2004 AFL Grand Final
The 2004 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Port Adelaide Football Club and the Brisbane Lions, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 25 September 2004. It was the 108th annual grand final of the Australian Football League (formerly the Victorian Football League),[1] staged to determine the premiers for 2004 AFL season. The match was won by Port Adelaide by a margin of 40 points, marking that club's first AFL premiership victory. It was attended by 77,671 spectators (the lowest grand final attendance since 1991, and the lowest at the MCG since the 1948 replay), with the MCG's capacity being reduced due to construction work prior to the 2006 Commonwealth Games.[2]
| 2004 AFL Grand Final | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date | 25 September 2004, 2:40pm | |||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Melbourne Cricket Ground | |||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 77,671 | |||||||||||||||
| Umpires | #5 Mathew James, #10 Brett Allen, #30 Shane McInerney | |||||||||||||||
| Coin toss won by | Michael Voss (Brisbane Lions) | |||||||||||||||
| Kicked toward | City End | |||||||||||||||
| Ceremonies | ||||||||||||||||
| Pre-match entertainment | Guy Sebastian, The Ten Tenors and David Hobson | |||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Guy Sebastian | |||||||||||||||
| Accolades | ||||||||||||||||
| Norm Smith Medallist | Byron Pickett (Port Adelaide) | |||||||||||||||
| Jock McHale Medallist | Mark Williams (Port Adelaide) | |||||||||||||||
| Broadcast in Australia | ||||||||||||||||
| Network | Network Ten | |||||||||||||||
| Commentators | Anthony Hudson (Host) Tim Lane (Commentator) Robert Walls (Expert Commentator) Christi Malthouse (Boundary Rider) Andrew Maher (Boundary Rider) | |||||||||||||||
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Background
This was the first ever AFL grand final in which both competing teams were based outside the state of Victoria. Port Adelaide were appearing in their first ever AFL grand final, while the Brisbane Lions were attempting to win their fourth consecutive premiership to equal Collingwood's feat of 1927–30.
At the conclusion of the home and away season, Port Adelaide had finished first on the AFL ladder with 17 wins and 5 losses, winning the McClelland Trophy for the third successive year, while Brisbane had finished second with 16 wins and 6 losses. During the 2004 season, Port Adelaide's captain was ruckman Matthew Primus, however he was injured in Round 3 and missed the rest of the season, which meant that forward Warren Tredrea acted as captain.
Port Adelaide beat Geelong by 55 points in the qualifying final at AAMI Stadium, which gave them a week off and a place in the preliminary final; Port Adelaide then defeated St Kilda by 6 points in a tight preliminary final to advance to the grand final.
Brisbane thrashed St Kilda by a massive 80 points the qualifying final at the Gabba, and then defeated Geelong by 9 points in the preliminary final, which in extremely controversial circumstances, was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, despite Brisbane earning a home preliminary final, a situation which many argue cost Brisbane the premiership.
Match summary
First quarter
Leading up to the opening bounce and for large portions of the first quarter there were scuffles between players most notably Darryl Wakelin and Alistair Lynch.
Second quarter
The remainder of the first half was rugged and absorbing.
Third quarter
The teams continued to go back and forth, with Brisbane leading by 6 before Port Adelaide kicked the last four goals of the quarter (from, in order, Josh Mahoney, Gavin Wanganeen, Shaun Burgoyne and finally Wanganeen again). Observers, including in the media, noted that the Power looked fresher while Lynch and Simon Black spent lengthy amounts of time on the Brisbane bench.
Fourth quarter
They are the winningest team in Australia. The old Port Adelaide have won 36 premierships. Today at the MCG may just be their finest hour.
Tim Lane calling the last goal of the third quarter on Network Ten.[3]
The final quarter tone was quickly set after a Port tackle created a turnover that Wanganeen quickly capitalized on for his third. Port eventually outscored Brisbane 5.3 to 1.3 in the final quarter to stretch the final margin to 40.
Overall report
The fairytale of the afternoon was the story behind Josh Mahoney, the until then little-known Port forward pocket had been cast aside by Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs in the seven years prior, trying his luck with Essendon's VFL squad in 2001 before switching to Williamstown. He belatedly received a third chance at the highest level, and was instrumental in the Power's third quarter charge. Fellow forward Gavin Wanganeen also figured prominently – having played for Port in the SANFL before being drafted by Essendon and becoming a Premiership player and Brownlow Medalist in 1993, he had rejoined Port and was the leading goal kicker in this grand final with 4 goals. His guernsey was later also stolen from the Port Adelaide rooms but was returned to him a decade later.[4]
Denied Four-peat
Port's victory denied Brisbane its fourth consecutive flag, leaving them one consecutive premiership short of Collingwood's record of four consecutive flags from 1927 to 1930.
"Allan Scott – You were wrong!"
Following the match, Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams was quite animated, his celebrations including a speech on the dais in which he uttered the now-famous words "Allan Scott – you were wrong!". This was in reference to a comment made by Scott (a sponsor of the Port Adelaide Football Club), earlier in the 2004 season, that the club could not win a premiership under the coaching of Williams. Williams also made a mock choking gesture by holding his tie above his head like a noose as he stepped onto the arena, a reference to the breaking of Port Adelaide's reputation as "chokers". This reputation had been acquired after having lost in several previous finals series, despite dominating the home and away seasons in those years.
Norm Smith Medal
Byron Pickett, a premiership winning defender with North Melbourne in 1999, turned into a match-winning on-baller for the Power, and capped his day with being awarded the Norm Smith Medal for being judged the best player afield. His match statistics were: 19 kicks, 1 handball, 8 marks, 2 tackles, 3 goals and 2 behinds.
Teams
     Port Adelaide
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   Brisbane Lions
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Scorecard
| 2004 AFL Grand Final | |||||
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| Saturday, 25 September 2:40pm | Port Adelaide | def. | Brisbane Lions | MCG (crowd: 77,671) | |
| 4.5 (29) 6.6 (42) 12.8 (80) 17.11 (113) |
Q1 Q2 Q3 Final |
2.2 (14) 6.7 (43) 9.9 (63) 10.13 (73) |
Umpires: James, Allen, McInerney Norm Smith Medal: Byron Pickett (Port Adelaide) Television broadcast: Network Ten National anthem: Guy Sebastian | ||
| Wanganeen 4 Pickett, Thurstans 3 S. Burgoyne, Carr, Dew, Kingsley, Lade, Mahoney, Tredrea 1 |
Goals | 3 Akermanis, Bradshaw, Notting 1 Keating | |||
| Pickett, P. Burgoyne, Wanganeen, Thurstans, K. Cornes | Best | Akermanis, Notting, Lappin, Bradshaw | |||
| Wakelin – Attempting to strike and wrestling Lynch, Carr – 2 x wrestling | Reports | Lynch – Seven offences against Wakelin, Brown – Striking and wrestling Carr, Black – 2x striking | |||
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Tribunal
The following week, the AFL Tribunal convened regarding a number of altercations during the grand final.[5]
Foremost was the fighting between Alastair Lynch and Darryl Wakelin in the 1st quarter. The Tribunal noted the increased physicality that occurred during grand final matches because any penalties for reported offences would only apply to the following season, so they set an example.
The Tribunal ruled on the incidents as follows:
- Lynch, the instigator of the fight and the melees, was found guilty of three offences of striking, three of attempting to strike and one of wrestling Wakelin, and was suspended for 10 matches and fined a total of AU$15,000; this meant little as Lynch retired after the grand final.
- Wakelin was fined AU$5,000 for wrestling and attempting to strike Lynch.
- Jonathan Brown pleaded guilty to a charge of striking Josh Carr, and was found guilty of wrestling Carr; he was suspended for five matches and fined AU$3,000.
- Simon Black was found guilty and suspended for three matches for two striking incidents.
- Josh Carr was fined a total of AU$2,400 after pleading guilty to two wrestling charges.
See also
References
- 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.
- "Port Adelaide win first premiership". Melbourne: The Age. 25 September 2004. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
- Tim Lane, 2004 AFL Grand Final – Port Adelaide vs. Brisbane, Channel 10.
- Gavin Wanganeen's stolen 2004 Premiership guernsey returned Port Adelaide Football Club on YouTube
- "Tribunal 2004". Footystats.