2009 AFL Grand Final

Grand final of the 2009 Australian Football League season August 2017 August 2017 AFL 2009 AFL Grand Final 2009.png 2009 AFL Grand Final trophy presentation.jpg Post-match presentation after the grand final 50pxStK STK 50px GEE 3.2 (20) 7.7 (49) 9.11 (65) 9.14 (68) 3.0 (18) 7.1 (43) 9.4 (58) 12.8 (80) 9.14 (68) 12.8 (80) 26 September 2009, 2.30pm Melbourne Cricket Ground 99,251 Stephen McBurney, Brett Rosebury, Shaun Ryan City End Mark Seymour, Jimmy Barnes, John Farnham and Qantas choir Jersey Boys Paul Chapman () Mark Thompson () Network Ten Stephen Quartermain (Host)Tim Lane (Commentator)Robert Walls (Expert Commentator)Luke Darcy (Expert Commentator)Mark Howard (Boundary Rider)Andrew Maher (Boundary Rider) 2008 2010 The 2009 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the St Kilda Football Club and the Geelong Football Club at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 26 September 2009. It was the 113th annual grand final of the Australian Football League (formerly the Victorian Football League),In 1897 and 1924 there were no grand finals and instead the premier was decided by a finals play-off. In 1948 and 1977 there were grand final replays after initial draws. staged to determine the premiers for the 2009 AFL season.Grand final teams https://www.saints.com.au/news/2786/grand-final-teams St Kilda Football Club 14 August 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260814044707/https://www.saints.com.au/news/2786/grand-final-teams 14 August 2026 24 September 2009 The match, attended by 99,251 spectators, was won by Geelong by a margin of 12 points, marking the club's eighth VFL/AFL premiership victory.http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/geelong-wins-second-afl-flag-in-three-years/story-e6frg7mf-1225779930132 Geelong wins second AFL flag in three years 2009-09-26 The Australian 2009-09-28 https://web.archive.org/web/20171115003129/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/geelong-wins-second-afl-flag-in-three-years/story-e6frg7mf-1225779930132 15 November 2017 dead It is remembered as one of the great grand finals in recent memory, due to the closeness of the scoreline, the physical nature of the game and the sheer brilliance of individual efforts from some of its participants.Geelong defeat St Kilda by 12 points in thrilling AFL grand final Geelong's Paul Chapman was awarded the Norm Smith Medal as the best player on the ground. Background 2009 AFL season 2009 AFL Finals Series Geelong entered the 2009 season after two consecutive minor premierships and two consecutive grand final appearances: a victory in 2007 and a loss in 2008. The dominant club over the previous two years, the club at one point went on a run of 55 wins from 58 games. Geelong had perfected a novel style of high-possession football, studded with star midfielders adept at running, carrying and executing chains of handpasses through the corridor of the ground,Melbourne, VIC The Age Blockbuster match for the ages 29 Jun 2009 5 (Sport liftout) Rohan ConnollyMelbourne, VIC The Age Do believe the hype 30 Jun 2009 4–5 (Sport liftout) Greg Baum and it was consistently setting new league records for its high disposal counts. It was also routinely recording more handpasses than kicks; no team had ever previously done this successfully – having fewer kicks than handpasses was previously seen as a statistical marker of a struggling team – but Geelong had adapted the novel style into an attacking weapon which had made it into the league's highest scoring team.https://www.geelongcats.com.au/news/729891/cats-use-old-tricks 27 August 2013 Geelong Cats Peter Ryan 17 September 2022 Cats use old trickshttps://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/trouble-at-hand-for-the-kick/news-story/7f5cfc42038ee602c2d176e5895c1bd6 Dreaded statistical turnaround in the AFL as the kick gets the boot 17 September 2022 Fox Sports 17 September 2022 Mark Stevens In the 2009 season, Geelong won its first 13 games, but endured a late season slump – with a 5–4 record and only two wins by greater than a goal – to finish second with an 18–4 record. Geelong defeated a fast-finishing team by 14 points in their qualifying final and then comfortably beat by 73 points in their preliminary final to advance to the grand final. St Kilda entered the 2009 premiership season after having lost its preliminary final in 2008 against eventual premiers . The Saints' home-and-away season was the best in its history, winning the first 19 games to record the longest winning streak in the club's history, before losing consecutive late season games to finished on top of the ladder with a 20–2 record and the McClelland Trophy for the first time since 1997. Its success was built on full team defense, unrelenting tackle pressure at the ball-carrier and contested ball,Melbourne, VIC The Age St Kilda vs Geelong, Etihad Stadium, Today, 3:10pm 5 July 2009 14–15 (Sport liftout) Terry Wallace Dean Laidley a style which Lyon had designed primarily to counter Geelong's high-possession game.https://www.thefanatics.com/sports.news.view.php?id=37508699 Cats too slow to evolve: Thompson 18 September 2010 22 September 2022 Sam Lienert The Fanatics St Kilda's 2009 team was arguably the best defensive team of the modern era; it conceded only 64 points per game in the home-and-away season which, as of 2022, remains the lowest by any team in a conventional season since 1966.1 N 1The Age Melbourne, VIC St Kilda sets 40-year record Martin Blake 1 September 2009 https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/st-kilda-sets-40-year-record-20090901-ge82l9.html 17 September 2022 They accounted for Collingwood by 28 points in their qualifying final and won a hard-fought and low scoring preliminary final against the Western Bulldogs by seven points to earn their place in the grand final. The two sides had faced each other once during the year in a famous Round 14 match which is considered one of the best home-and-away matches in history. Both sides entered the match undefeated with 13–0 records, and a record Etihad Stadium crowd saw St Kilda win the match by six points, with Michael Gardiner kicking the winning goal in the dying minutes. This grand final appearance was the sixteenth in Geelong's history and its third in succession. It was sixth grand final appearance in St Kilda's history and the first since the 1997 Grand Final, with the club attempting to win its second premiership. Geelong and St Kilda had never previously met each other in a grand final. Despite their respective ladder positions, Geelong entered the grand final as $1.60 favourites to win amongst most bookmakers.The Age https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/geelong-runaway-favourites-in-afl-grand-final-betting-20090926-ge843p.html Melbourne, VIC Geelong runaway favourites in AFL Grand Final betting Mex Cooper 26 September 2009 22 October 2020 In the week leading up to the grand final, Geelong's Gary Ablett was awarded the Brownlow Medal. It was the first grand final to be played since the death of cartoonist William Ellis Green (better known as WEG), who had been drawing victory posters after VFL/AFL grand finals since 1954. The posters had been sold after each Grand Final with the proceeds going to the Royal Children's Hospital. Beginning in 2009, the posters were drawn by cartoonist Mark Knight of the Herald Sun. Media coverage Coverage telecast live and in HD (via One HD) on Channel Ten and One HD with commentators Stephen Quartermain (host), Tim Lane (commentator), Robert Walls (expert commentator), Luke Darcy (expert commentator), Mark Howard (boundary rider) and Andrew Maher (boundary rider). Geelong's K-Rock provided local coverage with commentary from Anthony Mithen and Ian Cohen. Pre-match entertainment Mark Seymour from Australian rock band Hunters and Collectors performed "Holy Grail" on stage, followed by Jimmy Barnes singing "No Second Prize". John Farnham then sang "You're the Voice", joined later by Seymour and Barnes. The premiership cup was brought onto the field twice: once by captains and administrators from football clubs affected by the 2009 Victorian bushfires, and then later via zip-line by Adelaide Crows champion Mark Ricciuto. The Qantas choir performed "I Still Call Australia Home", and the national anthem was performed a cappella by the cast of Jersey Boys. Match summary The grand final was played in cold and wet conditions. It had rained heavily the previous night in Melbourne such that the ground was particularly wet around the boundary, and there were also several heavy showers during the game. The highest ambient temperature for the game was only 11.3 °C, the coldest on record for a grand final. First quarter Geelong started strongly, with Max Rooke scoring the opening goal of the game in the 3rd minute after winning a holding the ball at centre half-forward against St Kilda's Raphael Clarke, and Cameron Mooney scoring another in the 8th minute. From that point forward, St Kilda dominated the middle part of the quarter, asserting an advantage in the midfield, particularly through the influence of Lenny Hayes who tallied 11 disposals for the quarter. St Kilda failed to convert on the scoreboard due to inaccurate kicking: despite entering the forward 50-metres arc on 14 occasions to Geelong's two during a sustained period of midfield dominance, they only registered 2.2 (14), with goals to Brendon Goddard in the 13th minute and Hayes in the 20th minute; while Geelong was able to counterattack with one goal to Joel Selwood in the 18th minute. Andrew McQualter, Adam Schneider and Stephen Milne all missing easy shots at goal; but, in the 29th minute, Schneider marked and goaled from 15 meters out to give St Kilda a two-point lead at quarter time. Second quarter St Kilda opened the second quarter better, and Sean Dempster kicked the first goal of the quarter from a high tackle free kick in the 4th minute; but again the Saints missed several relatively easy shots at goal from Schneider, Milne and McQualter, and after twelve minutes of strong play led by only ten points. Geelong then responded with the next four goals of the game in a fifteen-minute period of play. Shannon Byrnes gathered a tumbling Cameron Ling kick in the goal square for Geelong's fourth goal in the 13th minute; and a goal to Gary Ablett, Jr. from a marking infringement free kick in the 20th minute gave Geelong back the lead. The game's most controversial goal came in the 24th minute with scores level: St Kilda full back Zac Dawson's attempted clearing kick was smothered in the goal square by Geelong's Tom Hawkins, who gathered and immediately snapped for goal from five metres out; the ball clipped the inside of the right goal post, but no umpire was in a position to see it and a goal was awarded (video score reviews were not introduced to the league until 2012).https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl-needs-to-commit-more-to-score-review-rather-than-rely-heavily-on-broadcasters-vision/news-story/9b6c4579c80bd62b4a2173a7b44be471 AFL needs to commit more to score review rather than rely heavily on broadcaster's vision 6 August 2018 22 October 2020 Michelangelo Rucci The Advertiser Adelaide, SA Fifteen seconds of game time later, a clean centre clearance finished with a goal to Paul Chapman, and a 12-point lead to Geelong. However, St Kilda finished the quarter with a flurry of goals, kicking three inside the final minute of playing time. With 53 seconds remaining, Clinton Jones roved a pack to snap a goal from the pocket. With nine seconds remaining, Justin Koschitzke got his boot to a broken marking contest in the goal square, just eluding the diving hands of Darren Milburn's attempted smother, to tie the scores. Then Milburn, believing (incorrectly, according to replays) that he had touched Koschitzke's kick off the boot, made an obscene gesture to goal umpire, giving away a free kick for demonstrative abuse on the goal line; Schneider took the free kick and kicked the easy goal to give St Kilda a six-point half-time lead. Third quarter The third quarter was an even and lower-scoring contest. There were many stoppages, much congestion and very little opportunity for scoring by either side. Geelong's Mooney goaled in the eighth minute the quarter from a solid contested mark at the top of the goal square, and Saints' captain Nick Riewoldt did likewise in the tenth minute. Riewoldt had two more scoring chances soon after, kicking a behind in the 14th minute, and having a short range shot smothered for a rushed behind by Harry Taylor in the 15th minute. After a goal to Chapman in the 18th minute, the scores were tied at 58 apiece, and remained tied for more than ten minutes. The deadlock was broken by the Saints' Leigh Montagna, who goaled with 90 seconds left in the quarter from a Steven King hit-out from a boundary throw-in in the Saints' forward pocket. With one more behind before the end of the quarter, St Kilda entered the three quarter time break with a seven-point lead. Fourth quarter Geelong scored a goal from a Hawkins set shot in the second minute of the final quarter to bring the margin back to a single point. The 21 minutes that followed were a tough battle which yielded only five behinds: the first two to St Kilda, and the next three to Geelong, tying the scores at 67 apiece. In the 24th minute,McAsey Jenny Mid-year summit that landed Geelong a flag The Australian 2009-09-28 https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/midyear-summit-that-landed-geelong-a-flag/news-story/923d4d05a81043b65ddcdd74599cf97f 2010-09-17 https://web.archive.org/web/20121017045758/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/mid-year-summit-that-landed-geelong-a-flag/story-e6frg7mf-1225780231516 17 October 2012 subscription live with less than five minutes of play remaining, Broad Ben Scarlett's lucky toe-poke AFL.com 2009-09-26 http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsid=85381 https://web.archive.org/web/20121007172537/http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsid=85381 dead 7 October 2012 2010-09-17 Connolly Rohan Stab of brilliance decides thriller The Age 2009-09-27 https://www.theage.com.au/articles/2009/09/26/1253813654657.html 2010-09-17 Geelong's Steve Johnson had the ball in defence and kicked the ball towards Ablett, who had found space in the centre circle. St Kilda's Zac Dawson had left his opponent Cameron Mooney and run a considerable distance from his own defence Ralph Jon Zac Dawson and forth The Daily Telegraph 2010-09-18 http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/afl/zac-dawson-and-forth/story-e6frexx0-1225925578116 2010-11-08 and managed to spoil the kick. With two St Kilda players in the area, the ball fell to Geelong's Matthew Scarlett, who had also run a long way from his own defensive area. Great grand final - and an even better fence Sydney Morning Herald 2009-09-27 http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/blogs/episodes/great-grand-final--and-an-even-better-fence/20090927-g7sp.html 2010-11-08 Scarlett, with his right foot, gently kicked the ball five metres out of midair to Ablett, who was now in space—a moment which has become known as the toe-poke. Niall Jake 'You can't replicate the pain of losing a grand final until you've lost one' Sydney Morning Herald 2010-06-25 https://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/you-cant-replicate-the-pain-of-losing-a-grand-final-until-youve-lost-one-20100624-z3le.html 2010-11-08 Barrett Damian Year of the super poke Herald Sun 2009-12-30 http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl/year-of-the-super-poke/story-e6freck3-1225814814790 2010-09-17 Ablett then kicked the ball long to Geelong's goal square, where several players contested for the ball. After receiving the ball from teammate Shannon Byrnes, Geelong forward Travis Varcoe managed to handball to Chapman, who kicked a left-foot goal past St Kilda's Jason Blake's outstretched hands. Had Dawson's spoil not gone directly to Scarlett, St Kilda had the numbers advantage at the fall of the ball and would likely have been able to go forward into attack themselves. After the game, Matthew Scarlett stated that his toe poke was a lucky kick. Brodie Will Scarlett goes blonde in celebration The Age 2009-09-28 https://www.theage.com.au/articles/2009/09/28/1253989861799.html 2010-09-17 A subsequent behind to Rooke in the 27th minute put the Cats seven points ahead. In the 29th minute, Stephen Milne took a long kick into a largely open forward line towards the unguarded goals for St Kilda, but it was a tumbling kick and Scarlett was able to comfortably rush it through for a behind. Kicking in from the behind, the Cats went to a contest 50m from goal where a strong mark was taken by Harry Taylor. From there, the Cats were in the process of moving the ball forward when the final siren sounded. An after-the-siren goal from Rooke extended the margin to twelve points, and St Kilda was held goalless during the final quarter. Norm Smith Medal alt=Geelong supporters at the 2009 AFL Grand Final|thumb|979x979px|Geelong supporters at the 2009 AFL Grand Final +Norm Smith Medal voting tallyPositionPlayerClubTotal votesVote summary1st (winner)Paul ChapmanGeelong93,3,32ndJason GramSt Kilda93,2,2,1,13rdHarry TaylorGeelong334th – tiedGary Ablett Jr.Geelong21,14th – tiedJimmy BartelGeelong224th – tiedDarren MilburnGeelong224th – tiedMax RookeGeelong228thJoel CoreyGeelong11 Paul Chapman was awarded the Norm Smith Medal for his three goals and 26 possessions, including nine possessions and the go-ahead goal in the final quarter despite sustaining a slight hamstring injury in the first quarter. Chapman received 9 of a possible 15 votes to win the medal. St Kilda's Jason Gram, who had 30 disposals, finished second for the medal; he also polled nine votes but lost to Chapman on a countback, as Chapman received three votes from three of the five judges, while Gram received three votes from only one judge. Geelong's Harry Taylor was third, receiving a single set of three votes for his job shutting down St Kilda's Nick Riewoldt. Geelong's Max Rooke, Gary Ablett, Jr., Jimmy Bartel, Darren Milburn and Joel Corey also polled votes. Chaired by John Worsfold, the voters and their choices were as follows:2009-09-26 Chapman snares Norm Smith https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/wa/chapman-named-norm-smith-medallist-in-2009-afl-grand-final-ng-e6a1231851f4adfac9e81168d186847a 2020-07-20 PerthNow en VoterRole3 votes2 votes1 voteJohn WorsfoldWest Coast Eagles CoachPaul ChapmanJason GramJoel CoreyNathan BuckleyFormer AFL PlayerPaul ChapmanDarren MilburnJason GramJason DunstallTriple MPaul ChapmanJason GramGary Ablett Jr.Gerard Healy3AWJason GramJimmy BartelGary Ablett Jr.Gerard WhateleyABCHarry TaylorMax RookeJason Gram General summary alt=Cameron Ling holding the 2009 premiership cup aloft|thumb|357x357px|Cameron Mooney and vice-captain Cameron Ling holding the 2009 premiership cup aloft Chapman, Rooke, Milburn, Ablett, Bartel and Taylor were all excellent for Geelong. Taylor, in particular, was lauded for restricting dangerous Saints forward Riewoldt to just one goal. Contributing strongly for the Saints were Hayes, Gram, Luke Ball, Jones, Montagna, Steven Baker and Brendon Goddard; Goddard continued playing with a broken nose and a fractured collarbone, sustained in separate incidents during the game. There was a very high number of tackles laid during the game—partly due to the high pressure of the teams, and also exacerbated by the wet conditions are always conducive to high tackle counts. St Kilda's 118 tackles set a new record as the highest by any team in any game, the combined total of 214 tackles set a new mark as the second highest on record, and Bartel's 16 tackles matched the equal-highest personal tally on record—these tallies have all since been surpassed. In general play, St Kilda throughout the first half earned 31 inside-50s to Geelong's 15, and was consistently able to stop Geelong's rebound through the middle. However, they did waste many of their inside-50s by missing relatively easy shots on goal and were unable to defend the fewer entries by Geelong. In the second half, general play was much more even but Geelong had the better of the inside-50s and clearances, and were better able to break through St Kilda's rebound defence. This attribute ultimately accounted for Geelong's triumph.http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/85368/default.aspx Cats the last ones standing in epic battle 2009-09-26 AFL.com 2009-09-28 https://web.archive.org/web/20090929084520/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/85368/default.aspx 2009-09-29 dead It was an extremely close game throughout: twelve points was the greatest margin at any stage of the game (held by Geelong early in the first quarter, late in the second quarter, and the final margin). St Kilda became the first team to lose a grand final from a three-quarter-time lead since Hawthorn in 1984, while Geelong became the first team to win a grand final after losing the first three quarters (albeit losing them only by 2, 1, and 4 points, respectively). Geelong was the first team since in 2000 to win both the pre-season premiership and the regular season premiership in the same season. Scorecard Grand final StK 3.2 (20) 7.7 (49) 9.11 (65) 9.14 (68) A 3.0 (18) 7.1 (43) 9.4 (58) 12.8 (80) 16px MCG Saturday, 26 September (2:30 pm) 99,251 Stephen McBurney (3), Brett Rosebury (8), Shaun Ryan (25) Schneider 2, Goddard, Hayes, Dempster, Jones, Koschitzke, Riewoldt, Montagna Chapman 3, Mooney 2, Hawkins 2, Rooke 2, Selwood, Byrnes, Ablett Gram, Hayes, Ball, Jones, Montagna, Baker, Goddard Chapman, Rooke, Milburn, Taylor, Selwood, Ablett, Corey, Bartel, Ling, Scarlett Nil Nil. Goddard (broken nose/collarbone), Riewoldt (Torn adductor muscle) Paul Chapman (hamstring), Harry Taylor (broken hand) Norm Smith Medal Paul Chapman () Network Ten Jersey Boys won the toss and chose to kick to the city end. Teams _redwhiteblack _whitesides _hoops_red_white ffffff 000000 000000 St Kilda _thinwhitehoops _sides_on_white _hoops_white 1C3C63 1C3C63 1C3C63 Geelong St Kilda StK 27 Jason Blake 43 Zac Dawson 10 Steven Baker 18 Brendon Goddard 25 Sam Fisher 19 Sam Gilbert 22 Farren Ray 7 Lenny Hayes 26 Nick Dal Santo 32 Andrew McQualter 23 Justin Koschitzke 38 Clinton Jones 44 Stephen Milne 12 Nick Riewoldt (c) 1 Jason Gram 2 Steven King 11 Leigh Montagna 13 Adam Schneider 14 Luke Ball 16 Raphael Clarke 24 Sean Dempster 15 Michael Gardiner Ross Lyon Geelong Gee 39 Darren Milburn 30 Matthew Scarlett 44 Corey Enright 4 Andrew Mackie 7 Harry Taylor 2 Tom Harley (c) 11 Joel Corey 45 Cameron Ling 9 James Kelly 3 Jimmy Bartel 21 Cameron Mooney 5 Travis Varcoe 20 Steve Johnson 26 Tom Hawkins 35 Paul Chapman 24 Mark Blake 14 Joel Selwood 29 Gary Ablett 6 Brad Ottens 17 Shannon Byrnes 33 Max Rooke 40 David Wojcinski Mark Thompson List StK2009 AFL Grand Final(9.14)68—80(12.8) PositionPlayerPoss. PossessionsGoalsForwardStephen Milne11Nick Riewoldt131Jason Gram30Half-ForwardAndrew McQualter14Justin Koschitzke91Clinton Jones151CentreFarren Ray11Lenny Hayes241Nick Dal Santo17Half-BackBrendon Goddard211Samuel Fisher15Sam Gilbert18BackJason Blake10Zac Dawson14Steven Baker12FollowerSteven King5Leigh Montagna231Adam Schneider102InterchangeLuke Ball24Raphael Clarke13Sean Dempster51Michael Gardiner8Coach:Ross LyonPositionPlayerPoss. PossessionsGoalsForwardSteve Johnson9Tom Hawkins82Paul Chapman263Half-ForwardJimmy Bartel19Cameron Mooney102Travis Varcoe13CentreJoel Corey29Cameron Ling16James Kelly18Half-BackAndrew Mackie15Harry Taylor14Tom Harley5BackDarren Milburn25Matthew Scarlett15Corey Enright22FollowerMark Blake9Joel Selwood241Gary Ablett251InterchangeBrad Ottens12Shannon Byrnes161Max Rooke112David Wojcinski13Coach:Mark Thompson Footnotes 1.1 The 2020 AFL season, which did see several averages lower than 64 points-per-game, is excluded owing to its matches being played at 80% length due to the COVID-19 pandemic. See also 2009 AFL finals series 2009 AFL season References External links Geelong win 2009 Australian Football League Grand Final 2009 12 St Kilda 2009 2009 4 Geelong 2009 Category:VFL/AFL Grand Finals AFL Grand Final Grand Final Category:Geelong Football Club Category:St Kilda Football Club