The siren sounded on Richmond’s season and I declared I would not be attending the Grand Final.
I was disappointed as we were flag favourites and were comprehensively outplayed by a side who beat us at our own pressure game. My dream of back to back flags had disappeared. It was the only match we lost in Victoria all season and it was a sudden death elimination final. I had also missed out on reserved seats in the ballot, so I couldn’t be bothered rising early and lining up.On Wednesday the MCC emailed to say that, if members got in quickly, some reserved seats had been handed back probably as result of the Eagles playing and not the Demons. A phone call later and three of us had secured awesome seats for the Grand Final. Bay M42 Row B. Yes, Row B! While some members like to sit one level up I like being on the ground level and close to the action.
Pre-match beers at Tower 6 bar were more important than the Black Eyed Peas and we took our seats just before the National Anthem was sung. It is such a wonderful moment as 100,000 spectators all joined to sing ‘Advance Australia Fair’. It was my 22nd Grand Final and I was now officially excited to be there despite my team not competing.
Twenty minutes in and the Pies were up 5.1 to 0.2. They had kicked five goals to nothing and I uttered the famous words to my friend beside me: ‘Game Over’. The Eagles must have been shell shocked. The one thing they had on their side was time. There was still over three quarters to go. The boys from the west kicked their first goal by accident through Rioli and then Josh Kennedy got one just before quarter time to ensure the game wasn’t going to be a blow out. Unfortunately, there have been a few one-sided Grand Finals over the years.
The Eagles started the second half just two goals down and it was anybody’s game. Jack Darling, after struggling in the first half, put in a quarter out of the box. He took half a dozen marks and kicked goal to have Adam Simpson’s team level at three quarter time. Collingwood’s defence was their major weakness. They just didn’t have two guys to go with Kennedy and Darling who are big units. Tyson Goldsack, while brave, should not have been asked to man the opposition’s best forward. Perhaps Darcy Moore would have been a better option?
It was at this point I thought about how I would feel if the Tigers were in a Grand Final and scores were level at three quarter time. I would have probably had a heart attack. Twelve months ago, with one quarter to go the flag was in the bag. So today I was thankful I was a neutral supporter as I could really enjoy the moment as a football fan. I looked around and could see the anguish on Collingwood supporters’ faces. I hate to admit it but I felt for them.
The anguish would have quickly disappeared as the Pies kicked the first two goals of the last quarter well inside two minutes. The Eagles responded with one but then the big American snuck one in to restore the two-goal margin. Mason Cox was the match winner a week prior against the Tigers. I didn’t think he had it in him. While he wasn’t as effective on Grand Final day he did his bit.
From here the Eagles dominated. The Pies could not get the ball inside their forward 50 while the Eagles were peppering the goals but couldn’t kick straight. It might have been their undoing but with two minutes to go they went end to end with a passage of play from heaven. Everything needed to be perfect and it was. McGovern, the three time All Australian, took a brilliant intercept mark in defence and played on immediately. He passed it to Nathan Vardy who weighted his kick to allow Flyin’ Ryan to take a speccy. Ryan found Dom Sheed in the forward pocket who marked uncontested thanks to some questionable blocking from Rioli on a very acute angle 40 metres out.
I wonder what would have been going through Sheed’s head with just 100 seconds left in the game and his side two points down? There was barely daylight between the posts. Sheed went the drop punt rather than the left foot snap and absolutely nailed it which sent the stadium into a frenzy. The Magpies could not respond, and the Eagles hung on to win which reversed the trend of 5 straight years that an interstate side has lost to a Melbourne based club in the Grand Final.
Luke Shuey was a deserved Norm Smith medal winner, but Dom Sheed was the hero and will be forever. What a kick and what a contest for the neutral supporter. Magpie fans will be devastated, and so they should be, as they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. There is always next year and I cannot wait for season 2019.
WEST COAST 2.2 4.3 8.7 11.13 (79)
COLLINGWOOD 5.1 6.3 8.7 11.8 (74)
GOALS
West Coast: Kennedy 3, Hutchings, Shuey, Sheed, Darling, Yeo, Cripps, Vardy, Rioli
Collingwood: De Goey 3, Cox 2, Stephenson 2, Hoskin-Elliott, Varcoe, Mihocek, Adams
BEST
West Coast: Shuey, Sheed, Barrass, Kennedy, Hutchings, Schofield, McGovern
Collingwood: Adams, Langdon, Crisp, Treloar, De Goey, Mayne
INJURIES
West Coast: Nil
Collingwood: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Stevic, Ryan, Rosebury
Official crowd: 100,022 at the MCG