Game Day 2021 AFL Grand Final: Melbourne vs Bulldogs @ Perth Stadium, 25th September

Olian

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Jul 12, 2013
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Loving some comments on their board that no one was beating Melbourne tonight. While that may be true, deflecting from holding a 3 goal lead and looking like dominating before completely pooping the bed.
Conceding 16 of the last 17 goals in 40 minutes of play is a fair deflection.
 

RedBloodBlackSwan

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Aug 29, 2021
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I’m just glad 2020 won’t need an asterisk like 2016 did.

Three teams were done over by the umps against the bulldogs in finals in 2016. I still feel bad for Lions’ treatment a couple of weeks back, but at least it was only one team this year, and on the Lions board just now even they recognise that Melbourne would have beaten them if they got to the GF. Lions still deserved a prelim though…
 
Oct 18, 2018
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3 prudent top 10 draft picks (Petracca / Oliver / Brayshaw) in the mids = premiership.
Petracca's first two years were lacklustre. I actually thought he might have been an average player. Oliver came out of the blocks firing. Brayshaw was true to his draft ranking. Roos era when these were drafted.
I don't think it took until year 3 that Petracca lived up to his draft ranking. Very Powerful now!! Impressive.
 
What an unbelievable season Melbourne had. Only team to be in the top four all year, beat every team except Collingwood (and to be fair, it was Buckley's last game as coach), and won all of their finals, by margins of 33, 83 and 74 points, no less.

So good seeing Max Gawn become a premiership captain. He's the best player in the comp for mine, though I reckon the bloke in the no. 5 whose throat he was shoving the ball down will have something to say about that. Unbelievable game by both he and Oliver.

I'm a huge fan of midfield partnerships and what they can accomplish, and no better example of that than those two last night. They're in the 'JPK & Hanners' zone, just seem to know where each other are at all times. Though it's interesting that Petracca is seen as the explosive one from the contest. I would say Oliver bursts away with a lot more raw speed, whereas Petracca seems to just steady himself kinda aerodynamically.

Unsurprisingly the Bulldogs don't do s**t when the umpiring's not going their way. They're a pathetic excuse for a club.

Ps. That was a goal to Gawn every day of the week.
 
Jul 9, 2014
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So much too like about GF Day ‘21… certainly a result any Swans fan would have hoped for.
Petracca’s game, as near to perfect as you could wish to see… Oliver, on any other day wins a Norm, Viney… Brayshaw…
Thought Langdon and Salem were outstanding. Fritsch has had some kind of year… great story. Ben Brown… not all nice guys finish last… and young Jackson is something special!

People of WA helped make it a wonderful day despite a few little hiccups, certainly added weight to the rotating GFs argument.
Footy the big winner on the day!
PS Big Maxy robbed of a goal… how does that happen?
 
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GoTheSwannies

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Reflecting on it. I'm still in awe at petracca's performance.

And the fact that Melbourne were able to go up another 2 gears when the dogs were looking like they were going to run away with it. It was a massive turn around, and just showed Melbourne's class.

Great win! Shame on the dogs for robbing us of a classic GF. Melbourne would have gone toe to toe with them if those spineless jellyfish had any heart.
 
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GoTheSwannies

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I didnt pay too much attention to his tap work, but i thought gawn had a shocker, particularly early, he was just out of sync. He was failing to have an impact, english was getting the better of him at times, then up forward he spoiled fritchs (sp?) mark, luckily for the dees he sprung back up and collected the ball cleanly and goaled. He was amazing in that game. Gawn just seemed unlike his usual dominating self.

Although, the Melbourne midfield dominated, so he obviously did a lot right, just a level below what I would have expected from him in a GF. Luckily his teammates showed up in a big way.
 
Footscray were the architect of their doom.

Fancy being so arrogant as to replace Bevo half way through Q3 with their new Coach...
















Gary Rohan
 
the Petracca -Oliver combination is very impressive. the Melbourne mids just had such great strength. It's going to take some coaching strategy to beat them, especially as our emerging mids have a different skill set. (Also, one of the main benefits of going to the GF live is not have to put up with drivelling commentators like BT and JB). Cometti on the radio is quite good. (His offsider is a goose though. think it's Embley)
It was embarrassing listening to the Channel 7 commentary :(
Petracca -Oliver combination knew where the other was at the centre bounce, or anticipated
we will have that in the Gulden Campbell combination :)
 
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