Eight months after his last goal, Jonathan Brown finally booted his 500th major for the Brisbane Lions to spark a 65-point win over AFL rivals Gold Coast Suns at the Gabba on Saturday night.

But not without some anxious moments.

Lions coach Michael Voss would have been forgiven for thinking Brown was set for his fourth facial operation in a year after his prized forward typically ran back into a pack in the third term.

The crowd gasped as a fearless Brown hit the deck hard after coming off a group of players including teammate Ben Hudson second best.

However, Brown immediately regained his feet to not only play on but also grab a slice of Lions history in the 17.9 (111) to 6.10 (46) win.

Voss wasn’t the only one holding his breath during the match – Suns mentor Guy McKenna’s heart skipped a beat when Gary Ablett came off the field in the dying minutes with a knee complaint.

However, the Brownlow Medallist was later seen walking along the boundary line following heavy contact with the Lions’ Andrew Raines – albeit gingerly.

The Suns did not seem concerned by the Ablett injury but the superstar will undergo scans on Sunday.

Three bouts of facial surgery, a lot of bad luck and a quiet return last round in Fremantle ensured former Coleman Medallist Brown had remarkably not kicked a goal since round 16 last year against Hawthorn.

And Brown would have been excused for thinking he was not going to break a drought that had stretched back to July 9, 2011 after a goal-less first half against the Suns.

However, Brown not only got on the board in the third term, he brought up what at one stage seemed to be an elusive 500th goal – and second for the match – before being swamped by teammates.

He went on to kick three for the match as he joined an elite group.

Only three other players have broken through the 500-goal barrier in 126 years of combined Fitzroy-Brisbane Lions history – Alastair Lynch (633), Jack Moriarty (626) and Bernie Quinlan (576).

The Lions enjoyed a 7.4 (46) to 5.8 (38) buffer at the main break but had little to celebrate after the winless Suns looked to have their measure for most of the opening half.

Thanks to the influence of Simon Black – back a fortnight early from a broken hand – the Lions were able to sneak ahead at the first break 3.3 (21) to 2.4 (16).