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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
Jonathan Howcroft

AFL grand final 2022: Geelong Cats demolish Sydney Swans – as it happened

AFL Cats Swans Geelong Sydney AFL Grand Final Grand Final
Chris Scott and Joel Selwood lift the premiership cup after thrashing Sydney in the 2022 AFL grand final at the MCG.
Chris Scott and Joel Selwood lift the premiership cup after thrashing Sydney in the 2022 AFL grand final at the MCG. Photograph: Michael Willson/AFL Photos/Getty Images

Summary

Seven hours, one Up There Cazaly, a Robbie Williams masterclass, and a Geelong thrashing later, and this grand final blog is done. Thank you all for joining me for the biggest shift of the year.

Commiserations Sydney fans, it just wasn’t your day, but doubtless there will be more to come from such a young and powerful group.

Congratulations Geelong, as close to a perfect day as could be designed. Every rein Chris Scott pulled was the right one. Every big name star in hoops stood up. There were defining moments for Joel Selwood, Tom Hawkins, and Patrick Dangerfield.

There wasn’t a disappointment in Geelong colours. They competed in the ruck where they could have been beaten. They dominated at ground level where Sydney are famed. And they moved the ball with a daring previous iterations of the Cats would never have imagined they would witness.

Heroes everywhere you choose to look from Zach Tuohy in his 250th and countryman Mark O’Connor slotting in for the injured Max Holmes. Tyson Stengle adding a premiership medallion and four grand final goals to his All Australian selection. Has there ever been such a single-season career turnaround?

Ok, I’ll sidle off before my fingertips are flat. Thanks again for all your contributions today and all through the season. Let’s do this all again next year.

Geelong, the greatest team of all.
Geelong, the greatest team of all. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

Updated

Now on comes Cameron Ling to hand over the premiership cup to Chris Scott and Joel Selwood. Geelong really are the greatest team of all.

Chris Scott is generous to Sydney, Swans fans, and club sponsors in his speech, reflecting on how the league was struggling at the height of the pandemic.

It is worth noting that two or three years ago our footy club and the whole competition was on its knees. Those people could have run away from us in a heart beat, but they didn’t. They stuck by us and I think we’ve all got these people to thank, the fans for coming back. How good’s footy at the ‘G?

Joel Selwood goes through the motions thanking sponsors and whatnot.

To my teammates and the club, everyone involved in it, not just this year but the years that have gone by, I hope you’re sitting back proud. And to our 72-plus thousand members, we can’t thank you enough, and jump back on board, these boys are so special. It’s coming home! Back where it belongs!

John Nicholls presents Chris Scott with his medallion.

Joel Selwood is the last Cat onto the dais. He gifts his boots to the little tacker who draped the premiership medallion around his neck.

“Congratulations on your first premiership,” says one of the cute kids to Patrick Dangerfield as her head is swallowed by a massive cap. THIS IS THE BEST OF US.

Isaac Smith by the way, led the field for disposals, kicks, and metres gained. Second for goals and marks, and fourth for clearances. Thoroughly deserved.

Now it is indisputably the most heartwarming moment of the year. If you don’t enjoy watching little kids put medals around the necks of their heroes and receiving an oversized cap in return, you have a lump of coal for a heart.

Isaac Smith wins the Norm Smith medal

Nathan Buckley announces the award to a worthy winner.

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Sydney co-captain Dane Rampe has the impossible job of making a speech in these circumstances, and he nails it.

To Chris and Col and Geelong footy club, a heartfelt congratulations on the premiership this year. You guys have been the benchmark for God knows how long. Great to see a great reward for effort.

I just want to touch on Joel Selwood’s record as well. Sometimes you’ve got to pinch yourself when you share the field with Giants of the game and you’re an absolute giant. Congratulations.

Time for the presentations, beginning with Simon Meredith on behalf of the umpires.

All those years of near-misses, dominant home-and-away seasons, and faltering finals. The frustration of rivals for never having to rebuild from scratch. The envy at the capture of Dangerfield and Cameron. The ability to continuously find and polish players like Tim Kelly, Tom Stewart, and Tyson Stengle, and just keep the bandwagon on the road. The jibes at Chris Scott’s tactics. The jabs at the age of the list. The dislike of Selwood – a four-time premiership-winning warrior because he wins a bunch of free-kicks… all that angst and disappointment obliterated in four supreme quarters of relentless footy.

Selwood and Scott embrace both breathing heavily through tears. What a leadership team.

Patrick Dangerfield:

This is Everest. This is the pinnacle. This is what it means to be content, I think. Worth the wait and better than I could have ever imagined. It’s bloody special.

Joel Selwood can barely speak to Matthew Richardson on TV. Tears in his eyes, disbelief on his face.

“They’re so hard to win,” he stammers. “They’re so hard to win. Every side says it, but I think we deserved one. Just been bashing away. We don’t apologise to being up there, having a crack at it each year.”

Patrick Dangerfield is the picture of satisfaction.

Tom Hawkins is in floods of tears.

Full-time: Geelong 20.13 (133) beat Sydney: 8.4 (52)

Geelong are the 2022 AFL premiers.

Q4: 1 min remaining: Geelong 20.13 (133) v 7.4 (46) Sydney: Selwood rubs his eyes in disbelief. Is this his farewell? If it is, what a way to bow out.

Q4: 2 mins remaining: Geelong 20.13 (133) v 7.4 (46) Sydney: The Cats are celebrating on the bench. Chris Scott is down from behind glass. The crowd erupts when Selwood takes an uncontested mark.

Q4: 2 mins remaining: Geelong 20.13 (133) v 7.4 (46) Sydney: The Cats are not satisfied. Another clearance, another entry – Parfitt this time – and Cameron slams his second. We’re into all-time margin territory now.

Q4: 3 mins remaining: Geelong 19.13 (127) v 7.4 (46) Sydney: The Cats are still competing and running like the game is in the balance. The back-line pad their stats before the attack builds down the right. Selwood kicks a banana from 45m on the run under pressure. Of course he does. Everyone piles onto the skipper. Tears. 40th final. Fourth flag. Everything Geelong have touched today has turned to gold.

Q4: 5 mins remaining: Geelong 18.13 (121) v 7.4 (46) Sydney: Warner responds quickly for Sydney, and doesn’t even acknowledge his 70m bomb from downtown that eludes the marking contest he was targeting and bounces through unopposed.

Q4: 5 mins remaining: Geelong 18.13 (121) v 6.4 (40) Sydney: Dangerfield almost takes a flying mark from a Cameron entry. then he almost snaps a left-footer around his body but it’s stopped on the line… by De Koning, who pops up from nowhere to join the party. That’s his first career goal. Would you believe it.

Q4: 7 mins remaining: Geelong 17.13 (115) v 6.4 (40) Sydney: Paddy McCartin kicks a consolation goal after a free-kick in the goalsquare.

Q4: 8 mins remaining: Geelong 17.13 (115) v 5.4 (34) Sydney: Dangerfield finally accepts a shot on goal from a mark, but he kicks across the face from a narrow angle. Of course Geelong tidy up at ground level. Of course Close is involved. Of course Parfitt kicks a goal with his first touch of the footy.

Geoff’s happy.

Q4: 9 mins remaining: Geelong 16.13 (109) v 5.4 (34) Sydney: Brandon Parfitt gets a ten minute cameo in place of Cam Guthrie.

Q4: 10 mins remaining: Geelong 16.13 (109) v 5.4 (34) Sydney: Stengle almost has his fifth but his effort from the boundary kicks off the turf and into the post. Bronx cheers as Franklin accepts an easy mark on centre-wing. He deserves better.

Q4: 12 mins remaining: Geelong 16.12 (108) v 5.3 (33) Sydney: The Cats continue to hunt in midfield like starving jackals. They have been remorseless. Close, superb all day, drills a bullet to the leading Hawkins. The big fella clips the inside of the post with his set shot.

Have a morning pint of Guinness for me please!

Q4: 13 mins remaining: Geelong 16.11 (107) v 5.3 (33) Sydney:

Q4: 14 mins remaining: Geelong 16.11 (107) v 5.3 (33) Sydney: Dangerfield and Smith carve their way through the ground from the centre bounce. The former should take the set shot from 50m but instead invites Cameron to belt his first of the day. Cameron is delighted, Dangerfield is a superstar.

Q4: 14 mins remaining: Geelong 15.11 (101) v 5.3 (33) Sydney: Goal for Sydney! Chad Warner with the finish while I was researching something else.

Q4: 16 mins remaining: Geelong 15.11 (101) v 4.3 (27) Sydney: The intensity has been sucked out of the MCG a little – understandably so – but as the ball is pinned in Sydney’s defensive 50 we could do with a few junk time goals to liven things up.

Q4: 18 mins remaining: Geelong 15.11 (101) v 4.3 (27) Sydney: Parker wins the first clearance of the quarter but Stewart fists the ball away from Franklin and Atkins mops up. The Swans rebound through Papley, switch play to the right, but Kolodjashnij intercepts and the Cats play keep-ball from one end to the other but Cameron can’t hold onto a mark he should have taken. No bother, Miers scrags a Swan and wins a free-kick to keep the Cats on the hunt.

It does now feel as though the only decision left to be made is the Norm Smith Medalist. Isaac Smith is the front-runner with three goals, 25 disposals, eight marks, and 641 metres gained. Patrick Dangerfield is in the equation with nine clearances and an eye-catching level of influence. Don't rule out Tyson Stengle (4.0) and Tom Hawkins (3.3) either, with both capable of ending with a bag.

3QT: Geelong 15.11 (101) v 4.3 (27) Sydney

Geelong are one quarter away from a premiership.

Q3: 1 mins remaining: Geelong 15.11 (101) v 4.3 (27) Sydney: I’m now unable to narrate Sydney’s woes. Just rest assured every time they try to come out of defence they fail, and whenever they have movement in midfield it’s intercepted. Just a horror show.

Q3: 2 mins remaining: Geelong 15.11 (101) v 4.3 (27) Sydney: Geelong could have scored four goals since the last update without success. Another is theirs for the taking but Isaac Smith smashes wide from 50m when he could have found a teammate earlier. Luke Hodge is clear Smith will be hunting a Norm Smith Medal. He is absolutely in contention, but for my money Dangerfield is leading the race.

Q3: 4 mins remaining: Geelong 15.9 (99) v 4.3 (27) Sydney: The ball almost reached Franklin. I genuinely forgot he was playing, and then I felt sad. He has not had a sniff.

Q3: 6 mins remaining: Geelong 15.9 (99) v 4.3 (27) Sydney: Stanley, Selwood, Dangerfield and Blicavs have battled hard in midfield all day. Close has been tigerish further forward. The latter is again prominent to suffocate the Swans but he and Dangerfield can’t extricate the ball in traffic. For the time being anyway. A stoppage later Stengle takes a diving mark in the left forward pocket from Dangerfield’s neat left-footed chip. The All Australian steps off his mark, kicks around his body and lands his fourth goal of the afternoon – three of which have been belters. Everything is coming up Geelong.

Q3: 8 mins remaining: Geelong 14.9 (93) v 4.3 (27) Sydney: Sydney almost break but Stewart ragdolls the nearest red guernsey and suddenly there’s open field for Geelong. Naturally, that ends with Hawkins marking on the lead. He slices a behind. Not to worry. Dangerfield forces another turnover as the Swans lose their marbles coming out of defence. Stengle snaps his third. When does the mercy rule kick-in? Never! Scream Port Adelaide supporters.

Q3: 9 mins remaining: Geelong 13.8 (86) v 4.3 (27) Sydney: Miers to Selwood, to Close, to Smith, to Dangerfield, defence to attack like a Rolls Royce going through the gears. The final delivery is poor but the Cats have the ball locked in.

Q3: 11 mins remaining: Geelong 13.8 (86) v 4.3 (27) Sydney: Another holding the ball call for Dangerfield! Rohan almost honours the free-kick with a flying mark at the top of the square but it isn’t paid. Sydney look shellshocked. They are being bullied out there. Another holding the ball call, this time Close on Florent. Chris Scott must be the proudest man alive right now.

Q3: 13 mins remaining: Geelong 13.8 (86) v 4.3 (27) Sydney: Geelong take their time piecing their way out of the back half with Miers, Cameron, and Hawkins all involved, but another high tackle, the latest of many from the Cats, stalls progress. That is until Dangerfield is too strong in the contest and then alert at ground level with Close in support to bring a wave of pain crashing over the Sydney back line. This is brutal. Eventually a holding the ball call is paid and Cam Guthrie kicks a goal. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Geelong play this hungry. Man for man in every position they look bigger, stronger, and more desperate to win.

Q3: 14 mins remaining: Geelong 12.8 (80) v 4.3 (27) Sydney: Sydney finally exit their defensive 50 and painfully chip the ball forward. It grows into a dangerous move down the right but O’Connor is on hand to fist the ball behind.

Updated

Q3: 15 mins remaining: Geelong 12.8 (80) v 4.2 (26) Sydney: Here they come again, this time from a turnover in midfield until Duncan holds onto the mark on 50m. He tries to find Cameron but the ball comes to ground and the Cats hold it in.

Q3: 17 mins remaining: Geelong 12.8 (80) v 4.2 (26) Sydney: Blicavs with the latest centre clearance. Poor McCartin spills a chest mark under pressure and Geelong lock the ball in. The Cats recycle the ball around the arc like Barcelona playing total football under Pep Guardiola, until Smith lines up on the paint and lashes a missile through the posts. This is now an inter-club match for the Norm Smith medal. Put the ribbons on the cup already.

Ryan Clarke is tackled by Tom Stewart.
Ryan Clarke is tackled by Tom Stewart. Photograph: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos/Getty Images

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Q3: 17 mins remaining: Geelong 11.8 (74) v 4.2 (26) Sydney: Stanley does well in the ruck. Stewart and Stengle combine to find Smith but his entry is picked off. Oh dear oh dear. Talk about picked off… McCartin, after being run down a moment ago, now kicks across the face of goal, Close nips in like a sneakthief, marks, goals, and Geelong are now surely out of sight.

Q3: 18 mins remaining: Geelong 10.8 (68) v 4.2 (26) Sydney: Sam Reid has finally been subbed out for Braeden Campbell.

Q3: 19 mins remaining: Geelong 10.8 (68) v 4.2 (26) Sydney: There’s no decisive initial clearance but Geelong’s pressure hustles the ball forward. It’s relentless. Bews, Blicavs, and finally Duncan hauls down McCartin 15m out and the Cats should open the scoring this half. And they do! That’ll teach me to pay more attention to Mitch Duncan. That is a gut punch to the Swans.

Ok, the two sides are back out for the second half. Can Sydney step up and make it a premiership quarter?

Funny how you watch a match, isn’t it? I only have one memory of Mitch Duncan that half and it’s him being run down in a tackle looking like he was sidestepping through treacle. Then the stats tell me he had 12 marks and seven marks. Meanwhile, Gary Rohan looked busy but has just three disposals to his credit.

Vision of the Sydney rooms suggests Sam Reid is going to come out after half-time. How long he lasts thereafter remains to be seen, but it doesn’t feel like a great call from the Swans camp, especially in contrast to Geelong who made a tough call on Holmes which is paying off so far with O’Connor slotting in nicely.

How many Allen’s Killer Pythons is too many in a sitting? Asking for a friend.

Luke Parker is fighting gamely with a Swans-best 13 touches and four clearances to go with his nine tackles. Nine tackles! In a half! That alone tells you how the game has gone. Franklin, Heeney, McInerney, and McLean all have only two kicks to their names.

Smith has a game-high 15 disposals and 297 metres gained, to go with his two goals, Hawkins has three majors, Dangerfield six clearances. Praise due also to Geelong’s defenders, De Koning in particular, for their ability to intercept or repel almost everything Sydney try to send their way.

Half-time: Geelong 9.8 (62) v 4.2 (26) Sydney

The Swans have stemmed the bleeding, but this grand final is Geelong’s to lose now.

Q2: 1 min remaining: Geelong 9.8 (62) v 4.2 (26) Sydney: Tuouhy is almost caught in possession but then Smith is after Papley’s clearance. The ball goes deep, but there’s a whistle Geelong’s way. The TV cameras cut to Reid walking glumly into the rooms.

Q2: 1 min remaining: Geelong 9.8 (62) v 4.2 (26) Sydney: The centre bounce doesn’t favour either side but the secondary phase works for Sydney and Warner in particular. Reid again doesn’t look right as the ball comes infield and Geelong clear down the right.

Q2: 3 mins remaining: Geelong 9.8 (62) v 4.2 (26) Sydney: Geelong don’t clear though and the ball is soon in Heeney’s hands from scoring range. He uses every inch of the space between the posts to squeeze home a major. Sydney are just about keeping themselves in it.

Isaac Heeney

Updated

Q2: 4 mins remaining: Geelong 9.8 (62) v 3.2 (20) Sydney: The Swans are trying all manner of risks to break the shackles as they chip their way downfield. It works. McInerney marks 60m out and invites Stephens to shoot. Running inside 50 he slaps a rubbish left-footed effort that’s off hands for a ball-in. From the next passage of play Papley swivels neatly but it’s always a point.

Q2: 5 mins remaining: Geelong 9.8 (62) v 3.1 (19) Sydney: Dangerfield again with his sixth clearance! This time it leads to a free Sydney’s way though with Hawkins pinged for holding an arm. Dangerfield doesn’t mind, he accepts a loose clearing kick and hammers another ball downfield. Close crumbs off hands and hits the bread basket of Tom Hawkins. Not a great set shot from the big lad and he has to make do with a point.

Q2: 6 mins remaining: Geelong 9.7 (61) v 3.1 (19) Sydney: Warner was superb in that previous play but he’s powerless to deny the supreme Dangerifeld who is dominating centre clearances. This time he works with Atkins to free Stengle who marks 45m out to the left and he roosts his second majestic goal of the day! Every time the Swans have steadied Geelong have just belted them back onto the ropes. This has been ferocious from the Cats.

Q2: 7 mins remaining: Geelong 8.7 (55) v 3.1 (19) Sydney: Parker outmuscles Dangerfield and Heeney can win the centre clearance but Henry marks and Geelong get back into their stride down the right. Smith delivers and off hands the Cats can sniff another goal but Duncan sidesteps straight into a tackle and is smashed holding the ball. Of course, De Koning deals with the exiting kick and Smith sets up another attack, but this one is cut out and the Swans rebound down the left. Reid is involved – but he does not look right – still, the attack continues, Mills marks just on 50, goes back and launches a superb goal! That was a tremendous wallop.

Q2: 9 mins remaining: Geelong 8.7 (55) v 2.1 (13) Sydney: More repeat stoppages after Rowbottom withstands a massive collision with O’Connor, but Dangerfield parts the seas to emerge with the ball. The quick change of momentum allows Hawkins a 1-1 that forces Tom McCartin into a foul. From a narrow angle in the right forward pocket, Hawkins threads the needle for his third! The full forward has equaled his grand final record already.

Patrick Dangerfield in full flight.
Patrick Dangerfield in full flight. Photograph: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos/Getty Images

Updated

Q2: 10 mins remaining: Geelong 7.7 (49) v 2.1 (13) Sydney: Stewart is pinged for coming off his mark bringing the ball in and Sydney get a dangerous ball-in opportunity. The play has become something of a grind with repeat stoppages rolling slowly around the ground. Tuohy then does magnificently, kicking across his body out of defence under pressure to allow a mark on right centre wing.

Q2: 12 mins remaining: Geelong 7.7 (49) v 2.1 (13) Sydney: Guthrie clears from the centre square, there’s little separation and Cameron forces a ball-in in on the left wing. Repeat stoppages threaten to break Geelong’s way but when Selwood tries to set up an attack it’s a scrubby kick that’s intercepted. Sydney look to rebound quickly but Geelong are too well set. From the second phase Sydney have space and cut through the centre of the ground until a floaty ball is intercepted by O’Connor on defensive 50. The Cats can’t clear their lines through, Cam Guthrie is caught in possession and Warner has a snap… that floats well wide.

Q2: 13 mins remaining: Geelong 7.7 (49) v 2.1 (13) Sydney: Another kick outside 50, another Geelong fist – De Koning this time, and the game slows down. Smith and Atkins then combine to build down the right but the centring ballis picked off and Sydney rebound. Geelong’s pressure is incredible and a holding the ball call looks imminent but another high-tackle call is made against Rohan and Sydney can go deep. And Mclean takes a one-handed screamer in the goal-square! The Swans needed that. And they need much much more before the final siren.

Q2: 14 mins remaining: Geelong 7.7 (49) v 1.1 (7) Sydney: The Swans can’t clear their lines again. 18 of the last 19 inside-50s have gone Geelong’s way. The latest ends with a rushed behind.

Q2: 15 mins remaining: Geelong 7.6 (48) v 1.1 (7) Sydney: Another Geelong centre clearance, Blicavs spins and belts the ball inside 50 – Rohan wins the pack mark – and another scoring shot materialises. He sprays it wide for a point.

Q2: 16 mins remaining: Geelong 7.5 (47) v 1.1 (7) Sydney: Franklin comes all the way up the ground to try to get his hands on the footy, but when he gets involved the play is static around him and Geelong set up to clear. Every bouncing ball has a Cat at ground level, every aerial contest has a Geelong fist near it. Bews marks the latest clearing kick, he calmly finds Stengle just inside 50 and the Cats have another shot at goal. The All Australian small forward roosts a monster and the Cats kick further clear.

Tyson Stengle celebrates his goal.
Tyson Stengle celebrates his goal. Photograph: Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

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Q2: 18 mins remaining: Geelong 6.5 (41) v 1.1 (7) Sydney: It isn’t pretty but Geelong smuggle the ball downfield with Rohan effective. Again they have territorial control in the right forward pocket, but Stengle clips Rampe high and Sydney can clear. Stewart is there again though and the ball is pumped straight back. But again a high hit rescues the Swans – Rohan this time a little clumsy.

Q2: 19 mins remaining: Geelong 6.5 (41) v 1.1 (7) Sydney: Stanley should have the clearance but Papley does well to smother. Stewart should then clear but he’s run down. The ball breaks to Franklin… who smashes the post with a snap from 15m on an angle. Almost the dream start to the quarter from Sydney.

Isaac Heeney hasn’t touched the footy. Lance Franklin just the one disposal, Sam Reid two. The Swans have been torched and need an immediate response.

Geelong have almost double Sydney’s disposal count, almost triple the inside-50s, and triple the number of marks – five of which have been inside-50, to Sydney’s 0.

Joel Selwood has 12 disposals and four marks, Tom Hawkins and Isaac Smith have two goals apiece. Blicavs, De Koning, Dangerfield, Guthrie, and Stewart were also superb in that opening onslaught.

QT: Geelong 6.5 (41) v 1.0 (6) Sydney

That was one-way traffic. Geelong absolutely rampant.

Q1: 1 min remaining: Geelong 6.5 (41) v 1.0 (6) Sydney: Selwood then kicks to a contest that Sydney win, before marking the subsequent kick downfield. This time Geelong exit and O’Connor marks 70m on centre wing. He goes long, Close is busy, the ball comes off hands for a point.

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Q1: 1 min remaining: Geelong 6.4 (40) v 1.0 (6) Sydney: Henry is the man this time to repel Sydney’s clearance but Smith and Close can’t advance far down the right flank before a ball-in. The Swans win a couple of challenges and get the ball downfield. Geelong do well to repel the first effort then Selwood forces a rushed kick out on the full.

Q1: 2 mins remaining: Geelong 6.4 (40) v 1.0 (6) Sydney: Geelong again win the clearing kick outside 50 – Zach Guthrie this time – and he’s awarded a 50m penalty for encroachment. Another shot for goal… and another behind.

Q1: 2 mins remaining: Geelong 6.3 (39) v 1.0 (6) Sydney: It’s a 50:50 centre bounce but Geelong soon wrestle possession away. Blicavs is strong, Guthrie decisive, and Cameron marks on the lead 40m out… but he can’t split the big sticks this time.

Q1: 3 mins remaining: Geelong 6.2 (38) v 1.0 (6) Sydney: The Swans try to exit 50 – De Koning gets a fist to the contest, Smith swivels and kicks in an instant, Close marks on the angle 40m out. He goes back and kicks Geelong’s sixth – the first time in grand final history they have kicked so many in an opening quarter. This is extraordinary.

Q1: 4 mins remaining: Geelong 5.2 (32) v 1.0 (6) Sydney: Reid beats three Cats in the air in a crucial contest but Sydney can’t capitalise because Stewart is so good. The Cats build again down the right – their preferred side all quarter – and soon they have another entry through Stengle. Miers crumbs, snaps, but it’s a behind.

Isaac Smith gets away from Dane Rampe.
Isaac Smith gets away from Dane Rampe. Photograph: Robert Cianflone/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

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Q1: 5 mins remaining: Geelong 5.1 (31) v 1.0 (6) Sydney: Geelong are almost out again but Selwood slips. Stewart does complete the clearance and Hawkins hustles McCartin into panicking in the right forward pocket. From the ball in Rampe tries to clear but Selwood marks on 50 then feeds Miers on the lead. the number 32 absolutely butchers the set shot which flies out on the full.

Q1: 6 mins remaining: Geelong 5.1 (31) v 1.0 (6) Sydney: Another Dangerfield special at the centre bounce! Hawkins has separation – but he can’t grab the mark. Sydney scramble and just about clear their lines. Rowbottom is then run down from behind by O’Connor and the MCG is a cacophony of noise. Geelong don’t hang around. Cameron marks 60m out on the right, the ball is delivered deep, and it’s that man Smith again, snapping truly on the run with that trusty left boot! This is incredible from the Cats.

Q1: 7 mins remaining: Geelong 4.1 (25) v 1.0 (6) Sydney: Dangerfield does brilliantly at the clearance to turn a 50:50 contest into a Geelong sortie. Stanley belts the ball forward, the Cats get busy at ground level and in the blink of an eye Isaac Smith is pumping the air with his fist after a typical running left-footed snap. Geelong are rampant!

Q1: 8 mins remaining: Geelong 3.1 (19) v 1.0 (6) Sydney: Guthrie wins the latest centre clearance and sets Geelong in motion. Dangerfield spins and delivers deep inside 50 for Blicavs to mark 25m out. The former steeplechaser swings around belts the Cats’ third on his left foot.

Q1: 8 mins remaining: Geelong 2.1 (13) v 1.0 (6) Sydney: Another centre clearance for the Swans that comes to nought. Geelong can’t clear far though and Papley is soon launching to the top of the square. The ball comes to ground off hands and Hayward crumbs and snaps truly for a Sydney steadier!

Q1: 9 mins remaining: Geelong 2.1 (13) v 0.0 (0) Sydney: Geelong continue to look the likelier of the two sides. Close and Hawkins combine well on the right boundary line to set up territory. And Hawkins kicks another from the ruck contest! Ball-in deep in the right forward pocket, the All Australian captain out-muscles his direct opponent, gathers, spins, and goals with the outside of his boot. Brilliant start from the Tomahawk.

Q1: 10 mins remaining: Geelong 1.1 (7) v 0.0 (0) Sydney: But not for the first time today Geelong struggle with the switch and Sydney pinch the ball off them. No sooner do they do that than the Cats intercept and rebound fast through Guthrie. Cameron is isolated 1-on-1 but he gets caught under the ball, misses the mark, then is pinged holding the footy in broken play.

Q1: 12 mins remaining: Geelong 1.1 (7) v 0.0 (0) Sydney: Bews is pinged for holding the ball 60m out. Mills sets up Franklin in a pack but again Geelong have enough bodies and handball their way clear with a series of deft touches. The Cats advance down the right flank and re-establish control of possession and territory.

Q1: 13 mins remaining: Geelong 1.1 (7) v 0.0 (0) Sydney: Hickey wins a clean centre bounce but the initial entry is cleared. Sydney go back but Franklin can’t bust a pack and Henry clears. The pressure is released when Selwood is taken high but Guthrie coughs up a cheap turnover and the Swans can build through the lines.

Q1: 14 mins remaining: Geelong 1.1 (7) v 0.0 (0) Sydney: Cameron misses a chest mark on the run but De Koning intercepts as soon as Sydney try to clear. Cameron then misses his mark by foot but Stewart this time mops up overhead then on the ground. Stengle has time on the right wing but he can’t find a target at the top of the square. Still the ball is locked at Sydney’s end… and finally all that pressure counts! Tom Hawkins snaps the opening goal from behind a ruck contest after a ball-in in the left-forward pocket.

Tom Hawkins

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Q1: 15 mins remaining: Geelong 0.1 (1) v 0.0 (0) Sydney: The first attack fails but the Swans keep up the pressure and force a contest on the 50m arc that goes Atkins’ way. The Cats attack down the right wing and the ball goes off hands near the behind post. Geelong again suffocate in Sydney territory and lock the ball in.

Q1: 16 mins remaining: Geelong 0.1 (1) v 0.0 (0) Sydney: Blicavs again strong in the ruck but Dangerfield can’t find a teammate with a handball under pressure and a high-tackle from a Cat allows Sydney to clear, but they dump the ball straight out of touch and Geelong can rebound… only they don’t! Trying to switch from left to right De Koning kicks out on the full and invites the Swans to attack.

Q1: 17 mins remaining: Geelong 0.1 (1) v 0.0 (0) Sydney: Another Geelong entry, Blicavs this time straight from the ball-in. Hawkins does well at ground level, Close has a sniff but Sydney get enough bodies around the ball and deny a shot on goal. The Cats then lock the ball in Sydney territory. The game has all bee in Sydney’s defensive third early.

Q1: 18 mins remaining: Geelong 0.1 (1) v 0.0 (0) Sydney: Another entry for the Cats, this time from Hawkins as Sydney fail to clear their lines. Blicavs can’t prosper with a snap and Sydney escape. Geelong have started brightly.

Q1: 19 mins remaining: Geelong 0.1 (1) v 0.0 (0) Sydney: Geelong gain a slender advantage from the opening bounce. The pressure flows forward as both sides try to control the hot ball. Tuohy feeds off the scraps, delivers inside 50 to the advancing Hawkins and the big power forward marks in the right forward pocket. From 50m on the narrowest of angles he’s on the skinny side.

The 2022 AFL grand final is underway!

All or nothing.

Ok, Cats by 24, Cam Guthrie for the Norm Smith. See you on the other side folks.

Chris Scott and John Longmire shake hands. Both teams huddle, slap backs, pat backsides, hide their nerves. The sun is beating down on the MCG. This is the dream.

Katie Noonan delivers a beautiful, delicate rendition of Advance Australia Fair. The siren sounds, everyone roars. It’s on.

Bachar Houli brings out the cup and hands it over to Cameron Ling and Paul Kelly.

Geelong are the home side today, which means they’re in blue shorts to offset the blue hoops on their predominately white guernsey. The Swans are top to toe in red with white accents. A very pleasing combination of kits.

And now the steely Cats with Joel Selwood in front of 250-gamer Zach Tuohy. The oldest average age of any side in history. They look focussed and imposing. Selwood walks out, embraces Gary Ablett, and takes the club legend’s son in his arms to burst the banner. A beautiful moment.

Updated

Sydney’s players look edgy as they leave their room but then break out into smiles as they turn the corner and see the wall of supporters and photographers along the race. Then they sprint out into the sunlight, through the banner, and take in the jaunty oompah-oompah of the club song. Sitting for the club photo it hits you how young and relatively inexperienced many of the Swans are.

Updated

Umpires Simon Meredith, Matt Stevic, and Brendan Hosking stride out onto the MCG turf. They accept the match ball, the siren sounds, and the formal prematch proceedings are underway.

Field umpires Matt Stevic (L), Brendan Hosking and Simon Meredith (R) pose for a photo during the 2022 Grand Final Umpires Announcement at Marvel Stadium.
Field umpires Matt Stevic (L), Brendan Hosking and Simon Meredith (R) pose for a photo during the 2022 Grand Final Umpires Announcement at Marvel Stadium. Photograph: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos/Getty Images

That was very very good.

Delta Goodrem arrives on stage to take on the Kylie role in a rendition of Kids.

This is up there with The Killers nailing Forgotten Years a few grannys ago as the big screen at the G shows John Farnham in black and white belting out the chorus while Williams advances on the camera urging TV viewers at home to join in.

Woof! Now he’s taking on Farnsie… “With love to John,” Williams launches into You’re the Voice.

The chorus of Angels reverberates around the G like it’s closing time at a student pub in northern England. The TV broadcast lingers over the sign on the recently christened Shane Warne Stand. This is straight to the pool room content.

The opening chords to Angels strike up. “Love you Warnie,” announces Williams.

Love him or hate him, this is a masterpiece in how to perform in a stadium.

“Back to the hits…” as Feel kicks in.

“This is the obligatory new song we’ll get through together,” apologises Williams as the down-tempo Lost kicks in.

Now we’re onto Rock DJ, with a heavy emphasis on the “can I kick it?” refrain. Out on the oval are now a troupe of space-suit silver clad dancers carrying mirrorballs. I like it.

To be fair, he was born for this. Performer, MC, hype-man all rolled into one. And he’s giving it 100%.

Robbie Williams

Updated

“Over the next 20 minutes I’m going to be phenomenal,” Williams boasts between lines. He’s certainly not overawed by the occasion.

Dressed in an unmissable magenta suit Robbie Williams opens with this, of course he does.

Here comes Bob from Stoke.

Sydney 22

Sam Reid starts despite limping off before the final siren of the preliminary final. John Longmire’s only change to the 22 that defeated Collingwood was listed earlier in the week with Hayden McLean coming in for Logan McDonald.

B: O.Florent, T.McCartin, D.Rampe
HB: N.Blakey, P.McCartin, J.Lloyd
C: C.Mills, C.Warner, J.McInerney
HF: I.Heeney, S.Reid, W.Hayward
F: T.Papley, L.Franklin, E.Gulden
FOLL: T.Hickey, J.Rowbottom, L.Parker
I/C: R.Fox, D.Stephens, R.Clarke, H.McLean
Sub: B.Campbell

Sam Reid has made the cut, but is he fully fit?
Sam Reid has made the cut, but is he fully fit? Photograph: Cameron Spencer/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Geelong 22

One change for the Cats, as discussed, with Max Holmes failing to pull up in time from the hamstring injury he suffered in the prelim. Mark O’Connor makes the 22 with Brandon Parfitt moving up into the sub spot.

B: J.Kolodjashnij, S.De Koning, J.Bews
HB: M.Duncan, T.Stewart, J.Henry
C: M.Blicavs, J.Selwood, Z.Tuohy
HF: B.Close, J.Cameron, I.Smith
F: T.Stengle, T.Hawkins, G.Rohan
FOLL: R.Stanley, P.Dangerfield, C.Guthrie
I/C: Z.Guthrie, G.Miers, T.Atkins, M.O’Connor
Sub: B.Parfitt

Joel Selwood leads out the Cats in a record 40th AFL final.
Joel Selwood leads out the Cats in a record 40th AFL final. Photograph: Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

And while the superstars of recent seasons wave their farewells, Mike Brady takes the stage. “Come on everybody! Let’s sing the song!” he bellows. Oh, go on then.

Me, I like football.

Rising Star Nick Daicos also gets a lap in a Hi-Lux. This won’t be his last visit to grand final day.

Uncle Colin Hunter Jr has delivered the Welcome to Country. Now it’s time for the parade of retirees with Shaun Edwards, Ben McEvoy, and a pair of Josh Kennedys out early.

If Geelong win, Joel Selwood will demand plenty of column inches. A fourth flag, premiership captain, a record 40th final, and a record-equaling span between first and last triumphs. What a player, what a career.

Two goalkickers of repute, Matthew Richardson and Brian Taylor, are out on the MCG and both have been taken aback by the strength of the crosswind as they scrutinise Sydney practising kicks for goal.

I hope you’re sitting comfortably because we’re nearing the business end of proceedings. Here’s what’s to come in the next hour or so.

1:25pm Welcome to Country by Uncle Colin Hunter Jr
1:26pm Grand Final Motorcade
1:33pm Mike Brady
1:40pm Robbie Williams with Delta Goodrem
2:11pm Umpire entry and match ball delivery
2:13-2:16pm Teams enter
2:24pm Acknowledgement of Country
2:25pm Delivery of the 2022 Premiership Cup by Bachar Houli
2:26pm National anthem
2:28pm Coin toss
2:30pm A massive roar

Ball!
Ball! Photograph: Darrian Traynor/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Filling up nicely.

Under two hours to the bounce…

Chris Scott is speaking to Channel Seven and he has confirmed Geelong’s 22. Max Holmes misses out.

Mark O’Connor comes in and in Brandon Parfitt will be our sub. It’s desperately unlucky for Max because he was so close. This was one of those calls where, in my mind, he is probably 98% there but we just needed certainty for the team. It’s really hard on him. He probably could have done it but this was the right decision under the circumstances and Brandon and Mark have been good for us this year. We are just going to go with the fit guys.

Max Holmes was put through a fitness test by Geelong but he has not been selected.
Max Holmes was put through a fitness test by Geelong but he has not been selected. Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Speaking of the sprint, the magnificently named Hugo Ralphsmith from Richmond has just dashed to glory.

That’s just got me thinking – turn the half-time sprint into a competition between the club mascot animals, instead of the players. Hawks chasing magpies leaving a bulldog on the starting line. Dean Brogan could race for both Port Adelaide and GWS.

Cats on the move

Also, here’s a cat on the move.

This is tremendously specific. Hickey for Norm Smith would be incredible.

Time for a Robbie Williams cul-de-sac, before the former Take That heartthrob (and nouveau Carlton fan) takes the stage.

Here he is with Jon Ronson talking UFOs

Robbie Williams is interested in conspiracies.

Here he is playing golf.

Robbie Williams likes golf.

Here he is playing for the football club of his dreams, Port Vale.

Robbie Williams likes football.

Ok, futile argument klaxon. What did Jonathan Horn get right and what did he get wrong in his list of the greatest grand finals of the past 50 years?

Surely nobody’s challenging top spot, are they?

Swans on the move.

Also, a swan on the move.

Lol.

Thanks Harry. Hopefully I’ll be wrapped up in time here to enjoy the NRL prelim with you.

There are individual storylines aplenty today from the record-breaking Joel Selwood, to Patrick Dangerfield’s defining moment, or the resilience of brothers McCartin, but Lance Franklin looms large, returning to the G for his sixth grand final – and third with Sydney, with doubts over his stunning switch from the Hawks a distant memory.

Craig Little shares the Buddy love.

We are privileged to again see Franklin on the game’s biggest stage, 17 years after his debut. Since his last appearance in a grand final in 2016, his standing in the game has only been enhanced. The reaction to his 1,000th career goal in March when Sydney last met Geelong all but confirmed his status as an enduring legend of the sport.

Enjoy the day, and roar “BALL!” for me.

The MCC Library is a wonderful place and they do great things.

Much more on the situation at Hawthorn can be found here with the latest report detailing how disturbing the review’s author, Phil Egan, found the revelations. “To hear and see the trauma as it was personally conveyed to me was like a nightmare,” he said.

Inevitably we need to confront the disturbing allegations reported by the ABC this week, and the report submitted to Hawthorn and the AFL around the club’s historic treatment of young First Nations footballers.

Jonathan Horn considers how Wednesday’s revelations juxtapose with today’s celebrations.

It evoked a sense this entire competition is built on bullshit, that it’s hard to take anything coming from the mouths of clubs seriously. Football clubs, and the entire industry that feeds off the game, throw around words like “culture” as though they’re building orphanages. “Bloods Culture” and “The Family Club” almost become marketing terms. We build up the leaders, and particularly the coaches, to the point where they are apparently unimpeachable. We often forget that their ultimate business is winning, and that they will do anything to accomplish that. The “Whatever It Takes” sign at Essendon became something of a running joke during the supplements scandal. But there’s no joking about this story.

Anyone who arranges a wedding for the last Saturday in September deserves no guests.

The Sydneysider perspective comes from Cynthia Banham in a beautiful column that demonstrates the importance of a football club to a person’s identity.

It isn’t just that the Swans as a club are highly professional, with emotionally intelligent people, a selfless brand of football, and a commitment to supporters based on the principle of inclusivity. It isn’t just that attending games at the SCG is a joyous experience, full of music and community and superstar athletes. Or that the Swans have come to embody Sydney, the city. That, more than accepted, they are beloved, they are us. The fact is, the Swans are wrapped up in my identity. I feel a connection to the club that transcends the game, the players and people of the day.

This is a clash between footy’s two constants of the millennium with both teams heading to their record-equaling sixth grand finals since Y2K. However, Brisbane’s three-peat, Hawthorn’s cruise to four, and Richmond’s resurgence have put the consistency of Geelong and Sydney in the shade.

The Cats in particular would benefit from a flag that amends the historical record to more accurately reflect their brilliance over the past couple of decades. Geoff Lemon, a lifelong Cat, takes up this theme in his love letter to the blue and white hoops.

Flags are not everything, but the best win-loss record in the competition over a decade without one is hard to understand. There was a strange upset to Fremantle in 2012, a missed kick in the last minute of the 2013 prelim, out in straight sets in 2014, and several knockout torchings in years to follow. The 2020 grand final was strange - shortened quarters played in Brisbane during lockdown against a Richmond side in its own pomp - but a third-quarter lead was still an opportunity lost. This season is back to normal, back to the MCG at last, and the Cats have clearly been the best team of the year. This is the one that they should and must bring home, for this era to feel worthwhile. Although, no matter the result, the crowds will turn up to Kardinia Park again to start next year. They are Geelong, after all.

Conditions

All things considered, conditions should be pretty decent this afternoon.

The headline news is that it’s chilly and blustery, but dry with a chequerboard of blue sky and white fluffy clouds overhead for the duration.

The only impediment is likely to be that southerly breeze as it sneaks into the G and dances around annoyingly, like Peter Hore. It should make for some pretty shots of flags fluttering in the stands though.

There are one or two very isolated showers skirting around Port Phillip Bay, so don’t sue me if one drifts over the ground before the final siren. However, the chances of that happening appear very low.

If email and Twitter weren’t enough, we’re open below the line!

Thanks Reason4, you are correct, this is the most challenging of all the live-blogs, but also one of the most fun (if my jelly snake supply doesn’t run out).

The sense memory of grand final week is enhanced by so many good (or so-kitchy-they’re-good) songs providing a soundtrack. Sure, it might give the occasion an aesthetic of a certain vintage, but that will doubtless be updated and overhauled as time goes on. For now, I think it’s something to cherish.

Paul Kelly looking over the bridge to the MCG.

The suburban pageantry of Grand Final week is Australiana at its best. All over the country there are flags in front yards, fences painted in team colours, and posters papered over windows. It is more than just a football match it’s a marker of time, riding shotgun with the equinox to navigate us away from the cold muddy depths of the winter footy season and into the blossom-filled jasmine-scented spring warmth.

Fans of Geelong and Sydney prepare for the AFL grand final.
Fans of Geelong and Sydney prepare for the AFL grand final. Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Updated

Speaking of the Norm Smith medal, here’s today’s voting panel.

John McDougall wins the prize of my eternal admiration for sending in the first email of the day. “The Cats will win today by 14 and Blicavs will get Norm,” he opens with confidence. Changing tone quickly, he adds, “almost too anxious to tune in to free-to-air from sunny Canberra, given our history of carrying handbags, but this year feels different - a little like 2007 where we just believed to hell we’d do enough and just kept on maniacally until the final siren, so hoping for that again. Have my scarf and my Cheezels, so go Cats!”

Good luck John, but sunny Canberra; seriously?

I’ll hold off the final team lists until they’re confirmed as there are a couple of doubts around the fitness of players named in the 22s earlier this week.

Of those, it seems likely Max Holmes will miss out for Geelong which is devastating news for one of the performers that have allowed the Cats to up their intensity this season. Chris Scott need take no risks though considering he has both Brandon Parfitt and Sam Menegola among the emergencies.

For Holmes it appears to be yet more grand final day disappointment. Here he is back in 2010.

There’s still a tiny window of opportunity to get the bet view of this afternoon’s match. Get in there quick!

It’s going to be a long day, so I’m going to need your help (especially after being up since five am to deal with a six-year-old with a mozzie bite on his bum).

I want to know all your grand final traditions, superstitions, and rituals. I want to know where you’re tuning in from, how you’re watching along, and what kind of odyssey you’ve undertaken to get to the G, return to your home state, or find an illegal stream.

Tell me who’s going to win and why. Give me your Norm Smith tips. Share your highlights of the season and grand finals past. What are your thoughts on Robbie Williams? Did anybody go to the parade yesterday? You get the idea.

Emails: jonathan.howcroft.casual@guardian.co.uk
Tweets: @JPHowcroft

The AFL Premiership Cup
The prize on offer for Geelong and Sydney this afternoon. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

Dodge the swooping magpies, stick your party pies in the oven, fill up your esky with ice, and clutch your bar scarves close because the 2022 AFL Grand Final between Geelong and Sydney is here. The first bounce at the MCG is 2.30pm.

It's that One Day in September

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