For Fremantle, Wharfie Time was supposed to be the sound of a premiership drawing closer.

For Brisbane, it became a signal to attack.

With a little more than four minutes remaining at the MCG, Patrick Voss converted from close range to put Fremantle 89-72 ahead. The Dockers had a 17-point lead, their supporters were in full voice and AC/DC’s Hells Bells began ringing around the stadium as Wharfie Time was activated.

What followed was the exact opposite of what Fremantle had hoped for.

Brisbane won the next four centre bounces and kicked the final four goals of the Grand Final, wiping out the deficit and completing a remarkable 96-89 victory. The result secured a third consecutive premiership for the Lions.

The comeback looked sudden from the stands. Inside Brisbane, however, the response to Wharfie Time had been discussed before the game.

Lions co-captain Josh Dunkley said the players had spoken about turning Fremantle’s match-day activation into energy of their own.

“We talked about Wharfie Time, and making that our energy,” Dunkley told Channel Seven after the match.

He recalled the moment the players returned to the centre as the bells sounded.

“When I looked around at centre bounce and Wharfie Time came on, we all looked at each other, and connected, grew a leg and got it done,” he said.

That reaction was visible immediately.

Will Ashcroft collected six disposals and four clearances after the Wharfie Time bells rang, while Brisbane repeatedly won possession out of the middle.

The Lions’ late scoring burst came through Charlie Cameron and Zac Bailey before Logan Morris kicked two late goals as Brisbane completed a 24-point unanswered run.

For Morris, the moment was not unexpected either.

“We knew they were going to pull that Wharfie Time soon and we said at the start of the game we’ve got to use it as energy,” he told Channel Seven.

“I think the boys did that and we were able to respond and get over the top.”

Brisbane had prepared for the bells

Lachie Neale later revealed that Brisbane had discussed Wharfie Time earlier in Grand Final week.

The Lions knew Fremantle could use the activation if the match was close and the Dockers kicked a goal. Rather than treating it purely as a Fremantle weapon, Brisbane decided it could become their own cue to lift.

“We spoke about using that as fuel for us to put the foot down and go,” Neale said.

He also pointed to Dunkley’s actions at the centre bounce, where the Brisbane co-captain could be seen raising his arms towards teammates.

“It meant ‘go time’ for us as well,” Neale said.

Dayne Zorko described the effect in similarly simple terms.

“It was like we clicked into another gear,” he said.

Coach Chris Fagan had also played Wharfie Time to the team during the build-up to the Grand Final, according to Dunkley’s post-match comments.

The preparation mattered because Wharfie Time was not an unfamiliar gimmick.

The activation features tolling bells, lighting and footage of boats moving through waves on the stadium’s big screen. It has been used at Fremantle home games when the Dockers need a lift. The name dates back to former Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich, who used the phrase “wharfie time” during a team huddle in 2009.  

In the Grand Final, though, the psychological lift belonged to Brisbane.

From celebration to silence in four minutes

The timing made the reversal even more striking.

Voss’s goal had Fremantle supporters celebrating with the Dockers holding what looked like a commanding late lead. The bells then sounded, the stadium reacted and Brisbane returned to the centre knowing precisely how it wanted to respond.

Dunkley said the team had learned during the season about handling momentum and continuing to attack when opponents gained control.

“When you talk about it and it arises, there’s only one choice and it’s to go at the game,” he said.  

Brisbane did exactly that.

Instead of slowing the contest down, the Lions repeatedly surged forward. Four centre-bounce wins became four goals. A 17-point Fremantle advantage became a seven-point Brisbane victory.

And an activation designed to give Fremantle one final burst of belief became the sound Brisbane had spent the week preparing to hear.

For the Dockers, Wharfie Time arrived with the premiership seemingly within touching distance.

For the Lions, it was the starting bell for one last comeback.

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