The AFL Grand Final Circus Rolls On!

By Kim Densham reporting for AFANA in Melbourne

All week the AFL circus-circus was in town. Victorians had an air of satisfaction because it was only the second time this century that two Victorian clubs were in the Finals. Footy after all has been ‘Our Game’ for the last century and a half and now an ‘All Victorian Final’ somehow just seemed right. Grand Final Week started off with Brownlow night, where Bulldog Adam Cooney took the honors from Geelong’s Gary Ablett, Brisbane Lion Simon Black and crowd favorite Tiger Matthew Richardson. More importantly, in the Brownlow red carpet fashion stakes Rebecca Twigley was again voted ‘AFL Prom Queen’ and her partner, Carlton captain, Chris Judd still footy’s ‘Homecoming King’. Melbourne Town and the AFL put on a series of daily activities from Federation Square but the talk was dominated by ‘Playing Systems’. The Grand Final was not so much team against team, but Geelong discipline and running game versus the Hawthorn zone defense and unsociable, hard at it, committed playing style. Speculation abounded and the arm chair ‘coaches’ postulated about playing styles, team structures, coaching tactics, players strengths and weaknesses, what the match ups would be and how each team would negate the dominators in their opponents. In Geelong, some 100 km’s down the Princess Freeway, the fans had painted the town ‘blue and white’. 

By the time Friday’s grand Final parade rolled on from the ‘Shrine of Remembrance’ to the steps of Parliament, Melbourne was frothing at the mouth, chomping at the bit, and everyone was humming ‘Up There, Kazaly’ and ready for game day. The unanswered question was ‘has Footy become too corporate?’ Finals tickets were priced out of the range of the average punter and the feeling was that Grand Final Day has lost its common touch, so while the game would be played on the “Peoples' Ground’ it would be to a ‘Corporate Crowd’. For the footy fans Grand Final Day was a celebration, friends would gather, BBQs were now events like Christmas, memories of Grand Finals past and moot arguments mounted for the best final ever rage ‘ad nauseum ‘.  The sweep drawn up, -  bets on for - the first goal kicker, the winning team, the margin or points spread and the Norm Smith medalist – ladies and gentlemen buy the ticket …take the ride!

Saturday dawned, crisp blue sky and a perfect 72 degrees F, the buzz palpable and all roads led to the ‘G’. The North Melbourne breakfast was on and citizens made their way to the Ground, some secure in the knowledge that they had seats, others hoping that they would find - against all odds – someone with tickets so that they could go, others went just to be part of the spectacle, setting up BBQs at the ground, portable TVs and BBQs within the stadium’s roar. As morning rolled into afternoon and the crowds filtered in there was a sense that the country was focused on this single piece of turf. The pre-game entertainment was set up, a round stage with 16 pods, one for each team, Ian Moss, legendary guitar rocker with the band Cold Chisel, belted out ‘Up There Kazaly’ to the unanimous approval of the crowd, followed by renowned Brisbane band ‘Powderfinger’ who stepped a gear and enthralled the crowd ending their set with a barnstorming rendition of AC DC’s ‘It’s a Long way to the Top’.  A  new Qantas Airbus buzzed the stadium in a flyby but the biggest cheer was reserved for the Carlton and United hot air balloon in the shape of a glass of cold beer. The sponsor’s product flowed freely at the ground fueling fanatical passion. Meantime the teams had come and gone for their warm up session, checked out the crowd, the stadium and felt the noise and dealt with nerves. It just seemed that the Hawks had the numbers, the Brown and Gold luminous around the ground and their feral fans the most vocal – it has been 17 long years since winning their Ninth Premiership – would today be their Tenth. The other story was about Champion Shane Crawford – who joined the Hawks in 2001, just after their magnificent run of premierships ended in 1989 and after being one of the games brightest talents – would his efforts be rewarded – banners around the ground read ‘Do It For Crawf’. It would be a fairytale ending for the enigmatic former Hawk Captain.

The game was played with an intensity reserved for Finals and unlike the choking play of Sydney in recent times, the free flowing Geelong style of last year’s Final had taken hold this season as all teams stepped up to emulate the fast running, hand balling,  play on quickly 2007 Premiers, This included the Hawks.  There was an expectation that the opening minutes would see a real physical clash and some fireworks however as Alistair Clarkson acknowledged in his post match conference, the running was so fast there was no time for physical clashes.  The 1st quarter saw 10 goals kicked the most in a Grand final for around two decades. Geelong held the dominant midfield position strangling the Hawthorn run, which in turn denied the power forwards of Franklin and Roughhead. In defense Luke Hodge, was resolute, with the other defenders Guerra, Croad and Gilham absorbed all that the Geelong attack threw at them and then some. Their centers, Mitchell, Bateman and Lewis were initially outgunned and acted as barriers to try and stem the Geelong onslaught. The tale was about the forwards, Geelong’s power forwards would rue their inaccurate kicking while the Hawks twin towers would remain mostly untested.  Geelong’s midfield engine room of Ablett, Bartell and Ling ensuring the Hawks rarely breached the Cats defensive 50. These two teams faced off like two giant Sumo Wrestlers, their massive bulk attempting to smash the opponents into submission. This match was initially about containment but by the 3rd quarter would be about capitalizing on chances. The Hawks took their and set up victory in that – the Premiership Quarter!  The day also saw the return of the 100,000 strong crowd exceeded that number by 12, presumably a last minute Corporate package snapped up to take minds off the recent stock market turmoil and Bush’s USD700billion rescue package.

Bomber Thompson would later concede that Geelong had let victory slip through their fingers but took nothing away from the Hawks, acknowledging that on the day they were the best team. The Hawks, once mighty, proud and dominant in the 1980’s and 1990’s had slipped to such lows that they were in danger of folding and even toyed with the idea of merging with Melbourne. Now this giant, slumbering for a decade was emerging as new force, a young force and with the confidence of the 2008 Premiership were going to be even more formidable in 2009. A behind the scenes tribute to former greats Jason Dunstall, Dermott Brereton and Robert DiPierdomenico, amongst others, who worked tirelessly to revive the fallen Hawk. In the end Luke Hodge was awarded the Norm Smith medal outpolling Gary Ablett--who again came second , a bad week in anyone's books, missing the Brownlow, losing the Grand Final and missing the Norm Smith Medal for being Best On the Ground. As the Premiership team celebrated with the fans in unbridled joy, the Cats deflated lay sprawled wondering where it all went wrong. In the meantime footy fans from the other 15 teams would to sleep uneasily for the next three month knowing that Hawthorn, like the Vandals and the Goths, plotting to sack Rome and no one would be safe for a few years at least. In the end the challenger had absorbed all the champion could throw and then delivered some telling body blows, hitting them where it hurt most – on the scoreboard!