2004 AFL season
Encyclopedia
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League
season of 2004.
See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.
Final saw St. Kilda
defeat Geelong
15.8 (98) to 11.10 (76) in front of a crowd of 50,533 (For an explanation of pre-season scoring see Pre-season rule changes
)
teams; Port Adelaide's first; and the Brisbane Lions' fourth consecutive.
v Carlton
game of Round 22.
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
season of 2004.
See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.
Wizard Home Loans Cup
The Wizard Home Loans Cup2004 Wizard Home Loans Cup
The 2004 Wizard Home Loans Cup was the Australian Football League competition played in its entirety before the Australian Football League's 2004 Premiership Season began...
Final saw St. Kilda
St. Kilda Football Club
The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, is an Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The club plays in the Australian Football League, the sport's premier league....
defeat 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...
15.8 (98) to 11.10 (76) in front of a crowd of 50,533 (For an explanation of pre-season scoring see Pre-season rule changes
Australian Football League pre-season competition
The Australian Football League pre-season competition, which is known at present as the NAB Cup, is a competition held before the beginning of the Australian Football League premiership season...
)
Round 11
- This round saw St. Kilda's undefeated start to the season (and also a then-record 10-match winning streak, the record would be broken in 2009) ended by the Sydney Swans.
- This round had what is regarded as the most violent modern AFL game ever, which occurred between Hawthorn and Essendon. It is known as the Line in the Sand MatchLine in the Sand MatchLine in the Sand match is the unofficial title of the infamous Round 11, 2004 match between Australian football clubs ' and ' played at the MCG on Saturday, 5 June 2004....
.
Round 19
- This round saw tragedy strike the Sydney Swans when trainer Wally Jackson died of a heart attack during the last quarter. Most of the Sydney players were upset and distracted as Jackson was given CPR on the interchange bench, and although they had built a sizeable lead during the match they could not finish the match in the same fashion, allowing North to win the game in the final minutes.
Grand final
This was the first Grand Final in the history of the AFL to be played by two non-VictorianVictoria (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....
teams; Port Adelaide's first; and the Brisbane Lions' fourth consecutive.
Match attendance
Total match attendance for all games was 5,915,407 people. Attendance at the Grand Final was 77,671 people. The largest non-finals attendance was 60,898 people for the CollingwoodCollingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
v Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
game of Round 22.
Awards
- The Brownlow MedalBrownlow MedalThe Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
was awarded to Chris JuddChris JuddChristopher Dylan "Chris" Judd is a professional Australian rules footballer and current captain of the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
of West CoastWest Coast EaglesThe 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...
. - The Leigh Matthews TrophyLeigh Matthews TrophyThe Leigh Matthews Trophy is an annual award given by the AFL Players Association to the Most Valuable Player in the Australian Football League. It is named in honour of Leigh Matthews, who won the first MVP award in 1982, when the league was still known as the Victorian Football League...
was awarded to Nick RiewoldtNick RiewoldtNick Riewoldt is an Australian rules footballer who is the current captain of the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League . He was the first draft selection in the 2000 AFL Draft.-Early life:...
of St Kilda. - The Coleman MedalColeman MedalThe Coleman Medal is awarded yearly to the Australian Football League player who kicks the most goals in regular-season matches in that year...
was awarded to Fraser GehrigFraser GehrigFraser Gehrig is a retired Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League who played for the St Kilda Football Club and the West Coast Eagles...
of St Kilda. - The Norm Smith MedalNorm Smith MedalThe 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...
was awarded to Byron PickettByron PickettByron Pickett is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played with three clubs in the AFL. He was known as a big game player as well as for his strength, hard bumps and tough approach to the game. Pickett is one of 12 players with two premiership medallions, a Norm Smith Medal...
of Port AdelaidePort Adelaide Football ClubThe 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...
. - The AFL Rising Star awardAFL Rising Star awardThe NAB AFL Rising Star award is given annually to a standout young player in the Australian Football League. Since 2007 the winner has been presented with the Ron Evans Medal and was first awarded in 1993...
was awarded to Jared RiversJared RiversJared Rivers is a centre-half back for the Melbourne Demons in the Australian Football League .As a child he supported the Sydney Swans and cites Tony Lockett and Paul Kelly as his childhood heroes...
of MelbourneMelbourne Football ClubThe Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
. - The Wooden SpoonWooden spoon (award)A wooden spoon is a mock or real award, usually given to an individual or team which has come last in a competition, but sometimes also to runners-up. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous events...
was "awarded" to Richmond for coming last.
Notable events
- The St Kilda Saints recorded a 10-match winning streak between rounds 1–10 inclusive, thus making it their best winning streak in the history of the club at this stage; the club also won all four of its preseason games. The streak was ended by bitter rivals the Sydney SwansSydney SwansThe Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
in round 11. This record was broken in 2009 when the Saints won their first 19 games of the Premiership season. - A five minute bench-clearing brawl broke out between rivals HawthornHawthorn Football ClubThe 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...
and EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
in the round 11 match, after which one Bomber (Justin Murphy) and four Hawks players received suspensions totalling 16 matches, and a combined total of $70,700 of fines were handed out. The game is widely known as the "Line in the Sand MatchLine in the Sand MatchLine in the Sand match is the unofficial title of the infamous Round 11, 2004 match between Australian football clubs ' and ' played at the MCG on Saturday, 5 June 2004....
," as the brawls were sparked in the third quarter after Hawthorn players were urged at a half-time address by club legend Dermott BreretonDermott BreretonDermott Hugh Brereton is a former Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League, regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. Of Irish descent , he is known for his aggressive style of play. Brereton kicked 464 goals and played in five Premierships for during...
to metaphorically draw such a line; Brereton thought the young Hawks were being physically intimidated by the more experienced Bombers. - On Saturday, 28 August 2004 (round 22), the Brisbane LionsBrisbane LionsThe Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
set a most unusual VFL/AFL record. On that day, the 22-man Brisbane Lions squad had collectively played 3,718 senior career games, and had collectively scored 3,373 senior career goals.http://stats.rleague.com/afl/stats/alltime/misc.html#11- The 22 players were Jason AkermanisJason AkermanisJason Dean Akermanis is an Australian rules football player. He is a Brownlow Medallist and triple premiership player who played for the Brisbane Bears, Brisbane Lions and Western Bulldogs...
, Simon BlackSimon BlackSimon Black is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League.Black is a midfielder with a reputation for hard work and skill...
, Daniel BradshawDaniel BradshawDaniel Mark Bradshaw is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney Swans and the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League....
, Jonathan Brown, Blake CaracellaBlake CaracellaBlake Caracella is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League .-Essendon career:Selected by Essendon in the 1995 National Draft at pick 10, Caracella finally debuted with the Bombers in 1997...
, Robert CopelandRobert CopelandRobert Copeland is a former Australian Football League footballer for the Brisbane Lions and current captain of Aspley Hornet in QAFL...
. Richard HadleyRichard HadleyRichard Hadley is an Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League .Hadley was recruited from the East Fremantle Football Club junior system in the Western Australian Football League to the Brisbane Lions in the 2000 AFL Draft. He made his AFL debut in 2001...
, Shaun HartShaun HartShaun Hart is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played his entire Australian Football League at the Brisbane Lions where he was a premiership winning utility player known for his courage...
, Chris JohnsonChris L. JohnsonChristopher Lloyd Johnson is a former professional Australian rules footballer.His career highlights as an Australian Football League player include three premierships with Brisbane, All-Australian selection, captain of the Australian International Rules team and inclusion in the Indigenous Team...
, Clark KeatingClark KeatingClark Anthony Keating was an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.Known as "Crackers" , Keating was picked up by the Brisbane Bears as a local...
, Nigel LappinNigel LappinNigel Lappin is a former professional Australian rules footballer.Lappin was born in Corowa, New South Wales, but grew up in Chiltern, Victoria and was drafted to play for the Brisbane Bears in the Australian Football League in 1993, playing his first AFL game the following year...
, Justin LeppitschJustin LeppitschJustin "Leppa" Leppitsch is a former Australian rules footballer who was a key defender for the Brisbane Lions.Leppitsch played with the Hawthorn Under 19s as a 16-year old in 1991, however did not make the Hawks' senior list...
, Alastair LynchAlastair LynchAlastair Graeme Lynch is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League . He is best known as a three time premiership full-forward for the Brisbane Lions....
, Dylan McLaren, Craig McRaeCraig McRaeCraig McRae is a former Australian rules footballer.Originally from South Australian National Football League club Glenelg, McRae was drafted by AFL club Brisbane as the 22nd pick in the 1994 draft and had an immediate impact, kicking two goals in his first game in 1995, and played every game of...
, Mal MichaelMal MichaelMalcolm Roberto "Mal" Michael is a former Australian rules footballer. He is notable for his successful professional Australian Football League career. Following a career spanned 238 games and three clubs in two Australian states he is best known as a triple premiership full-back with the...
, Tim NottingTim NottingTim Notting is a former two-time premiership winning Australian rules footballer with the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League .-Australian Football League career:...
, Martin PikeMartin PikeMartin Pike is a former Australian Football League player who played with four clubs during 13 seasons...
, Luke PowerLuke PowerLuke Power is an Australian rules footballer. He is currently contracted to play for Greater Western Sydney. He was a part of the Brisbane Lions's 2001, 2002, and 2003 premierships. He is known for his effective use of the ball disposals, rare mistakes and his deadly accurate left foot. Many AFL...
, Chris ScottChris M. ScottChristopher Michael "Chris" Scott is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League best known as being a dual premiership player with the Brisbane Lions and is a current premiership AFL coach of the Geelong Football Club.-AFL career:Scott was picked by the Brisbane Bears...
, Michael VossMichael VossMichael Voss is the senior coach of the Brisbane Lions Australian Football League team and a former professional Australian rules footballer....
, and Darryl WhiteDarryl WhiteDarryl White is a former Australian rules footballer whose career with the Brisbane Bears and Lions in the Australian Football League lasted from 1992 to 2005....
. played in a finals match for the first time since the 2000 AFL Grand Final2000 AFL Grand FinalThe 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...
. and began a five-match finals streak lasting three years, starting with the second elimination final at Telstra Stadium. The Swans won comfortably by 41 points in driving rain.
- The 22 players were Jason Akermanis