ESSENDON
4.2 10.5 12.8 17.9 (111)
BRISBANE LIONS
3.2 5.6 11.9 12.12 (84)
GOALS
Essendon: Fantasia 5, Daniher 3, Hooker 2, Zaharakis 2, Tipungwuti, Goddard, Langford, Colyer, Merrett.
Brisbane Lions: Beams 2, Hipwood 2, Close 2, Rich, Zorko, Andrews, Taylor, Robinson, Lester.
UMPIRES
Jeffery, Stephens, Fisher.
CROWD
21,748 at Gabba.
The Gabba surface wasn't a problem but a rejuvenated Brisbane Lions caused plenty before Essendon held onto a 27-point AFL win on Saturday night.
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Essendon too strong for brave Brisbane
The Bombers survived a spirited Brisbane fightback to win both of their first two games.
The Bombers looked set to make Brisbane appear like April Fools when they made light of concerns over the ground and ran amok to cruise to a 42-point lead late in the second term. However, the Lions roared back to trail by just five points by the final break before running out of gas in front of a 21,749-strong Gabba crowd.
Turnovers killed the fatigued hosts as the Bombers kicked the last five goals to blow out the deficit to 17.9 (111) to 12.12 (84).
Essendon's Orazio Fantasia nabbed his fifth with a kick after the final siren.
Zach Merrett was again inspirational in Essendon's midfield, grabbing 32 touches and Jobe Watson helping himself to 34.
Lions captain Dayne Beams overcame a foot complaint to amass 33 disposals.
It marked the third time since 2012 that Essendon have started a season 2-0.
At first Brisbane – first-round winners over Gold Coast – were just happy to be hosting their opening home game after drama surrounding the Gabba surface.
Brisbane received the official green light to host their opening home game only on Monday after the surface was deemed "unsafe" for the AFLW grand final.
Lions CEO Greg Swann slammed ground staff after the Lions-Adelaide AFLW decider had to be relocated to the Gold Coast to protect Gabba turf laid to repair damage from two Adele concerts and prepare for November's first Ashes cricket Test.
There were more anxious moments after torrential rain from Cyclone Debbie battered the recovering ground on Thursday.
But any concerns over the surface were quickly dismissed as the Lions tried to go toe-to-toe with Essendon.
Merrett's 10 touches helped Essendon snatch a 4.2 (26) to 3.2 (20) lead at the first break before the floodgates opened.
The Bombers kicked the first six goals of the second term – and eight straight overall – as Fantasia ran amok to help the visitors grab a 42-point second-term lead.
But two quick goals by Brisbane not only limited the damage to 10.5 (65) to 5.6 (36) by half-time, it sparked a Lions revival.
Brisbane at one stage booted five straight goals as they smashed Essendon 16-7 in the third term clearances before Dayne Zorko kicked another on the siren to reduce the deficit to just five points at the final interval.
The Lions were wearing black armbands to remember Irishman Cian Hanley's brother Tommy who lost his battle with cancer this week.
After the match Essendon coach John Worsfold told FoxSport that his midfielders had taken it upon themselves to fight back in the last quarter. "Absolutely," he said. "They wanted to dig deep in that last quarter ... it really set the game up for us.
Merrett, one of the Bomber stars, said he was enjoying having more helpers in the midfield this year. "It's great having a bit more depth in the midfield," he said. "It's very exciting going forward."
AAP