By Sam McClure
For more than a decade, Marvel Stadium has been a “break glass in case of emergency” venue when it comes to September.
From the AFL’s perspective: it’s there if we need it. Well, the AFL is getting ready to break the glass.
For the first time in 12 years and for just the seventh time since it opened in 2000, the Docklands venue looks primed to host an AFL final.
If the first week of finals were being played this week, all four would be in Melbourne.
Collingwood would host Port Adelaide and Melbourne would play Brisbane Lions in the qualifying finals, while Carlton would play their first final in a decade against Adam Kingsley’s surprising Greater Western Sydney and the Western Bulldogs would battle St Kilda, in what would be Ross Lyon’s 21st final as a coach.
Marvel Stadium could host an AFL final in 2023 for the first time since 2011.Credit: Getty
As a city, Melbourne would be absolutely buzzing. But there’s a problem.
Ideally, the AFL would prefer to play all four games at the MCG, but to do so, you would have to play the games over four days: Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday.
That would mean qualifying final losers would be given an extra two-day break over their next opponents, the winners of the elimination finals. Remember, the AFL likes to give the teams who finish in the top four the Thursday and Friday night finals, so the best-performing teams in the home-and-away season are provided with the most rest going into the rest of the finals.
But if you were to play two games on Saturday, one at the MCG and one at Marvel, you solve that problem.
The league’s youngest club, the Giants, could also solve the problem for the AFL. If results go their way, Kingsley’s team could conceivably finish fifth or sixth, allowing one of the four finals to be played at their home ground in western Sydney. It would be only the fourth final at Giants Stadium.
So which game would be most likely to be fixtured at Marvel? If the Blues finish fifth or sixth, it’s all but certain they will be allowed to host at the MCG.
Carlton have one of the largest fan bases in the game and on top of that, Blues fans haven’t seen their team finish a home-and-away season inside the eight since Brett Ratten’s side destroyed Essendon in an elimination final in 2011.
Even if the Blues were to end up playing the Giants, they would still be expected to draw a massive crowd.
That would leave a team like the Western Bulldogs or St Kilda to host the other final, which is perfect for the AFL given they are both tenant clubs.
Flashback: The last final at the Docklands, in 2011.Credit: Pat Scala
Does anyone remember the last final at Marvel? It wasn’t exactly one for the record books. Ryan O’Keefe was the difference as Sydney prevailed over St Kilda by 25 points in a low-scoring affair in front of less than 40,000 people in 2011.
The final before that in 2007 was certainly memorable. Despite Adelaide racing to an early lead after a seven-goal first quarter, Lance Franklin’s Hawthorn reeled the Crows in at the death and the Hawks won by three points in a game where both teams kicked 15 goals. Franklin booted seven.
Those at league headquarters will be hoping that if they end up breaking the glass and activating the Marvel emergency, they get a game equally as enthralling.
The AFL was contacted by The Scoop, but chose not to comment.
Lance Franklin salutes the fans at Docklands in 2007.Credit: Pat Scala
Pies Go Back For Jack
We told you a couple of weeks ago when Blues brothers Patrick Cripps and Adam Cerra were struggling to get up for the game against West Coast. Well, trackwatchers have provided us with some more selection mail, this time at Collingwood.
Mason Cox was practising extra goal-kicking by himself after training on Wednesday, just days after being best on ground in the VFL. But a senior club source not authorised to speak publicly on team selection said Jack Ginnivan had found his way back into Craig McRae’s good books.
The coach was asked about him on Wednesday: “We need to work through it as a match committee and look for energy in some players, and he’s one that can give us something.”
The lively small forward hasn’t played round 12.
Jack Ginnivan.Credit: AFL Photos
Any Danger?
Caroline Wilson again had the football world talking this week when she broke the story that AFL Chairman Richard Goyder and outgoing CEO Gillon McLachlan had approached Geelong champion Patrick Dangerfield about joining the AFL Commission while he was still playing.
Many clubs approached for their view were unwilling to speak publicly but were surprised at the approach, particularly when one of the most revered figures in the game, Leigh Matthews, only earlier this year said he would be open to a spot on the commission.
Matthews himself admitted the approach to Dangerfield was “unusual”.
“Way back when the commission was formed, it was formed by the clubs and basically the clubs gave control to the game which they had via their individual club directors,” he said.
“But I don’t think the 18 clubs have got any capability these days of doing anything as a group, so on that basis I guess the committee and the executive run their own race.”
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