2001 AFL Grand Final
2001 AFL Grand Final | ||||||||||||||||
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Date | 29 September 2001 | |||||||||||||||
Stadium | Jock McHale Medallist Leigh Matthews | | ||||||||||||||
Broadcast in Australia | ||||||||||||||||
Network | Seven Network | |||||||||||||||
Commentators | Bruce McAvaney (host and commentator) Sandy Roberts (commentator) Jason Dunstall (expert commentator) Gerard Healy (expert commentator) Robert DiPierdomenico (boundary rider) Matthew Campbell (boundary rider) | |||||||||||||||
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The 2001 AFL Grand Final was an
Background
Essendon were defending their
In the 2001 finals series, Essendon defeated Richmond by 70 points in the first qualifying final and then defeated Hawthorn by 9 points in the first preliminary final to advance to the grand final. Brisbane earned their place in the grand final by defeating Port Adelaide by 32 points in the second qualifying final and then Richmond by 68 points in the second preliminary final.
In the lead-up to the match, Brisbane's
This was the last AFL match to be televised by the Seven Network before it lost the broadcasting TV rights to the sport, having shown the game for the previous 45 years, with the exception of 1987, when the game was televised by the ABC and TV0 in Brisbane.[2] It wasn't until 2007 that Seven would regain the rights,[3] and it wasn't until 2008 that the AFL Grand Final would again be televised by the Seven Network.
Match summary
Brisbane started the game well, scoring the first goal of the match from a free kick awarded to Alastair Lynch for holding against Dustin Fletcher. Essendon fought back late in the first quarter then took control of the game in the second term. Brisbane's poor kicking for goal almost put them out of the game in the second quarter as Essendon blew their lead out to 20 points late in the term. Brisbane had kicked an inaccurate 5.10 by the half-time break.
Brisbane managed to overrun Essendon in the third term kicking six goals to one and turning a 14-point deficit into a 16-point lead. Brisbane's pace in the midfield and the tiring legs of most of the Essendon players played a pivotal role in Brisbane taking full control of the game in the second half, to win comfortably. Essendon had scored two late goals in the last quarter after once trailing by as much as 39 points.
Shaun Hart of the Lions was awarded the Norm Smith Medal for being judged the best player. Matthew Lloyd was amongst the best for Essendon, kicking 5 goals.
Essendon captain James Hird was visibly shattered and disappointed in his post-match speech. A quick congratulations to Brisbane for winning was followed by a public apology to Bombers fans for letting them down.
In a remarkable statistic, most of the Lions' premiership side were on the playing list when the club won the wooden spoon in 1998.[4]
This was the first of four consecutive grand final appearances by Brisbane, and the first of three consecutive flags. For Essendon, this is their most recent grand final appearance as of the completed 2022 season.
Teams
Essendon
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Brisbane Lions
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Scorecard
Grand final | |||||
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Saturday, 29 September 2:30pm | Essendon | def. by | Brisbane Lions | MCG (crowd: 91,482) | |
3.2 (20) 8.6 (54) 9.8 (62) 12.10 (82) |
Q1 Q2 Q3 Final |
3.7 (25) 5.10 (40) 11.12 (78) 15.18 (108) |
Umpires: Julie Anthony | ||
Johnson, Moorcroft
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Goals | Pike, Voss
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J. Johnson
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Best | Hart, Johnson, Voss, Lappin, Power | |||
Nil | Injuries | Nil | |||
Nil | Reports | Nil | |||
Team Stats | (B.L.) | (Ess) |
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Kicks | 176 | 165 |
Marks | 73 | 60 |
Handballs | 78 | 90 |
Tackles | 34 | 54 |
Hitouts | 39 | 26 |
Frees | 22 | 19 |
Legacy
A number of participants from this Grand Final have gone on to coach at senior level in the AFL:
- Chris Scott, Geelong (2011–present; 2011 and 2022 premiership coach)1
- Damien Hardwick, Richmond (2010–2023; 2017, 2019 and 2020 premiership coach), Gold Coast (2024–present)1
- Craig McRae, Collingwood, (2022–present; 2023 premiership coach)
- Michael Voss, Brisbane Lions (2009–2013), Carlton (2022–present)
- Brad Scott, North Melbourne (2010–2019), Essendon (2023–present)
- James Hird, Essendon (2011–2013, 2015)
- Justin Leppitsch, Brisbane Lions (2014–2016)2
1 Scott and Hardwick coached against each other in the 2020 Grand Final, which, due to a COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria that prevented the match from being played at its contracted ground, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, was played at the Gabba.[5]
2 Following his stint as Brisbane Lions head coach, Leppitsch was an assistant coach under Hardwick when Richmond won the 2017, 2019 and 2020 premierships, and under McRae when Collingwood won the 2023 premiership.[6][7][8]
See also
References
- ^ In 1897 and 1924 there were no grand finals and instead the premier was decided by a finals play-off. In 1948 and 1977 there were grand final replays after initial draws.
- ^ "Channel Ten's contribution to the AFL underestimated". The Roar. 30 September 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- ^ "Seven and Ten win AFL rights". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 5 January 2006. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- ^ Rays of hope in Lions' historical record, The Courier-Mail, 10 April 2011
- ^ Wilson, Caroline (23 October 2020). "A tale of two coaches: A greater legacy awaits either Scott or Hardwick". The Age. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- ^ Edmund, Sam (4 October 2017). "The coach: How Dimma guided Tigers". Herald Sun.
- ^ "Leppitsch lives Tiger dream after Lions nightmare". The Morning Bulletin. 28 September 2017.
- ^ Hope, Shayne (2 October 2023). "Leppitsch surprised by Pies' rapid climb to AFL summit". Perth Now. Retrieved 2 October 2023.