2016 AFL Grand Final

none December 2017 December 2017 2016 AFL Grand Final 2016 AFL Grand Final logo.png 0.5 2016 AFL Grand Final huddles.jpg The two teams in their huddles prior to the first bounce 50px SYD 50px WBD 1.2 (8) 7.3 (45) 8.5 (53) 10.7 (67) 2.0 (12) 7.1 (43) 9.7 (61) 13.11 (89) 10.7 (67) 13.11 (89) 1 October 2016, 2.30 pm Melbourne Cricket Ground 99,981 Matt Stevic, Simon Meredith, Scott Jeffery Western Bulldogs City End Sting, The Living End, Vance Joy, Mike Brady Vika and Linda Bull The Living End, Vance Joy Jason Johannisen Luke Beveridge Seven Network Bruce McAvaney (host and commentator)Hamish McLachlan (host)Dennis Cometti (commentator)Cameron Ling (expert commentator)Wayne Carey (expert commentator)Matthew Richardson (boundary rider)Tim Watson (boundary rider)Leigh Matthews (analyst)Luke Hodge (analyst) 2015 2017 The 2016 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between and the at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 1 October 2016. It was the 121st 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, 1977 and 2010, there were grand final replays after initial draws. staged to determine the premiers of the 2016 AFL season. The match, attended by 99,981 spectators, was won by the Bulldogs by a margin of 22 points, marking the club's second VFL/AFL premiership victory and first since 1954. It was the first time in VFL/AFL history that a team won the premiership from seventh place on the ladder. Jason Johannisen of the Bulldogs was awarded the Norm Smith Medal as the best player on the ground. Background 2016 AFL finals series Minor premiers for the ninth time,http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-27/swans-embarrass-tigers-to-seal-minor-premiership/7791660 Sydney Swans embarrass Richmond Tigers by 113 points to cement AFL minor premiership 27 August 2016 ABC Online Australian Broadcasting Corporation 30 September 2016 the Sydney Swans finished the home-and-away season with a 17-5 record. They were defeated by the GWS Giants in the qualifying final by 36 points,http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/gws-giants-come-of-age-to-upset-sydney-swans-in-first-qualifying-final/news-story/91e683a1d56034a46dd23c8eff3d833b GWS Giants come of age to upset Sydney Swans in first qualifying final Hinds Richard 10 September 2016 The Daily Telegraph News Corp Australia 30 September 2016 but bounced back with a semi-final victory against ,http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-match-report/sydney-swans-advance-in-afl-finals-after-overcoming-adelaide-crows-20160917-grio0r.html Sydney Swans advance in 2016 AFL finals after overcoming Adelaide Crows at SCG Buckley James 18 September 2016 The Age Fairfax Media 30 September 2016 and then a 37-point preliminary final win against at the Melbourne Cricket Groundhttp://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-23/sydney-swans-reach-afl-grand-final-beating-geelong-cats/7873688 AFL Finals: Sydney Swans thump Geelong by 37 to book grand final ticket Bilton Dean 24 September 2016 ABC Online Australian Broadcasting Corporation 30 September 2016 for their third grand final appearance in five years. Injuries ended the 2016 season for key Western Bulldogs players: captain Bob Murphy (round 3) and Jack Redpath (round 18) ruptured their anterior cruciate ligaments, and midfielder Mitch Wallis (round 18) fractured his left tibia and fibula.http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-season-2016-shattered-dogs-must-learn-from-chris-grants-injury-20160410-go36g5.html 'I felt the pop,' says Bob Murphy Pierik Jon 11 April 2016 The Age Fairfax Media 30 September 2016http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/western-bulldogs-injury-curse-eerily-similar-to-past-finalsbound-afl-sides/news-story/e4237f8f425725b02d371f9f664a6bdb Western Bulldogs' injury curse eerily similar to past finals-bound AFL sides Swersky Tiarne 25 July 2016 Fox Sports (Australia) News Corp Australia 30 September 2016 Jason Johannisenhttp://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/western-bulldogs/jason-johannisen-could-be-out-for-at-least-eight-weeks-as-western-bulldogs-sweat-on-scan-results/news-story/1f475398e00cdcd600de82669268f774 Jason Johannisen could be out for at least eight weeks as Western Bulldogs sweat on scan results Ralph Jon 17 April 2016 Herald Sun News Corp Australia 30 September 2016 and Matt Suckling also sat out for extended periods.http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/western-bulldogs-v-geelong-dogs-hurt-by-injuries-to-matt-suckling-and-matthew-boyd-20160728-gqg4oz.html Western Bulldogs v Geelong: Dogs hurt by injuries to Matt Suckling and Matthew Boyd Cherny Daniel 28 July 2016 The Age Fairfax Media 30 September 2016 The Bulldogs nevertheless won 15 games to finish 7th on the home-and-away ladder and qualify for the finals for the second consecutive year.http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-match-report/pavlich-farewelled-as-fremantle-show-bulldogs-new-tricks-20160828-gr36bh.html Pavlich farewelled as Fremantle show Bulldogs new tricks Elborough Brad 29 August 2016 The Age Fairfax Media 30 September 2016 Against the odds, they eliminated both 2015's grand finalists, West Coast and Hawthorn, in the elimination and semi-finals respectively.http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-08/western-bulldogs-beat-west-coast-in-elimination-final/7827992 AFL finals: Western Bulldogs shock West Coast with 47-point elimination final win Australian Associated Press 9 September 2016 ABC Online Australian Broadcasting Corporation 30 September 2016http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/western-bulldogs-eliminate-hawthorn-with-stunning-semifinal-win-hawks-fourpeat-hopes-dashed/news-story/be584331df4b4fc56f4755117963dbb4 Western Bulldogs eliminate Hawthorn with stunning semi-final win, Hawks' four-peat hopes dashed Edmund Sam 17 September 2016 Herald Sun News Corp Australia 30 September 2016 The Bulldogs then beat the Giants at Spotless Stadium by six points in the preliminary final to qualify for their first grand final appearance since 1961.http://afltables.com/afl/teams/allteams/gfgames.html Grand Finals AFL Tables 30 September 2016http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-09-24/match-report-dogs-become-giant-killers-to-advance-to-grand-final Match report: Dogs become Giant killers to advance to Grand Final Sygall David 24 September 2016 AFL.com.au Telstra Media 30 September 2016 In doing so, the Bulldogs became the first team since Carlton in 1999 to reach a grand final after finishing the home-and-away season outside of the top four and the first team to do so under the current finals format that was introduced in 2000.http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/western-bulldogs-v-sydney-swans-in-the-2016-grand-final-a-romance-we-had-to-have-20160925-gro0qw.html Western Bulldogs v Sydney Swans in the 2016 grand final: A romance we had to have Connolly Rohan 25 September 2016 The Age Fairfax Media 30 September 2016 Sydney and the Western Bulldogs met in round 15 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Returning from injury and with just four seconds remaining, Bulldogs defender Johannisen kicked a goal to defeat the Swans 11.13 (79) to 13.5 (83).http://www.afl.com.au/match-centre/2016/15/syd-v-wb https://web.archive.org/web/20160330205658/http://www.afl.com.au/match-centre/2016/15/syd-v-wb dead 30 March 2016 Match report: Bulldogs sink Swans in thriller Curley Adam 2 July 2016 AFL.com.au Telstra Media 24 September 2016 The AFL had introduced a pre-finals bye in 2016 to discourage teams from resting players en masse in the final round of the home-and-away season.http://www.smh.com.au//breaking-news-sport/afl-introduces-prefinals-bye-20151029-45bzb.html AFL introduces pre-finals bye Vaughan Roger 29 October 2015 The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media 24 September 2016 Entertainment 2016 AFL Grand Final Bulldogs banner 2.jpg 2016 AFL Grand Final Swans banner 1.jpg The banners for the Western Bulldogs (left) and Sydney Swans (right) Similar to previous grand finals, the 2016 AFL Grand Final provided both pre-match and post-match entertainment. Artists to perform were Melburnian musicians Vance Joy and band the Living End,Homegrown acts to headline Grand Final entertainment http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-08-31/homegrown-acts-to-headline-grand-final-entertainment King Travis 31 August 2016 AFL.com.au Telstra Media 24 September 2016 and British rocker Sting.http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-09-16/sting-to-rock-the-g-on-grand-final-day Sting to rock the 'G on Grand Final day Navaratnam Dinny 9 September 2016 AFL.com.au Telstra Media 24 September 2016 Sister duo Vika and Linda Bull performed the national anthem, and Mike Brady performed a new version of his famous football song "One Day in September".http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-09-23/sister-act-vika-and-linda-bull-confirmed-for-national-anthem-at-grand-final Sister act confirmed for national anthem at Grand Final Thompson Matt 23 September 2016 AFL.com.au Telstra Media 24 September 2016 Match summary First quarter Easton Wood won the coin toss for the Bulldogs and chose to kick towards the city end. The Swans had an early injury scare when Lance Franklin was taken off the field with a suspected foot injury after four minutes; he returned later in the quarter and played out the full game, but needed medical attention at quarter time. The Swans were the first to score (a behind) in the 10th minute with Kieren Jack taking a courageous mark before colliding into the incoming Wood.As it happened: Bulldogs prevail over Swans in grand final classic http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-01/2016-afl-grand-final-live-blog/7895248 ABC 1 October 2016 en-AU 1 October 2016 The first goal came in the thirteenth minute to the Swans as Luke Parker scored from a distance of 35 m yards on. The Bulldogs' first score came in the 20th minute, when Zaine Cordy scored a goal from the boundary line; three minutes later, the Bulldogs scored again via a mark from Tory Dickson, to take a four point lead. There were no other scores in the low-scoring first quarter, and the Bulldogs led 2.0 (12) to 1.2 (8) at quarter time.Jackson Russell Western Bulldogs beat Sydney for first AFL premiership in 62 years – as it happened https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2016/oct/01/afl-grand-final-live-blog-sydney-western-bulldogs-mcg The Guardian 1 October 2016 1 October 2016 Second quarter In a much more high scoring second quarter, goals came at regular intervals. Tom Boyd opened the scoring for the Bulldogs after three minutes. Nick Smith kicked Sydney's second goal in the 6th minute, before two goals to the Bulldogs from Dickson (10th minute) and Liam Picken (12th minute) extended the Bulldogs' lead to 16 points. Sydney then put on a run of four consecutive goals in eight minutes to take an 8 point lead: Tom Mitchell (13th minute); Gary Rohan (16th minute); and two to Josh Kennedy (18th and 20th minutes), whose work in the midfield was also largely responsible for the Swans revival, with 22 first half disposals. The Bulldogs fought back in time-on, Tom Boyd kicking his second goal for the Bulldogs in the 27th minute, Tom Mitchell kicking his second for Sydney in the 29th minute, and Toby McLean kicking his first for the Bulldogs in the 32nd minute. At half time, Sydney led by two points, 7.3 (45) to 7.1 (43). Third quarter Dickson kicked his third goal to take the lead for the Bulldogs after four minutes. Thereafter began an arm-wrestle of a quarter, in which only two more goals were kicked: in the 17th minute, Toby McLean conceded a fifty metre penalty against Kennedy for a late bump in a marking contest, and Kennedy converted the kick into his third goal, giving Sydney a 1-point lead; three minutes later, Clay Smith kicked a goal for the Bulldogs. For the remainder of the quarter, the Bulldogs attacked relentlessly, managing four behinds but no further goals. At three quarter time, the Bulldogs 9.7 (61) led Sydney 8.5 (53) by eight points. After accurate goalkicking had dominated the first half, the third quarter saw several missed shots on goal for both teams, but particularly for the Bulldogs – who dominated general play but managed only 2.6 (18) for the quarter to Sydney's 1.2 (8). Bulldogs' forward Jake Stringer was particularly off target, with one behind and three shots out of bounds on the full to this point in the game. Final quarter thumb|The reaction of the players and supporters moments after the final siren thumb|The Bulldogs team on the podium with the premiership cup Early in the final quarter, Swans midfielder Dan Hannebery suffered an injury to his left knee when he collided awkwardly with Easton Wood who had gone in low to claim the ball on the ground. He was promptly helped off the field for treatment and attempted to continue playing after having his knee strapped, only to return to the bench after taking a free kick with the injured leg.AFL grand final 2016: Banged up Sydney Swans await news on Dan Hannebery's knee injury 3 October 2016 http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-grand-final-2016-banged-up-sydney-swans-await-news-on-dan-hanneberys-knee-injury-20161002-grt727.html Andrew Wu Despite this, Sydney attacked early, and when Lance Franklin kicked his first goal – the first and only goal kicked by one of the Swans' recognised forwards in the match – the Bulldogs' lead was narrowed to one point. Jake Stringer extended the margin to 7 points with his only goal in the 11th minute, and George Hewett scored another for the Swans to draw the margin back to 1 point in the 13th minute, the score at that stage reading Bulldogs 10.7 (67) leading Sydney 10.6 (66). With only seven minutes of playing time remaining, Liam Picken kicked his second goal from a broken play in the Bulldogs forward line in the 18th minute to extend the margin to 7 points. The Bulldogs attacked again from the next centre bounce, and a minute later, Jason Johannisen pounced on an errant Sydney rebound and kicked a score from 50m which was initially called a goal, but changed to a behind on video review after being touched on the goal line by Jeremy Laidler (Sydney). The ensuing kick-in was turned over, resulting in another touched behind to the Bulldogs. Then, in the 22nd minute, Dale Morris (Bulldogs) tackled Lance Franklin in the centre square, and Tom Boyd gathered the loose ball to kick his third goal and put the Bulldogs 15 points ahead with five minutes to play. Sydney won the ensuing centre clearance, ending with Ben McGlynn mark and set shot from 40m which missed narrowly to the left. It was Sydney's last score and last time inside its attacking 50m arc, as the Bulldogs rebounded, and finished with three more scores: a behind to Boyd, Liam Picken's third goal in the 27th minute, and a behind on the final siren to Toby McLean. The Bulldogs kicked 3.4 (22) against Sydney's 0.1 (1) in the final seven minutes of playing time, and won the game 13.11 (89) d. 10.7 (67). Norm Smith Medal +Norm Smith Medal voting tallyPositionPlayerClubTotal votesVoting summary1st (winner)Jason JohannisenWestern Bulldogs103,3,2,22ndJosh KennedySydney Swans83,2,1,1,13rdTom BoydWestern Bulldogs73,3,14thLiam PickenWestern Bulldogs52,2,1 Jason Johannisen was named the Norm Smith Medallist (best on ground) with ten votes, having spend much of the game playing a rebounding role across the middle of the ground, accumulating 33 possessions and launching nine inside 50s. Johannisen won the award ahead of Sydney midfielder Josh Kennedy with eight votes (34 disposals and 3 goals), Tom Boyd with seven votes (6 contested marks and 3 goals) and Liam Picken with five votes (25 disposals, 3 goals).http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-10-01/jason-johannisen-surprises-with-the-norm-smith Norm Smith: Bulldog Jason Johannisen springs a medal surprise – AFL.com.au October 2016 AFL 1 October 2016 Chaired by Michael Voss, the voters and their choices were as follows:2016-10-01 AFL Grand Final 2016: Norm Smith medal to Jason Johannisen, stars on MCG https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/jason-johannisen-rocks-the-mcg-to-claim-norm-smith-medal-in-epic-western-bulldogs-flag/news-story/edcbd0757c628a493cb56e1730c29112 2020-07-20 Fox Sports en-AU VoterRole3 votes2 votes1 voteMichael VossFormer AFL PlayerJason JohannisenLiam PickenJosh KennedyWayne CareyChannel 7Tom BoydLiam PickenJosh KennedyJay ClarkHerald SunJosh KennedyJason JohannisenLiam PickenBrad JohnsonFox FootyJason JohannisenJosh KennedyTom BoydEmma QuayleThe AgeTom BoydJason JohannisenJosh Kennedy Presentation During the official on-field presentation, Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge invited injured Bulldogs' captain Bob Murphy – a popular Bulldogs' stalwart who had played with the club continuously since 2000, but who had missed all but the first three games of the premiership season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament – onto the podium. Beveridge then gave his own Jock McHale medal to Murphy, and urged Murphy to hoist the premiership trophy alongside acting captain Easton Wood instead of following the tradition of the captain and coach hoisting the cup.http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-grand-final-2016-luke-beveridge-gives-bob-murphy-his-premiership-medal-20161001-grszu4.html AFL grand final 2016: Luke Beveridge gives Bob Murphy his premiership medal Larissa Nicholson 2 October 2016 The Sunday Age 2 October 2016 Melbourne, VIC Murphy chose to return the medal to Beveridge the following day, and Beveridge then donated the medal to the Western Bulldogs club museum.http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/bob-murphy-returns-premiership-medal-handed-to-him-by-coach-luke-beveridge-on-grand-final-day/news-story/f965f5735a14df66eb61727cec30dba5 Bob Murphy returns premiership medal handed to him by coach Luke Beveridge on Grand Final day 6 October 2016 Herald Sun 6 October 2016 Melbourne, VIC Best players Among the star players were Tom Boyd (six contested marks, three goals and two points), Picken (25 possessions and three goals) and Jack Macrae (32 possessions). Kennedy was the stand out player for the Swans taking a total of 34 possessions and three goals. Statistically, Dane Rampe was effective in defence (24 possessions and nine rebound 50s), as were Jack (22 possessions) and Mitchell (26 possessions and two goals) in midfield.Match report: Dogs dust Swans to snap 62-year drought – AFL.com.au October 2016 http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-10-01/match-report-grand-final-sydney-swans-v-western-bulldogs AFL 1 October 2016 Teams The teams were announced on 29 September 2016. Sydney made two changes to its lineup from the preliminary final, with co-captain Jarrad McVeigh and Rising Star winner Callum Mills both returning from injury. They replaced Aliir Aliir, who suffered a knee injury in the preliminary final, and Harrison Marsh, who was omitted. The Bulldogs remained unchanged from its preliminary final.http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-grand-final-teams-all-of-the-ins-and-outs-for-sydney-swans-v-western-bulldogs-2016-decider/news-story/eedd89c9f8a0ba320d8db4f152c5361e AFL Grand Final teams: All of the ins and outs for Sydney Swans v Western Bulldogs 2016 decider 29 September 2016 Fox Sports (Australia) News Corp Australia 29 September 2016 Stewart Crameri missed the opportunity to be part of the Western Bulldogs' premiership win as he had been suspended for twelve months in January 2016 for being part of the controversial supplements and sports science program that took place at his former club, , during the 2012 AFL season.http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-01-12/guilty-court-bans-the-essendon-34-for-2016 Guilty: court bans the Essendon 34 for 2016 Travis King 12 January 2016 12 January 2016 Australian Football League He had been permitted to return to club training only in the week leading to the grand final.http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/western-bulldog-stewart-crameri-opens-up-on-emotioncharged-afl-grand-final-weekend-20170208-gu8i59.html Western Bulldog Stewart Crameri opens up on emotion-charged AFL grand final weekend The Age Emma Quayle 10 February 2017 8 June 2017 Among the 34 players suspended as a result of the program, Crameri received one of the highest settlement payouts from the club as a direct consequence of having missed the premiership opportunity.Herald Sun Melbourne, VIC Jon Ralph http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/essendon/essendon-has-finalised-drug-ban-compensation-claims-with-all-current-players/news-story/1a29d7a50995b3d63cc3ae94a01bc819 Essendon has finalised drug ban compensation claims with all current players 10 February 2017 27 February 2017The Age Melbourne, VIC Bombers facing impasse 2 March 2017 44 Caroline Wilsonhttp://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/afl-daily-live-rolling-footy-news-from-around-australia-for-september-8-2017/news-story/a167d84223eaa7d7e84815f422bb762e AFL Daily: Live rolling footy news from around Australia for September 8, 2017 8 September 2017 7 October 2017 Herald Sun Melbourne, VIC _swans19h _whitesides _hoops_red ffffff ff0000 Sydney _westbulldogs16h _whitesides _westernbulldogs2019h 004AE5 004AE5 004AE5 W. Bulldogs 44 Jake Lloyd 39 Heath Grundy 40 Nick Smith 14 Callum Mills 11 Jeremy Laidler 24 Dane Rampe 15 Kieren Jack (c) 12 Josh Kennedy 3 Jarrad McVeigh (c) 6 Tom Mitchell 23 Lance Franklin 26 Luke Parker 41 Tom Papley 8 Kurt Tippett 21 Ben McGlynn 35 Sam Naismith 4 Dan Hannebery 5 Isaac Heeney 16 Gary Rohan 10 Zak Jones 29 George Hewett 42 Xavier Richards John Longmire 39 Jason Johannisen 30 Joel Hamling 5 Matthew Boyd 24 Shane Biggs 38 Dale Morris 10 Easton Wood (c) 7 Lachie Hunter 4 Marcus Bontempelli 42 Liam Picken 11 Jack Macrae 12 Zaine Cordy 9 Jake Stringer 29 Tory Dickson 17 Tom Boyd 14 Clay Smith 23 Jordan Roughead 6 Luke Dahlhaus 21 Tom Liberatore 16 Toby McLean 18 Fletcher Roberts 20 Josh Dunkley 35 Caleb Daniel Luke Beveridge Umpires The umpiring panel, comprising three field umpires, four boundary umpires, two goal umpires and an emergency in each position is given below. The most notable appointment was field umpire Scott Jeffery's selection for his sole grand final.http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-09-27/veteran-gets-his-turn-as-grand-final-umpires-named Veteran gets his turn as Grand Final umpires named Guthrie Ben 27 September 2016 AFL.com.au Telstra Media 27 September 2016 An AFL review of the umpiring post game found it was not up to the standard expected, with three or four decisions incorrectly going against Sydney among an overall free kick count of 20–8 favouring the Bulldogs.2016-10-06 Grand Final free kicks Sydney Swans, AFL's review of Grand Final finds umpiring was not up to expected standard https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afls-review-of-grand-final-finds-umpiring-was-not-up-to-the-standard-expected/news-story/4e760a1f4843a76ae52dc8b60ec163ea 2020-10-25 Fox Sports en-AU The differential of 12 was the biggest in a grand final since the three-umpire system was introduced. + 2016 AFL Grand Final umpires Position Emergency Field: 9 Matt Stevic (4) 21 Simon Meredith (4) 29 Scott Jeffery (1) Justin Schmitt Boundary: Ian Burrows (7) Chris Bull (1) Rob Haala (3) Michael Marantelli (2) Matthew Konetschka Goal: Chris Appleton (3) Adam Wojcik (3) Chelsea Roffey Numbers in brackets represent the number of grand finals umpired, including 2016. Scoreboard Grand Final Saturday, 1 October (2:30 pm) 1.2 (8) 7.3 (45) 8.5 (53) 10.7 (67) Kennedy 3 Mitchell 2Parker, N. Smith, Rohan, Franklin, Hewett 1 Kennedy, Mitchell, Rampe, Heeney, Jones, Hannebery Franklin (right ankle), Hannebery (left knee) Nil A 2.0 (12) 7.1 (43) 9.7 (61) 13.11 (89) 3 T. Boyd, Dickson, Picken1 Cordy, McLean, C. Smith, Stringer Johannisen, Picken, T. Boyd, Macrae, M. Boyd, Dahlhaus Johannisen (calf) Nil 16px MCG 99,981 Report Matt Stevic, Simon Meredith, Scott Jeffery Norm Smith Medal Jason Johannisen Seven Network Vika and Linda Bull won their first premiership in sixty-two years, breaking the longest active drought in VFL/AFL history. The Western Bulldogs became the first team in VFL/AFL history to win the premiership from seventh place on the ladder. Media coverage The match was televised by the Seven Network. The match commentary was conducted by Bruce McAvaney and Dennis Cometti for the Seven Network, marking it the duo's eighth grand final appearance together as commentators since 2008 and their twelfth overall. It was Cometti's eighteenth grand final and McAvaney's sixteenth. This was the final match of commentary by Cometti after he announced that 2016 would be the end of his 30-year commentary career.http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-10/ex-abc-caller-dennis-cometti-to-hang-up-the-microphone/7154610 Dennis Cometti to retire from AFL commentary after 2016 season Australian Associated Press 10 February 2016 ABC Online Australian Broadcasting Corporation 24 September 2016 The sports film Year of the Dogs, which covered the Western Bulldogs' turbulent 1996 season in which they finished second-last, was aired on 7mate the day prior to the Grand Final.https://decidertv.com/page/2016/9/29/grand-final-friday-night-special-bulldogs-road-to-glory-on-seven-channel7 Grand Final Friday Night Special: Bulldogs Road to Glory on Seven Decider TV Kevin Perry 29 September 2016 10 June 2017 All four radio partners, 1116 SEN, 3AW, ABC Grandstand, and Triple M broadcast the match live,https://web.archive.org/web/20160929154748/http://www.afl.com.au/broadcastguide 29 September 2016 http://www.afl.com.au/broadcastguide 2016 AFL Broadcast Guide AFL.com.au Telstra Media 30 September 2016 with Triple M simulcasting nationally to their local channels and to 92.5 Gold FM in the Gold Coast and Mix 94.5 in Perth.http://www.triplem.com.au/modernrock/sport/afl/triple-m-footy-on-air-schedule/ Triple M Rocks Footy! Triple M 30 September 2016 6.5 million in-home viewers watched some part of Seven's telecast across the day. A peak audience at 5.2 million viewers tuned-in at one stage, with an average of 4.089 million across the metro cities and regional homes during the game. It was the most-watched football match since the network attained free-to-air grand final screening rights a decade earlier, and the fifth most-watched match in VFL/AFL history.Styles, Aja (2 October 2016). "AFL Grand Final 2016 has highest footy ratings for Channel 7 in a decade", The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 October 2016. International coverage Regionhttp://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php/20160928075936186 2016 AFL Grand Final – International Broadcast Schedule World Footy News 30 September 2016Rights holder(s) Asia Australia Plus, Eurosport Canada TSN2 Caribbean ESPN China CCTV5 Europe Eurosport India Australia Plus Ireland BT Sport, Eurosport Latin America Claro Sports Middle East Orbit Showtime Network New Zealand Sky Sports, TVNZ United Kingdom BT Sport, Eurosport United States Fox Soccer Plus See also 2016 AFL season 2016 AFL finals series References 30em External links www.afl.com.au Category:2016 AFL season AFL season Category:2016 in Victoria (state) Category:2016 in sport in Melbourne AFL Grand Final 2016 Category:Sydney Swans Category:VFL/AFL Grand Finals Category:Western Bulldogs