‘Weirdest post ever’ leaves AFL baffled
The AFL Grand Final is a massive deal inside Australia but it rarely seems to register outside of expats outside our border.
Footy fans nabbed for Covid breaches
Two footy fans who flew to Western Australia for the AFL grand final have been nabbed for allegedly breaching the state’s strict coronavirus border measures.
Explaining the magic and the madness of Luke Beveridge
Whether this pugnacious, emotional yet calm, bold but calculating tribal chieftain Luke Beveridge can lift his team to the pinnacle again, or if he fails, we can count on this: He won’t be embarrassed.
Vic’s CHO: Stay home alone, watch the footy, eat nice cheese
Melburnians have been urged not to flock to football heartlands and other supporters’ homes over AFL grand final weekend, with the city’s nightly curfew to remain in effect. Saturday’s AFL decider was earlier this month relocated from the MCG to Perth Stadium, as Victoria’s COVID-19...
Gawn identity: How a ‘p**** of a kid’ became king of Melbourne
Jack Trengove discovered there was something unique, almost quirky, about Max Gawn the moment he met him when they were united as Melbourne players by the 2009 draft.
Not so mad Max: From footy nobody to standout captain
Max Gawn made a false start to his AFL career, but towers over the game and stands to lift Melbourne’s first premiership cup for 57 years.
Gawn excited for “battle” against former teammate in AFL Grand Final
Melbourne captain Max Gawn believes his ruck battle against former teammate and Western Bulldogs counterpart Stefan Martin will be a “battle within a battle” in the AFL Grand Final. Martin started his career at the Demons in 2008 before moving to the Lions and then the Bulldogs last year, and the pair...
Schedule for AFL Grand Final revealed
The AFL has unveiled the running sheet for Saturday’s Grand Final between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs at Perth’s Optus Stadium.
Some climb ladders, some walk under them: Football’s unluckiest names
We chronicle those that missed their shot at September glory.
Footy fans are torching Perth mayor Basil Zempilas over a ‘patronising’ gesture
Perth Mayor Basil Zempilas has come under fire for suggesting that spectators at Sunday’s AFL Grand final applaud their locked-down compatriots on the east coast. “In the first quarter of the AFL Grand Final, we’re asking everyone in the stadium to stand for one minute and applaud – a nod...
‘You never know when your next opportunity might be’: Bontempelli ponders more premiership success
Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli has spent more time helping guide his teammates through the experiences of a grand final, after experiencing the premiership ecstasy himself in 2016.
AFL Grand Final crystal ball: 23 Fox Footy experts predict winners, Norm Smith Medal and first goal
Melbourne is on the verge of breaking the longest current VFL/AFL premiership drought.
The “surreal feeling” of winning a flag as a sub
Following a five-year hiatus, the AFL reintroduced substitutes for season 2021. Between 2011 and 2015, the ‘sub rule’ allowed clubs to tactically include a player in the match-day 22 who they felt could make a difference at some stage of the game. But it did come at the expense of a teammate. The new...
If there was an AFL grand final Melbourne deserved, it’s this one. Wish I was there | Paul Daley
I’m imagining an empty G. I’ll try to be happy for mates in Perth but I’ve got serious Melbourne fomoThere is no week in the calendar I love more than the one that counts down to the AFL grand final.As an ex-Melburnian, much of whose past is there, it’s a nostalgic festival of kinship and mates and memories...
‘Make it harder’: Bont’s outrageous finals dare
Everyone loves The Bont.
How Dogs and Demons built their grand final teams
With bold moves, good management and some good luck the two remaining contenders for the 2021 AFL premiership have taken similar paths to assemble their playing lists.
Fyfe confirms Dockers are ready to pounce on young Cat
Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe has hinted his club is in the box seat to secure the services of Geelong defender Jordan Clark during the AFL trade period. Clark has struggled for consistent AFL selection at the Cats, playing just eight games this season (plus three times as medi-sub). The West Australian...
‘The silver lining of our lockdown’: Demons family hail winning season ahead of AFL grand final 2021
The Rankin family dearly miss watching their beloved Demons play at the MCG, but they have made the most of watching games at home this year and will be cheering again from the couch on Saturday.
Six glaring issues Voss and Blues must address in bid to finally end club’s on-field curse
It was a strange old sight seeing Michael Voss in the centre of the frame as the new senior coach with CEO Brian Cook to his right and president Luke Sayers to his left.
Zero Hanger’s BIG predictions for the AFL Grand Final
Winner, margin, Norm Smith, first goal and more!?