<P> In 1994, the Bears began to show signs of a competitive side and were contenders for a finals berth before falling away in the last five games of the season . Then, in 1995, the club reached the finals after an extraordinary late - season recovery . After Round 15, the Bears were third - last on the ladder with four wins, and Robert Walls had announced his resignation as coach halfway through the season, but committed himself to seeing out the year . In Round 16, the Bears trailed Hawthorn by 45 points at three - quarter time, but mounted an astounding final - quarter comeback to win the match by 7 points; it was the largest final quarter comeback in league history . Brisbane then won five of its six remaining matches in the home - and - away season, including against Richmond and Essendon who were both in the top four, to just reach the finals for the first time, albeit with a win - loss record of only 10--12 . The team was eliminated, but not disgraced, after losing its first ever final to eventual premiers Carlton by 13 points . </P> <P> Under the coaching of former Richmond premiership player John Northey, Brisbane had an excellent 1996 season, finishing third behind Sydney and North Melbourne . They made a good accounting of themselves in the finals, with two wins at the Gabba and a loss in the Preliminary Final to eventual premiers North Melbourne . Michael Voss also became the only Brisbane Bears player to win the Brownlow Medal, sharing the honour with Essendon's James Hird . </P> <P> However, the club was still struggling off - field . One of the Bears' biggest problems was its lack of support (both on and off the field) in Melbourne, the location of most of its away matches . In mid-1996, the struggling Fitzroy Football Club collapsed due to financial pressures and was seeking to merge its assets with another club . When a merger with North Melbourne in forming the North Fitzroy Kangaroos failed to win the support of the other AFL clubs, a deal for a merger was done between Fitzroy and the Bears . The new team was known as the Brisbane Lions, based at the Gabba, with Northey as the coach of the merged club . As such, the history of the Brisbane Bears as an individual entity ended after the 1996 season, with ten seasons of competition and the third - place finish in 1996 as its best performance . The Bears last match as a separate entity was a preliminary final on Saturday 21 September 1996 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (where the Bears played their first VFL / AFL game). It was against North Melbourne, their first and last ever opponents, the Bears lost by 38 points to North who would go on to win the premiership that year. When the team came off the MCG, the Bears were finished after a short and troubled existence . </P> <P> The Bears' mascot was the koala, which is not a Bear . Their uniform originally featured a koala . </P>

When did the brisbane bears merged with fitzroy