Heartbreak. Total and utter heartbreak. Miracles happen when you are the best team of the modern era.

Brisbane Lions have produced a grand final comeback that will never be forgotten and shattered Fremantle fans forever by erasing a 17-point lead with only four minutes remaining to win the grand final by seven points.

Devastation is not even close to how this can be described for Fremantle. When Wharfie Time rang out after Pat Voss kicked the goal to put the Dockers 17 points up, the game was over.

But champs are champs because they know how to be champs. The Lions refused to quit and now they’ve got a three-peat. The Lions won 14.12 (96) to 12.17 (89). Then Shai Bolton won the Norm Smith Medal to rub salt into the wound. It should have been impossible.

There were so many moments that will live on forever. From Ryan Lester’s tackle that stopped Josh Treacy from kicking a goal from metres out to Logan Morris booting the last two goals. To Will Ashcroft having 12 touches in the last quarter and Dockers skipper Alex Pearce limping off with a serious Achilles injury.

The Lions did the impossible. Fremantle won the inside 50s an incredible 62-48. They won the clearances 45-31. They were 17 points up with four minutes left. And Brisbane still won.

Fremantle did so much right for so long. The Dockers kicked three goals in the first quarter and could have had more.

Treacy kicked the first with a towering set shot from beyond the 50-metre arc and the crowd went nuts. Isaiah Dudley and Murphy Reid also kicked classy goals as the Dockers looked comfortable on the big stage.

But the Lions had history of their own to work with. They simply know how to win. Brisbane had 10 shots at goal for the first quarter but kicked 3.5 and had two other attempts sail out of bounds on the full.

It was a quarter of half chances for both teams. The Lions were chipping the ball short like they have all year and the umpires refused to pay several marks which put them under pressure.

But Fremantle were also denied a mark from a short pass when Treacy thought he’d be taking a set shot near quarter time.

All of the people Fremantle fans wanted to touch the ball early got involved.

Reid had nine possessions to go with his goal. Hayden Young had seven. Shai Bolton had six. But Dayne Zorko and Will Ashcroft were prominent for the Lions and the small forwards looked ready to do something special.

Pressure was intense. The Lions wanted the ball on the ground. They thumped it forward at every chance to keep Fremantle’s crumbers out of the game and give them smalls opportunities to exploit Freo’s defence.

The Lions led by one point at quarter time.

Now it was time to attack and try to seize control. Voss kicked the first goal of the second term after only 70 seconds. But Conor McKenna replied with another Irish miracle.

The Lions then made a key error by taking advantage after a free kick, turned it over after a brilliant Fremantle tackle and Amiss kicked the goal. It was a huge moment.

But Fremantle made the next big mistake. All the talk had been about whether Oscar McDonald could handle grand final pressure. He coughed up the footy with a horrible handpass and Levi Ashcroft made the Dockers pay. Scores were level.

Voss kicked another after Young produced another awesome tackle. Now he had two majors. But Brisbane replied within four minutes.

It was a heavyweight battle with ferocious tackling. Michael Frederick saved a goal with one tackle. Andrew Brayshaw ran down Will Ashcroft. Josh Dunkley produced two ridiculous smothers. Every kick was earned.

The biggest moment of the term came when Lachie Neale took a mark, got knocked over by Mason Cox and looked for a 50m penalty. The umpire said no. The Dockers crowd booed with venom and the focus of the footy world again centred on Neale. It’s been that way a lot this year.

He missed. That could have been a game changer.

The teams went to half-time locked on 6.7 (43) apiece. The Dockers looked better in the air. They led the contested marks 8-2. Brisbane looked dangerous when the ball was in chaos on the ground. The tackles inside 50 were 10-3. Stars were doing their jobs for both teams.

Scores were level at half-time in last year’s grand final too. Who would break first? Who would rise to a new level?

Fremantle started with toughness and intensity. Amiss kicked a goal after a contested mark. McVee denied Cameron with a contested mark at the other end. The flag was up for grabs.

Then disaster. Pearce destroyed his Achilles. Now they were a leader down and a key defender down. That’s pressure.

Caleb Serong said ‘follow me’. He inspired Fremantle. The ball lived in their forward line. Reid was tough. Really tough.

Dudley kicked an inspirational goal. He was tough too. Fremantle led by 15 points. Over to you Lions. They went bang, bang and slashed the lead to four points.

Then Cameron put them in front. Country Road rang out. The champs threw knock out punches. Over to you Freo.

Hayden Young kicked the defining goal of the preliminary final and instantly responded to the loss of the lead with a running goal from the centre clearance. And he kicked it with his right foot. What a response.

But he wasn’t done yet. Young took another mark on the boundary line. The opposite one to last week. He was on the right side for a left footer. Snap. Goal. Amazing.

Fremantle now led the inside 50 count 48-33 and the clearances were 35-22. Just go and win it.

The Dockers tried. They withstood the early Brisbane challenge and pulled clear. Wharfie Time meant the game looked over. Brisbane disagreed.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, premiers. Three-peat. Dockers devastation. This was a day that will never be forgotten.