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Buckley makes his Q-Clash semi-final prediction
Jaiden Sciberras • September 8th, 2025 7:00 pm
The AFL semi-finals are set for a never-seen-before blockbuster derby, with Brisbane and the Gold Coast set to face off in the first ever September Q-Clash.
After landing a finals spot for the first time in club history, the Suns defied the odds, charging down the Dockers in Perth to claim a gutsy one-point win to progress to a semi-final berth.
Conversely, the Brisbane Lions faced off against Geelong at the MCG, beaten soundly in a rather un-Brisbane-like performance.
The Lions won’t be filled with confidence ahead of their elimination bout with Gold Coast, having been beaten by 66 points in their last meeting just seven weeks ago.
And the challenge only grows more difficult, as dual Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale and key forward Eric Hipwood both to miss with injury.
That being said, former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley still holds immense faith in the Lions, predicting that they will walk away victorious despite the challenge ahead.
“They’ve got a wealth and a depth of talent, (and the) talent doesn’t just get it done, there’s a strength of character in the Lions and in the way that they go about it,” Buckley told SEN's Whateley.
“In the depth of their leadership and their belief in each other - any time they have found themselves in this position, thieve been able to respond. This is going to be a cracker Q-Clash.
“The Suns are going to come in with great momentum, but I will be tipping Brisbane in this game. I just think they are going to find a way, even though the Suns unpacked them nearly eight weeks ago now.
“It’s going to be a ripping contest, but Fages (Chris Fagan) is going to die on that positivity hill, and so he should. That’s his philosophy - it’s not as bad as you think it is.
“Even when it’s the end of it, he’ll still be saying ‘I’m very proud of this, we did this, and we did that’. It’s always, ‘let’s remind ourselves of the good we’re doing, of the challenges we’ve overcome, of the resilience we’ve developed through this path’.
“That will be a big part of the preparation for this week.”
Despite Buckley backing the Lions to get the job done, he does believe that selection won’t be easy following their dismantling at the hands of the Cats.
“it’s a big task for the Lions,” he continued.
“Do they bring (Oscar) McInerney back in? Is Sam Day doing enough? (Darcy) Fort stood up and did really well.
“You’ve still got (Will) Ashcroft. (Hugh) McCluggage isn’t going to have a bad game like that again – or he might. He might get tagged and we’ll see how that goes.
“(Josh) Dunkley was still really good. (Cam) Rayner – is he going to be that quiet again? (Kai) Lohmann, (Logan) Morris, (Zac) Bailey, (Darcy) Wilmot… they’ve got guns everywhere.
“Let’s not discount how good Brisbane can be. It’s going to take a huge effort for anyone to get over the top of them.”
The semi-final derby is set for Saturday night at the Gabba, with a game against Collingwood awaiting the winner.
