Aussie Rules: My team has made the Grand Final for the second consecutive year!

Wooo!!

The St Kilda Saints will be playing the Collingwood Magpies for the greatest prize in Australian sport.

The Saints defeated the Western Bulldogs to make the AFL (Austalian Football League) grand final for the second consecutive year. Unfortunately, we lost the main game last year by only 12 points :(.

To put this into a bit of context, the Saints are the most unsuccessful club in the games history. We have only won one premiership (1966) in over 100 years in the competition.

I'm going to be going to the match, expecting a crowd of 100,000 to pack the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) this Saturday.

Last years grand final was one of the most heart breaking days of my life, I hope that we'll be able to do the business and finally register our second premiership.

I'll be taking pictures when at the game, I'll post them after the game.

I have never watched Aussie Rules Football BUT I have watched my own teams suffer enough to sympathize. I hope you enjoy the match! I'd love to see pics once it's done.

Spoiler:

As a life long Philadelphia sports fan, I'll be riding that 2008 Phillies' World Series victory for decades. It covers up all the pain the Eagles gave me over the past ten years.

I have to ask, is there a non-grand Final? Like a game called the Ordinary Final?

LeapingGnome wrote:

I have to ask, is there a non-grand Final? Like a game called the Ordinary Final?

Yep... We have 4 weeks of finals. The top 8 teams, out of 16 total, participate in the finals series.

Week 1: 2x Qualifying Finals & 2x Elimination Finals
Week 2: 2x Semi Finals
Week 3: 2x Preliminary Finals
Week 4: Grand Final

Awesome AP, know nothing about Aussie rules except for the fact the uniforms are odd and they play on a cricket pitch, but it's always exciting to have a team go far.

Last year the final was obviously new territory for them, now they should cope with the pressure better. My union team (coastal/Durban Sharks) has a tendency to blow out at finals time, so I sympathise.

Well you wouldn't read about it.

It was a draw. 68-68.

In AFL if the Grand Final is drawn, the game is replayed a week later. No extra time, no golden point, no shootout. A complete replay of the match 1 week later.

I have pictures and video to upload, but at the minute I have no brain functions. I am mentally and physically drained from the tension of the game.

More to come...

I went to the 1997 GF while I was working in Australia...I'm afraid to say that I was with people who were supporting the Crows in that game. Not my choice, but I was working in Darwin and the Crows were more popular due to them having an NT player.

Great experience though - hope your Saints beat the Pies next week.

AP Erebus wrote:

Well you wouldn't read about it.

It was a draw. 68-68.

In AFL if the Grand Final is drawn, the game is replayed a week later. No extra time, no golden point, no shootout. A complete replay of the match 1 week later.

THAT ROCKS! What a way to stoke the anticipation amongst the fans, grab more $$ from sponsors, and instill more animosity between the teams!

Ok, here are some choice shots & a video. The full album can be viewed here: http://picasaweb.google.com/alastair...

This is a side of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) from outside.
IMAGE(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_N_YN_yfgcSA/TKAW0_TVBlI/AAAAAAAABzM/NGGwHcWwrMc/s800/IMG_0165.JPG)

My team, the Saints, warming up (about 30min before the game starts). The hot air balloon was part of the pre-match entertainment.
IMAGE(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_N_YN_yfgcSA/TKAXChji8HI/AAAAAAAAB0I/Fu2ANAYSS9Q/s800/IMG_0181.JPG)

This a photoshop made panorama of what was basically my view from my seats
IMAGE(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_N_YN_yfgcSA/TKAcu-GrwhI/AAAAAAAAB1o/-AOj1Ycw0K4/s800/Panorama.jpg)

This is the moment just before the start of the match!
IMAGE(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_N_YN_yfgcSA/TKAXS3CF4DI/AAAAAAAAB1I/QT4THpveuME/s800/IMG_0197.JPG)

Here is a panning video of the ground...

A TV new report.. kinda explains it all

It kinda hard to convey how amazing that feeling was to be there.

That looks off the hook AP. You going to the next game? Is that a silly question?

That stadium is immense!

MrDeVil909 wrote:

That looks off the hook AP. You going to the next game? Is that a silly question?

I'm definitely going to the replay.

It's going to be massive!

Another 100,000 are going to pack the stadium!

I can't wait!

Just to finish this thread off.

We got crushed in the replay

Lost by about 58 points. They looked tired and slow before the game had really even begun. Was absolutely shattered.

Oh well, getting the main dance isn't anything to be sneezed at, but it would be really nice to win one once in a while.

*shrug* well there is always next year

Ah, that sucks man. Probably pressure got to the players, if they aren't familiar with finals doing two in two weeks can be mentally intimidating. If they keep their momentum for next year they should be able to do i again.

Not turning up late to gloat or anything but I wonder how many of the other GWJ aussies watch AFL? We should get a tiipping comp or dream team/supercoach league going next year if theres half dozen or so around

And commiserations on the loss AP. If it was anyone else but Collingwood playing I would have like to see your guys get up! That first game was EPIC!

OMG! An AFL thread that I totally missed.

As a Cats fan this year ended badly and we have some work to do to catch up to where the Pies are now. Sorry Erabus but I think "Saints Footy" is a crime against humanity and plays right into Collingwood's hands. All those players in one area of the ground makes it easier for them to press and you can't rely on Goddard and Hayes to have blinders 2 grand finals in a row.

And now we will see what the Gold Coast with their ludicrous draft concessions. I was not in the least surprised to see Gary head north; If someone drove a dumptruck full of money to my house I'd have trouble turning them away.