Congratulations to the Hawthorn Hawks
2008 AFL Premiers
Geelong 5.3 1.9 3.6 2.5 11.23 (89) Hawthorn 5.2 3.1 6.2 4.2 18.7 (115)
Norm Smith Medal for Best on Ground went to Luke Hodge of Hawthorn. AFANA will have full match reports posted as soon as we all get some rest.
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 and past history. (We have an article on the days events and entertainers with details here.) (Updated with honored legends, olympians, etc.):
Time AEST/US EDT Event
9:00 AM / 7:00 PM NAB AFL U/16 Division 2 Grand Final - Northern Territories v Tasmania (live on AFL.com.au) Coverage on the AFL web site will commence from 8.50 AM AEST / 6:50 PM EDT and be hosted by Peter Donegan and Jason Bennett. AFL Youth and High Performance Coordinator Jason McCartney and AIS-AFL High Performance Coach Alan McConnell will provide special comments.
10:40 AM / 8:40 PM NAB AFL U/16 Division 2 Grand Final concludes
10:55 AM / 8:55 PM NAB AFL U/16 Division 1 Grand Final - Victoria Metro v Western Australia
11:37 AM / 9:37 PM Division 1 half time - Grand Final Sprint heats
12:39 PM / 10:39 PM NAB AFL U/16 Division 1 Grand Final concludes
12:43 PM / 10:43 PM On-field presentation of Div. 1 and 2 Grand Final awards
12.55 PM / 10:55 PM On-field pre-match set up
1:10 PM / 11:10 PM Delivery of match footballs to Umpires
1.15 PM – 1.30 PM / 11:15 PM – 11:30 PM On-field warm-up opportunity for competing clubs
Stage and sound set in centre square
1:30 PM / 11:30 PM International TV feed begins including coverage on Setanta
Powderfinger to rock the MCG
(Ed. note: The match day timeline is here).
The AFL has revealed the pre-match entertainers and award presenters at the 2008 Grand Final pre-match entertainment at the MCG on September 27. Brisbane band Powderfinger will headline the pre-match entertainment at the MCG, and then join Pete Murray for the post-match entertainment in front of 4300 corporate guests at Centre Square, the corporate hospitality village located on Punt Road Oval.
Memories, old and new
He played for Geelong for 11 years but Mark Yeates is best remembered for firing the first shot in the 1989 Grand Final when he flattened Hawk star Dermott Brereton at the opening bounce. Brereton played out the game despite suffering a bruised kidney and internal bleeding from the hit. Needless to say, Yeates is in demand this week with the Hawks and Cats set to face off in a Grand Final for the first time since that bruising battle. Brereton was the first of many casualties from that game. Others included Robert DiPierdomenico (cracked ribs and punctured lung), John Platten (concussion) and Michael Tuck (hand) among others.
Will history repeat itself?
The Hawks and Cats lined up against each other in Round 17 this year. By midseason, both had proved themselves as two of the most dominant teams in the competition. Prior to this game, the Cats had lost just once to Collingwood in Round Nine while Hawthorn had only three losses against the Bulldogs in Round 10, the Kangaroos in Round 13 and the previous week against St. Kilda. Geelong was sitting in first place and the Hawks were third behind the Bulldogs. By midseason, this was one of the most anticipated games of the year.
Cats Omit Wojcinski, Hawks Unchanged
by Johnson Leung reporting for AFANA in Melbourne
2007 premiership player David Wojcinski forced to make way for the return of forward Paul Chapman, while Hawthorn have named an unchanged lineup for the Grand Final.
Who's in, who's out...and other matters...
All clubs have over 30 players on their lists and select whomever they feel will be the best 22 for any given game. In that respect, the Grand Final is no different, which means some players who may have impressed during the season are going to miss out, no matter what contributions they made during the season. It is tough call for the selection panel of a club to tell a player who has served the team well during the year that he has to miss out on the biggest game of the year. According to Geelong defender and team captain Tom Harley, he and his teammates who will be selected for the game, plan to rally around and console those who miss out.
Not the time to take chances with having to sit out a game...
Charges Laid:
Josh Hill (WB), making forceful front-on contact against Geelong's Andrew Mackie:assessed as negligent conduct (one point), low impact (one point) and high contact (two points), equaling four points, a Level Two offense, 125 demerits and a one game suspension. He accepted, reducing the penalty 25% to 93.75 and a reprimand. He will carry the demerits into next season and those will be added to any future offense.
Bad timing for an injury...
HAWTHORN
Injury Update:
Max Bailey, Ben McGlynn & Beau Muston, knee, season
Luke McEntee, hamstring, season
No Grand Final this year, but still a good ending for Bulldog Cooney
Western Bulldog midfielder Adam Cooney has won the 2008 Brownlow Medal, the first number one draft pick to do so. Brisbane Lion Simon Black, who won the prestigious medal in 2002, led for much of the evening's count, which is done on a round by round basis. Cooney's Round 21 performance took him ahead of Black on 23 votes and Cooney won with 24 votes. Cooney is also the first Bulldog player to win the award since former ruckman Scott Wynd took out the award in 1992.
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