Lions star to ‘seize’ grand final moment

Lions star Jarrod Berry has vowed to “seize the moment” in Saturday’s AFL decider to take the final step in burying his demons from a year ago in Brisbane’s gut-wrenching four-point loss to Collingwood.

For the past 12 months, Berry has done his best to overcome his despair at giving away a 50-metre penalty in the closing stages of last season’s grand final that led to Magpies veteran Steele Sidebottom kicking a goal that was crucial in Collingwood’s narrow win.

“It’s not just a clean snap, you’re done, and it’s over,” Berry admitted ahead of the Lions’ date with the Sydney Swans this weekend at the MCG.

“It’s still part of your journey, but I’ve been able to recognise that and come to terms with it because there so many touch points throughout the season when you go back to it.

“It’s always a hit to your confidence, and to be able to maintain your confidence and know that the body of work you have done doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re not going to put yourself in that position again, but I’m a better player than what I was back at that time.

“I know I can handle pressure in finals footy. It’s just about backing myself and seizing the moment that comes.”

Berry, whose mother Jedda died from breast cancer in 2013, has also been able to put the 50-metre penalty in perspective in saying that his life isn’t defined by football.

“Giving away a free-kick in a grand final isn’t tough on you – battling cancer for seven years is tough,” the said.

“That’s resilience and that’s perspective that people don’t really have, and all the social media trolls, they don’t have that.

“I’m really proud of how I’ve been able to deal with it, and I’m really proud of the football I’ve been able to play since last year’s grand final.

“It’s important to me that I give my best effort and play with as much heart as I can on the weekend.”

Berry said resilience had also helped the Lions recover from their poor start to the season and put them just one win way from becoming the first team since the Western Bulldogs in 2016 to win the premiership from the bottom half of the top eight.

“This group’s got it (resilience) in absolute spades … and when we started playing with a bit more freedom and no expectations on our shoulders, then all of a sudden you see this crazy run (of nine straight wins) that we went on,” he said.

The winning run was halted by successive losses to the GWS Giants and Collingwood, but the Lions have again bounced back with four successive wins, including three in the finals series, to earn their shot at grand final redemption.

“We went from not making the finals, to all of a sudden being up there in premiership talks, then all of a sudden we’re back down and we can’t make the grand final after those couple of losses,” Berry said.

“It’s that rollercoaster you ride in a football season. You’ve got to be resilient as a group.

It certainly wasn’t the easy way to get here but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”