The AFL grand final has been run and won.
Geelong are basking in their 10th VFL/AFL premiership – the club’s fourth this century, Chris Scott’s second flag as coach, and some crowning moments for stars of the game at the Cattery in the twilights of their careers.
In this special grand final edition of the Real Footy podcast, wrapping up a memorable 2022 season, host Michael Gleeson is joined by chief football writer Jake Niall and columnist Caroline Wilson.
Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood.Credit:Eddie Jim
Amid a range of topics and lively discussion, chief scribe Niall says he couldn’t help but be reminded of Carlton’s 1995 premiership when watching the Cats, the oldest ever team to take the field in an AFL match, destroy the Sydney Swans by 81 points.
Nearly 30 years ago, Carlton had stars and accomplished players such as Greg Williams, Stephen Kernahan, Craig Bradley and Justin Madden aged in their 30s. Stephen Silvagni was 28, too.
This year the Geelong premiership team is replete with ageing stars, with players such as Joel Selwood and Tom Hawkins winning flags more than a decade after their previous one.
Said Niall: “Geelong were more experienced than Sydney [this year] and had been in grand finals, but there was a sense that that Carlton team which had those champions [like Geelong of 2022] were not going to let this moment slip.
“The flag (in both cases) had been in the offing for a while – Greg Williams, Stephen Kernahan, Stephen Silvagni, Craig Bradley. [They] were a bit like the Geelong super group – [Patrick} Dangerfield, Selwood and Hawkins.
“That’s how it felt.”
It’s this sense of destiny for Geelong that means there’s less reason to be down and out for the Sydney Swans, according to Wilson.
“That’s why I’m more positive [than some] about Sydney because I just thought the dam wall burst for Geelong.”
The premiership triumph was also an endorsement for smart list management, with the Cats able to retain and attract talent players with sensible management of the salary cap.
“Like Melbourne last year, there was a lot of talk about selflessness, there’s this new creed of selflessness where players are, you know, not playing for stats,” said Niall.
“Geelong, they’re doing it with the hip pocket. Players are taking less money. And this is a much bigger signal than anything you say in the locker room, is what you take in money.
“This is going to be one of the big discussion points – the influence of what players are paid now and what the contracts are … this is in list management bigger than the draft.”
Gleeson concurred. “How you manage your cap is as significant as what players you bring in and what draft picks you get in the trade period because if you get money out it completely reshapes what you can do with your playing list.”
Also on the agenda were all the big talking points from the lopsided grand final, including Lance Franklin’s poor game just days after he re-signed for another season at Sydney; a hot tip on Essendon’s new coach; season highlights and lowlights; Norm Smith Medal voting; plaudits and brickbats for the AFL on the grand final entertainment and Friday’s parade; plus plenty more.
Our team also examine in detail the latest developments in the Hawthorn racism scandal over the alleged mistreatment of Indigenous players and their partners.
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