The Australian Football League (AFL) is both the elite Australian national competition in the sport of Australian Rules Football and its highest governing body.
The AFL is the most attended professional sporting league in Australia: it is the most popular sport competition in terms of attendances and TV ratings of the nation. The previous three AFL Premiership Seasons have had a total regular season attendance of over six million (currently the 10th most attended professional sports league in the world) and the average attendance of over 36,000 (the second highest of any professional sports league in the world).
The 16 teams play against each other in 22 rounds between late March and early September in a non-divisional format. These matches are followed by a series of finals matches which culminate in the two best teams playing off for the Premiership in the AFL Grand Final, the best attended domestic club championship event in the world.
The AFL began as a breakway league from the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in 1896 and evolved from the Victorian domestic competition known as the Victorian Football League (VFL). Since 1982, it has grown into a national competition and was rebranded as the Australian Football League in 1990 and today has teams based in five of the six Australian states. Since becoming a national competition, the AFL has gained considerable media and financial strength, as well as control over the game at most levels. The expansion of the AFL in the 1980s effectively ended 70-year-long competition for public interest with its former rival state leagues, the SANFL, the WAFL and VFA (which became the VFL in 1996). In recent times, most of these leagues and clubs have either sought or subsequently been granted licences to compete in the AFL and formed affiliations with the AFL to field its reserves sides and developmental players.
The AFL Commission, which runs the league assumed the role of governing body for the sport of Australian rules football in Australia in 1993 when it dissolved the Australian National Football Council. It is now responsible for the Laws of Australian Football through the AFL Rules Committee (consisting of members from the AFL Players Association). The AFL also became the defacto world governing body in 2002 when it negotiated the disbanding of the International Australian Football Council. Since 2000, through the commission, the AFL has pushed for all affiliated leagues and bodies to co-brand with the league as well as refer to the sport as "AFL" in preference to its official name of "Australian Football".
History
Australian rules football dates back to 1858, when Tom Wills began to devise the rules of the code. Melbourne Football Club was formed May 14, 1859. On May 17, 1859, at the Parade Hotel in East Melbourne, Wills, W.J. Hammersley and J.B. Thompson wrote the first set of written rules for Australian rules football. By 1866, several other clubs had also adopted an updated version of Melbourne's rules. In 1877, the amateur Victorian Football Association was established.
VFL begins
The Victorian Football League was established in 1896 when several clubs broke away from the Victorian Football Association which was the first Australian rules competition in Victoria, second in the country after the South Australian Football Association. The first games were played in 1897 between the foundation clubs – Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne, St Kilda and South Melbourne. Essendon won the first VFL premiership.
Although the Victorian Football League and the Victorian Football Association continued to compete for spectator interest for many years, the VFL quickly established itself as the premier competition in Victoria. In the early years Fitzroy and Collingwood were the dominant teams, but by the mid-1900s Carlton began a dominating period of three successive flags from 1906 to 1908. Essendon under Jack Worrall - the first great coach - won a most convincing victory in 1911 with ten straight wins and surprisingly defended their flag in 1912 after being erratic during the home-and-away rounds.
In 1908, Richmond and University joined the VFL. Richmond eventually succeeded after a slow start, but University, after three promising seasons, won only one of its last seventy matches and its already thin ranks were so depleted it disbanded at the end of 1914.
More information on how war affected the VFL see: The VFL during the World Wars.
Between the World Wars
Richmond won its first premierships in 1920 and 1921 but Essendon - battlers since their 1912 flag - took over as the dominant team between 1922 and 1926. In 1924 the VFL inaugurated the Brownlow Medal for the player who received the most votes from the umpires for the Best and Fairest player.
In 1925, Footscray (now the Western Bulldogs), Hawthorn and North Melbourne joined the VFL. Footscray adapted to the VFL relatively quickly and by 1928 were well off the bottom of the ladder. However, North Melbourne and Hawthorn remained "chopping blocks" for a very long period. North Melbourne were not to win more than eight games in a season until 1944 and Hawthorn only once won more than seven until 1954. Between them, Hawthorn and North Melbourne finished in last place fifteen of the twenty-nine years from their admittance until 1953 - by which time however North had become a powerful side and finished in the first two on the ladder in 1949 and 1950. In the later years of this period Hawthorn and St. Kilda finished last in all but two of the fifteen seasons between 1941 and 1955.
Between the years of 1927 and 1930, Collingwood FC became the first and so far, the only, team to win four successive premierships and finish a season without losing (or drawing) a game. This team became known as "the machine" because of the organised and consistent way it played. During this period of success Collingwood became the greatest club in the nation, possessing the largest and fiercest supporter base drawn originally from working class districts in inner Melbourne. With premiership victories in 1935 and 1936 the Collingwood Football Club had already won 11 premierships, and remained the most successful premiership club until Carlton began to lead the premiership tally in 1982.
In the 1930s, Richmond and South Melbourne rivaled Collingwood as the best team, with Richmond's brilliant defence destroying South's powerful attack in the 1934 Grand Final. Melbourne, which had won the premiership in 1926 but fallen off sharply, developed a powerful attacking side that swept all before it between 1939 and 1941 to win three successive flags; however Essendon, after years in the wilderness from 1927 to 1939, enjoyed a dominant period with nine grand final appearances between 1941 and 1951............
1950s
In 1952, the VFL hosted ‘National Day’, when all 6 matches were played outside of Melbourne. Matches were played at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Brisbane Exhibition Ground, North Hobart Oval, Albury Sports Ground and Victorian country towns Yallourn and Euroa.
In 1959, the VFL planned the first purpose built mega-stadium, Waverley Park, to give it some independence from the Melbourne Cricket Club which managed the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australian rules' spiritual home. Waverley Park was planned to hold 167,000 spectators (thus making it one of the largest stadiums in the world). Land for the stadium was purchased at Mulgrave, in those days just farmland, but one day predicted to be near demographic centre of Melbourne's population.
Geelong was the stand out team at the beginning of the 1950s, winning the premiership in 1951 then setting a record of 23 consecutive wins starting in Round 12, 1952 and ending in Round 13, 1953. This streak included the 1952 premiership.
After Footscray won its first premiership in 1954 by defeating Melbourne, Melbourne became a powerhouse, winning five premierships between 1955 and 1960, including three in a row between 1955 and 1957. In 1958 Collingwood famously defeated Melbourne in the Grand Final, thereby preventing Melbourne from equalling Collingwood's record of four successive premierships.
Television coverage began in 1957, with direct telecasts of the final quarter permitted. At first, several channels competed through broadcasting different games. However, when the VFL found that television was reducing crowds, it decided that no coverage was to be allowed for 1960. In 1961, the modern system of replays was introduced and only very rarely have direct telecasts been permitted since.
1960s
In the 1960s, television began to have a huge impact, which continues unabated to this day. Spectators hurried home from games to watch replays and many former players took up positions as commentators on pre-game preview programs and post-game review programs. There were also several attempts at variety programs featuring VFL players, who generally succeeded in demonstrating that their skills were limited to the football ground.
The VFL played the first of a series of exhibition matches in 1962 in an effort to lift the international profile of the league.
Hawthorn won its first ever Grand Final in 1961, beating Footscray. Melbourne's period of success ended with its premiership win in 1964 over Collingwood, after which Carlton famously recruited Melbourne's champion player Ron Barassi as its captain-coach. St Kilda won its first Grand Final by one point over Collingwood in 1966, and after many years in the doldrums, Richmond won the Grand Final in 1967, starting a revival which lasted until the early 1980s. Under Barassi's leadership, Carlton won the premiership in 1968, its first since 1947. On the whole, though, Essendon and Geelong were the best teams during the 1960s, even though they only won three of the ten premierships.
With the number of players recruited from country leagues increasing, the wealthier clubs were gaining an advantage that metropolitan zoning and the Coulter law restricting player payments had prevented in the past. Country zoning was introduced in the late 1960s, and whilst it pushed Essendon and Geelong from the top of the ladder, it created severe inequality during the 1970s and 1980s. Only six teams made the grand final between 1972 and 1987, as against nine between 1961 and 1967.
1970s
1970 saw the opening of Waverley Park, with the inaugural match being played between Geelong and Fitzroy, on 18 April 1970. Construction work was carried out at the stadium as the 1970s progressed, culminating in the building of the now heritage listed Sir Kenneth Luke stand. The Queen of England, Elizabeth the second was a guest at the game and officially opened the stadium to the public.
The 1970 Grand Final between Carlton and Collingwood attracted a record crowd for a football game in Australia of 121,696. This game also saw the greatest comeback in Grand Final history when after trailing by 44 points at half time, Carlton managed to win by 10 points. Alex Jesaulenko took one of the most memorable marks in the sport's history during this game.
Hawthorn defeated St. Kilda in the Grand Final in 1971, beginning a long period of success that lasted into the early 1990s. The match was notable for Peter Hudson's famed attempt at breaking Bob Pratt's long held record of 150 goals in a season. Hudson kicked three goals in the match, equalling Pratt's season tally.
North Melbourne won its first ever premiership in 1975, then won again in 1977 in the Grand Final replay, following the second ever drawn Grand Final, against Collingwood. 1977 also saw the commencement of State of Origin representative matches, where players were only able to represent the state of their birth, as opposed to representing the state in which they were currently playing.
The 1979 VFL Grand Final is remembered for a controversial goal that sealed the Premiership for Carlton. After leading by 28 points during the second quarter, Collingwood had fallen behind by 21 points before mounting a late comeback. They were trailing by four points in the dying stages of the match when Carlton's Wayne Harmes miskicked, chased the ball towards the boundary line and knocked it to his team mate Ken Sheldon who kicked a goal to give Carlton a 10-point lead. Their eventual winning margin was just five points. Although Harmes won the inaugural Norm Smith Medal for the best player in the Grand Final, he is best-remembered for this incident as Collingwood supporters still claim that the ball had crossed the boundary line before Harmes knocked it to Sheldon.
Many rule changes were made during the decade in efforts to increase the attractiveness of the game:
A "final five" system was introduced in 1972. The Grand Final was the highest scoring Grand Final in history, accumulating a total of 327 points with Carlton defeating Richmond by 27 points.
The centre diamond and a limit of four players per team at the centre bounce were introduced in 1973. The diamond was changed to the square in 1975.
The two-umpire system was introduced in 1976.
In 1978 the interchange law was introduced, to allow players to be able to be interchanged at any time (like basketball), rather than a one-off replacement (as in soccer).
1980s - national expansion
At the time, there was no national league for Australian rules that incorporated interstate clubs. The VFL was the most popular and dominant league around the country in terms of overall attendance and interest and began expanding its influence into other states. In 1980, the match of the day was broadcast on television. Interest around the country followed, and new sides from other capitals (many with their own local leagues) soon expressed interest in new licences.
In 1982, South Melbourne relocated to Sydney to become the Sydney Swans. The West Australian Football League and Queensland Australian Football League were awarded licences to join the VFL and the West Coast Eagles and Brisbane Bears were formed. These expansion team licences were awarded on payment of multi-million dollar fees which were not required of the existing VFL clubs. The first National Draft was introduced in 1986. The West Coast Eagles and Brisbane Bears joined the league in 1987. The night premiership, the Panasonic Cup moved to the pre-season instead of mid-year.
In 1984, a revival of the International Rules representative series against Ireland occurred. In 1987, a salary cap was introduced. In 1988, the law changed to make players awarded free kicks be obliged to kick the ball, rather than handpass. This rule change was reversed in 1990.
Ross Oakley was appointed CEO of the VFL in 1986, and immediately set about plans for national expansion of the competition.
In 1989, the league began encouraging some of the fledgling Victorian clubs to merge or relocate interstate. Footscray and Fitzroy were almost forced into amalgamation, but a fundraising event from Footscray supporters stopped the proposed merger at the eleventh hour.
Collingwood played in its third successive Grand Final in 1981, yet didn't win any of them. This added to Collingwood's already infamous record in Grand Finals, signified by the term "the Colliwobbles" - after their Premiership triumph of 1958, Collingwood lost the next eight Grand Finals in which they played, often after seemingly having the match in their keeping. They also finished on top of the ladder twice after the regular season matches (in 1969 and 1973), only to experience a loss of form in the finals and miss the Grand Final altogether. "The Colliwobbles" was introduced after the 1970 Grand Final loss to Carlton.
A bitter rivalry between Essendon and Hawthorn emerged after competing in three consecutive Grand Finals between 1983 and 1985. Essendon's win in the 1984 marked the first time since 1966 that a team other than Richmond, Carlton, Hawthorn or North Melbourne had won the premiership. The dominance of these few clubs and mounting financial problems for several clubs resulted in the VFL adopting an equalisation policy, centred around the player draft and salary cap measures.
In 1988, Melbourne made its first appearance in a Grand Final since 1964, but it wasn't a memorable return to the big stage. Hawthorn crushed an underdog Melbourne side by 96 points, the then biggest Grand Final win in history, a record which stood until 2007.
In what many believe to be the finest VFL/AFL Grand Final of the modern era, Hawthorn overcame a strong challenge from Geelong in 1989. It was a physical game right from the start when Geelong's Mark Yeates ran through Dermott Brereton at the opening bounce, bruising Brereton's kidney and causing internal bleeding. In a courageous display, Brereton refused to leave the ground and marked and goaled several minutes later to stem Geelong's attempt to establish superiority. Later heavy clashes would see John Platten knocked out and Robert DiPierdomenico suffer broken ribs and a punctured lung. Despite a Grand Final record nine goals from Geelong's Gary Ablett, Hawthorn still went on to win by six points.
1990s - Australian Football League
To reflect the steps towards a national competition, the VFL was renamed as the Australian Football League in 1990. The VFL name disappeared until it was adopted by the AFL's state feeder competition which was the most recent incarnation of the former VFA.
Collingwood won the inaugural AFL premiership in 1990, ending a drought of near misses that had seen the club lose grand finals in 1960, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1977, 1979, 1980 and 1981. By 1990 Collingwood had played in 36 Grand Finals, just under 40% of all grand finals played.
1990 also saw the Port Adelaide Magpies make a bid for an AFL licence. In response, the SANFL formed a composite team called the Adelaide Crows which was awarded the licence and joined the league in 1991. That same year the Grand Final was played at Waverley Park for first and only time as the MCG underwent redevelopment. This game was also the first time that a non-Victorian team - West Coast Eagles - contested the Grand Final, only to be outclassed by a Hawthorn side coming to the end of their era of dominance.
With Adelaide bringing the number of teams to 15, the final six was introduced in 1991. In 1992, Waverley Park was renamed "AFL Park" and the West Coast Eagles became the first non-Victorian team to win a premiership, beating Geelong. 1992 was also the final year the Brisbane Bears called Carrara Stadium home, as they moved to the Brisbane Cricket Ground at Woolloongabba (commonly known as The 'Gabba) in time for the 1993 season.
In 1994, the Fremantle Football Club was formed to represent the strong history of Fremantle clubs from the WAFL, and played its first game in the AFL in 1995. That year, the first Western Derby was played between the two Perth-based teams, beginning a fierce local rivalry with West Coast dominating until Fremantle broke the shackles in their 10th meeting in 1999. Carlton made the record books by winning its 16th premiership after 16 consecutive wins and only two losses for the entire season.
Some of the rule changes of the decade included:
In 1994, a third field umpire was introduced.
In 1994, the McIntyre Final Eight System system was introduced.
A fourth interchange player was added for the 1998 season, increasing match day squads to 22 players.
In 1996, the VFL/AFL celebrated its centenary. One round of games featured a repeat of the games in Round 1, 1897, with players wearing replicas of the guernseys worn 100 years earlier. Late in the season, after it looked like the Fitzroy Lions would succumb to financial problems and merge with North Melbourne, the AFL dramatically announced that Fitzroy would merge with the Brisbane Bears and play as the Brisbane Lions from 1997[9]. North Melbourne recovered from being jilted, and became the only team to win the once-off gold premiership cup by defeating Sydney, which had not played in a Grand Final since 1945 (when they competed as South Melbourne).
Later in 1996, an attempt to merge Melbourne and Hawthorn to form the Melbourne Hawks made headlines, but failed to eventuate. Ross Oakley stepped down as the AFL's Chief Executive and was replaced by Wayne Jackson. The AFL also rejected bids from Queensland club Southport Sharks and the Tasmanian government to enter teams.
In 1997, the Port Adelaide Magpies were finally awarded a licence to join the AFL as the Port Adelaide Power, coinciding with the Fitzroy/Brisbane merger to keep the league a 16 team competition. The inaugural Showdown occurred in that year, with Port Adelaide causing an upset victory over Adelaide, who recovered from the shock and went on to win the first of two consecutive premierships and became the first side in history to win four finals in one series and win the premiership. St. Kilda, their opponent, were playing in their first Grand Final since 1971. The Footscray Bulldogs were renamed the Western Bulldogs, in order to reflect the club's representation of Melbourne's western suburbs. 1997 was a year in which the perennial underdogs prospered. St Kilda, the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide all shot up the ladder, renewing the spirits of their clubs, and the competition.
Adelaide repeated its feats of a year before to win the premiership (after losing their first finals match to Melbourne), beating favourites North Melbourne. North had major goal scoring problems in the match and had a dismal second half. Andrew McLeod won his second Norm Smith Medal in two years, and the Adelaide Crows became the first team since Richmond in 1921 to turn their maiden Premiership into a double the following season. The International Rules series against the Gaelic Athletic Association was rekindled in 1998, after the series was erased from the league fixtures following 1990. Wayne Carey skippered one of the league's finest teams, including Nathan Buckley, Robert Harvey, Matthew Lloyd and Mark Ricciuto.
In 1999, the league sold Waverley Park stadium and used the funds in a joint venture to begin construction of a brand-new stadium situated at Melbourne's Docklands. The league announced the last AFL State of Origin match (with Victoria thumping South Australia on a wet day at the MCG), its intentions to instead to focus on the new national league. Finishing in sixth place at the end of the regular season, Carlton fought hard in the finals and recorded a remarkable one-point upset victory in the Preliminary Final against Essendon. In what was the final Grand Final of the 20th century, the Blues lined up against North Melbourne who the same year had renamed themselves as the "Kangaroos" in order to appeal to a national audience. A competitive game up to half time, the Roos, with thanks to Norm Smith Medallist Shannon Grant, ran away with the game and the premiership by 35 points.
2000s
The AFL logo was again changed in 2000, with a new look for the new millennium. The competition's two most bitter rivals, Collingwood and Carlton, signed off on the 1900s with the 'Millennium Match', played at the MCG on New Years Eve. As a spectacle, the runners up in the previous season's Grand Final flogged the 16th placed Magpies, with Brendan Fevola supplying Blues fans with a taste of things to come, booting 12 goals. The first indoor AFL match was held at Docklands Stadium, now Telstra Dome, in round one of 2000. In the first game at the new venue, Essendon crushed Port Adelaide by 94 points. It was a sign of things to come, as Essendon lost only one match for the entire season equaling Collingwood's team of 1929 (dubbed "The Machine"), and one of the highest percentages at 159.1%. They faced Melbourne in the Grand Final and belted them by 60 points. Skipper James Hird was awarded the Norm Smith Medal, capping off a fine season following three successive injury plagued campaigns; Matthew Lloyd took out the Coleman Medal after breaking the 100 goal barrier for the first time in his career, and Melbourne's previously unheralded Shane Woewodin was a surprise winner of the Brownlow Medal.
Season 2001 was the first of several seasons of dominance by the non-Victorian teams. The Brisbane Lions won the first of their historic three successive premierships, becoming the first team north of the Murray River to win a premiership, and non-Victorian team to win more than two on the trot. The changing of the guard from Essendon's dominance took place in a famed clash at the Gabba in round 10 with the Lions overcoming Kevin Sheedy's men by 28 points. It was the first of the Lions record 19 victories in succession. Port Adelaide, Hawthorn and Richmond all made significant inroads in 2001, the Hawks falling short by a mere nine points against Essendon in the Preliminary Final, Trent Croad's shot for goal in the dying minutes looked destined to put the Hawks into the decider, before it swung into the goalpost. Paul Barnard sealed the win, albeit an unconvincing one, with several Bombers heading into the Grand Final seven days later under injury clouds. After a closely contested first half, Brisbane streaked away in the third term to record a 26 point victory in the Grand Final, sparking jubilation from fans of Fitzroy and Brisbane Bears, who were finally brought together in arguably the spiritual completion of the 1996 merger. Rover Shaun Hart was awarded the Norm Smith Medal, Lion maverick Jason Akermanis took home the Brownlow Medal, whilst Lloyd was again the John Coleman Medallist, once more notching up his ton in the Qualifying Final, on this occasion against Richmond at the MCG. The season was also notable as it was the 45th and final season of the television broadcast rights remaining in the hands of Channel Seven, with Channels 9, 10 and pay-TV operator Foxtel granted the rights for 2002-2006.
The 2002 season was one of the closest on record, with a change in the status quo taking place. Hawthorn and Richmond both missed out on their share in the September action, and Collingwood finally emerged from a seven year exile from finals action. Carlton, too, suffered from winds of change, winning the first Wooden Spoon in the club's history, a season which terminated the coaching career of Wayne Brittain, John Elliot's ruling as president, and paved the way for Denis Pagan to leave the Kangaroos for Optus Oval. Brisbane, however, were at the peak of their powers, and along with Port Adelaide vied for top spot on the league table for much of the season, a battle resolved in the final round at AAMI Stadium, when Power onballer Roger James snapped the match winning goal with a minute remaining. The season began in a media frenzy, with North Melbourne captain, and arguably the greatest footballer of the 1990s, Wayne Carey, quitting the Kangaroos after an off field uproar. In the face of adversity, the Roos stuck tight, and the famed Shinboner Spirit continued to prosper, as veterans Anthony Stevens, Glenn Archer and David King helped propel their side back into the September action, only to have their year cut short by Melbourne in the Elimination Final, marking the end of John Blakey's career as a player, and Pagan's 10 year tenure at Arden Street. The brave young Magpies began the season in strong form, before striking an end of season slump, which saw them win only one of their final four matches of the premiership season. The form table was swung dramatically in the first week of the finals, as they shell-shocked Port Adelaide in foreign territory in South Australia in the Qualifying Final. The Magpies were superb early, and held off a late Power surge to secure a home Preliminary Final. The win was achieved sans hamstrung skipper Nathan Buckley, with Paul Licuria admirably filling his sizeable breach with a heroic 40 disposals. The Magpies had an unfortunate setback though, when courageous debutant Jason Cloke was suspended for two matches for a clumsy yet honest strike on Crow Tyson Edwards. He was to miss the biggest day of the year, in a cruel twist of fate for a youngster who had not missed a match since his debut in round two against the Eagles. The Grand Final was an absorbing contest from start to finish, with Brisbane finishing the day only nine points ahead of Collingwood on a sodden, overcast day. The final margin was the largest of the entire match, making it one of the closest Grand Finals in history. It was the little known Magpie second tier which caught the Lions off guard early, the experienced bodies of Glenn Freeborn, Rupert Betheras and Steve McKee, combined with the strong tackling of Scott Burns unsettling the normally unflappable Lions. Not to be outdone, Brisbane ruckman Clark Keating rose to the fore following an injury to teammate Beau McDonald, controlling the centre bounces, while Nigel Lappin and Alistair Lynch threatened all afternoon. However, the biggest battle was left to the two biggest names, opposing skippers Nathan Buckley and Michael Voss slugging it out for not only the Norm Smith Medal, but the flag itself. Although Buckley finished the day with the Norm Smith dangling around his neck, it was Voss who held the "Holy Grail" aloft at the days end.
Season 2003 was, to an extent, a continuation of the previous season, in terms of form, however it was also a year of transition, when Andrew Demetriou was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the league, with Wayne Jackson (1997-2003) stepping down from his role. The season saw one highly emotional moment on 6 June, when Jason McCartney returned to play for North Melbourne after suffering life-threatening burns in the 2002 Bali bombing; he retired immediately after the game was won against Richmond. The status quo remained at the top of the ladder, with Collingwood acting as the premiership favourite for much of the season, whilst Port Adelaide and Brisbane were snapping at their heels. At season's end, all six non-Victorian teams filled positions in the top eight, Collingwood (2nd) and Essendon (8th) the only teams from the "homeland" to keep a foothold in the helter-skelter of league football. The Magpies overcame their bogey side, the Lions, in a tense Qualifying Final, with thanks to Alan Didak's magical left foot goals late in the last quarter. Earning a two week break, the Magpies steamrolled the Power in the Preliminary Final to the tune of 44-points to book their second Grand Final in as many seasons, which was played against, once again, Brisbane. The Lions, after their defeat at the hands of the Magpies in the first week of the finals series, were forced to take the long road home, accounting for Adelaide on home soil before overrunning the Swans at Telstra Stadium. Sydney had earned their home Preliminary Final with their shock victory over Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium in the First Preliminary Final, a victory which ensured that the Power had much work to do to do away with their take as 'chokers'. Despite going in as favourites, and equipped with Brownlow Medallist Nathan Buckley, who shared it with Adelaide's Mark Ricciuto and Sydney's Adam Goodes, the Magpies Grand Final preparations were turned upside down by the suspension of their centre half forward, Anthony Rocca, who was booked and suspended for two weeks for striking Port's Brendon Lade the week prior. Collingwood appeared to be all at sea on the biggest day of the year, in contrast to their efforts of the previous title tilt, the experienced Brisbane flogged the Magpies, winning their third consecutive premiership by 50-points, a win highlighted by a Grand Final record 39 disposals from Simon Black, and five incredible goals from livewire Jason Akermanis. Brisbane became the first team since Melbourne in the 1950s to win three consecutive premierships.
The 2004 season was another dominated by the non-Victorian teams, so much so that it was the first Grand final in history not contested by a Victorian team. The Brisbane Lions were out to get their fourth consecutive premiership, however it was Port Adelaide that took home the cup. The Power overran the tiring Brisbane outfit ending its reign as kings of the AFL jungle.
2005 saw a very defensive style of play dominate and the longest premiership drought in history broken. It was the first time in 72 years, and the first time since the relocated from South Melbourne, that Sydney Swans took home the cup. In a tightly fought contest from start to finish, Sydney defeated the West Coast Eagles by four points, one of the lowest scoring Grand Finals in history and the closest final scores since 1966, made possible by a memorable mark from Swan's defender Leo Barry in the dying seconds that halted a late charge by the Eagles.
In 2006 there was the so-called Sirengate scandal, when the umpires failed to hear the final siren in the match between Fremantle and St.Kilda at Aurora Stadium, Launceston. Before the on-field officials could be notified that the game should have ended, St.Kilda scored a behind to level the scores and force a draw. In the days that followed, Fremantle appealed and were awarded the game and full competition points. A series of new rule changes were introduced for the 2006 season intended to speed up the game, including allowing the ball to be brought back into play immediately after a point is scored (instead of waiting for goal umpires to wave their flag) and limiting the time allowed for players with a mark to kick for goal to 30 seconds. The Swans and Eagles had built a close rivalry with the Eagles beating the Swans during the season by only four points. In the first Qualifying final, Sydney took their revenge by earning a weeks rest by only one point. The Grand Final was another carbon copy, with the Swans and Eagles facing off again in the decider. This time it was the West Coast Eagles who triumphed by one point, exacting revenge on the Sydney Swans also for the 2005 Grand Final defeat.
In 2007, the Geelong Cats had one of the most dominating seasons in the competition's history. After finishing the home and away season three games clear in first place, winning 19 of the last 20 matches including 15 in a row, having a record nine All-Australian players and winning most of the individual awards including the Brownlow Medal, AFL Rising Star, Leigh Matthews Trophy and the J. J. Liston Trophy (VFL B&F), they competed the finals series with only one close match. After doing away with an unexpected Kangaroos outfit in the first week, whom had been plagued with board instability and pressure to relocate to the Gold Coast, the Cats faced up against Collingwood two weeks later in the preliminary for a close fought match. The Magpie made it only by beating the Eagles in Perth the week before in extra time. The Grand Final then saw Geelong end their 44 year premiership drought with a record breaking 119 point victory over Port Adelaide with Steve Johnson winning the Norm Smith Medal.
