AFL Grand Final
28 September 2024[4] | |
Broadcasters | Seven Network |
---|---|
Stadiums | Melbourne Cricket Ground (all but 11 occasions) |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 128 |
Most wins | Carlton, Collingwood (16)[5] |
The AFL Grand Final is an
The game has spawned a number of traditions and activities, which have grown in popularity nationally since the interstate expansion of the Victorian Football League to become the Australian Football League in the 1980s and 1990s.[6]
The club which wins the grand final receives the AFL's premiership cup and flag; players on the winning team receive a gold premiership medallion, and the best player receives the Norm Smith Medal.
As of the end of 2023, a total of 128 grand finals have been played, including three grand final replays. The Carlton Football Club and Collingwood Football Club have both won 16 grand finals, the most of any club; the Essendon Football Club has also won 16 premierships, although only 14 were earned in grand finals. Collingwood has appeared in the most grand finals, a total of 45; and Collingwood has also won the most consecutive grand finals, with four between 1927 and 1930. Every current AFL club has played in at least one grand final, with the exception of the 2011 expansion club Gold Coast.
Match history
Early history (1897–1915)
The
Although the
Most
In
Between the wars (1916–1945)
Football and grand finals continued through
During the 1920s, the VFL grappled with the problems of the challenge final system — specifically that the league was not always guaranteed four finals, and there was the perception that semi-finals could be
In 1931, the Page–McIntyre Final Four system was introduced for finals, which eliminated the minor premier's right to challenge and guaranteed four finals and a genuine grand final each year.[15] Under this system, and all systems which followed it until 1993, one team entered the grand final with a bye week after winning the second semi-final; and the other entered after winning the preliminary final in the week before the grand final. More often than not, the grand final was a rematch between the teams who played the second semi-final two weeks earlier.
Several new record crowds were set through the 1930s, and the Melbourne Cricket Ground's new Southern Stand was constructed and opened in 1937. That year, the
Football served as a distraction for people and as a war fundraiser on the home front during the
Post-war (1946–1990)
When the Melbourne Cricket Ground was relinquished by the government in August 1946, there was great expectation in the buildup to the grand finals, and attendances were soon back to 1930s levels. In 1948,
As the Melbourne Cricket Ground was used as the main stadium for the
The 1980s saw a concerted effort by the VFL to relocate the grand final to its privately owned
National era (1991–present)
Starting in the 1980s, the Victorian Football League (VFL) expanded interstate, and it was renamed the Australian Football League (AFL) in 1990. Perth-based West Coast, which joined the league in 1987, became the first non-Victorian club to both contest and win a grand final, in 1991 and 1992, respectively; and, between 1992 and 2006, non-Victorian clubs won ten out of the fifteen grand finals, with the Brisbane Lions enjoying the greatest success, with three premierships in a row between 2001 and 2003.
Since 1994, new finals systems required both grand finalists to qualify by winning a preliminary final in the previous week, ending the long-standing custom of one qualifier enjoying a bye in the week before the grand final. The third and final drawn grand final occurred in 2010 between Collingwood and St Kilda, with Collingwood winning the replay; extra time has since been introduced to decide drawn grand finals, but it is yet to have been required.[25] Hawthorn was dominant in the early 2010s, winning three grand finals in a row between 2013 and 2015.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected the scheduling of the match in 2020 and 2021, as outbreaks of the virus in Melbourne during finals precluded unrestricted travel and mass gatherings in Victoria. In 2020, when most of the league's clubs had been relocated to Queensland for the majority of the season, the grand final was played at the Gabba in Brisbane, the first time it had been played outside Victoria. It was also played at night, the first time it was not played in the afternoon time slot.[26] The following season, it was played at Optus Stadium in Perth in a twilight timeslot.[27][28]
Prize
Aside from the prestige of winning the premiership, the premiership-winning club receives four prizes: the premiership cup, the premiership flag, the E. L. Wilson Shield, and A$1.2 million in prize money.
The premiership flag is the most symbolic and longest-standing award for the clubs. It is a large, triangular
The most prestigious award for supporters is the AFL premiership cup, which is presented to the captain and coach of the winning team in a ceremony after the game. Prior to the Grand Final, it is traditional for the captain of each side to hold one side of the cup in official promotional photos. The premiership cup is silver (with the exception of the 1996 cup, which was gold to commemorate the league's 100th season),
The premier club's name is also recorded on the perpetual E. L. Wilson Shield, which resides at AFL House.[34] The shield, inaugurated in 1929, was named after long-serving VFL secretary Edwin Lionel Wilson. It was initially discontinued after 1978, when there was no room remaining on the shield. In 2016, it was rediscovered under a stairwell at AFL House; it was refurbished, extra space was added, and it was brought up to date. It, too, does not feature in the on-field presentation.[35]
As of 2019, the premier also receives $1.2 million in prize money, with $660k for the runners-up.[36] Prior to its increase in 2007, the prize for the premier was only $250k, which was not even enough to cover an interstate club's participation in the finals series.[37]
Premiership medal
Each player from the winning team who plays in the grand final is awarded a premiership medal. For much of the league's history, premiership medals were awards made by clubs or their benefactors to the players as part of their celebrations; however, since live telecasts of the game were introduced in 1977, the medal has been a league award presented in the on-field presentation following the match.[38] Since 2002, the medals have been presented each year by children selected nationwide from the Auskick junior football program.[39]
The league-endorsed medal dating from 1977 is awarded only to the players who participate in the winning grand final team (or in a drawn grand final team if their team won the replay).[40] Players who do not play in the grand final itself do not receive the medal, regardless of their contribution to the club's season; this has been a point of contention, with many observers believing medals should be more broadly awarded across the premier's squad.[41] Criteria for the club-awarded medals prior to 1977 depended on the individual clubs' decisions.[38]
From
Individual awards
The
The coach of the winning team receives the Jock McHale Medal, named in honour of Collingwood coach Jock McHale who coached a record eight premierships. The medal was first awarded in 2001, and it was retrospectively awarded to all premiership-winning coaches starting from 1950, the first season after McHale's retirement from coaching.
The game's leading goalkicker or goalkickers receive the Jack Collins Medal from the AFL Premiership Players' Club.[42][43]
Venue
The first four Grand Finals were played at different neutral venues chosen by the league's match committee a week in advance:
Since the fifth Grand Final in 1902, after a deal was made with the
Since 1902, only seven Grand Finals have been played at other grounds:
- In 1942 to 1945, when the Melbourne Cricket Ground was requisitioned for military use during World War II: these Grand Finals were played at 1944).
- In 1991, when the capacity of the Melbourne Cricket Ground was halved due to construction of the Great Southern Stand: the Grand Final was played at Waverley Park.
- During the Perth(2021).
The match sells out most years, and routinely qualifies as the world's most attended domestic sports championship event. The capacity of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is 100,024 and tickets to the game are allocated to different membership groups. In 2019, the allocations were: 13,000 to 23,000 for AFL members, with priority given to nominated supporters of the competing clubs; 3,000 to 5,000 for AFL Medallion Club members; 34,000 divided between the members of the two competing clubs; up to 5,000 for staff, sponsors and guests of the competing clubs; up to 7,000 for staff, sponsors and guests of the non-competing clubs; 5,000 to 30,000 for corporate box, coterie and hospitality packages; and 16,000 to 26,000 for Melbourne Cricket Club members in the ground's permanently dedicated members' reserve area. Where demand outstrips supply within one of those groups, tickets are usually allocated by ballot, and must be pre-purchased at prices ranging from $155 to $422 — with the exception of MCC members, who are entitled to gain free entry to the members' area on the day of the match without pre-purchase of tickets, or with pre-purchase of a $30 reserved seat.[45]
History
As the largest venue in Melbourne, long-term contracts have secured the game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground since as early as the 1930s.
In the 1960s, the VFL constructed its own privately owned ground,
Since the expansion of the league interstate beyond Victoria, the long-term deals at the Melbourne Cricket Ground have been criticised as unfair for non-Victorian clubs, who play fewer games at the ground and are always forced to carry the travel burden of playing in the grand final.[55]
Schedule
The grand final is conventionally played on the afternoon of the last Saturday in September; it is often referred to in popular culture as the "One day in September", which is also the name of a famous football song. Since the introduction of the four-term school year to Victoria in 1987, it has fallen during the spring school holiday break;[56] and, since 2015, the 'Friday before the AFL Grand Final' has been a gazetted public holiday in Victoria.[57]
Occasionally, the match is scheduled for the first Saturday in October, and prior to the introduction of extra time to finals in 1991, any drawn finals matches would be replayed, delaying all subsequent finals by a week and pushing the grand final into October. The earliest grand final date has been 2 September in the war-shortened
Throughout its history, the grand final has remained scheduled for the traditional Saturday afternoon timeslot, most recently at 2:30pm AEST, even after night premiership football became common in the 1980s and when rival codes such as the
Drawn games
Until the 2015 season, a drawn grand final would be
The provision to play
Grand final traditions
Grand final parade
Since 1977, a grand final parade featuring the players from each team has been held around midday on the Friday before each grand final. The players have in the past appeared on parade floats; in recent times it has become a motorcade of open-top vehicles, weather permitting.[61] From its inception until 2014, the parade was based in the Melbourne city centre, usually proceeding along St Kilda Road, Swanston Street, Collins Street and ending at the steps of the Old Treasury Building.[61] From 2015 (when the day of the parade became a public holiday) to 2019, the parade began at the Old Treasury Building, and headed down Spring Street and Wellington Parade, ending within Yarra Park outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[62] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 parades did not occur. In 2022, part of the parade saw the teams travel down the Yarra River on boats.[63]
In the city centre, a parade featuring two Victorian teams in fine weather would generally attract in excess of 100,000 fans;[64][65] attendances are typically lower in inclement weather or in the absence of Victorian clubs.[66][67][68] On the first public holiday parade in 2015, a record 150,000 spectators attended.[69]
Grand Final Breakfast
The North Melbourne Grand Final Breakfast has been held annually since 1967 on the morning of the grand final. It is a corporate-style breakfast event, featuring keynote speakers and guests including prime ministers, state premiers and football celebrities. It is the most well-known corporate hospitality event associated with the grand final, and it rose to prominence in the 1970s when it was first televised across Victoria; it was endorsed by the VFL as the official pre-match function. Since then, the event has grown into a significant money raiser for the North Melbourne Football Club.[70] Today, the breakfast is broadcast live on Fox Footy.
On-field entertainment
Since the match was televised live in the late 1970s, many big Australian and international music stars have performed on the ground as part of pre-match, or occasionally half-time, entertainment. The pre-match entertainment has at times been criticised as uninspiring; and two performances in particular — Angry Anderson in 1991 and Meat Loaf in 2011 — are routinely mocked for the poor performances of the artists.[71][72] Since 2012, the main pre-match/half-time entertainer has also performed a post-match entertainment set on the arena after the presentations and player celebrations have concluded, which is free and open to the general public.[73][74]
The pre-match entertainment frequently features traditional football and Australian songs performed live, including "Up There Cazaly", "One Day in September", "That's the Thing About Football", "Holy Grail", "Waltzing Matilda" and the competing teams' club songs. Each year, a motorcade is staged, in which players who have retired since the previous grand final are given a lap of honour in open top cars.[75]
After the teams enter the arena, each team lines up for a team photograph on the ground. The national anthem is performed live when the teams and umpires are lined up on the wing.
As part of the on-field entertainment, a sprint running race known as the AFL Grand Final Sprint is held on the field among players who are not taking part in the game. This was first established in 1979 and held each year until 1987 (except 1986) before being discontinued. It was re-established in 2002 and has been held each year since.[79]
Post-match customs
From as early as the 1940s until the 1980s, the long-standing soccer custom[80] of opponents exchanging guernseys after the match was sometimes observed.[81][82] This most infamously meant that photographs of St Kilda celebrating its only premiership in 1966 featured captain Darrel Baldock hoisting the trophy wearing a Collingwood guernsey; St Kilda later doctored the photo to put him back in a St Kilda guernsey in murals and promotional material it created with the image. The VFL banned the captains from swapping guernseys after 1966,[32] and the custom eventually fell out of vogue altogether. Decades later, long-retired players often handed the guernseys back to their original wearers.[83]
A premiership poster, generally showing a caricature of the winning club's mascot smiling gleefully, is produced and available for purchase after the match through the
Famous moments in grand finals
Many famous, folkloric moments have occurred on the field throughout grand final history:
- 1903, Collingwood 4.7 (31) d. Fitzroy 3.11 (29) — on the final kick of the game, Fitzroy captain Gerald Brosnan had a set shot thirty metres from goal directly in front to win the game; his kick just grazed the outside of the goal post and the final bell sounded immediately after.[86]
- Carlton–Collingwood rivalry.[89]
- 1913, Fitzroy 7.14 (56) d. St Kilda 5.13 (43) — trailing by 25 points at three-quarter time, St Kilda rallied to narrow the margin to two points with four minutes remaining.[90] Des Baird had an opportunity to put St Kilda in front after taking a mark, but he handballed to George Morrissey in a worse position who kicked a behind, often considered to be the error which swung the game in Fitzroy's favour.[91][92][93]
- 1918, South Melbourne 9.8 (62) d. Collingwood 7.15 (57) — in the final seconds, trailing by a point, Gerald Ryan (South Melbourne) took a long running shot at goal which fell to a pack in the goal square; South Melbourne rover Chris Laird came rushing through and soccered the ball off the ground for the winning goal.[94]
- Alec Duncan (Carlton), who was close to goal, was intercepted from behind by Max Hislop (Richmond), who dashed away, kicking the ball as the final bell rang.[95]
- 1927, Collingwood 2.13 (25) d. Richmond 1.7 (13) — unrelenting heavy rain meant that the game was played in atrocious conditions, with sheets of water inches deep over the ground.[96] With only 38 points scored, it was the lowest-scoring VFL/AFL game, grand final or otherwise, in the 20th century.[97]
- 1935, Collingwood 11.12 (78) d. South Melbourne 7.16 (58) — Bob Pratt, South Melbourne's star full-forward and league leading goalkicker of the previous three seasons, was forced to withdraw from the grand final after being clipped by a truck carrying a load of bricks two days before the game.[98] Without him, South Melbourne lost by 20 points despite having as many scoring shots as Collingwood.[99]
- 1945, Carlton 15.13 (103) d. South Melbourne 10.15 (75) — marred by constant brawling and fighting, the 1945 grand final became known as the Bloodbath. Ten players were reported and received a combined 73 weeks of suspension, and it became the benchmark against which on-field violence was compared for many years.[100]
- 1947, Carlton 13.8 (86) d. Essendon 11.19 (85) — inside the final minute, first-year player Fred Stafford (Carlton) kicked the winning goal for Carlton on his non-preferred foot after roving a boundary throw-in.[101]
- 1948, Essendon 7.27 (69) drew Melbourne 10.9 (69) — inaccurate kicking saw Essendon fail to win despite fifteen more scoring shots than Melbourne, an equal record for any VFL/AFL game.[102][103] Norm Smith (Melbourne) missed two chances in the final minute to win the game: a 45-metre running shot which went out of bounds, then fumbling clean possession from the throw-in due to interference from team-mate Don Cordner.[104]Melbourne won the replay.
- 1960, Melbourne 8.14 (62) d. Collingwood 2.2 (14) — in a rain-affected game, Collingwood was held to its lowest score of the 20th century, grand final or otherwise,[105] managing only six shots at goal for two lucky goals and two behinds.[106]
- 1964, Melbourne 8.16 (64) d. Collingwood 8.12 (60) — with three minutes remaining, Melbourne back pocket Neil Crompton, who had drifted forward to follow his opponent against the coach's instructions, gathered the ball in a pack and kicked the winning goal. It was the only goal Crompton kicked in the last five seasons of his career from 1962 to 1966.[107]
- snapped the winning behind with an ugly kick from a ball-up in the forward pocket, securing St Kilda's first and only premiership.[108]
- 1970, Carlton 17.9 (111) d. Collingwood 14.17 (101) — Carlton trailed by 44 points at half time, before fighting back to win, in large part due to nineteenth man Ted Hopkins, who was substituted onto the field at half time and kicked four goals. Only one team had ever previously won a VFL/AFL game from such a large half-time deficit.[109] The game was seen by an enduring record attendance of 121,696, and it featured an iconic speckie taken by Alex Jesaulenko (Carlton) in the second quarter,[110] after which the Alex Jesaulenko Medal for Mark of the Year is now named.[111]
- 1977, North Melbourne 9.22 (76) drew Collingwood 10.16 (76) — trailing by 27 points at three-quarter time and having kicked only 11 behinds since quarter time, North Melbourne rallied with five final quarter goals to take a six-point lead. Ross Dunne (Collingwood) levelled the scores with 40 seconds remaining after converting a set shot from a strong pack mark 15 metres from goal.[113]
- Goal of the Year is now named after it.[115]
- 1979, Carlton 11.16 (82) d. Collingwood 11.11 (77) — with ten minutes remaining, Wayne Harmes (Carlton) kicked errantly towards goal, then chased down his own kick and punched it back towards the goal square just as it was about to go out of bounds in the forward pocket; teammate Ken Sheldon gathered in the goal square and kicked a goal to put Carlton 10 points ahead. Collingwood scored one more goal in the remaining time, but Sheldon's goal proved to be the winner.[116]
- Mark Yeates (Geelong) at the opening bounce; however, he played out the game in the forward line and kicked three goals despite internal bleeding. Robert DiPierdomenico (Hawthorn) played three quarters with a punctured lung, and many other players were hospitalised after the game. Hawthorn opened a 40-point lead by quarter time and still led by 37 points at three-quarter time; but with only twelve uninjured men, Hawthorn was almost overrun in the final quarter, with Geelong falling six points short.[117]
- 1997, Adelaide 19.11 (125) d. St Kilda 13.16 (94) — after being moved into the midfield, but instructed to drift forward after each centre bounce, Adelaide's Darren Jarman kicked a record five final-quarter goals, helping Adelaide break away to win with an eight-goals-to-four final quarter.[118]
- 2005, Sydney 8.10 (58) d. West Coast 7.12 (54) — with less than five seconds remaining, a long kick was placed deep into the West Coast forward line towards a pack of about eight players, with West Coast crumbers well placed around the pack, but the ball was cleanly marked by Sydney defender Leo Barry to secure the victory.[119]
- 2009, Geelong 12.8 (80) d. St Kilda 9.14 (68) — with scores level with less than four minutes remaining, an errant pass to Gary Ablett Jr. (Geelong) in the centre circle was broken up by Zac Dawson (St Kilda); against two St Kilda opponents, Matthew Scarlett (Geelong) was able to deftly toe-poke the ball off the bounce back to Ablett in space, and the ensuing play ended in a goal to Paul Chapman, giving Geelong a lead it never surrendered.[120][121][122]
- 2010, Collingwood 9.14 (68) drew St Kilda 10.8 (68) — trailing by one point with 90 seconds remaining, a 60-metre running shot by Lenny Hayes (St Kilda) landed 10 metres in front of the right behind post, took one bounce 45° left toward the goal, then another bounce 90° right and went through for the tying behind, eluding St Kilda goalsneak Stephen Milne who could not gather the unpredictable ball. The match was drawn, and Collingwood won the replay.[123]
- 2018, West Coast 11.13 (79) d. Collingwood 11.8 (74) — West Coast had trailed by 29 points in the first quarter, but they fought back to level the scores at three-quarter time. With less than three minutes remaining and trailing by two points, Dom Sheed (West Coast) kicked the winning goal from a difficult 40-metre set shot from near the right boundary line.[124]
Television broadcast
Year | Viewers | Rank | Network | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2001 | 2.604 million | 3 | Seven Network | [125] |
2002 | 2.626 million | 3 | Network Ten
| |
2003 | 2.966 million | 4 | ||
2004 | 2.796 million | 3 | ||
2005 | 3.386 million | 2 | ||
2006 | 3.145 million | 2 | ||
2007 | 2.563 million | 1 | ||
2008 | 2.491 million | 2 | Seven Network | |
2009 | 2.878 million | 3 | Network Ten
| |
2010 | 2.768 million | 4 | Seven Network | [126] |
2.687 million | 6 | |||
2011 | 2.641 million | 7 | Network Ten
|
[127] |
2012 | 2.962 million | 4 | Seven Network | [128] |
2013 | 2.717 million | 3 | [129] | |
2014 | 2.828 million | 1 | [130] | |
2015 | 2.645 million | 1 | [131] | |
2016 | 3.081 million | 2 | [132] | |
2017 | 2.680 million | 1 | [133] | |
2018 | 2.615 million | 2 | [134] | |
2019 | 2.219 million | 1 | [135] | |
2020 | 3.011 million | 1 | [136] | |
2021 | 3.051 million | 1 | [137] | |
2022 | 2.179 million (metro) 2.977 (total) |
3 | [138] | |
2023 | 2.465 million | 4 |
The grand final is one of the most-watched television events of the year in Australia. Since the introduction of the current OzTAM ratings system in 2001,[139] the match has been the highest-rated program of the year four times across metropolitan audiences (2007, 2014, 2015 and 2017);[125][130][131][133] and the post-game ceremony was the highest-rated program twice (2016 and 2018).[132][134] The worldwide audience has grown substantially, with broadcasts being televised into 72 countries for an estimated audience of around 30 million.[140]
When television was first introduced to Australia in 1956, the VFL was reluctant to broadcast the grand final into Victoria, fearful that crowd numbers would be affected. The grand final was first shown on television in
- Seven Network (1977–1986, 1988–2001, 2008, 2010, 2012–present)
- Network Ten(2002–2007, 2009, 2011)
- ABC and SportsPlay (1987)
The grand final is covered by anti-siphoning laws, ensuring it remains on free-to-air television in Australia.[142] Some archival and
International telecasts
The AFL grand final is televised into many countries, and grand final parties are held around the world.[144]
- Australia Plus(live)
- New Zealand — Sky Sport (live) and TVNZ (live)
- Timor-Leste(East Timor), Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Micronesia, Kiribati)
- ABC Australia(live)
- China — GZTV (live)
- Orbit Showtime Network(live)
- Fox Sports Israel(live)
- North America[145]
- United States — Fox Sports.
- Canada — TSN (live).
- United Kingdom and Ireland — BT Sport(live)
- ALL of Europe — Eurosport 2 (live/delayed coverage to be confirmed)
- Africa — Orbit Showtime Network(live)
- Latin America and Caribbean — ESPN International (to be confirmed)
- Russia — Viasat (live)
See also
- Grand final
- List of Australian Football League premiers
- List of VFL/AFL premiership captains and coaches
- List of VFL/AFL Grand Final records
- AFL Women's Grand Final
- NRL Grand Final
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- ^ AFL and ESPN in U.S./Canada TV Rights deal