Australian Football Association of North America

Congratulations to the Collingwood Magpies!

Winners of the 2023 AFL Grand Final

Collingwood Magpies:  4.4 9.9 10.15 12.18 (90)
Brisbane Lions:       3.0 9.3 11.5  13.8  (86)

Norm Smith Medalist: Bobby Hill
Attendance:  100,024 at the MCG in Melbourne
A full match report will be available soon.

Greater Western Sydney captain Toby Greene won the toss and kicked to the Punt Rd end. With the pinnacle of his footy career in his mind, the Preliminary final against Richmond in 2018, American Mason Cox started in the ruck and won the first hit out. His teammate McStay drew two huge cheers from the predominantly Collingwood crowd first when he marked and then when he connected for a goal from 30 meters out. Jack Crisp doubled the score with a quick kick off a step and off the outside of the boot to kick the Magpies second goal. The nearly 98,000 in the crowd (almost all Magpie fans) were ecstatic.

Now the Giants had their turn when Irishman Callum Brown was put in range with a 50 meter penalty but a poor kick off the boot went wide to give the Giants their first but single point. McStay came from the back of the pack to somehow lead to the ball and marked strongly 20 meters but missed the shot on goal. Mihocek added another point for the Pies behind before quarter time, while Riccardi and Daniels added singles for the Giants. 

Richmond announced that Adem Yze would be their new senior coach at the end of preliminary finals week. Yze, 46. began as an assistant at Hawthorn under Alastair Clarkson. He was there for the three premierships the Hawks won in 2013, 2014, and 2015. He returned to the Demons, where he played 271 games, in late 2020 and was again involved in a premiership when Melbourne won in 2021. Of his appointment, Yze said, “This is a club steeped in history and blessed with a magnificent supporter base. I feel very humbled to have been given this opportunity, ... ".

Adelaide delisted McPherson, Jackson Hately, Tariek Newchurch, and Tyler Brown while Port Adelaide delisted Riley Bonner, Trent Dumont, Brynn Teakle, and Nathan Barkla. Luke Dunstan retired from Melbourne and Gold Coast saw Connor Blakely hang up the boots.

McPherson played 28 AFL games since being drafted in 2017. He had to overcome a series of soft tissue injuries and played nine games. He won both the Mark Bickley Emerging Talent Award and Brian Sando OAM Award for professionalism on Club Champion night. The hard-working defender was a regular in Adelaide’s senior side in 2021 when he played 18 games, however injuries have restricted him to just one AFL game since then. Hately has also played 28 AFL games including 15 with the Crows after he joined Adelaide from GWS at the end of the 2020. He played 11 games in 2021 and one this year while performing strongly in the SANFL. Newchurch joined Adelaide as a Category B rookie from its Next Generation Academy in 2020 and has been a valuable contributor to the Crows’ SANFL side for the past three seasons, as has Tyler Brown who joined the club as a rookie in January and played one AFL game for the Crows to go with 27 at his former club Collingwood.

The same weekend of the passing of Ron Barassi, St Kilda lost champion Kevin Neale at the age of 78. A contemporary of Barassi, he was one of the heroes of their 1966 premiership, played 256 games and ranks eleventh on the Saints games list. He had been suffering from Alzheimer's for some years. After his retirement, he worked in the club's marketing department and waw president of the Past Players Association.