Australian Football League side Brisbane Lions fans "can feel a XXXX coming on after a historic hometown win in the battle of the brewers," according to Robert Craddock of the Brisbane COURIER-MAIL. Brewer XXXX will link with an AFL club for the first time when it backs the Lions in a five-year deal to be announced on Wednesday morning. The Lions "are believed to be the only AFL club currently linked with a brewer other than Carlton and United Brewing" (CUB) after landing a deal that "ruffled CUB feathers." XXXX will become the Lions' official beer and cider partner in a deal that includes pouring rights at the Brisbane Cricket Ground and Lions@Springwood social club. XXXX will also be the Lions' official shorts partner in the first two years of the deal. CUB has been linked with the AFL-Victorian Football League for 130 years and was, until this year, "a protected sponsor which meant clubs could not sign with a rival." But CUB's latest deal is "not as restrictive as previous ones, allowing the Lions to link with XXXX" (COURIER-MAIL, 2/7).
