1.
Melbourne Cricket Ground
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The Melbourne Cricket Ground, also known simply as The G, is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. The MCG is within walking distance of the city centre and is served by the Richmond railway station, Richmond, and it is part of the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct. Since it was built in 1853, the MCG has been in a state of almost constant renewal and it served as the centrepiece stadium of the 1956 Summer Olympics, the 2006 Commonwealth Games and two Cricket World Cups,1992 and 2015. The annual Boxing Day Test is one of the MCGs most popular events, the stadium fills to capacity for the AFL Grand Final. Concerts and other events are also held at the venue. The MCG is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and was included on the Australian National Heritage List in 2005, journalist Greg Baum called it a shrine, a citadel, a landmark, a totem that symbolises Melbourne to the world. Founded in November 1838 the Melbourne Cricket Club selected the current MCG site in 1853 after previously playing at several grounds around Melbourne, the club’s first game was against a military team at the Old Mint site, at the corner of William and Latrobe Streets. The area was subject to flooding, forcing the club to move again and it was not long before the club was forced out again, this time because of the expansion of the railway. The South Melbourne ground was in the path of Victoria’s first steam railway line from Melbourne to Sandridge and this last option, which is now Yarra Park, had been used by Aborigines until 1835. Between 1835 and 1853 it was an agistment area for colonial troopers’ horses, in 1850 it was part of a 200-acre stretch set aside for public recreation extending from Governor La Trobe’s Jolimont Estate to the Yarra River. By 1853 it had become a busy promenade for Melbourne residents, an MCC sub-committee chose the Richmond Park option because it was level enough for cricket but sloped enough to prevent inundation. That ground was located where the Richmond, or outer, end of the current MCG is now, at the same time the Richmond Cricket Club was given occupancy rights to six acres for another cricket ground on the eastern side of the Government Paddock. At the time of the grant the Government stipulated that the ground was to be used for cricket and cricket only. This condition remained until 1933 when the State Government allowed the MCG’s uses to be broadened to other purposes when not being used for cricket. In 1863 a corridor of land running diagonally across Yarra Park was granted to the Hobson’s Bay Railway, the area closest to the river was also developed for sporting purposes in later years including Olympic venues in 1956. The first grandstand at the MCG was the original wooden stand built in 1854. It was during this tour that the MCG hosted the worlds first Test match, in 1881 the original members stand was sold to the Richmond Cricket Club for £55. A new brick stand, considered at the time to be the world’s finest cricket facility, was built in its place, the foundation stone was laid by Prince George of Wales and Prince Albert Victor on 4 July and the stand opened in December that year
2.
Essendon Football Club
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The Essendon Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League, the sports premier competition. Formed in 1871 as a club and playing as a senior club since 1878. It is historically associated with Essendon, a suburb in the north-west of Melbourne, dyson Heppell is the current team captain. A founding member club of both the Victorian Football Association, in 1877, and the Victorian Football League, in 1896, the club claims to have over at least one million supporters Australia wide. Essendon has won 16 VFL/AFL premierships which, along with Carlton, is the most of any club in the competition, the club was founded by members of the Royal Agricultural Society, the Melbourne Hunt Club and the Victorian Woolbrokers. The Essendon Football Club is thought to have formed in 1872 at a meeting it the home of a well-known brewery family, the McCrackens, whose Ascot Vale property hosted a team of local junior players. Robert McCracken, the owner of several city hotels, was the founder and first president of the Essendon club and his son, Alex, Alex would later become president of the newly formed VFL. Alexs cousin, Collier, who had played with Melbourne, was the teams first captain. The club played its first recorded match against the Carlton second twenty on 7 June 1873, Essendon played 13 matches in its first season, winning seven, with four draws and losing two. The club was one of the junior members of the Victorian Football Association in 1877. During its early years in the Association, Essendon played its matches at Flemington Hill. In 1878, Essendon played in the first match on what would be considered by modern standards to be a field at Flemington Hill. In 1879 Essendon played Melbourne in one of the earliest night matches recorded when the ball was painted white, in 1883 the team played four matches in Adelaide. In 1891 Essendon won their first VFA premiership, which they repeated in 1892,1893 and 1894, one of the clubs greatest players, Albert Thurgood played for the club during this period. Essendon was undefeated in the 1893 season, at the end of the 1896 season Essendon along with seven other clubs formed the Victorian Football League. Essendons first VFL game was in 1897 was against Geelong at Corio Oval in Geelong, Essendon won its first VFL premiership by winning the 1897 VFL finals series. Essendon again won the premiership in 1901, defeating Collingwood in the Grand Final, the club won successive premierships in 1911 and 1912 over Collingwood and South Melbourne respectively. The nickname first appeared in print in the local North Melbourne Advertiser in 1889 and it was known firstly as Essendon Town and, after 1905, as Essendon
3.
Melbourne Football Club
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The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is an Australian rules football club, playing in the Australian Football League. It is named after and based in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Melbourne is the worlds oldest professional club of any football code. The clubs origins can be traced to an 1858 letter in which Tom Wills, captain of the Victoria cricket team, Melbourne has won 12 VFL/AFL premierships, the latest in 1964. The club celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2008 by naming 150 Heroes as well as creating a logo which appeared on its official guernsey. The football club has been a section of the Melbourne Cricket Club since 2009. In the winter and spring of 1858, an organised football team known as Melbourne played in a series of scratch matches in the parklands outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Other figures associated with this embryonic Melbourne side include cricketers Jerry Bryant, William Hammersley, Thompson, and teacher Thomas H. Smith. During meetings held on 17 and 21 May 1859, Wills, Hammersley, Thompson and Smith met near the MCG at the Parade Hotel, owned by Bryant, the resulting ten codified rules are the laws from which Australian rules football evolved. The first mention of a match played under the new code was between Melbourne and South Yarra in July 1859, with Hammersley as Melbournes inaugural captain. In 1861, Melbourne participated in the Caledonian Societys Challenge Cup, the club pushed for its rules to be the accepted rules, however many of the early suburban matches were played under compromised rules decided between the captains of the competing clubs. By 1866 several other clubs had adopted an updated version of Melbournes rules, drafted at a meeting chaired by Wills cousin. Harrison was a key figure in the years of the club, he often served as captain and, in later years. Due to his reputation and administrative efforts, he was officially named Father of Australian Football in 1908. During the 1870s, Melbourne fielded teams in the Seven Twenties, after a visit to England by one of the clubs officials, the colours of red and green were officially adopted by the club. Shortly following, the club wearing a predominately red strip. The name Redlegs was coined after a Melbourne official returned from a trip to England with one set of red, Melbourne wore the red set while the blue set were, allegedly, given to the Carlton Football Club. This may be the source of Carltons nickname, The Blueboys, in 1877, the club became a foundation member of the Victorian Football Association. During the same year the took part in the first interstate football match involving a South Australian side, Victorian
4.
David Neitz
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David Neitz, nicknamed Neita, is a retired Australian rules footballer. In 1994, Neitz was named to his first Victorian State of Origin team, after the retirement of Demons great Garry Lyon, Neitz moved to the full-forward position and began his successful run as one of the AFLs elite goal scorers. On 8 April 2005, Neitz became the 40th person in VFL/AFL history to kick 500 career goals, Neitz was appointed captain of Melbourne in 2000, and on 8 April 2005 he broke the club record for most games captained. He has been an All-Australian in 1995 and 2002, and played for Australia in the 1998 International Rules Series and 2002 International Rules Series against Ireland, in 2002, Neitz also won his first Melbourne Best and Fairest Award, the Keith Bluey Truscott Medal. On 8 April 2005, Neitz played his 250th career AFL game, Neitz became Melbournes all-time leading goal-kicker on 19 May 2006, surpassing Norm Smiths previous record of 546 goals. Two weeks later, he broke Robert Flowers long standing record of 272 games and he played his 300th AFL game for the Demons in the defeat against Collingwood on 17 August 2007. Individual Keith Bluey Truscott Medal,2002 Coleman Medal,2002 Melbourne F. C. Captain, in the round nine 2008 match Melbourne vs Hawthorn after the match Neitz was given a standing ovation by the players and the fans. He ended his career with several Melbourne records that hed broken during recent seasons. David Neitzs statistics from AFL Tables
5.
Norm Smith Medal
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The Norm Smith Medal is the award given in the AFL Grand Final to the player adjudged by an independent panel of experts to have been the best player in the match. The Norm Smith Medal is named after former Melbourne player and coach and it was named in his honour mostly due to his coaching feats in Grand Finals, he coached six Melbourne premiership sides from eight appearances in Grand Finals. As with most individual awards in sports, the Norm Smith Medal is usually awarded to a player on the winning side. Only four players have won the award in losing sides, Maurice Rioli in 1982, Gary Ablett, Sr. in 1989, Nathan Buckley in 2002 and Chris Judd in 2005. It is notable that Ablett, Buckley and Judd won their medals in very close Grand Finals, whereas Rioli won his in the 1982 Grand Final, despite his team being convincingly beaten by Carlton. Judd is the player to go on and play in a winning premiership team after his Norm Smith medal in 2005 in a losing team. Lenny Hayes is the player to win the Norm Smith in a drawn Grand Final. No player has won the double of a Norm Smith medal in the same year as his Brownlow medal. Gary Ayres, Andrew McLeod and Luke Hodge are the players to have won the medal twice. In the 1997 and 1998 grand finals McLeod won consecutive Norm Smith Medals, the first winner of the medal, Wayne Harmes, was Norm Smiths nephew. The medal is voted for by a panel of five experts from the media, the panel-members independently award 3-2-1 votes to the players they adjudge to be the best three players in the game. These votes are tallied, and the highest number of wins the medal. In the case of a final being drawn and a replay being required. There has been criticism that the judging panel makes its decision late during the last quarter, before the game has ended. Therefore, the last minutes of the game are not taken into consideration when voting takes place,1 – Winner played on losing team. 2 – Two medals were awarded as the final was drawn. The following players have won the Norm Smith Medal multiple times, michael Tuck Medal Clive Churchill Medal The Red Fox - The Biography of Norm Smith, Legendary Melbourne Coach
6.
James Hird
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James Albert Hird is a retired professional Australian rules football player and the former senior coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League. Hird played as a midfielder and half-forward, but was given free rein by then-Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy to play wherever he thought necessary. Hird was a highly decorated footballer, with including the 1996 Brownlow Medal. In 2008, he was listed by journalist Mike Sheahan as the 20th greatest player of all time in the AFL-commissioned book, Hird was appointed as the coach of the Essendon Football Club in September 2010. He returned to the following the 2014 season, but resigned in August 2015. Hird is the son of Allan and Margaret Hird and he was born in Canberra where his father worked in the public service and his mother was a teacher. After first living in the Canberra suburb of Ainslie, his family moved to Latham, when Hird was in high school, the family moved to the suburb of Reid. Hird participated in league and soccer in his youth. Due to injury Hird missed out on playing for most of 1991, at the end of the season, a vote was held on whether to delist him. The majority voted in favour of Hird being delisted, although coach Kevin Sheedy voted to keep him, eventually Hird remained with the club. He made his debut against St Kilda in 1992 at Waverley Park. Hird spent most of the season in the Essendon Reserves which, under Denis Pagan and he achieved regular selection in the Essendon senior team during the 1993 season. In that season he was a member of what was referred to as the Baby Bombers, in 1994, Hird won the first of three consecutive best and fairests, culminating in his 1996 season, when he won the Brownlow Medal. A series of injuries restricted Hirds appearances during the remainder of the 1990s and he played only seven games in 1997 and although he was named captain in 1998, he was restricted to thirteen games that year. An even worse year followed in 1999, when stress fractures in his foot kept him to two games. Both Hird and the Essendon Football Club experienced a successful year in 2000. Injury free, he received honours, including selection to the All-Australian team. The Essendon team also won the Ansett Cup pre-season competition, the team only lost one game – against the Western Bulldogs – in the entire calendar year
7.
Kevin Sheedy (Australian footballer)
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Kevin John Sheedy AM is a former Australian rules football coach and player in the Australian Football League. He played and coached in a total of 929 games over 47 years from 1967 until 2013. Sheedy was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2008, on the field, Sheedy represented Richmond in the Victorian Football League during the 1960s and 1970s, captaining the side in 1978 and winning three premierships. Sheedy conceived the first Anzac Day game in 1995 involving Collingwood, in 2009, Sheedy joined the newly formed Greater Western Sydney as its inaugural AFL coach, and coached there from 2012 until 2013. Sheedy was born in Melbourne to devout Catholic parents and he played junior football with the local Try Boys society team whilst attending De La Salle College, Malvern, where future teammate Kevin Bartlett also spent a brief time. In 1963, he joined Prahran in the Victorian Football Association, the next year, at the age of 16, he played senior football with the Two Blues and was soon a regular with the team. His home was in Melbournes zone, so he took up an invitation to try out with the Demons, but he did not feel comfortable there and returned to Prahran, playing in the clubs Second Division premiership team in 1966. By now, Richmond had shown some interest in the young centreman, for crossing without a transfer, Sheedy was suspended from VFA competition for five years, but he remained free to play in the VFL during this time. Another hurdle to jump was Billy Barrot, Barrot, a star player loved by the Tiger fans, played in Sheedys favoured position of centre. Fortunately for Sheedy, Barrot was somewhat temperamental and prone to miss some matches, when he was injured in the third game of the year, Sheedy was selected in his place for his debut. But Sheedy struggled and after six games in the seniors found himself back in the reserves for the remainder of the year and his season was ended by a serious knee injury that further put his future into doubt. From the sidelines, he watched Richmond win the premiership against Geelong, returned to fitness, Sheedy faced an enormous challenge in 1968. Fortunately coach Tom Hafey saw something in Sheedys willingness to listen, his determination, placed in a back pocket, Sheedy consolidated his place in the senior side and then began to emerge as key player in the teams defence. He won a Victorian guernsey in 1969 and was an out in the Tigers three finals games, which culminated in a second flag in three years. He finished runner-up best and fairest to claim a remarkable turn around in just two years, by now, Sheedys on-field persona marked him as a villain to be watched. He enjoyed niggling his opponents, physically and verbally and seemed to be at the centre of every melee on the ground. Occasionally, his teammates blanched at some of his more theatrical attempts to win free kicks or fifteen-metre penalties, since his injury, Sheedy had lived on the edge knowing that if he failed at Richmond it would be the end of the line because of the impending five-year suspension. But he seemed to have an ability to read how far he could push the envelope and indeed he was never reported during his career
8.
Seven Network
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The Seven Network is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by Seven West Media Limited, and is one of five main television networks in Australia. In 2011 the Seven Network won all 40 out of 40 weeks of the season for total viewers. Seven is the first to achieve this since the introduction of the OzTAM ratings system in 2001, as of 2014, it is the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach. In 2016, the network had its biggest lead in total people over the Nine Network since the current OzTAM ratings system began, in Melbourne,30 of the 40 ratings weeks were won and all ratings weeks were won in Adelaide and Perth. Sevens administration headquarters are based in a warehouse at Jones Bay Wharf in Pyrmont, Sydney. The networks main playout centre is located in Docklands, Melbourne, National news and current affairs programming are based between flagship station ATN-7 in Sydney and HSV-7 in Melbourne. In 2009, Seven moved its Sydney-based production operations from Epping to a purpose-built high-definition television production facility at the Australian Technology Park in Eveleigh, the present Seven Network began as a group of independent stations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. HSV-7 Melbourne, licensed to The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, was launched on 4 November 1956, ATN-7 Sydney, licensed to Amalgamated Television Services, a subsidiary of Fairfax, was launched on 2 December 1956. BTQ-7 Brisbane followed on 1 November, signing on as Brisbanes second commercial television station, ADS-7 Adelaide was launched on 24 October 1959 as the final capital city VHF7 station. In the early 1960s, coaxial cable links, formed initially between Sydney and Melbourne, allowed the sharing of programmes and simultaneous broadcasts of live shows, left without their original partners, ATN-7 and HSV-7 joined to form the Australian Television Network in 1963. The new grouping was soon joined by other capital-city channel 7 stations, ADS-7 Adelaide, however, it was not until 1970 that a national network logo was adopted, albeit still with independently owned and operated stations with local advertising campaigns. Colour television was introduced across the network in 1975, when a new logo was adopted. Rupert Murdoch made a bid for the Herald and Weekly Times, owners of HSV-7, in 1979. Fairfax, however, successfully bought a 14. 9% share of the later in the same year. The 1980s saw the introduction of sound, as well as a number of successful shows, most notably A Country Practice in 1981, and Sons and Daughters. Wheel of Fortune began its 25-year run in July 1981, produced from ADS-7s studios in Adelaide, the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow were shown live on the network the year before. Perth based businessman Robert Holmes à Court, through his business the Bell Group, bought TVW-7 from its original owners, the Herald and Weekly Times, owner of HSV-7 and ADS-7, was sold to Rupert Murdoch in December 1986 for an estimated A$1.8 billion
9.
Tony Lockett
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Anthony Howard Tony Lockett is a former Australian rules football player. Lockett won the coveted Brownlow Medal in 1987, becoming the first and he is a four-time Coleman Medallist, kicked more than 100 goals in a season on six occasions and is a member of the Australian Football Hall of Fame. In 1999, Lockett broke the all-time goals record when he kicked his 1300th goal, at 191 cm tall and weighing 118kg, Lockett was a unique footballer. His aggression, strong hands, acceleration, high leap and accurate kicking made him a formidable player. Tony Lockett was born in Ballarat, Victoria, to his father Howard (a country footballer who played over 500 games and he was educated at Ballarat Secondary College and Ballarat Grammar School. Lockett began playing Australian Rules with the Under 12s team of his fathers club, North Ballarat Football Club and he played a total of 120 junior games with the club. He had played just five games as a 16-year-old in 1982 with North Ballarat before he was recruited by VFL club St Kilda. In Locketts second year with the club, he kicked seven goals in the game against the Essendon Football Club. In 1987 he won the Brownlow Medal and his best season at St Kilda was in 1991, when he kicked 127 goals in 17 games, at an average of 7.47 goals per game, the second highest average ever achieved in VFL/AFL history. He was also the spearhead for St Kildas first finals appearance since 1973, in 1992 he kicked the most goals that season with 132 goals. In a qualifying final against Geelong he kicked nine goals and five behinds and he was described by dual Brownlow medallist Robert Harvey as the best player he had ever seen. In 1995, Lockett transferred to the Sydney Swans, where he played for six seasons. He was an instant success with the Swans, helping the team into the 1996 finals series, with scores tied in the preliminary final game, Lockett kicked a point after the siren to give Sydney a one-point victory. Despite a groin injury he played in the final, which the Swans lost to North Melbourne. It was the grand final appearance of Locketts career. Locketts career-best goal-scoring performance came in Round 19,1995, against Fitzroy at the Western Oval, Lockett became a cult figure in Sydney. He was a massive drawcard for the struggling Sydney Swans, who had found it difficult to attract large support in New South Waless rugby league heartland. At the height of his popularity the song Theres only one Tony Lockett was released, performed by James Freud
10.
Robert DiPierdomenico
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Berto Robert DiPierdomenico is a retired Italian-Australian rules footballer who represented Hawthorn in the Australian Football League from the 1970s to the 1990s. DiPierdomenico was born in Hawthorn to parents Stefano and Antonietta, who had emigrated to Australia from Abbateggio, DiPierdomenico began playing football in his early teens for local clubs East Hawthorn and North Kew before signing for VFL club Hawthorn as an eighteen-year-old. Beginning his career with the Hawthorn Football Club in 1975, DiPierdomenico and he kick-started his career in 1978, culminating in a best-on-ground performance in the 1978 VFL Grand Final. He went on to play 240 games and kick 130 goals with the Hawks, retiring in 1991, DiPierdomenico was initially assigned guernsey number #53, but subsequently wore number #9. He was known for his toughness, and the moustachioed Dipper was one of the much-loved, DiPierdomenico somehow managed to avoid the Tribunal in 1986 to win the Brownlow Medal, tying with Greg Williams, who was playing for Sydney at the time. Later in the week, he would win his third Premiership medallion as the Hawks defeated Carlton by 42 points. Late in the first quarter of the 1989 VFL Grand Final, the force of the collision broke several of DiPierdomenicos ribs and punctured one of his lungs. Despite the pain and unaware of the extent of the damage, typically, he featured among Hawthorns best players and also got reported. He collapsed shortly after the game and was rushed to the casualty ward of St. Vincents Hospital and he recounted the gravity of the situation years later, By this time Id been shifted into intensive care. The doctor came in and said if they didnt gag me I was gone, I had eight days in hospital to think about what might have happened. To tell you the truth, it scared me, DiPierdomenico has long been known for big persona, including his always smiling and jovial personality. After he retired, he became a media personality, as a boundary rider with the Seven Network. After Seven lost the rights to broadcast AFL in 2001, DiPierdomenico continued his tradition as a boundary-rider on radio station 3AW. in 2010, he was stood down from his role in the Auskick junior development program after making a racist remark regarding Gavin Wanganeen. He coached the Peres Team for Peace in the 2008 Australian Football International Cup, DiPierdomenico also made a cameo in TV series Neighbours in 1999, and he appeared on the Channel 9 weight-loss show Excess Baggage in 2012. DiPierdomenico is an ambassador for The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, a national charity protecting children from violence, Brownlow Medal 1986 Australian Football Hall of Fame 2007 VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century Butler, Ben and Binnie, Craig. Dipper Decides to Call it Quits, time of the essence for kids, says Dipper. The club a party to Dippers debut, Robert DiPierdomenicos statistics from AFL Tables
11.
1999 AFL Grand Final
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The 1999 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the North Melbourne Kangaroos and the Carlton Blues at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 25 September 1999. It was the 103rd annual Grand Final of the Australian Football League, the match, attended by 94,228 spectators, was won by North Melbourne by a margin of 35 points. It was North Melbournes fourth premiership victory and this was the Kangaroos second consecutive appearance in a Grand Final, whilst it was Carltons first since winning the 1995 AFL Grand Final. Carlton had finished with a record of 12 wins and ten losses, consequently, the Kangaroos went into the Grand Final as heavy favourites. Carlton scored the first goal through Brett Ratten, but North Melbourne, then, during the second quarter, ruckman Corey McKernan booted two inspirational goals, the first from 65 metres out and the second from a tight angle just a minute later. The Kangaroos were in control and went into half time with a 20-point lead, North Melbourne extended their lead in the third quarter, Winston Abraham kicked an easy goal and Carlton midfielder Justin Murphy injured his knee. The Blues managed to reduce the Kangaroos lead to just 13 points, gradually wearing down their opponents through intense pressure and tackling, they led by 43 points at three quarter time. The final quarter was simply a formality for the Kangaroos, eventually triumphing by 35 points, Shannon Grant of the Kangaroos was awarded the Norm Smith Medal for being judged the best player afield. Grant had come under criticism for his performance in the previous grand final. As of 2016, this was the last time either Carlton or the Kangaroos have appeared in a Grand Final, Carlton were beaten by the Brisbane Lions in the qualifying final, yet still progressed to the second week of the finals to play the West Coast Eagles. This finals system has been in ever since, with only one team reaching the Grand Final from below 4th position since the change. 1999 AFL season 1999 Grand Final Report Match Stats
12.
AFL Grand Final
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The winning club of the grand final receives the AFLs premiership cup and the premiership flag. All players in the team receive a gold premiership medallion. Adelaide is the club to have never lost a grand final which it has contested. The concept of a grand final gradually evolved from experimentation by the Victorian Football League in the years of competition following its inception in 1897. During the 19th century, Australian football competition adopted the approach that the team on top of the ladder was declared the premiers. However, the fledgling VFL decided that a series played between the top four teams at the end of the season would generate more interest and gate money. For 1897, the VFL scheduled a round robin tournament whereby the top four played each other once, the winners of these semi finals then met in a final to decide the premiership. The first such final was contested in 1898 between the Essendon Football Club and Fitzroy Football Club at the St Kilda Cricket Ground, which Fitzroy won scoring 5.8 to Essendons 3.5. The new finals system caused problems in 1901 when Geelong finished on top of the ladder but was eliminated when defeated in the semi final. A right of challenge was introduced, giving the team finished on top at the end of the regular season the right to challenge if they lost the semi final or the final. This challenge match came to be called the grand final, the first four grand finals were scattered around various Melbourne venues, one at Albert Park, two at St Kildas Junction Oval and one at the East Melbourne Cricket Ground. The selection of the venue could depend on the portion of the demanded by the grounds landlords. The public remained ambivalent to the concept of football until the VFL pulled off a coup in 1902. Previously, the MCG was unavailable to football in the spring months as it was being prepared for the coming cricket season. The original Argus system had been instituted by the VFL in 1901 and this figure was beaten in the 1912 Grand Final when 54,463 saw Essendon defeat South Melbourne. The big finals crowds prompted the MCC to cut down the eleven fifty-year-old elm trees inside the ground and turn the stadium into a bowl, complete with extra stands. The record fell again in the last grand final before World War I, the war had a considerable effect on the impact of the grand final and attendances plummeted. One critic called for the Carlton team to receive the Iron Cross after they defeated Collingwood in the thrilling 1915 Grand Final, ironically dubbed a glorious contest by famous coach Jack Worrall
13.
2001 AFL Grand Final
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It was the 105th annual Grand Final of the Australian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 2001 AFL season. The match, attended by 91,482 spectators, was won by Brisbane by a margin of 26 points, Essendon were defending their 2000 premiership, and went into the game having finished on top of the ladder on percentage ahead of second placed Brisbane. Brisbane had won fifteen consecutive games leading up to the Grand Final and it was the Brisbane Lions first appearance in a Grand Final after only joining the AFL in 1997. Essendon were the dominant team between 1999 and 2001, losing just 11 games from the start of 1999 until the 2001 Grand Final. In the 2001 finals series, Essendon defeated Richmond by 70 points in the First Qualifying Final, Brisbane earnt their place in the Grand Final by defeating Port Adelaide by 32 points in the Second Qualifying Final and then Richmond by 68 points in the Second Preliminary Final. In the lead-up to the match, Brisbanes Jason Akermanis won the Brownlow Medal, Brisbane started the game well, scoring the first goal of the match from a free kick awarded to Alastair Lynch for holding against Dustin Fletcher. Essendon fought back late in the first quarter then took control of the game in the second term, Brisbanes poor kicking for goal almost put them out of the game in the second quarter as Essendon blew their lead out to 20 points late in the term. Brisbane had kicked an inaccurate 5.10 by the half time break, Brisbane managed to overrun Essendon in the third term kicking six goals to one and turning a 14-point deficit into a 16-point lead. Brisbanes pace in the midfield and the legs of most of the Essendon players played a pivotal role in Brisbane taking full control of the game in the second half. Essendon had scored two goals in the last quarter after once trailing by as much as 39 points. Shaun Hart of the Lions was awarded the Norm Smith Medal for being judged the best player, matthew Lloyd was amongst the best for Essendon, kicking 5 goals. Essendon captain James Hird was visibly shattered and disappointed in his post match speech, a quick congratulations to Brisbane for winning was followed by a public apology to Bombers fans for letting them down. In a remarkable statistic, most of the Lions premiership side were on the playing list when the won the wooden spoon in 1998. This was the first of four consecutive Grand Final appearances by Brisbane, for Essendon, this is their most recent Grand Final appearance
14.
Australian rules football
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The main way to score points is by kicking the oval-shaped ball between the two tall goal posts. The team with the score by the end of the match wins unless a draw is declared. During general play, players may position themselves anywhere on the field, the primary methods are kicking, handballing and running with the ball. There are rules on how the ball can be handled, for example, throwing the ball is not allowed and players must not get caught holding the ball. A distinctive feature of the game is the mark, where players anywhere on the field who catch a ball from a kick are awarded possession, possession of the ball is in dispute at all times except when a free kick or mark is paid. Players can tackle using their hands or use their body to obstruct opponents. The game features frequent physical contests, spectacular marking, fast movement of players and the ball and high scoring. The sports origins can be traced to matches played in Melbourne, Victoria in 1858. Its annual Grand Final is the highest attended club championship event in the world, the sport is also played at amateur level in many countries and in several variations. The games rules are governed by the AFL Commission with the advice of the AFLs Laws of the Game Committee, there is evidence of football being played sporadically in the Australian colonies in the first half of the 19th century. The earliest such match, held in St Kilda on 15 June, was between Melbourne Grammar and St Kilda Grammar. Born in Australia, Wills played a nascent form of rugby football whilst a pupil at Rugby School in England and his letter is regarded by many historians as giving impetus for the development of a new code of football today known as Australian football. Two weeks later, Wills friend, cricketer Jerry Bryant, posted an advertisement for a match at the Richmond Paddock adjoining the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This was the first of several kickabouts held that year involving members of the Melbourne Cricket Club, including Wills, Bryant, W. J. Hammersley, trees were used as goalposts and play typically lasted an entire afternoon. Without an agreed code of laws, some players were guided by rules they had learned in the British Isles. Another significant milestone in 1858 was a match played under experimental rules between Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College, held at the Richmond Paddock. This 40-a-side contest, umpired by Wills and Scotch College teacher John Macadam, began on 7 August and it is commemorated with a statue outside the MCG, and the two schools have competed annually ever since in the Cordner-Eggleston Cup, the worlds oldest continuous football competition. Since the early 20th century, it has suggested that Australian football was derived from the Irish sport of Gaelic football
15.
Melbourne
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Melbourne is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in Australia and Oceania. The name Melbourne refers to an urban agglomeration spanning 9,900 km2, the metropolis is located on the large natural bay of Port Phillip and expands into the hinterlands towards the Dandenong and Macedon mountain ranges, Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley. It has a population of 4,641,636 as of 2016, and its inhabitants are called Melburnians. Founded by free settlers from the British Crown colony of Van Diemens Land on 30 August 1835, in what was then the colony of New South Wales, it was incorporated as a Crown settlement in 1837. It was named Melbourne by the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Richard Bourke, in honour of the British Prime Minister of the day, William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne. It was officially declared a city by Queen Victoria, to whom Lord Melbourne was close, in 1847, during the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s, it was transformed into one of the worlds largest and wealthiest cities. After the federation of Australia in 1901, it served as the interim seat of government until 1927. It is a financial centre in the Asia-Pacific region. It is recognised as a UNESCO City of Literature and a centre for street art, music. It was the host city of the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the main passenger airport serving the metropolis and the state is Melbourne Airport, the second busiest in Australia. The Port of Melbourne is Australias busiest seaport for containerised and general cargo, Melbourne has an extensive transport network. The main metropolitan train terminus is Flinders Street Station, and the regional train. Melbourne is also home to Australias most extensive network and has the worlds largest urban tram network. Before the arrival of settlers, humans had occupied the area for an estimated 31,000 to 40,000 years. At the time of European settlement, it was inhabited by under 2000 hunter-gatherers from three indigenous tribes, the Wurundjeri, Boonwurrung and Wathaurong. The area was an important meeting place for the clans of the Kulin nation alliance and it would be 30 years before another settlement was attempted. Batman selected a site on the bank of the Yarra River. Batman then returned to Launceston in Tasmania, in early August 1835 a different group of settlers, including John Pascoe Fawkner, left Launceston on the ship Enterprize
16.
Australian Football League
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The Australian Football League is the pre-eminent professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the governing body. The league was founded as the Victorian Football League as a breakaway from the previous Victorian Football Association, the league currently consists of 18 teams spread over five of Australias six states. Matches have been played in all states and territories of Australia. The AFL season currently consists of a competition, followed by a 23-round regular season. The top eight teams play off in a four-round finals series, culminating in the AFL Grand Final. The winning team in the Grand Final is termed the premiers, the current premiers are the Western Bulldogs. The six clubs invited two more VFA clubs – Carlton and St Kilda – to join the league for its season in 1897. In 1908, the league expanded to ten teams, with Richmond crossing from the VFA, Port Adelaide was the most successful club of the competition winning three titles during the period along with an earlier victory. In 1925, the VFL expanded from nine teams to twelve, with Footscray, Hawthorn, North Melbourne and Hawthorn remained very weak in the VFL for a very long period. Between the years of 1927 and 1930, Collingwood became the first, in 1952, the VFL hosted National Day, when all six matches were played outside of Melbourne. Matches were played at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Brisbane Exhibition Ground, North Hobart Oval, Albury Sports Ground and Victorian country towns Yallourn, Footscray became the first of the 1925 expansion teams to win the premiership in 1954. Melbourne became a powerhouse during the 1950s and early 1960s under coach Norm Smith, the club contested seven consecutive grand finals from 1954 to 1960, winning five premierships, including three in a row from 1955 to 1957. Television coverage began in 1957, with telecasts of the final quarter permitted. At first, several channels competed through broadcasting different games, however, when the VFL found that television was reducing crowds, it decided that no coverage was to be allowed for 1960. In 1961, replays were introduced although direct telecasts were rarely permitted in Melbourne, in 1959, the VFL planned the first purpose built mega-stadium, VFL Park, to give it some independence from the Melbourne Cricket Club, which managed the Melbourne Cricket Ground. VFL Park was planned to hold 155,000 spectators, which would have made it one of the largest stadiums in the world – although it would ultimately be built with a capacity of 78,000. Land for the stadium was purchased at Mulgrave, then farmland, the VFL Premiership Trophy was first awarded in addition to a pennant flag in 1959, essentially the same trophy design has been in use since
17.
1993 AFL Grand Final
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It was the 97th annual Grand Final of the Australian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1993 AFL season. The match, attended by 96,862 spectators, was won by Essendon by a margin of 44 points, neither side was considered a strong premiership prospect at the beginning of the season, as neither side had made the finals in 1992. Essendon was considered too young and inexperienced, while Carlton, despite having some of the best key-position players in the competition, were considered too slow across the ground. Carlton had also finished with 13 wins,6 losses and a draw, only one game separated Essendon in first position from Geelong in seventh position. In the finals, the Bombers were defeated by Carlton by two points in the Qualifying Final before defeating West Coast in the Second Semi-Final to advance to the Preliminary Final. In this game came out of nowhere to win a game that had seemed out of reach when trailing the Adelaide Crows by 42 points at half time. The Bombers charged home in the half in that game, kicking 11 goals to 2 to win by 11 points. Carlton, after their win over the Bombers in the Qualifying Final and this was Essendons first appearance in a Grand Final since losing the 1990 AFL Grand Final, whilst it was Carltons first since winning the 1987 VFL Grand Final. In the week leading up to the Grand Final, Essendons Gavin Wanganeen was awarded the Brownlow Medal, also during that week, Essendon caused a sensation in omitting Derek Kickett from the team. Kickett had played every game of the season up to point but had lost form during the finals series. Carlton were forced to make a change when veteran defender Peter Dean was ruled out through injury. Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy put Dean Wallis and Mark Harvey into the side at the expense of Kickett, Essendon carried their form from the Preliminary Final into the Grand Final against the Blues, with the individual brilliance of Michael Long being the most memorable feature. The Norm Smith Medal was awarded to Long for being judged the best player afield, stephen Kernahan tried hard for the Blues with 7 goals, but his side barely threatened after being down by 5 goals at the first change. Essendon had thirteen scoring shots to three by the Blues in the first quarter to set up their win, paul Salmon kicked 5 goals for the Bombers. Match details at AFL Tables 1993 AFL season
18.
1988 VFL Grand Final
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It was the 92nd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1988 VFL season. The match, attended by 93,754 spectators, was won by Hawthorn by a margin of 96 points and it was Hawthorns sixth successive Grand Final appearance, while Melbourne were competing in its first since winning the 1964 VFL Grand Final. At the conclusion of the home and away season, Hawthorn had finished first on the VFL ladder with 19 wins and 3 losses, Melbourne had finished fifth with 13 wins and 9 losses. In the two meetings between the teams in the season, Melbourne defeated Hawthorn by 21 points in round 7. Hawthorn completely dominated the game, setting a VFL record for the greatest winning margin in a Grand Final and this margin remained a record until Geelongs 119 point defeat of Port Adelaide in the 2007 AFL Grand Final. Jason Dunstall kicked 7 goals, Paul Abbott kicked 6 goals, the Norm Smith Medal was awarded to Hawthorn defender Gary Ayres for being judged the best player afield, with 22 disposals despite sustaining a fractured cheek bone in the first quarter. Ayres nullified dangerous Melbourne player Greg Healy, and set up many of the Hawks attacks from the defensive line, jim Stynes was voted best on ground for the Demons. Hawks coach Alan Joyce, who replaced an ill Allan Jeans for the 1988 season, said I have never seen a more awesome, I saw about a dozen Hawthorn players in a wave going down the field. It was a chain, crashing through a desperate opposition. In a lesser known streaker incident a woman ran naked across the ground during the last quarter and was promptly arrested, match details at AFL Tables 1988 VFL season
19.
Brownlow Medal
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It is the most prestigious award for individual players in the AFL. It is also acknowledged as the highest individual honour in the sport of Australian rules football. The medal was first awarded by the Victorian Football League and it was created and named in honour of Charles Brownlow, a former Geelong Football Club footballer and club secretary, and VFL president, who had died in January 1924 after an extended illness. You were selected as the fairest and best player and we have pleasure in presenting the accompanying Gold Medal in recognition of those sterling qualities, trusting that you will be long spared to interest yourself in the adancement of the Game. We are, yours sincerely W. Baldwin Spencer, M. E. Green, over time, all of these awards have migrated towards similar rules regarding voting and eligibility. But for the change of the monogram from VFL to AFL in 1990, on the awards night, the votes from each match are tallied, and the player or players with the highest number of votes is awarded the medal. The current voting system has used for the vast majority of Brownlow Medal counts. There have been different voting systems for short periods in the past, until 1930, since the rules were changed in 1980, if two or more eligible players score the equal highest number of votes, each wins a Brownlow medal. Even with these considerations, these failed to separate Des Fothergill and Herbie Matthews. The league decided to keep the original medal and award replica medals to the two winners, in 1989, the eight players who since the inception of the award had tied on votes but lost on a countback were awarded retrospective medals. The fairest component of the medal is achieved by making ineligible any player who is suspended by the AFL Tribunal during the home-and-away season, an ineligible player cannot win, place or be classified in the final Brownlow Medal rankings, regardless of the number of votes he has received. The application of the ineligibility criteria has remained consistent throughout the history of the award. Since 2015, the criteria has been based upon whether or not the player is suspended during the season. On three occasions, a player has tallied the highest number of Brownlow votes, In 1996, Corey McKernan received the same number of votes as the joint-winners James Hird. McKernan was suspended for one match during the season for kneeing, McKernan was named the AFL Players Association MVP in the same year, which is not subject to the same eligibility criteria. In 1997, Chris Grant polled one more vote than winner Robert Harvey, Grant was suspended for one match during the season for striking. The voting system has come under scrutiny because the Medal is almost always won by midfield players, some of the games greatest players in these positions never even coming close to winning the Brownlow, despite having high reputations amongst their peers and coaches. This is primarily because players who are most valuable to their teams in key or defensive positions tend not to attract attention to feature amongst the top three players on the ground
20.
Western Bulldogs
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The Western Bulldogs is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League, the sports premier competition. The club has won two VFL/AFL premierships, in 1954 and 2016, and was runner up in 1961, the Western Bulldogs home guernsey features two thick horizontal hoops—one red and one white—on a royal blue background. The clubs traditional rivals include St Kilda and geographical rival Essendon, the clubs headquarters and training facilities are located in Footscray at Whitten Oval, nicknamed The Kennel, its original home ground. In 1996, the changed its name from the Footscray Football Club to its nickname. Newspapers record Australian rules football being played in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray in the mid-1870s, in 1880, the club changed its name to the Prince Imperials in honour of Napoléon, Prince Imperial, the heir to French throne, who had recently died in battle. The club reverted to Footscray a few years later, in 1886, Footscray gained admission to the Victorian Football Association after amalgamating with the Footscray Cricket Club to form a senior football club. The club tended to struggle over the decade, occupying the lower rungs of the VFA ladder. The club began to improve after the VFL breakaway of 1896, as no finals were played, Footscray were declared premiers. The club played in and won its first finals match in 1903, against Richmond, the minor premiers, after losing to West Melbourne in the 1906 VFA Grand Final, the club won its first premiership by defeating Brunswick in 1908. The club entered two years of recess during World War I and returned in 1918, still rebuilding, the club won the wooden spoon. From bottom to top in one year,1919 saw the win the premiership. The club went back-to-back in 1923 and 1924, the 1924 premiership would be Footscrays last in the VFA. Footscray recorded a victory, winning by 28 points. The win was a significant factor in Footscray gaining admission to the VFL. In 1919, there were nine clubs competing in the VFL, due to the return of all the foundation teams plus Richmond after World War I and this caused one team to be idle every Saturday and the VFL was keen to do away with this bye each week. On the night of 9 January 1925, a meeting of the VFL, chaired by Reg Hunt of Carlton. It was decided in the meeting to admit Footscray, along two other VFA clubs, Hawthorn and North Melbourne. Footscray played their first VFL match against Fitzroy on Saturday 2 May at the Brunswick Street Oval in front of 28,000 spectators, future Brownlow medallist Allan Hopkins was regarded as Footscrays best player that day
21.
Scott West
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Scott West is a former Australian rules football player who played for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League. West was a tough in-and-under midfielder who was hard at the ball, especially around the stoppages, West attended Essendon Grammar and was recruited to the Footscray Football Club where he made his debut in 1993. He won an AFL Rising Star nomination that season, in 1993 and 1994 he wore the number 14 guernsey, before changing to his famous number 7 in the wake of Doug Hawkins departure to Fitzroy in 1995. West is regarded as one of the most consistent players in the AFL over a long time-frame. He has regularly made the most disposals in the AFL in the past ten years and he won seven club best-and-fairest awards, his victory in 2005 overtaking Gary Dempseys previous record of six. Late in 2006 West had been described as being in the best form of his career despite him being 32 years of age and this run of form included an incredible career best 45 disposals in one match against the Adelaide Crows. In the 2006 season, West became the first player on record to amass more than 400 handpasses in a season, Scott West is considered to be one of the best ever players not to have won a Brownlow medal. In 2000 he was particularly unlucky, going into the final round, he was level with Shane woewodin from Melbourne on 22 votes. Wests amazing brownlow record consists of third in 1999, second in 2000 and in 2006, in 2006 he won the Sunday Footy Shows Lou Richards award for best player as voted by Channel 9s football commentators. West ended up finishing second in 2006 behind Adam Goodes, on 23 September 2008, his career came to an end after the Bulldogs said he was no longer required at the club. In early 2002, West was named in the Western Bulldogs Team of the Century along with Footscray great Ted Whitten, the Scott West Award, for the Western Bulldogs most courageous player, was named in his honour. In 2009, West took up a part-time Assistant Coach position at the Melbourne Football Club, in 2012 Scott West became the coach of the Werribee Football Club in the VFL. He quit after the 2013 season, in 2013 West was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame. West has made appearances on the AFL Footy Show and appeared on a pizza ad with Melbournes David Neitz. Scott Wests profile on the website of the Western Bulldogs Scott Wests statistics from AFL Tables
22.
Andrew McLeod
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Andrew Luke McLeod is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League. He is the record holder for Adelaide, having played 340 games. Mcleod won two premierships for the Adelaide Football Club in 1997 and 1998 and he was also awarded the Norm Smith Medal for best on ground in the 1997 and 1998 AFL Grand Finals. McLeod was born in Darwin, Northern Territory and his mother is Indigenous while his father Jock McLeod is of Scottish descent. He moved to Kathrine when he was little just before Cyclone Tracy hit but then moved back. Andrew McLeod played both league and Australian football as a junior. He played senior football with the Darwin Football Club in the Northern Territory Football League a club where his father has played over 200 games. Moving from Darwin to Adelaide in South Australia McLeod played with the Port Adelaide Football Club in the SANFL in 1994 where he became known as a young forward with electrifying pace. McLeod capped off a debut year for Port Adelaide with a Premiership medallion. In his first year with the Adelaide Crows, McLeod began his AFL career quietly, appearing tentative, however, in a round 9 match against Hawthorn at Football Park, a confident McLeod began to emerge. In the dying seconds of the game with Adelaide trailing by four points, the Crows were able to avenge their worst ever home loss in history the year before. McLeod would later be named as an AFL rising star nominee late in the 1995 season after a string of consistent performances in a struggling Adelaide side which only managed a 9-13 record and he was also awarded Adelaides Emerging Talent Award. In his second season with the Adelaide Crows, McLeod played in 19 matches, after two tumultuous years under Robert Shaw, legendary footballer Malcolm Blight took over as coach of Adelaide. McLeod lost 10 kg in preparation for a big season, the Crows would begin the season slowly as they adjusted to Blights long-kicking and direct style of football before claiming a finals berth for the first time since 1993. McLeod started the first two games of the year at half forward but played the rest of the year as a small and he increased his average disposals from 10 to 16 and increased his average marks from 1 a game to 3. In the Grand Final against St Kilda, McLeod would take his first significant step in his journey towards joining the games elite. Accumulating 31 disposals and 11 marks, he was judged best on ground against the Saints and this was followed shortly thereafter with a gold jacket when he was named as the Crows best and fairest for the 1997 season. He would also get 10 Brownlow Medal votes in 1998 after only 1 vote in 1997, in the following game, against Grand Final favourites, the Kangaroos, the Crows would win by 35 points with McLeod emulating his feats a year earlier. Gathering 30 disposals and winning back-to-back Norm Smith Medals, McLeod became the first player to win two Norm Smith Medals since Gary Ayres in 1986 and 1988
23.
Troy Simmonds
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Troy Simmonds is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Melbourne, Fremantle and Richmond in the Australian Football League. Simmonds was first drafted by Melbourne in the 1999 Preseason Draft, in 2002 he was traded to Fremantle as part of a three way trade that included Daniel Bandy moving to the Western Bulldogs and Craig Ellis moving to Melbourne. This was seen as a chance for Simmonds to become Fremantles main ruckman, in three seasons at Fremantle Simmonds played in 64 out of a possible 67 games, including Fremantles first ever finals game in 2003. In a move surprising to many, Simmonds signed a deal with the Tigers. After a serviceable first year with Richmond, Simmonds played some of the best football of his career in 2006 - taking several big marks, at the end of 2009 Simmonds signed a one-year contract for the 2010 season. Prior to Round 10,2010, Simmonds announced his retirement, Troy Simmonds Official Site Troy Simmondss statistics from AFL Tables Troy Simmondss profile from AustralianFootball. com Profile at DemonWiki
24.
Matthew Lloyd
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Matthew James Lloyd is a former professional Australian rules footballer, who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League. Lloyd has kicked over 100 goals in a season – twice and he also belongs to the small group of players whose first kick in the AFL resulted in a goal. Matthew Lloyd was born in Melbourne in 1978 to parents John, the Lloyds moved to Scotland for three years because of Johns work, and it was there that Matthew picked up rugby and soccer playing for his Currie club. Lloyd attended St Martin De Porres Parish Primary School in Avondale Heights before moving to St Bernards College and he supported the Fitzroy Football Club when he was young because in the first game he attended, Fitzroy player Bernie Quinlan kicked nine goals. The Bombers picked up what would be one of their all-time greats for a pittance in the draft. Lloyd was heralded as a football star after his AFL debut in Round 14,1995. The key features of Lloyds game were his powerful marks on the lead, his use of his body in a capacity and accurate goal kicking. He converted a majority of set shots inside the 50-metre arc. Lloyd was known for his ritual when taking set shots at goal. Almost every time he took time to go far back on the mark, pull both his socks up, then grab some grass and throw it into the air to measure the wind and take a very long run up before kicking. Lloyd adjusted his ritual to fit into the new rule, Lloyds goalscoring ability enabled him to top the Essendon goal scoring every year from 1997 to 2009, except for 2006 when he only played three games due to a serious hamstring injury. Lloyd was a member of Essendons 2000 premiership team and was captain of Essendon from 2006 to 2009 and he was recognised for his achievements at Essendon in 2002 when he was ranked the 22nd greatest player ever to play for the club in the Champions of Essendon list. Lloyd was appointed Essendon captain ahead of the 2006 season, after James Hird elected to stand down following the sides disappointing 2005 season, Lloyds first match as Essendon captain resulted in a 27-point win over the defending premiers Sydney, where he kicked eight goals. It would be the win that Essendon would enjoy under Lloyds captaincy until exactly a year later. As well as being the top goal scorer, captain and life member at Essendon. In 2013 Lloyd was inducted as a member of the Australian Football Hall of Fame, Lloyd had a successful State of Origin career, kicking 8 goals in 3 games. He first played for Victoria in 1997, against South Australia, kicking 3 goals, including a snap kick along the ground from near the boundary line, in 1998 Lloyd kicked two goals against The Allies, in Brisbane. Lloyd last played for Victoria in 1999 against South Australia in the second-last ever State of Origin game, kicking 3 goals, in Round 202007 Lloyd kicked a backheel goal whilst surrounded by opponents and was awarded the 2007 Goal of the Year
25.
2007 AFL Grand Final
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It was the 111th annual Grand Final of the Australian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 2007 AFL season. The match, attended by 97,302 spectators, was won by Geelong by a margin of 119 points, the victory marked Geelongs seventh premiership win, and ended its 44-year premiership drought. Geelong entered the season after finishing 10th in 2006, Geelong had lost only one game since Round 5, by five points to Port Adelaide at Skilled Stadium in Round 21 when Domenic Cassisi goaled with 3 seconds remaining. The grand final was Geelongs first appearance in a premiership decider since losing the 1995 Grand Final, Geelong won a tight contest with the Magpies by 5 points in front of a crowd of 98,002. Port Adelaide, having finished 12th the previous season, rose an amazing 10 places to become 2nd on the ladder in 2007, with a 15–7 record and a percentage of 113.54. Port Adelaide had hosted reigning premiers West Coast Eagles at AAMI Stadium in their qualifying final, having also earned a second week bye, they proceeded to the third week and hosted the Kangaroos in a preliminary final at AAMI Stadium, winning by 87 points. The 2007 AFL Grand Final was Port Adelaides first since winning the 2004 Grand Final and this was the first Grand Final fought between two teams that missed the finals the previous year since 1997. The Cats outscored the Port Adelaide Power 5.7 to 2.2 in the opening term, Geelong excelled in their defence - which had been the best in the competition all season - keeping the Power to their lowest score of the year. The backlines, led by Matthew Scarlett at fullback, repeatedly turned defence into attack, half-forwards Paul Chapman and Steve Johnson kicked four goals each and set up numerous others. Johnson was awarded the Norm Smith Medal for best-on-ground in the Grand Final after the Cats’ triumph, chapmans day included a sensational high mark over Port Adelaide captain Warren Tredrea during the third quarter. Key forwards Cameron Mooney and Nathan Ablett also performed strongly, Power players Kane Cornes and Domenic Cassisi performed reasonably well against Geelong stars Jimmy Bartel and Gary Ablett, Jr. The match ended with Geelong winning by the score of 24.19 to 6.8, recording the greatest winning margin in AFL Grand Final history,119 points. This broke the record of 96 points set by Hawthorn against Melbourne in the 1988 VFL Grand Final, it was also, at the time. Geelongs 417 disposals was also a Grand Final Record, meanwhile, Port Adelaide became the only finals side in history to have more handballs than kicks. Geelong scored 17.10 from Port Adelaide turnovers, while the Power scored just 1.2 from the Cats, the Cats win ended a 44-year premiership drought for the club. The last flag had come in 1963, and since then the club had lost five Grand Finals and it was also the first premiership won by a team from Victoria since Essendons 2000 victory. MCC Chairman Nickolas Daskalou was quoted Half the MCC members departed long before three quarter time in what was seen as the most one sided Grand Final in history,2007 AFL season 2007 AFL Finals Series Match stats at AFL Tables AFL Website
26.
Geelong Football Club
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The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in the city of Geelong, Australia and playing in the Australian Football League. The Cats have been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with three in the AFL era and they have also won nine McClelland Trophies, a record shared with Essendon. The club was formed in 1859, making it the second oldest club in the AFL after Melbourne and one of the oldest football clubs in the world. Geelong participated in the first football competition in Australia and was a club of both the Victorian Football Association in 1877 and the Victorian Football League in 1897. The club first established itself in the VFA by winning seven premierships, the club won a further six premierships by 1963, before enduring a 44-year waiting period until it won its next premiership—an AFL-record 119-point victory in the 2007 AFL Grand Final. Geelong have since won a further two premierships in 2009 and 2011, the clubs home ground is Kardinia Park, currently also known by its sponsorship name Simonds Stadium. However, the club also hosts matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Geelongs traditional guernsey colours are blue and white hoops. The clubs nickname, The Cats, was first used in 1923 after a run of losses prompted a local cartoonist to suggest that the club needed a black cat to bring it good luck, the clubs official team song and anthem is We Are Geelong. Geelong Football Club was formally established at a meeting held in the Victoria Hotel on 18 July 1859, the club contested its first match of Australian rules football against Melbourne at Argyle Square in 1860, which finished as a scoreless draw. In 1863, Geelong travelled to Melbourne to contest the Caledonian Challenge Cup, although the competition was played under compromised rules, Geelong reached the final and defeated Melbourne to become the second winners of the cup. The club continued to contest the cup in the following years, during this time, Tom Wills—one of the founders of Australian football—played exclusively for the club from 1865 until his retirement from football in 1874. Following the formation of the Victorian Football Association in 1877, Geelong joined the association as one of its foundation clubs. The club relocated to Corio Oval as its home ground in time for the 1878 season. In 1924, following the death of VFL and Geelong administrator Charles Brownlow, the first player to win the award was Geelongs Edward Greeves. Having been one of the dominant clubs in the old VFA and it wasnt until 1925 that the club won its first VFL premiership. Geelong followed up with further wins in 1931 and 1937. In 1941, the club was forced to relocate from its Corio Oval base due to the oval being required for training during World War 2
27.
2008 AFL Grand Final
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It was the 112th annual Grand Final of the Australian Football League, staged to determine the Premiers for the 2008 AFL season. The game was the third Grand Final meeting between the two teams in their history, having previously contested in the 1963 and 1989 VFL Grand Finals. The 2008 Grand Final was the first Grand Final contested by two Victorian-based teams since Essendon and Melbourne met in 2000 and it was attended by 100,012 spectators, the first crowd to exceed 100,000 for a VFL/AFL game since the 1986 VFL Grand Final. Geelong entered the match as the favourites to win, however, Hawthorn won by 26 points, earning its 10th Premiership and they were convincing 58-point winners in their Qualifying Final against St Kilda, earning them a weeks rest and a home Preliminary Final. They then defeated the Western Bulldogs by 27 points to qualify for the Grand Final, leading up to the Grand Final Geelong had won its past fifteen games. Hawthorn won its first nine games of the season, and sat atop the AFL ladder at Round 11. They began to lose a few games towards the end of the season and they convincingly beat the Western Bulldogs by 51 points in their Qualifying Final, which earned them a weeks rest and home Preliminary Final, in which they beat St Kilda by 54 points. Hawthorn had won four games in a row leading into the Grand Final and it was the teams first appearance in a Grand Final since winning the 1991 AFL Grand Final. The two teams had met once during the season, in a Friday night game in Round 17. Geelong was missing defending and eventual Leigh Matthews Trophy winner Gary Ablett, Jr. Geelong was the warm favourite to win the Grand Final, with Hawthorn attracting odds of $3.05 for the win at the opening bounce. It was a highly anticipated Grand Final, eliciting memories of the classic 1989 VFL Grand Final played between the same teams, the 2008 decider was telecast by the Seven Network, its first Grand Final telecast since 2001. Included a live performance by Powderfinger of their hit On My Mind, interspersed with a rendition of the AC/DC classic, Its a Long Way to the Top, ian Moss also performed lead guitar notes to the tune of Up There Cazaly. The Australian National Anthem Advance Australia Fair was performed by Amanda Harrison and Lucy Durack, the Grand Final was played in warm conditions under sunny skies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with conditions reaching 27 °C. The first goal of the game was scored by Geelongs Tom Lonergan from a mark, the Hawks opened up a thirteen-point lead with goals from Chance Bateman on the run, Xavier Ellis from a set shot and Jarryd Roughead along the ground from an acute angle. Hawthorn started conceding goals through free kicks, first to Gary Ablett, Jr. then to Max Rooke, Geelong began to completely control play in the midfield, winning the stoppages easily and providing their forwards with plenty of opportunities which they wasted.9. Meanwhile, Hawthorn scored 3.1 for the quarter, with goals to Cyril Rioli, Mark Williams, Hawthorn defender Trent Croad left the field midway through the second quarter with a broken foot. Midfielder Sam Mitchell was reported for making forceful front-on contact on Ablett, Geelong captain Tom Harley was concussed because of a clash of heads with Hawthorns Williams and he left the ground. The same trends continued into the third quarter, with Geelong winning in the midfield
28.
Australian rules football positions
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In the sport of Australian rules football, each of the eighteen players in a team is assigned to a particular named position on the field of play. These positions describe both the main role and by implication their location on the ground. As the game has evolved, tactics and team formations have changed, and the names of the positions, in total there are 18 positions in Australian rules football, not including 4 interchange players who may come onto the ground at any time during play to replace another player. The fluid nature of the game means the positions in football are not as formally defined as in sports such as rugby or American football. Even so, most players play in a limited range of positions throughout their career. Footballers who are able to play comfortably in numerous positions are referred to as utility players, the fullback position has always been a purely defensive role, with the aim of stopping the full-forward from getting the ball and scoring. But, in recent times, where the ability to move the ball out of the back and down the field quickly has become an important tactic. The defensive aspect of the position remains important, with the ability to accelerate, spoiling the ball is also of utmost importance. Back pocket players need to have good spoiling skills and usually, Back pockets generally play on the smaller, faster forward pockets and let the fullback play on the stronger full forward. Some back-pockets are small, fast players, whose role is to clear a ball from defence or play on a forward of similar size. Others are mid-sized defenders, with height and strength to contest or spoil marks. Back pocket is not an exclusive position, tall defenders may play in the back pocket to match up effectively on a tall forward playing in the forward pocket. Numerous back pocket players have gone on to successfully, including Kevin Sheedy, Mick Malthouse, Tom Hafey, Denis Pagan. The role of centre half-back has remained largely unmodified throughout the years, the centre half-back dominates play to a significant extent, and hence is considered a key position in defence. Ideally, the centre half-back should be a player, quite tall. Along with their half-back flankers, centre half-backs are the first line of defence, but also key players in winning the ball, centre half-backs must have a great understanding of team structures, especially the strategies for kick-ins. They need to be able to compete and take contested marks, however, a true half-back flanker is more attacking and concentrates on rebounding the ball out of the defensive 50. Sometimes half-back flankers even forgo their duties in order to be more attacking
29.
Mark Johnson (footballer)
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Mark MJ Johnson is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club and Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League. Johnson is commonly known as Mr. Sunbury, referring to the body building award he won as a teenager in his town of Sunbury. Mark commenced his football with Diggers Rest Football Club, before moving to Sunbury Lions. He was drafted to Essendon as a rookie after playing underage with the Calder Cannons in the TAC Cup competition, Johnson was elevated from the Essendon rookie list in 1998, playing his first game in 1999. He was part of the 2000 premiership side, and won the W. S. Crichton Medal in 2002, known for his toughness, Johnson was part of the midfield duo known as the Johnson Boys at Essendon, the other member being Jason Johnson. The two are not related, however Mark does have a brother who plays in the AFL for Geelong and he is a courageous player and sometimes his height and strength are underestimated by opposition players. That said, he played match in 2006 and was just one of three Essendon players to do so, the others being Brent Stanton and Scott Lucas. On 15 October 2007, Essendon announced that 29-year-old Johnson was to be delisted by the club, the decision to delist Johnson was unpopular to many Essendon fans who enjoyed Marks hard at it attitude to his footy. In November 2007, Mark was training with club, the Kangaroos. Johnson sustained a career ending injury and on 20 August. Mark played his last game in the round 22 game against Collingwood and he later sought compensation from the Dockers for his injury. Mark Johnsons statistics from AFL Tables
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Dustin Fletcher
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Dustin Andrew Fletcher is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League. He is widely acknowledged as one of the finest defenders in the leagues history, Fletcher was recruited by the Essendon Football Club in the 1992 National Draft. He played his first senior game for the Bombers against Carlton in his year of high school at Penleigh. He was a key member of the 1993 premiership team in his first AFL season, Fletcher also played in the 2000 premiership team, a year in which he also won the W. S. Crichton Medal as Essendons best and fairest and was selected in the All-Australian team. Noted for his longevity in the game, Fletcher played a total of 400 senior VFL/AFL games and he holds the outright Essendon games record, having overtaken the previous record of 378 games held by Simon Madden in Round 1,2014. He is the second oldest player to play a VFL/AFL game, aged 40 years and 23 days at the time of his final game, behind only Vic Cumberland. With his father, Ken, the Fletchers hold the record for the most VFL/AFL career games played by a father and son, with 664 games between them. As a result, Fletcher was suspended from playing at all levels for 24 months, after serving his suspension, Fletcher will return in 2017 to play suburban football for Essendon Doutta Stars. Fletchers execution of the punt was often used as a set-play clearing strategy by coach Kevin Sheedy. In a game in 2007, he kicked a torpedo punt goal from more than 70 metres, according to The Sunday Age, it was the fifth longest kick in the history of the VFL/AFL. Fletcher served as the Australia international rules football teams goalkeeper for four series, the 2005 series, the 2006 series the 2010 series, along with Barry Hall, Fletcher was one of Australias co-captains for the 2006 series. He is regarded as Australias greatest keeper throughout the series and he retired from top level football with a final International rules match, at the 2015 series in Ireland. Team AFL premiership,1993,2000 AFL pre-season premiership,1994,2000 McClelland Trophy,1993,1999,2000,2001 Individual All-Australian team,2000,2007 W. S
31.
Damien Hardwick
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Damien Patrick Hardwick is the senior coach of the Richmond Football Club and a former player with the Essendon Football Club and Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League. He attended St Josephs College in Ferntree Gully, St Josephs, has over the years produced a number of AFL players. In football, Hardwick was always on the field, for most of the game, and known to be a tough, hard working, and versatile player, understanding the game well, who kept stability in play for his side. Although he did not excel, at being the best, and fairest, quite often outclassed by others on field, his all round abilities were vital to the side. It came as a surprise that his AFL career flourished so well, where the careers of others who, got more attention, and achieved more on the field, never went on in the AFL ranks. His team focussed, stable always there Demeaour, also carried on, off the field, by being a well liked friend and he remained quiet, most of the time and rarely outspoken. Beginning his AFL career with the Essendon Football Club in 1994, Hardwick was known as a tough and his aggressive nature sometimes got him into trouble at the AFL Tribunal. He was a part of Essendons 2000 premiership side. He was traded from Essendon to the Port Adelaide Football Club and played with the side in the twilight of his career and he played a big part in Ports premiership win of 2004. His role in the Grand Final was invaluable as he won three free kicks at crucial times, including a reversal against Jason Akermanis which cost the Brisbane Lions a shot at goal, in 2005 Hardwick began working as an assistant coach under Alastair Clarkson at Hawthorn. In 2007 Hardwick was shortlisted for the coaching job at Melbourne Football Club, however he was unsuccessful. On August 25,2009 Hardwick received his first senior coaching job when he was appointed as the coach of Richmond for three years. In March 2012, Hardwick agreed to a contract extension. On 11 December 2013, club president, Peggy ONeal, announced that Hardwick has accepted a contract extension that ties him to the club at least until the end of the 2016 season. Hardwicks first season at Richmond did not begin well, with nine straight losses to start the season as well as a few disciplinary issues arising at the club. However, in round 10 the Tigers had a breakthrough win and they also set a new record for the most tackles ever made in an AFL match since records began in 1987, and kept Port Adelaide to their lowest ever score. The club went on to win five games making a total of six in Hardwick’s first season. They finished the season in 15th position, in 2013, Hardwick coached Richmond to its first finals series since 2001, and only its third since 1982
