Brisbane on the brink of a sporting miracle

Success breeds success; in business, sport, and life in general. It’s contagious, an intangible belief and confidence that you’d earn millions from if you could bottle it. The Brisbane Lions and Brisbane Broncos have never been premiers in the same year, but come Sunday night, that could all change.

The city’s still riding the huge highs of a Lions outfit who last weekend secured back-to-back premiership glory. Coach Chris Fagan is Brisbane’s favourite father figure, and the personal stories keep coming of players overcoming adversity to soar in front of more than 100,000 fans. I was one of those in the MCG crowd that day, and it was an afternoon I’ll never forget.

It’s also a feeling I’d like to share with my kids, so this weekend I’m with my eldest son Monty in Sydney for the NRL’s big decider between the Broncos and Melbourne Storm. It’s been a long time between trophies for Broncos fans, with their last men’s premiership dating back to 2006, which will make Sunday night all the sweeter should our boys get up.

Last month, prior to the Lions’ back-to-back triumphs, Brisbane was crowned Australia’s top sporting city, according to the 2025 Ranking of Sports Cities released by global consultancy Burson.

Brisbane Economic Development Agency COO Juliet Alabaster said the city embraced a year-round calendar of events spanning codes and competitions to bolster its appeal as a sporting destination.

“Already this year, Brisbane has welcomed hundreds of thousands of fans to premier sporting events including the British & Irish Lions Rugby Tour, the NRL Magic Round Brisbane, Brisbane Cycling Festival and both NRL and NRLW State of Origin games,” Ms Alabaster said.

“The action continues with the BMW Australian PGA Championship, Brisbane International and a summer of cricket, including The Gabba’s next day/night Ashes Test, the World Marathon Majors Qualifying EVA Air Brisbane Marathon Festival in June 2026, and the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup.

“Over the past 10 years, Brisbane’s sporting and cultural sectors have experienced remarkable growth of 76% – and momentum is still building.

“Brisbane’s experience economy is the fastest growing in Australia and our ecosystem of major sporting events continues to drive visitation.”

Now just imagine if the Broncos win the 2025 NRL Premiership too.

Before I sign off for the week, I’ve zeroed in here on the men’s NRL action, but I take my hat off to the NRLW Broncos side. These women are gunning for a fourth title on Sunday afternoon, ahead of the men’s decider, having already secured the most premierships in NRLW history. 

Let’s go Broncos!

Matt Lancashire