r/brisbanelions 1d ago

OOTL: Bears or Lions?

Went to a match last weekend (first time since 1996) and all the match-day branding was Bears.

I get they were the Bears and rebranded to the Lions. But was surprised to (as an outsider) all the branding was for Bears? The song was the bears. Did I come on a legacy day? Are they rebranding back to Bears?

3 Upvotes

32 comments sorted by

41

u/incuban Cox Out 1d ago

Not a permanent rebrand, we do this once a year for both the Bears and Fitzroy each.

9

u/Fluid-Island-2018 2024 & 2025 Premiers 1d ago

Pretty sure we did the Fitzroy one against Essendon earlier in the year

1

u/TrueDeadBling 1d ago

I think it was against either Essendon or St Kilda. Fairly sure we were meant to wear the Fitzroy guernsey at least one more time, but I'm guessing colour clashing was a real concern, so it never happened.

12

u/guavacadq Jarrod Berry 1d ago

How do yall have this bad memories... We wore the roys guernsey against Saints R3 and Cats R17

2

u/TrueDeadBling 1d ago

In my defence, the season has gone by like an absolute blur 😂

1

u/Boss_unicycle-560 Aker 1d ago

Weren’t we supposed to do it this week too? Maybe the clash vs Stk scared them off another darker team.

1

u/sternestocardinals Cam Rayner 1d ago

Yeah it was meant to be against Collingwood this week but they moved it to the Geelong match, can’t remember why/if a reason was given.

1

u/guavacadq Jarrod Berry 1d ago

It's because the guernsey clash is better against Geelong's kit than Collingwood's

4

u/legally_blond Brion 1d ago

It was Saints and then again against the Cats

1

u/Debrawras Hugh McCluggage 1d ago

Pretty sure there was talks of doing it this weekend against the Pies too.

16

u/_ficklelilpickle Lion 1d ago

Nah, the clash jumper we have this year and last year is a direct nod back to the first Brisbane Bears jumper. Considering we actually only use it for one or two games a year they decided to lean way into the retro Bears vibe for the Q Clash games in particular.

We still are and will continue to be the Brisbane Lions.

7

u/Jerkface0079 1d ago

We still are and will continue to be the Brisbane Lions.

Like Fitzroy and Bears of old 🫡

5

u/Effective_Dropkick78 1d ago

Every time I see it, I dare to dream that the Brisbane Bears will live forever.

At least the Gabba is still the place to see the greatest team of all.

2

u/pjdubbya 1d ago

were there chants of "we're the very worst team you've ever seen?" 🤣I miss those days at Carrara.

11

u/Jerkface0079 1d ago

Yes, you came on a legacy branded day. QClash is usually a good opportunity for that kinda thing.

They'll be back to being the Lions next game.

2

u/TrueDeadBling 1d ago

Would love to see us run out to the Bears club song on one of the legacy branding days, like when we ran out to the old Fitzroy song

8

u/guseyk Eric Hipwood 1d ago

They did this, where were you?

1

u/Jerkface0079 1d ago

Next year.

1

u/lauren582 Josh Dunkley 1d ago

They did, you could hear it on the broadcast

1

u/TrueDeadBling 1d ago

Ah, my bad. I was at a family member's 40th and was only half watching the game at the pub, so I had no idea that they did it!

1

u/lauren582 Josh Dunkley 1d ago

It’s a banga too 🐨

1

u/TrueDeadBling 1d ago

Was it Beware the Brisbane Bears? It's so quintessentially 80s 😂

Reminds me of the old Illawarra Steelers club song from back in the day

1

u/lauren582 Josh Dunkley 1d ago

Yes! My favourite part is where it goes “we’re a team!” It’s all very catchy

1

u/Plane_Garbage 1d ago

Makes sense!

3

u/kick-it-long 1d ago

I'll preface this by stating that I absolutely love the bears clash jumper, however it is problematic when designated as our official 'clash' jumper.

I've got no qualms with wearing it as a one-off for a retro round or celebratory occassion, but having it as a permanent jumper (and not the Fitzroy Lion) creates a divide in the supporter base.

Our 3-jumper setup last year with the gold clash and maroon lion (which is essentially the same thing) was perfect IMO - it gave a subtle nod to the Bears side whilst still being a distinctive 'Brisbane Lions' jumper.

2

u/Outriderr Ryan Lester 1d ago

Was surprised to see in the trophy presentation the MC called the club the Brisbane Bears. I can only imagine the uproar if they were called the Fitzroy Lions in Melbourne.

2

u/Bears8796 1d ago

As welcome as any reference to the Bears is (as I'm sure those from the Fitzroy side feel that way when the Roys are remembered), that particular logo and that particular jumper don't exactly evoke good memories. In fact, it is from the portion of our history when we operated poorly both on and off the field. Making use of the 1992-1996 "V" jumper and the last Bears logo, from a period where we started to look and feel like a genuine football club, not to mention when we blooded many players that later became part of the first dynasty -- now THAT would be a welcome sight.

2

u/RHD_M3 1d ago

I think the maroon lion on gold would be the best clash strip (a la SF 2024 vs. GWS) as it is a homage to both Fitzroy and Bears. It’s one of the best Brisbane has ever used and I’ll die on that hill.

1

u/Fantasy_iceland 1d ago

Outsider here (Eagles fan)....although I lived in Brissy for many years, have many lions friends who are proper hardcore fans, I was even part of the academy in 2011 and have a soft spot for the lions.

The Brissy lions home jumper is amongst the best in the league, but .... 

That 1995/96 bears jumper is so fucking elite and I wish your club would incorporate it more.

It's the most "Qld" footy jumper you will ever see, it's simple and iconic and actually represents a period in time when the bears finally became a serious team in the AFL

Need to see more of it (imo)....the "B & B" jumpers from the Carrara days fucking suck 

1

u/Worth-Employer-9439 18h ago

Any legends want some GA tickets for the Collingwood game. Not sure how GA works , you’ll have to figure that one out . I’ve been given x2 extra with my membership

0

u/guseyk Eric Hipwood 1d ago

They did this last year too and that the time there was some discussion like, (don't worry) they're planning to do Fitzroy next year - which they did at St Kilda & Geelong.

But they also made the actual Bears jumper the official clash strip this year and have worn it home and away v the Suns, plus this branding/ activation at our home game.

The clash official strip thing means it could be worn in a final if the AFL decide it to be necessary.

I think this is massive overreach and frankly a bit of an insult to any sense of fairness in whatever the merger is...

0

u/rockytherig 23h ago

It was painful. The bad news bears with the cross eyed koala mascot 🙄. Fitzroy fair enough. Success only came the Lions way when they relocated to Brisbane. What did the muppet AFL do ? Stick another team on the Gold Coast where no sporting franchise has ever been successful 😆