The Brisbane Lions signalled they have lost none of their premiership winning form with a 43-point victory over Essendon at the Gabba on Saturday night.

The game had brought back memories of the notorious "no rules" game in round 18 last year in Melbourne, with a melee in the first quarter and a number of off-ball incidents which may come under scrutiny during the week.

The Lions had most of the play but some poor kicking for goal in the first three-quarters allowed Essendon to stay in touch but Brisbane kept extending its lead in front of a sell-out Gabba crowd of 36,197 to win 14.20 (104) to 8.13 (61).

The win could come at a cost for the Lions with utility Darryl White leaving the ground in the second quarter an ankle injury.

The Lions held a sizeable lead the whole game and while Essendon had its share of the ball, it was the Lions midfield, through captain Michael Voss, Jason Akermanis, Luke Power, Simon Black and Nigel Lappin who continually pumped the ball into the forward line.

Voss showed he was in Brownlow Medal winning form with his mix of aggression, skill and plenty of possession.

The Bombers, missing the defensive qualities of Dustin Fletcher and Mark Bolton who are serving suspensions from last year, found the Lions had too many attacking options.

Daniel Bradshaw, who missed out on last year's grand final win, was named in the back pocket but spent all his time roaming the forward lines and kicked four goals.

Alastair Lynch had plenty of opportunities but only two goals, while Voss and Power kicked two each.

Lions super tagger Brad Scott kept Essendon captain James Hird from having any impact on the game while Justin Leppitsch provided great rebound in defence.

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