2003. The achievement made the Lions the first club to win three successive premierships in the AFL era. Their 2001–03 side is widely regarded as one of the competition’s strongest modern teams.
The Lions were coached by Leigh Matthews and captained by Michael Voss during this period. Key players included Jonathan Brown, Alastair Lynch, Simon Black, Jason Akermanis and Nigel Lappin. Simon Black won the 2003 Norm Smith Medal, while Akermanis won it in 2002.
The club’s run is sometimes confused with earlier VFL dynasties, including Collingwood’s four consecutive premierships from 1927 to 1930. Brisbane’s achievement was specifically the first three-flag sequence in the national AFL competition.