Gary Ablett wound back the clock with a superb performance in Geelong’s preliminary final win. Photo: AFL MEDIA
Nine years since Geelong beat Collingwood to win a third flag in the space of five seasons, we’ve finally got another AFL grand final between two powerhouse Victorian clubs.
All but one of Gillon McLachlan’s targeted 162 games in the shortened season have been completed, with the Cats and Richmond left standing to do battle in the season decider.
But the MCG won’t be heaving. Instead, we’ll be under lights at the Gabba, only three-quarters full and featuring a host of fans flat that their local Brisbane Lions aren’t there.
It’s ironic, really, that the two Victorian heavyweights will decide the flag up north. It’s probably what the kids would say is “so 2020”.
All manner of storylines will be told this week, from Gary Ablett’s possible fairytale send-off to Richmond’s attempt at confirming a flag dynasty with three in four seasons. But a key chapter in the story of how they got there can perhaps be traced back to last month.
While the pre-finals bye can’t be entirely blamed for the failings of Port Adelaide and Brisbane on the preliminary final stage, the evidence is piling up that it plays some sort of a factor significant enough to be considered.
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan refused to use it as an excuse when he was asked about it an hour after his side was dealt a comprehensive 40-point beating from Geelong on Saturday night.
But he did admit to wondering just what sort of effect it had on the Lions and Power, who both played just one match in about four weeks leading into their preliminary finals.
The stats are compelling. In five seasons since the bye was introduced – on the back of North Melbourne and Fremantle resting huge numbers in home-and-away matches to prepare for finals – 60 per cent of qualifying final winners have failed to reach the grand final.
Before that? In the previous decade, the figure was 10 per cent. The AFL will no doubt face more calls to scrap the bye. Whether it heeds them is another matter.
Your personal view on the matter probably relies somewhat on how it has affected your own club’s flag pursuits over the years, if you’ve been lucky enough to see it get so far as for it to matter.
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Regardless, no amount of debate on the contentious issue will change the fact that the 2020 preliminary final results are in the books.
Brisbane premiership winner Chris Scott knocked out his former club, and Port Adelaide flag hero Damien Hardwick did the same to his old side. The Geelong and Richmond coaches will meet in the grand final 16 years after doing so as players, when Hardwick’s Power saluted.
On Friday night, minor premier Port Adelaide was outlasted by reigning premier Richmond in a low-scoring slugfest at Adelaide Oval.
Dustin Martin starred as Dustin Martin does, Toby Nankervis was huge late in the piece and Kane Lambert kicked two crucial final-quarter goals. One came from a controversial deliberate out of bounds call against Hamish Hartlett.
There were six of those calls in the first preliminary final – down from a previous average of 0.97 per game this season.
Tom Lynch has been some sort of villain since leaving Gold Coast to join the Richmond juggernaut and had a drink thrown on him by a Port Adelaide fan. But his classy act in consoling an upset Power youngster in the stands post-match showed that maybe, just maybe, the aggressive key forward is not that bad a bloke after all.
Saturday night was perfectly set up for Brisbane on its home ground, but the Lions didn’t turn up early.
Geelong led clearances 15-4 at quarter-time. It evened up a bit when Lachie Neale got going, but the Lions never really looked like taking control.
Ablett stepped up with two goals in the third quarter to give us a glimpse of what he’s still capable of.
He benefitted once from Patrick Dangerfield’s George Gregan impression – a clear throw that was missed by the umpires, who can’t have been in a position to see it – and once from a swift clearance as he burst through the middle and bombed one from 55m.
It was Ablett briefly winding back the clock to his halcyon days. If he can do it again this Saturday night, the fairytale send-off might be complete.
