The Roar Deal

After another summer spent basking, footy is just about upon us again. Next Saturday night (assuming no cyclones form between now and then), the Lions will unfurl the Premiership flag for the second consecutive year, before kicking off the 2026 AFL season against the Western Bulldogs.
We’ve had one dose of pre-season footy already in last week’s hit-out against Carlton, and there’s still one to come before the real stuff gets underway, with the Suns heading to Brighton Homes Arena for Thursday night’s fixture.
This week on the podcast:
-The club’s #1 ticket holder Dan Anstey joins us again
-Who will get the final wing spot for Opening Round?
-We’ve found some incredible Fitzroy audio from the archives
And much more!

In a very special edition of the Roar Deal, Ursula Fagan joins us in studio to share her story and her perspective on the rise of the Lions.

It began with a brief comment from Chris Fagan on a pre-season podcast for the AFL website. It’s ended with an all-out media war between two football clubs.
It’s a rivalry that hasn’t had much heat in it since Mal Michael and Chris Scott targeted an injured Nick Riewoldt in 2005, but courtesy of an interview by the Roar Deal’s own Michael Whiting, the tensions between Brisbane and St Kilda have boiled over in a big way.  
Today on the podcast, we’ll talk through the salary saga that has captivated the footy world with the man who found himself at the centre of it all.
And, with less than a month to go now until our Opening Round clash against the Bulldogs, we’ll also talk a bit more about the selection squeeze following last Friday’s intraclub out at Brighton Homes Arena.
Also this week:
-Will State of Origin work?
-An enormous update in Dom’s marathon mission
-How many captains will the Lions have in 2026?
And much more!

At the beginning of 2003, the second Lord Of The Rings Movie had just been released in cinemas, John Howard was Prime Minister, and Leigh Matthews’ Brisbane Lions side set out on their quest for a third successive premiership, hoping to become the first side since Melbourne 50 years earlier to complete the hat trick.
23 years later, as the 2026 AFL season draws near, we’re all hoping history might be about to repeat itself. Welcome to the Roar Deal as we kick things off for a new year, with the quest for an extraordinary and barely believable piece of history just about to begin.
This week on the show:
-Kiddy's peak fitness, Linc's positional shift and other pre-season reports
-Our 2026 season predictions
-Dom's doing the marathon
And much more!

Chris Fagan joins us at Brisbane Powerhouse on Friday November 28, 2025 to celebrate the 2025 Premiership.