The final match of 2024 may have produced an anti-climax for some, but the full season build-up to Brisbane's 2024 triumph will never be forgotten by footy fans.
The closest season we've ever seen culminated in a thrilling first three weeks of finals footy, and as always happens in September, the cream rose to the top.
Norm Smith medallist Will Ashcroft inked his name into history with a campaign from the top shelf, lifting his side from the brink of elimination to the ultimate glory.
Isaac Heeney also reminded us just how dominant his opening weeks of the season were with his qualifying and preliminary final efforts.
We've ranked the 10 best individual performances from the 2024 finals campaign, going through all nine matches to pick out the players who had the most to say this September.
10Tom Stewart, Preliminary Final vs Brisbane
- 22 disposals
- 11 contested possessions
- 12 intercept possessions
- 7 score involvements
- 5 marks
- 2 contested marks
- 8 rebound 50's
Stewart's effort in a heartbreaking loss at the penultimate stage has gone relatively undiscussed, but should be lauded in the aftermath of the season.
Without Sam De Koning heading into the match, defensive assistance for Stewart was depleted. Losing Max Holmes for a large chunk of the match left the Cats wanting more through the middle of the ground also, and Stewart chimed in everywhere he could.
12 intercept possessions and seven score involvements is a stunning combination, doing the dirty work on both sides of the equation; offensively and defensively.
His run and dash through the heart of the MCG and heroic run-down tackle on Zac Bailey were moments to remember for Cats fans despite the heartbreak.
9James Sicily, Elimination Final vs Western Bulldogs
- 23 disposals
- 9 intercept possessions
- 6 score involvements
- 11 marks
- 3 contested marks
- 3 tackles
If there were any nerves among the young Hawks heading into their first finals campaign, their skipper helped put them to rest early.
Against the in-form team of the competition, Sicily stared down the Bulldogs' three-headed monster up forward in Sam Darcy, Aaron Naughton and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, controlling proceedings from Hawthorn's back half and setting up their scintillating charge to victory in the third and fourth quarters.
His second term was a key defensive clinic, intercepting anything that came his way and forcing Luke Beveridge and the Bulldogs to seek alternative routes to goal.
They were left without answers as the Hawks cruised to victory.
8Jai Newcombe, Elimination Final vs Western Bulldogs
- 35 disposals
- 1 goal
- 10 score involvements
- 6 intercept possessions
- 9 marks
- 6 inside 50's
... The best man on that night, however, was midfield bull Jai Newcombe.
Much like Sicily, Newcombe stared down an opposing crop of Marcus Bontempelli, Adam Treloar, Tom Liberatore and Ed Richards, leading a young group of Hawks without their star leader Will Day to a three quarter smashing after quarter-time.
His snapping goal from stoppage was a trademark play with ruckman Lloyd Meek, and his sheer ferocity, toughness and cleanliness left the Bulldogs helpless in their elimination final defeat.
7Shaun Mannagh, Qualifying Final vs Port Adelaide
- 23 disposals
- 3 goals
- 3 goal assists
- 13 score involvements
- 7 inside 50's
- 5 tackles
This one seemingly came out of nowhere. Less than 12 months prior, Mannagh was suffering the heartbreak of a VFL grand final defeat, despite booting six goals in a clear best-on-ground performance.
He was picked up by Geelong to be an impact player up forward, but wouldn't have dreamed of dishing up a performance like this on the September stage at AFL level.
His tally of three goals doesn't even do the performance justice, being happy to pass off three more with an astonishing 13 score involvements to his name.
There's extra credit for inflicting such damage to an opposition on their home ground in a final.
6Will Ashcroft, Grand Final vs Sydney
- 30 disposals
- 1 goal
- 11 score involvements
- 6 inside 50's
- 5 clearances
- 5 marks
The Norm Smith Medal-winning performance doesn't even scrape the top five on this list.
Ashcroft's game on the biggest stage of our sport was a warning sign for the AFL moving forward, showing the capacity to impact games to the level of a 200-game All-Australian veteran, while playing just his 31st game at the level.
The goal off his bootlaces from a forward stoppage was a blight on Sydney's effort, but importantly a sign of the skill and arrogance of Brisbane's young gun.
Nick Daicos' mantle as the league's best young player may be under threat after Saturday's grand final.
5Will Ashcroft, Semi-Final vs GWS
- 27 disposals
- 14 contested possessions
- 10 score involvements
- 2 goal assists
- 9 clearances
- 5 tackles
- 5 marks
Despite no Norm Smith Medal attached, his performance in Brisbane's semi-final comeback earns a higher ranking, given how crucial it was to the Lions' eventual premiership triumph.
Down 44 points well into the third term against GWS, this young cub took it upon himself to lead the charge back into the game.
Some of his individual efforts were mind-boggling; keeping his feet under the heat of four Giants to set up a Kai Lohmann snap, setting up Charlie Cameron with a 'Jackie Chan' hack out of mid-air, as well as simply demanding the footy go through him, even with champion teammates Lachie Neale, Hugh McCluggage and Josh Dunkley roaming through the midfield.
Brisbane's surge to premiership success was made possible by this performance from Ashcroft.
4Joe Daniher, Semi-Final vs GWS
- 13 disposals
- 4 goals
- 6 score involvements
- 5 marks
- 1 contested mark
Even with Ashcroft's efforts, the Lions still don't reach the ultimate stage without the star-factor brilliance from their key man up forward, Joe Daniher.
The semi-final show provided the full Joe Daniher experience, featuring some downright dreadful decisions and a fourth quarter for the ages.
We are yet to see an individual effort in the dying stages of a match that mirrors Nick Davis in the 2005 semi, but Joe Daniher's two goals in the final minutes against GWS runs just about as close as you can get.
His set shot from the boundary is still under scientific investigation for its miraculous curve through the big sticks, and his one-on-one win against the best defender in the competition will go down in history, as will his ice-cool finish to take the lead with a minute to go.
3Jesse Hogan, Semi-Final vs Brisbane
- 13 disposals
- 5 goals
- 8 score involvements
- 6 contested marks
- 7 marks inside 50
- 3 tackles
All footy fans felt for the Giants when they coughed up that 44-point lead to the Lions, especially given the efforts of some of their best.
Jesse Hogan produced a key forward clinic like we haven't seen for years in finals footy.
The Coleman medallist clunked everything that entered his vicinity in the semi-final, gobbling a ridiculous six contested marks for the night, seven marks inside 50 and a bag of five majors.
A win for the Giants may have shot this performance further up the list, but the end result may unfortunately see this performance lost to the history books.
2Lachie Neale, Grand Final vs Sydney
- 35 disposals
- 18 contested possessions
- 11 score involvements
- 8 marks
- 7 intercept possessions
- 9 clearances
- 6 inside 50s
The master to the Ashcroft apprentice.
Neale couldn't quite secure the Norm Smith - probably due to not hitting the scoreboard - but his contest work on the biggest stage of all and cleanliness below his knees was otherworldly.
Some of the highlights from this performance will leave you in awe. The quick hands, swooping scoops and rapid acceleration left Swans in his dust and put the footy in favour of Brisbane all day.
Seven intercept possessions don't draw major headlines, but speak to his defensive accountability alongside his scoreboard impact, assisting former skipper Dayne Zorko down back as he handled the James Jordon tag.
One of the all-time midfield masterclasses.
1Isaac Heeney, Qualifying Final vs GWS
- 30 disposals
- 3 goals
- 8 score involvements
- 18 contested possessions
- 7 clearances
- 2 contested marks
- 6 marks
- 5 tackles
Unfortunately, Isaac Heeney's historic season remains unrewarded, with no major awards or premiership success coming his way following a red-hot campaign.
Still, his performance in leading the Swans to the penultimate week of the season, almost single-handedly lifting the side to a stunning comeback over the Giants, is just about the best performance of the entire season.
Each of his three goals are worth mentioning; the first initiating the comeback, the second coming from a one-handed pluck inside 50, and the third to tie the game late with a bomb from well inside the centre square.
it was a flashback to his early season form where he seemed to produce similar numbers on a weekly basis, but this performance is buoyed by its status in September folklore and the mark-of-the-decade contender that accompanied it.
