1996 Brisbane Bears season

10th season of the Brisbane Bears August 2026 August 2026 Brisbane Bears 1996 Noel GordonBrisbane Honour Board https://australianfootball.com/clubs/honour_board/Brisbane/2 Australian Football 27 August 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20230926230707/https://australianfootball.com/clubs/honour_board/Brisbane/2 26 September 2023 John Northey Roger Merrett The Gabba Home-and-away 3rd Finals series Preliminary final Club Champion Michael Voss Alastair Lynch (52) 21,644 (Round 8 vs ) 14,222 (Round 1 vs ) 18,088Attendances 1996 https://afltables.com/afl/crowds/1996.html AFL Tables 5 June 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260214101912/https://afltables.com/afl/crowds/1996.html 14 February 2026 10,267Annual Report 1996 https://footyindustry.com/docs/AFL%201996%20Annual%20Report.pdf AFL 27 August 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20230422152112/https://footyindustry.com/docs/AFL%201996%20Annual%20Report.pdf 22 April 2023The pride of Brisbane town...and Fitzroy https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/the-pride-of-brisbane-town-and-fitzroy-20030329-gdvgb8.html The Age 27 August 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20181007020255/https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/the-pride-of-brisbane-town-and-fitzroy-20030329-gdvgb8.html 7 October 2018 29 March 2003 1995 1997 (Lions) The 1996 season was the tenth season of the Brisbane Bears in the Australian Football League (AFL). It was the final year of the Bears before it merged with the Fitzroy Football Club, competing in the AFL as the Brisbane Lions from 1997 onwards. Brisbane had its most successful season to date in 1996, finishing third on the ladder at the end of the home-and-away season to reach the finals series for the second year in a row and the second time in club history.Kings of the Pride competition (1987–1996) – Bears https://www.afl.com.au/news/468722/kings-of-the-pride-competition-1987-1996-bears AFL.com.au 27 August 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260827030721/https://www.afl.com.au/news/468722/kings-of-the-pride-competition-1987-1996-bears 27 August 2026 9 July 2007 The Bears won two finals, both played at the Gabba, before losing to eventual premiers in the preliminary final.Wayback Wednesday: Preliminary Final, 1996 https://www.nmfc.com.au/news/793764/wayback-wednesday-preliminary-final-1996 North Melbourne Football Club 27 August 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20210315175414/https://www.nmfc.com.au/news/793764/wayback-wednesday-preliminary-final-1996 15 March 2021 12 August 2020 Following the conclusion of the season, the Bears took over Fitzroy's AFL assets as part of a deal negotiated by the AFL, which resulted in the club changing its name to the Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club (trading as the Brisbane Lions).15 years on… https://www.afl.com.au/news/532648/15-years-on AFL.com.au 5 June 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260605132623/https://www.afl.com.au/news/532648/15-years-on 5 June 2026 4 July 2011 Season summary Brisbane began the 1996 home-and-away season with an 87-point victory over at the Gabba in front of a crowd of 14,222 people, which would be the lowest home crowd for the Bears during the year.1996 AFL Premiership Season https://australianfootball.com/seasons/season/afl/138/premiership%2Bseason/1/1/1996/basic Australian Football 27 August 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20220112094823/https://australianfootball.com/seasons/season/afl/138/premiership%2Bseason/1/1/1996/basic 12 January 2022 The club won seven of their first eight matches before losing to by 58 points in round 9, which was followed by a draw against and a loss to .Westerman William The Merger Trilogy: On the Frontier https://www.footyalmanac.com.au/the-merger-trilogy-on-the-frontier/ The Footy Almanac 27 August 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260608074837/https://www.footyalmanac.com.au/the-merger-trilogy-on-the-frontier/ 8 June 2026 1 July 2021 While Brisbane was able to recover at the mid-point of the season with a 77-point win over , two losses away from home against and saw the Bears fall to seventh place on the ladder, just six weeks after sitting in first. It was around this time that Fitzroy administrator Michael Brennan agreed to merge the club's AFL operations with Brisbane, with the agreement of the AFL Commission and a majority vote of the AFL's constituent clubs.Blucher Peter Moments Of Change: The Merger https://www.lions.com.au/news/1085776/moments-of-change-the-merger Brisbane Lions 5 June 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260605125540/https://www.lions.com.au/news/1085776/moments-of-change-the-merger 5 June 2026 25 March 202220 years since "merge day" https://www.lions.com.au/news/14635/20-years-since-merge-day Brisbane Lions 5 June 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260605125823/https://www.lions.com.au/news/14635/20-years-since-merge-day 5 June 2026 4 July 2016 After the loss to Adelaide, the Bears went on a seven-match winning streak, which included four victories in Melbourne. Among those victories was an 87-point defeat of Fitzroy at Optus Oval, in what was the final match played between the teams before their merger.Fitzroy's Last Game: An Injustice https://www.lions.com.au/news/700396/fitzroys-last-game-an-injustice Brisbane Lions 5 June 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260605135203/https://www.lions.com.au/news/700396/fitzroys-last-game-an-injustice 5 June 2026 29 May 2020 Entering the final round of the season, Brisbane were sitting first on the ladder with a chance to claim the minor premiership for the first (and only) time in the club's history, but were defeated by at Victoria Park. Despite the loss, Brisbane's third-placed finish was its highest-ever, marking the only time the Bears finished in the top four and giving the club the chance to host finals matches at the Gabba. In the qualifying final, Brisbane defeated by one point to record its first victory in a final. The following week in the semi-final, the Bears comfortably defeated by 97 points in front of a crowd of 21,767 people. Brisbane's final match was the preliminary final against at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where the Bears lost by 38 points to fall one week short of making a maiden AFL Grand Final.Our Five Most Memorable Preliminary Finals https://www.lions.com.au/news/57787/our-five-most-memorable-preliminary-finals Brisbane Lions 27 August 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20221116090506/https://www.lions.com.au/news/57787/our-five-most-memorable-preliminary-finals 16 November 2022 22 September 2016 The last goal for the Brisbane Bears was kicked by Darryl White in the final minutes of the preliminary final.LionsTBT: Bears' '96 Semi Final https://www.lions.com.au/news/78447/lionstbt-bears-96-semi-final Brisbane Lions 27 August 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20221116090401/https://www.lions.com.au/news/78447/lionstbt-bears-96-semi-final 16 November 2022 15 September 2016 AFL season Lightning Premiership 1996 AFL Lightning Premiership Rd Date and local time Opponent Scores (Brisbane's scores indicated in bold) Venue Crowd Ladder Home Away Result 1 Friday, 9 February (9:30 pm) 40 6.4 (40) 26 3.8 (26) 03 Won by 14 points Waverley Park — — QF Saturday, 10 February (7:30 pm) 21 3.3 (21) 43 6.7 (43) 02 Won by 22 points Waverley Park — — SF Sunday, 11 February (6:30 pm) 26 4.2 (26) 55 7.13 (55) 01 Won by 29 points Waverley Park — — GF Sunday, 11 February (9:30 pm) 21 2.9 (21) 38 6.2 (38) 04 Lost by 17 points Waverley Park — — Ansett Australia Cup 1996 Ansett Australia Cup Rd Date and local time Opponent Scores (Brisbane's scores indicated in bold) Venue Crowd Ladder Home Away Result 1 Monday, 4 March (7:00 pm) 109 14.25 (109) 63 9.9 (63) 01 Won by 46 points The Gabba (H) 18,325 — QF Sunday, 10 March (7:00 pm) 105 15.15 (105) 90 13.12 (90) 02 Lost by 15 points The Gabba (A) 13,269 — Home-and-away season 1996 AFL season Rd Date and local time Opponent Scores (Brisbane's scores indicated in bold) Venue Crowd Ladder Home Away Result 1 Saturday, 30 March (7:40 pm) 141 21.15 (141) 54 7.12 (54) 03 Won by 87 points The Gabba (H) 14,222 3rd 2 Saturday, 6 April (6:40 pm) 77 11.11 (77) 103 16.7 (103) 09 Won by 26 points WACA (A) 29,213 3rd 3 Saturday, 13 April (7:40 pm) 90 13.12 (90) 108 15.18 (108) 18 Lost by 18 points The Gabba (H) 20,635 3rd 4 Friday, 19 April (7:40 pm) 125 18.17 (125) 95 14.11 (95) 08 Won by 30 points The Gabba (H) 17,469 3rd 5 Sunday, 28 April (2:10 pm) 158 24.14 (158) 49 6.13 (49) 01 Won by 109 points The Gabba (A) 14,495 1st 6 Sunday, 5 May (12:10 pm) 85 12.13 (85) 110 17.8 (110) 10 Won by 25 points Subiaco Oval (A) 24,591 1st 7 Saturday, 11 May (7:40 pm) 104 15.14 (104) 41 5.11 (41) 05 Won by 63 points The Gabba (H) 20,053 1st 8 Friday, 17 May (7:40 pm) 108 15.18 (108) 98 14.14 (98) 14 Won by 10 points The Gabba (H) 21,644 1st 9 Sunday, 26 May (1:10pm) 132 21.6 (132) 74 10.14 (74) 22 Lost by 58 points SCG (A) 26,537 2nd 10 Saturday, 8 June (2:10 pm) 98 14.14 (98) 98 15.8 (98) 16 Draw Kardinia Park (A) 24,800 3rd 11 Saturday, 15 June (7:40 pm) 38 5.8 (38) 62 9.8 (62) 19 Lost by 24 points The Gabba (H) 20,225 3rd 12 Saturday, 22 June (7:40 pm) 123 18.15 (123) 46 6.10 (46) 04 Won by 77 points The Gabba (H) 14,871 3rd 13 Saturday, 29 June (2:10 pm) 96 14.12 (96) 50 7.8 (50) 20 Lost by 46 points Waverley Park (A) 13,824 6th 14 Saturday, 6 July (8:10 pm) 102 15.12 (102) 94 14.10 (94) 17 Lost by 8 points Football Park (A) 34,183 7th 15 Sunday, 14 July (2:10 pm) 103 15.13 (103) 68 10.8 (68) 07 Won by 35 points The Gabba (H) 20,378 5th 16 Saturday, 20 July (2:10 pm) 22 3.4 (22) 36 4.12 (36) 13 Won by 14 points Whitten Oval (A) 9,994 5th 17 Saturday, 27 July (2:10 pm) 163 25.13 (163) 116 17.14 (116) 06 Won by 47 points The Gabba (H) 15,772 5th 18 Sunday, 4 August (2:10 pm) 53 7.11 (53) 70 9.16 (70) 12 Won by 17 points Optus Oval (A) 17,157 5th 19 Sunday, 11 August (2:10 pm) 59 8.11 (59) 77 11.11 (77) 11 Won by 18 points Optus Oval (A) 15,453 3rd 20 Saturday, 17 August (2:10 pm) 100 14.16 (100) 187 29.13 (187) 03 Won by 87 points Optus Oval (H) 6,469 3rd 21 Saturday, 24 August (7:40 pm) 71 10.11 (71) 70 10.10 (70) 15 Won by 1 point The Gabba (H) 19,204 1st 22 Saturday, 31 August (12:10 pm) 100 15.10 (100) 51 6.15 (51) 21 Lost by 49 points Victoria Park (A) 21,126 3rd Ladder 3 Finals series Rd Date and local time Opponent Scores (Brisbane's scores indicated in bold) Venue Crowd Home Away Result Qualifying final Friday, 6 September (7:45 pm) 101 15.11 (101) 100 15.10 (100) 02 Won by 1 point The Gabba (H) 21,964 Semi-final Saturday, 14 September (7:45 pm) 170 26.14 (170) 73 10.13 (73) 01 Won by 97 points The Gabba (H) 21,767 Preliminary final Saturday, 21 September (2:30 pm) 114 17.12 (114) 76 11.10 (76) 03 Lost by 38 points MCG (A) 66,719 Awards and milestones right 290 horizontal MichaelVoss.jpg Alastair Lynch (cropped).jpg Michael Voss (left) and Alastair Lynch (right), the final winners of the Brisbane Bears' best-and-fairest and leading goalkicker awards respectively Brisbane's Michael Voss won the Brownlow Medal as the AFL's best and fairest player during the 1996 season, finishing to 21 votes to tie with 's James Hird.Tobin Sean Voss: You can only limit Ablett's damage https://www.goldcoastfc.com.au/news/710588/voss-you-can-only-limit-abletts-damage Gold Coast Suns 27 August 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260827044256/https://www.goldcoastfc.com.au/news/710588/voss-you-can-only-limit-abletts-damage 27 August 2026 3 July 2014 In doing so, Voss became the first Queenslander to win the Brownlow Medal.Blucher Peter Queensland Brownlow Medal Contenders https://www.aflq.com.au/queensland-brownlow-medal-contenders/ AFL Queensland 27 August 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20240525092904/https://www.aflq.com.au/queensland-brownlow-medal-contenders/ 25 May 2024 16 September 2022 He was also named the Brisbane Bears Club Champion for the second year in a row.Throwback Thursday: Voss' place on captaincy honour boards is unquestioned https://www.lions.com.au/news/77820/throwback-thursday-voss-place-on-captaincy-honour-boards-is-unquestioned Brisbane Lions 27 August 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20241201032307/https://www.lions.com.au/news/77820/throwback-thursday-voss-place-on-captaincy-honour-boards-is-unquestioned 1 December 2024 30 May 2019 Voss and Craig Lambert were both named in the 1996 All-Australian team.1996 All-Australian Team https://www.afl.com.au/all-australian/teams/1996 AFL.com.au 27 August 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260516022633/https://www.afl.com.au/all-australian/teams/1996 16 May 2026 Club awards Club Champion (best and fairest): Michael Voss Leading goalkicker: Alastair Lynch (52 goals) Milestones Rd Player Milestone Opponent Venue Ref 1 Troy Johnson AFL debut The Gabba Brisbane Bears – All Time Player List https://afltables.com/afl/stats/alltime/brisbaneb.html AFL Tables 5 June 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260417212333/https://afltables.com/afl/stats/alltime/brisbaneb.html 17 April 2026 Danny Dickfos AFL debut 2 Tristan Lynch AFL debut WACA 6 Richard Champion 100th AFL game Subiaco Oval Clark Keating AFL debut 11 Matthew Kennedy 100th AFL game The Gabba 12 Ben Robbins AFL debut The Gabba 18 Daniel Bradshaw AFL debut Optus Oval QF Shaun Hart 100th AFL game The Gabba See also 1996 Fitzroy Football Club season References collapsed Category:1996 AFL season Category:1996 in sport in Brisbane 1996