Premiership Cup

It was a cool but sunny spring day at the MCG which saw 100,042 spectators pack the MCG to watch the Geelong versus Sydney Grand Final for the 2022 premiership. With all the pre-match entertainment and the Australian National Anthem out of the way, the two sides went to battle. From the start it was Geelong who dominated the center clearances and the contested ball. Tom Hawkins was the first to score when he got on the end of a Zach Tuohy pass in the pocket, but his kicked drifted wide for a behind. His continual signature work in the ruck brought the first two goals of the game as he used his body to gain position and snap the ball through the goals on both sides of the goal mouth.  

Despite the Cat's early dominance, it looked like some balance had been restored when will Hayward kicked the first for the Swans. But it looked anything but balanced as Geelong kicked the next three goals one to Blicavs and two in a row to Isaac Smith.  While the Swans desperately tried to find a chain of possession, they were continually out marked across the ground. When Close kicked Geelong's sixth goal late in the quarter, it was not just the score but the Cat's dominance in every area that suggested this game may already be won. If not for four behinds in the last six minutes of the quarter,, there would have been no doubt.

Richmond destroyed a hapless Greater Western Sydney Giants to win its 12^th Premiership flag in style. The 89-point margin was a true reflection on the complete dominance the Tigers had over the Giants. A tight first quarter that promised a competitive match, but Richmond was having none of that. The fierce and determined Tigers took complete control after quarter time and strangled the Giants with the manic brand of football that has made Richmond the best team in the competition over the last three seasons.

The Giants had performed brilliantly to win two tight contests on the road, but when Richmond asked the question for the third time, Greater Western Sydney simply had nothing left to give. The Tigers were hungry for the contest, determined to avenge a 2018 season where they were the best team all season but fell short after going out in the Preliminary final.

 Congratulations to the Richmond Tigers!

Winners of the 2019 AFL Grand Final

Richmond: 2.3 7.5 12.9 17.12 (114)
GWS:      1.2 1.6  2.7  3.7   (25)

Norm Smith Medalist: Dustin Martin
Attendance: 100,014
A full match report and photos will be available soon.

There is an old adage in footy that a team has to lose a few finals to win one. it proved true for Richmond as they lost their first ever final in 1916 - a semi-final against Carlton. They then lost their first Grand Final to Collingwood in 1919. They lost again to Carlton in 1920 in a semi-final, but since there were only four teams eligible at that time, they were still through to the Grand Final which they won. They have since gone on to win another 10 premierships.

(09/28/18)(Ed note: From Fox Sports (US): "we will not be able to air the trophy presentation due to music clearance issues." They could not come to an agreement with Seven on the matter. US network coverage will end at the conclusion of the match.
(09/27/18)(Ed. note: Start time for all game feeds moved 1 minute to 12:24 AM EDT.)
(09/26/18)(Ed. note: Some guides are showing the GF coverage on FSP ending at 3:30 AM EDT. FSP advises this is currently correct, however they are working to resolve some issues and hope to return to 4:00 AM. Since there is uncertainty, we are leaving our listings at 4:00 AM for now until the situation is clearer.)(9/27/18: We have changed our listing to 3:30AM EDT pending further info.)
(09/26/18)(Ed. note: TSN2 coverage start time for pre-game changed to 10:30 PM EDT.)
Fox Soccer Plus (FSP) in the USA and TSN2 in Canada will carry the 2018 Grand Final between West Coast and Collingwood LIVE on Friday night / Saturday morning, September 28^th / 29^th. US coverage on FSP will begin at approximately 12:24 AM EDT Saturday. Coverage will continue until approximately 3:30 AM EDT Saturday concluding after the match. No other pre- or post-match coverage will be provided on Fox. FSP will air multiple repeats of the game. Set your DVR accordingly and add extra recording time before as the feed may start unexpectedly (most guides show the start time as 12:30 AM) and after so you don't miss anything if the match is extended due to a tie at the end of the 4th quarter!

Canadian coverage on TSN2 will begin with the pregame at 10:30 PM Friday and the game coverage at 12:24 AM EDT Saturday and run to 4:00 AM Saturday. There will be a repeat on TSN1/TSN4 on Saturday at 1:00 PM EDT.

If you have no access to either of the preceding options, the game will be live via the internet on WatchAFL (payment required, US$20) and you can sign up at this link. Use discount code "AFANA10" to save 10% (but be sure to enter the code before you begin the payment process and check that the on-screen price has updated). WatchAFL coverage will begin at 12:24 AM EDT however, they will have pre-match coverage beginning at 7:00 PM EDT and post-match coverage past 4:00 AM - all relayed on the Fox Footy feed area of the service.

Fans should check our TV Schedule page for full TV listings including any repeats and our TV Info page for more information on FSP, WatchAFL, and TSN2. Party venues should contact us for commercial subscription discounts. For those looking for parties, see our listings on our Grand Final Party page. (Note: the only live coverage in North America is via these outlets and they are available nationally via cable and satellite services -- see our TV Info page. Asking us if there are others will not get you a different answer because there isn't one.)

This will be the first time Collingwood and West Coast will meet in a Grand Final. However, both do have recent Grand Final histories, albeit losses the last time either side played in a Grand Final. The Eagles lost to Hawthorn in 2015 and the Magpies lost to Geelong in 2011 after winning the replay the year before. Speaking of drawn matches, Collingwood and West Coast played against each other in a drawn Qualifying Final in 1990 with Collingwood victorious in the replay.

The following is the time line for the the Grand Final day events including key times for match and TV related activities. All times are listed first in Australian AEST and then in US EDT. This is based on information from the AFL, AFANA, press reports and past history. This story will be periodically updated with late information. (Revised 9/25/14)