Fagan’s metaphor of dancing on thin ice has become the unintentional motto for Brisbane’s finals campaign. But it was on a tightrope that Brandon Starcevich and Jarrod Berry walked in an unwinnable 2 versus 4 on the boundary line that somehow, someway, resulted in a Rayner goal.

Brisbane has effectively ruled Oscar McInerney out of the Grand Final after the Lions ruckman twice dislocated his shoulder in the 10-point preliminary final win over Geelong.