There is something very Jason Akermanis-esque about this modern-day Brisbane Lions side.
Yes, there is the obvious link back to Akermanis and his own three-peat-hunting Lions team across 2001-03, but it feels more than that.
The team is filled with raw x-factor mixed with consistent brilliance.
There are the match-winning, jaw-dropping moments as we have seen from Zac Bailey and Will Ashcroft. The outgoing and love-or-hate personalities such as Cameron Rayner, Dayne Zorko and Kai Lohmann, to name a few.
Celebrations have come to the fore, and so has the ingrained confidence verging on arrogance that 'Aker' had, and so does this Brisbane squad after four consecutive Grand Finals. And so they should.
The splash of peroxide hair atop Lohmann's head helps.
Brisbane is hunting its second three-peat in its history after Akermanis' Lions achieved the rare feat more than two decades ago. Speaking to Zero Hanger, Akermanis said his own Brisbane brigade took a similar path to its third straight premiership as the current Lions team.
"It wasn't looking very good. We'd lost the first final in that year that we won our third and then we came back home, had a good win against Adelaide, and then we went to Sydney," Akermanis told Zero Hanger.
"We were very unhealthy, unfortunately. We had a lot of injuries at the start of the finals. We didn't have a week off like they do these days, and we sort of went in reverse; we got healthier as we went on.
"It kind of really just all started to turn for us. That last quarter against Sydney, and then going down to play Collingwood in the Grand Final, they lost (Anthony) Rocca, who was very important for their structure, and we thought they were probably a much quicker team, more agile team than the year before.
"But it was just one of those things; we were pretty relaxed.
"We just went in, and we just dominated early, and I think it comes down to just going there so often, and just that experience, and we just knew what to do, and I have no doubt that's what the Lions right now have in their back pocket."
Brisbane has had an up-and-down finals series that has featured some scintillating football; typical of the recent Lions juggernaut. Chris Fagan's men got downed by 53 points against Sydney, before a demolition job at home against Adelaide and an all-time classic victory over Hawthorn at the MCG.
The Lions are pushing their case as the most successful team of the AFL era as they chase a sixth flag and second three-peat.
Akermanis said there is a bit of a friendly rivalry brewing between the two talent-stacked and successful generations at Brisbane.
"Most of my teammates don't want them to win because they don't want them to take our crown. I hope they do because we're the originals. They can't aim for it if we never did it," he said.
"I still think it's so special to be a big part of this club. The Lions have been able to (find success) over the last 25-26 years. It's a pretty, pretty special place to be.
"We had (a three-peat) in '03, and then we played in the fourth and arguably had the AFL not interfered enormously (by making Brisbane play a home Preliminary Final at the MCG); we would have won that one too, which would have been just the best.
"(This generation) has sort of done that in reverse. They lost the first one, they won the next two, so they've still got that mountain to climb to sort of match that.
"They've played in every week of the finals series, which really helped them. So losing against Sydney, I wasn't concerned either. They bounced back, and they've always just been able to, particularly at the G, I think they've won eight out of the last 10."
Brisbane will play Fremantle in Saturday's premiership decider. Arguably the two best teams of the season.
The Dockers and Lions have played once this year in Round 12 at the Gabba. Fremantle secured the win in a dominant performance; however, Brisbane stormed home late to cut a 50-point margin back to below a 20-point deficit.
Akermanis, conceding his clear bias towards the Lions, believes that the three-peat hunting Brisbane side will reach the pinnacle of football.
"There's nothing that has shown me anything other than that they're as good as they've ever been. They've got talent to burn," he said.
"I have no doubt that if all the teams played their best, I know that the Lions can hold their own and beat those sides.
"Queensland has gone from what would be a non-traditional (football) state to being a powerhouse, and that's driven by that culture, and the success of the Lions teams through those two generations a couple of decades apart."
