Best grand final of the modern era (since 1998)

Best grand final of the modern era/since 1998


  • Total voters
    385
Jun 30, 2009
30,327
41,691
Deroesfromgero
AFL Club
West Coast
Other Teams
east perth
2007.

The deck was absolutely stacked against Geelong, but somehow we prevailed by 119 points.
And to come from behind and win by one……………………………………………………………………hundred and seventeen points - what an effort after they scored the first point.
 
Aug 8, 2007
24,633
29,161
Melbourne
AFL Club
Geelong
2007.

The deck was absolutely stacked against Geelong, but somehow we prevailed by 119 points.
Patchy form too. Only just scraped over the line against a battle-weary Pies outfit while Port obliterated the Kangaroos by 87 points. Port also had a number of players with experience playing in, and winning, grand finals. Everything stacked against Geelong. One of the greatest triumphs against adversity of all time.
 
Feb 9, 2015
4,650
9,169
AFL Club
Geelong
And to come from behind and win by one……………………………………………………………………hundred and seventeen points - what an effort after they scored the first point.

Just further deck stacking we were able to overcome. Mathew Stokes also got injured in the first quarter. Those decks were just so ******* stacked!
 

lumpinee

MK ULTRA
Jul 18, 2019
4,894
7,739
across the park from commission flats
AFL Club
Richmond
its gotta be 2020,Scotts constant whinging of Richmonds home ground advantage null and void,Dangerfields assault on Vlaustins face and getting let off
Houli doing a calf in the 1st qtr,the media's biased obsession with sending Ablett out with a flag all made that Premiership the sweetest and at 1/2 time it was all going to script much to the medias unbridled glee which they couldnt contain,and then,🎇🎇,7 minutes into the 3rd and the games been turned upside down,sweeeeeeet 🍦🍦🍦🍦
 

Punt Road Feral

Premiership Player
Aug 23, 2007
3,603
4,016
Punt Road's Manure Pit
AFL Club
Richmond
2018 has got to be up there.

The game itself was really good with multiple momentum shifts and some really key moments that stick to the memory bank that made the GF a stand out.

If anyone hasn’t seen the YouTube clip of the breakdown of the match winning play with McGovern, Vardy, Ryan and Sheed it’s a must watch.

Basically all of those were against the odds of even being on the field at the moment (McGovern will a huge injury concern in the lead up, Vardy only playing because Nic Nat going down, Ryan was called to be benched but didn’t hear the runner and Sheed for coming in for Gaff’s suspension)

Absolutely spine tingling stuff where literally every single moment ‘clicked’ when there was literally no margin for error in execution from each player.

That’s how fine the margin was in this game and was the difference between winning and losing.
 

Captain_Bender

Premiership Player
May 21, 2015
4,494
6,758
AFL Club
Richmond
its gotta be 2020,Scotts constant whinging of Richmonds home ground advantage null and void,Dangerfields assault on Vlaustins face and getting let off
Houli doing a calf in the 1st qtr,the media's biased obsession with sending Ablett out with a flag all made that Premiership the sweetest and at 1/2 time it was all going to script much to the medias unbridled glee which they couldnt contain,and then,🎇🎇,7 minutes into the 3rd and the games been turned upside down,sweeeeeeet 🍦🍦🍦🍦
The funny thing is that despite Richmond being the higher ranking team we still beat them at their "home" ground during the hub the Gabba, instead of our "home" ground during the hub Metricon
 
Feb 4, 2008
12,952
27,915
Melbourne
AFL Club
Richmond
2018 has got to be up there.

The game itself was really good with multiple momentum shifts and some really key moments that stick to the memory bank that made the GF a stand out.

If anyone hasn’t seen the YouTube clip of the breakdown of the match winning play with McGovern, Vardy, Ryan and Sheed it’s a must watch.

Basically all of those were against the odds of even being on the field at the moment (McGovern will a huge injury concern in the lead up, Vardy only playing because Nic Nat going down, Ryan was called to be benched but didn’t hear the runner and Sheed for coming in for Gaff’s suspension)

Absolutely spine tingling stuff where literally every single moment ‘clicked’ when there was literally no margin for error in execution from each player.

That’s how fine the margin was in this game and was the difference between winning and losing.

It is all so true because even Jack the blind miner knew that Darling would drop a sitter of an uncontested mark one metre from goal after that play ended in full points, because it was a Grand Final and he hadn’t done it yet. 😉

Hang on, is Jack Darling actually Jack the blind miner, and that is why he dropped the mark that would have relegated this GF from a classic finish to a comfortable winning margin?
 

Lsta062

Brownlow Medallist
Jul 15, 2014
21,577
41,424
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Chelsea, LA Lakers, Western United
It’s between 2012 and 2018 for me. I went with 2012 only because of how Sydney defeated a strong Hawthorn at the MCG. Hawthorn were just as good as they were in 2013-2015 that year, so you could say that the only team that defeated Hawthorn at their peak was 2012 Sydney.

You could say the same thing about Hawthorn beating peak Geelong in 2008 too, which was impressive as well.

Anyways, 2018 was a great GF as well so I’d have them a close second and 2008 as third on the list
 
Feb 28, 2007
51,352
66,844
Sydney
AFL Club
Sydney
So so far we have

1. 2018 - 21.3%
2. 2009 - 12.3%
3. 2012 - 10.7%
3. 2021 - 10.7%
5. 2002 - 7.4%

I do wonder if 2021 is being inflated though because it is the most recent Grand Final. Was a close game for a while but Melbourne flicked a switch in the 3rd quarter and made the Bulldogs look like an Auskick team.
 
2002.
Amazing contest and my memory says it went goal goal for a long time and then Voss and Akermanis stood up late to drag the Lions over the line.
Comfortably this in terms of games the Pies were involved in. All of 2002, 2010, 2011 and 2018 were superb games though
 
Feb 15, 2015
31,552
70,822
South Yarra
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Mt Buller Demons
So so far we have

1. 2018 - 21.3%
2. 2009 - 12.3%
3. 2012 - 10.7%
3. 2021 - 10.7%
5. 2002 - 7.4%

I do wonder if 2021 is being inflated though because it is the most recent Grand Final. Was a close game for a while but Melbourne flicked a switch in the 3rd quarter and made the Bulldogs look like an Auskick team.
I don’t think so. It wasn’t a close game (outside of a couple of minutes late in the third) but my neutral friends loved it for the sheer dominance of the last quarter and a bit and the standard of football during that time. Plus a train wreck has its own fascination.

I agree 2018 was great to watch though for the tension
 
Aug 18, 2009
1,688
4,709
AFL Club
Richmond
So so far we have

1. 2018 - 21.3%
2. 2009 - 12.3%
3. 2012 - 10.7%
3. 2021 - 10.7%
5. 2002 - 7.4%

I do wonder if 2021 is being inflated though because it is the most recent Grand Final. Was a close game for a while but Melbourne flicked a switch in the 3rd quarter and made the Bulldogs look like an Auskick team.

Agree re 2021

Up to mid third-quarter it was tracking as one of the great GFs. But a GF that finished in "Arcade Mode" can't be one of the greats
 
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