2007 AFL Grand Final
Encyclopedia
The 2007 AFL Grand Final
was an Australian rules football
game contested between the Geelong Football Club
and the Port Adelaide Football Club
, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
in Melbourne
on 29 September 2007. It was the 111th annual Grand Final
of the VFL/AFL
, staged to determine the premiers for the 2007 AFL season
. The match, attended by 97,302 spectators, was won by Geelong by a margin of 119 points, the biggest in VFL/AFL Grand Final history. The victory marked Geelong's seventh premiership win, and ended its 44 year premiership drought.
. Geelong had lost only one game since Round 5: by five points to Port Adelaide at Skilled Stadium in Round 21 when Dominic Cassisi goaled with 3 seconds remaining. The grand final was Geelong's first appearance in a premiership decider since losing the 1995 Grand Final
. Geelong defeated the Kangaroos
in their qualifying final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
by 106 points, earning them a second week bye, before they met the Collingwood Magpies
in a preliminary final showdown at the MCG. Geelong won a tightly fought contest with the Magpies by 5 points in front of a crowd of 98,002, a higher attendance than the actual grand final.
Port Adelaide, having finished 12th the previous season, rose 10 places to become 2nd on the ladder in 2007, with a 15–7 record and a percentage of 113.54. Port Adelaide had hosted reigning premiers West Coast Eagles
at AAMI Stadium
in their qualifying final, winning by three points after trailing all night. Having also earned a second week bye, they proceeded to the third week and hosted the Kangaroos
in a preliminary final at AAMI Stadium, winning by 87 points. The 2007 AFL Grand Final was Port Adelaide's first since winning the 2004 Grand Final
.
This was the first Grand Final fought between two teams that missed the finals the previous year since 1997.
outscored the Port Adelaide Power
5.7 to 2.2 in the opening term, before kicking five goals in the first 12 minutes of the second quarter to build a 52-point lead. Geelong excelled in their defence - which had been the best in the competition all season - keeping the Power to their lowest score of the year. The backlines, led by Matthew Scarlett
at fullback, repeatedly turned defence into attack, rushing the ball forward to support the forward line. Half-forwards Paul Chapman and Steve Johnson kicked four goals each and set up numerous others. Johnson was awarded the Norm Smith Medal
for best-on-ground in the Grand Final after the Cats’ triumph. Chapman's day included a sensational high mark over Port Adelaide
captain Warren Tredrea
during the third quarter. Key forwards Cameron Mooney
(five goals) and Nathan Ablett
(three) also performed strongly. Power players Kane Cornes
and Domenic Cassisi
performed reasonably well against Geelong stars Jimmy Bartel
and Gary Ablett, Jr.
respectively; however, Geelong was still able to dominate the midfield with Joel Corey
, James Kelly, Joel Selwood
and Cameron Ling
all making solid contributions and Brad Ottens
and Steven King
both performing strongly in the ruck.
The match ended with Geelong
winning by the score of 24.19 (163) to 6.8 (44), recording the greatest winning margin in AFL Grand Final history, 119 points. This broke the previous record of 96 points set by Hawthorn
against Melbourne
in the 1988 VFL Grand Final
. Geelong's 417 disposals was also a Grand Final Record. Meanwhile, Port Adelaide became the only finals side in history to have more handballs than kicks. Geelong scored 17.10 from Port Adelaide turnovers, while the Power scored just 1.2 from the Cats'.
The Cats' win ended a 44-year premiership drought for the club. The last flag had come in 1963, and since then the club had lost five Grand Finals. It was also the first premiership won by a team from Victoria
since Essendon
's 2000 victory
.
AFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...
was an Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
game contested between the Geelong Football Club
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
and the Port Adelaide Football Club
Port Adelaide Football Club
The Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...
, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
on 29 September 2007. It was the 111th annual Grand Final
AFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...
of the VFL/AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
, staged to determine the premiers for the 2007 AFL season
2007 AFL season
The 2007 AFL Season was the 111th season of the Australian Football League, the highest-level professional Australian rules football league in Australia...
. The match, attended by 97,302 spectators, was won by Geelong by a margin of 119 points, the biggest in VFL/AFL Grand Final history. The victory marked Geelong's seventh premiership win, and ended its 44 year premiership drought.
Background
Geelong entered the season after finishing 10th in 2006. Geelong was the best performing side of the home and away season, finishing 12 points clear of second-placed Port Adelaide, with an 18–4 record and a percentage of 152.76, thus winning the McClelland TrophyMcClelland Trophy
The McClelland Trophy is an Australian rules football trophy, currently awarded to the minor premiers in the Australian Football League each year...
. Geelong had lost only one game since Round 5: by five points to Port Adelaide at Skilled Stadium in Round 21 when Dominic Cassisi goaled with 3 seconds remaining. The grand final was Geelong's first appearance in a premiership decider since losing the 1995 Grand Final
1995 AFL Grand Final
The 1995 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Geelong Football Club and Carlton Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 30 September 1995. It was the 99th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football...
. Geelong defeated the Kangaroos
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
in their qualifying final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
by 106 points, earning them a second week bye, before they met the Collingwood Magpies
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
in a preliminary final showdown at the MCG. Geelong won a tightly fought contest with the Magpies by 5 points in front of a crowd of 98,002, a higher attendance than the actual grand final.
Port Adelaide, having finished 12th the previous season, rose 10 places to become 2nd on the ladder in 2007, with a 15–7 record and a percentage of 113.54. Port Adelaide had hosted reigning premiers West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
at AAMI Stadium
AAMI Stadium
Football Park is an Australian rules football stadium located in West Lakes, a western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia...
in their qualifying final, winning by three points after trailing all night. Having also earned a second week bye, they proceeded to the third week and hosted the Kangaroos
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
in a preliminary final at AAMI Stadium, winning by 87 points. The 2007 AFL Grand Final was Port Adelaide's first since winning the 2004 Grand Final
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 Victorian Football League/Australian Football...
.
This was the first Grand Final fought between two teams that missed the finals the previous year since 1997.
Match summary
The CatsGeelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
outscored the Port Adelaide Power
Port Adelaide Football Club
The Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...
5.7 to 2.2 in the opening term, before kicking five goals in the first 12 minutes of the second quarter to build a 52-point lead. Geelong excelled in their defence - which had been the best in the competition all season - keeping the Power to their lowest score of the year. The backlines, led by Matthew Scarlett
Matthew Scarlett
Matthew Scarlett is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League . A fullback, tall and weighing , Scarlett is the eldest son of former Geelong footballer John Scarlett....
at fullback, repeatedly turned defence into attack, rushing the ball forward to support the forward line. Half-forwards Paul Chapman and Steve Johnson kicked four goals each and set up numerous others. Johnson was awarded the Norm Smith Medal
Norm Smith Medal
The Norm Smith Medal is the award given in the AFL Grand Final to the player adjudged by an independent panel of experts to have been the best player in the match.-History:The Norm Smith Medal is named after former Melbourne player and coach, Norm Smith...
for best-on-ground in the Grand Final after the Cats’ triumph. Chapman's day included a sensational high mark over Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide Football Club
The Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...
captain Warren Tredrea
Warren Tredrea
Warren Gary Tredrea is retired Australian rules footballer with the Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League . A forward, tall and weighing , Tredrea is the son of former Collingwood and Port Adelaide player Gary Tredrea.Tredrea was zone selected for the inaugural Port...
during the third quarter. Key forwards Cameron Mooney
Cameron Mooney
Cameron Mooney was an Australian rules footballer who played with the North Melbourne and Geelong Football Clubs in the Australian Football League...
(five goals) and Nathan Ablett
Nathan Ablett
Nathan Ablett is an Australian rules footballer who played for Gold Coast and Geelong in the Australian Football League...
(three) also performed strongly. Power players Kane Cornes
Kane Cornes
Kane Graham Cornes in an Australian rules football player who plays for Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League.-Early life:...
and Domenic Cassisi
Domenic Cassisi
Domenic Cassisi is a premiership winning Australian rules footballer for the Port Adelaide Football Club, and their current captain...
performed reasonably well against Geelong stars Jimmy Bartel
Jimmy Bartel
James 'Jimmy' Bartel is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League . A midfielder at and , Bartel is a Brownlow Medallist, two-time All-Australian, and was part of the Cats' AFL premiership-winning teams in 2007, 2009 and 2011, being named the...
and Gary Ablett, Jr.
Gary Ablett, Jr.
Gary Ablett, Jr. is a professional Australian rules football player and current captain of the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
respectively; however, Geelong was still able to dominate the midfield with Joel Corey
Joel Corey
Joel Corey is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League . A midfielder, tall and weighing , Corey is able to contribute inside or outside while on the ball....
, James Kelly, Joel Selwood
Joel Selwood
Joel Anthony Selwood is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League...
and Cameron Ling
Cameron Ling
Cameron Ling is a former Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League...
all making solid contributions and Brad Ottens
Brad Ottens
Brad "Otto" Ottens is a former Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club and Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League .-Richmond: 1998–2004:...
and Steven King
Steven King (footballer)
Steven King is a former Australian rules footballer for Geelong and St Kilda in the Australian Football League .- Geelong :...
both performing strongly in the ruck.
The match ended with Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
winning by the score of 24.19 (163) to 6.8 (44), recording the greatest winning margin in AFL Grand Final history, 119 points. This broke the previous record of 96 points set by Hawthorn
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
against Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
in the 1988 VFL Grand Final
1988 VFL Grand Final
The 1988 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and the Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 24 September 1988. It was the 92nd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...
. Geelong's 417 disposals was also a Grand Final Record. Meanwhile, Port Adelaide became the only finals side in history to have more handballs than kicks. Geelong scored 17.10 from Port Adelaide turnovers, while the Power scored just 1.2 from the Cats'.
The Cats' win ended a 44-year premiership drought for the club. The last flag had come in 1963, and since then the club had lost five Grand Finals. It was also the first premiership won by a team from Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
since Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
's 2000 victory
2000 AFL Grand Final
The 2000 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and the Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 2 September 2000. It was the 104th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian...
.