2011 AFL Grand Final
Encyclopedia
The 2011 Australian Football League
Grand Final
was an Australian rules football
match, played to determine the premiers of the 2011 season
. It was contested between the Collingwood Football Club
and the Geelong Football Club
.
The annual event was attended by a crowd of 99,537 and was won by Geelong by a margin of 38 points; 18.11 (119) to 12.9 (81).
as the reigning premiers, having defeated in the 2010 AFL Grand Final Replay
by 56 points. Collingwood were the best performed side of the home and away season, winning 14 games in a row in the latter part of the season, to finish with a record of 20–2. Collingwood won its second consecutive minor premiership
and McClelland Trophy
. Collingwood progressed to the grand final after two hard-fought finals matches; beating by 20 points in a qualifying final, then coming back from a four goal deficit to defeat by three points in a preliminary final.
Geelong entered the season after finishing second in 2010 home and away season
, then losing to Collingwood by 41 points in the preliminary finals. Geelong appointed a new coach, Chris Scott, in the off-season after dual premiership coach Mark Thompson moved to . Geelong won their first 13 games in 2011, before finishing with a record of 19–3 to sit second on the ladder. The Cats had comfortable finals wins, over by 31 points and by 48 points, to qualify for the grand final.
Collingwood and Geelong met twice during the 2011 home and away season, with Geelong winning both games; these were Collingwood's only two losses for the home-and-away season. In Round 8, Geelong won a close game in spite of inaccurate goalkicking, with the final score 8.17 (65) to 9.8 (62). In Round 24, Geelong inflicted Collingwood's heaviest defeat for more than six years, winning 22.17 (149) to 8.5 (53) by 96 points; the minor premiership and the opponents Geelong and Collingwood were to face in the first week of the finals were decided by the end of Round 23, so the Round 24 match could be seen as a dead rubber.
This grand final marked the 41st season in which Collingwood contested an VFL/AFL grand final. The club was attempting to win its 16th VFL/AFL premiership, which would have drawn it level with and for the most premierships in league history. It was Geelong's 17th grand final appearance, with the club attempting to win its ninth premiership overall. It was Geelong's fourth grand final appearance in five seasons, with the club attempting to win its third of those contests. It was the first time since 1998
that the premiers from the two preceding seasons played in the grand final.
This match was the sixth grand final contested between Collingwood and Geelong and the first since 1953. Three of the previous encounters were won by Geelong (1925, 1937 and 1952) and two were won by Collingwood (1930 and 1953). The two clubs had met in a preliminary final in three of the previous four seasons, with Geelong winning two (2007 and 2009) and Collingwood winning one (2010), but this was the first time in the recent success of both clubs that they had met in the grand final.
When betting markets opened on the Sunday before the game, Collingwood were a slight favourite, with major bookmaker TAB Sportsbet offering $1.80 for a Collingwood victory, compared with $2.00 for a Geelong victory. However, punters backed Geelong heavily and, by Monday, Geelong had become the slight favourite; on Thursday, Sportsbet was offering $1.80 for Geelong and $2.00 for Collingwood.
's final AFL broadcast before its broadcasting rights deal expires at the end of 2011. It was Ten's eighth grand final broadcast. The broadcast was transmitted in Standard Definition as the High Definition Channel was used for golf. The Grand Final had a peak audience of over 3.9 million viewers.
. The pre-match medley of Loaf's best-known songs was met with universal derision. Vanessa Amorosi
performed the national anthem.
scoring the goal. With Brad Ottens
winning in the ruck, Geelong had the better of the clearances early. When Varcoe kicked his second goal in the fourth minute of the game, Geelong led 14–0. From then, Collingwood's backline held Geelong scoreless for fifteen minutes and set shot goals from beyond the 50-metre arc
by Travis Cloke
in the 12th and 19th minutes closed the gap to 14–13. From that point, the match was goal-for-goal in the latter stages of the quarter, with the lead changing four times: Andrew Krakouer goaled for Collingwood in the 21st minute; Steve Johnson goaled for Geelong in the 22nd minute; Luke Ball
for Collingwood goaled in the 24th minute; and Joel Selwood
goaled for Geelong in the 26th minute. At quarter time, Geelong led by one point, 27–26.
off him and make Tom Lonergan his new opponent, which helped the Cats stem the flow of goals. Mathew Stokes
goaled for Geelong in the 11th minute, and Tom Hawkins
and Johnson both missed opportunities to bring the margin closer; from Johnson's behind, Collingwood went coast-to-coast
, with Krakouer scoring his third goal from a strong contested mark, to give Collingwood a 51–35 lead at 18th minute. At this stage, Geelong key forward James Podsiadly
, who had scored one behind for the match, was stretchered from the ground with a right shoulder injury, after having fallen on it in a marking contest. Podsiadly was substituted off
for Mitch Duncan
.
For the remainder of the quarter, Geelong closed the gap on Collingwood: Steve Johnson's goal in the 23rd minute was answered by Collingwood's Steele Sidebottom
in the 24th minute. In the 28th minute, a long chain of contested play around the boundary line finished with a goal to Selwood from the goal-square to narrow the margin to 9 points. Then, in the 32nd minute, Jimmy Bartel
kicked a goal from a free kick
, 25 m out on the boundary line, after the Collingwood ruckman was penalised for tapping the ball out on the full from a ball-up
. There was no more scoring in the long second quarter (which lasted 36 minutes due to the delay for Podsiadly's injury), and Collingwood led 57–54 at half time.
kicked a long goal in play from 50 m in the 7th minute – although replays indicated that the ball had hit the goal post, and should have been awarded a behind. Hawkins for Geelong and Leigh Brown
for Collingwood goaled from set shots in the 13th and 14th minutes respectively. Bartel regained the lead for Geelong with a goal from a strong contested mark in the forward pocket in the 24th minute. Activated substitute Mitch Duncan
goaled on the run from 50 m in the 28th minute to extend Geelong's lead to eight points, and Collingwood replied swiftly from the ensuing centre clearance, with Steele Sidebottom
kicking a goal from 50 m on the run. In the 31st minute, Tom Hawkins kicked his third goal of the quarter for Geelong, another soccered goal from short range. With five goals to three in the third quarter, Geelong led 85–78 by seven points.
in the 24th minute – to complete a 38-point victory. Geelong scored five goals to none in the final quarter and scored the last six goals of the match. After the 10-minute mark of the second quarter, Geelong turned a 18-point deficit into a 38-point win, for a 56-point turnaround.
for Collingwood. Collingwood midfielder and 2011 Brownlow Medal
list Dane Swan
was effectively tagged by Ling, and had a limited influence on the match. The ruck contest was well won by Geelong's tandem of Ottens and Trent West
, who beat Collingwood's primary ruckman Darren Jolly
and back-up Leigh Brown.
In Collingwood's forward-line, Travis Cloke was influential in the first half, kicking three goals while playing against Geelong defender Harry Taylor
. A change of match-ups at half time saw Tom Lonergan switched onto Cloke, and Cloke managed only one behind thereafter.
In Geelong's forward-line, Tom Hawkins was credited with one of the best matches of his career. He kicked 3.2 after half-time, and set up another to Steve Johnson, with Collingwood defender Ben Reid
unable to quell his influence. Hawkins role was particularly crucial after fellow key forward James Podsiadly was substituted out of the game injured in the second quarter. Additionally, Steve Johnson kicked four goals, despite suffering a knee injury in the preliminary final which many speculated during the week would keep him out of the match.
was won by Geelong's Jimmy Bartel
, who had 28 disposals and kicked three goals. Bartel scored 13 of a possible 15 votes to win the award, including being voted best-on-ground by four of the five judges. Bartel became the fifth player to win a Brownlow Medal
, premiership medallion and Norm Smith Medal in his career.
Joel Selwood
(28 disposals, two goals) finished second with nine votes, and Tom Hawkins
(19 disposals, nine marks, three goals) finished third with five votes, including the other best-on-ground vote. Scott Pendlebury
(two votes) and Cameron Ling
(one vote) were the other vote-getters.
Twelve Geelong players – Bartel, Ottens, Ling, Johnson, Selwood, Matthew Scarlett
, Paul Chapman, Andrew Mackie
, James Kelly, Joel Corey
, David Wojcinski
and Corey Enright
– became the first triple-premiership players in the club's VFL/AFL history. Geelong coach Chris Scott became the first man since Alan Joyce
in 1988 to win the premiership in his first year as senior coach at a club and, at 35 years of age, the youngest premiership coach since Alex Jesaulenko
in 1979.
Umpires
The umpiring panel for the Grand Final, including nine match day umpires and three emergencies, was announced on Tuesday, 27 September. Amongst the umpires were three Grand Final debutants: field umpire Chris Donlon
, and boundary umpires Nathan Doig and Christopher Gordon.
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
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...
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...
match, played to determine the premiers of the 2011 season
2011 AFL season
The 2011 Australian Football League season was the 115th season of the Australian rules football competition. It was the debut year for , and was scheduled to be the only season to be played with 17 teams...
. It was contested between the Collingwood Football Club
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
and 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...
.
The annual event was attended by a crowd of 99,537 and was won by Geelong by a margin of 38 points; 18.11 (119) to 12.9 (81).
Lead-up
Collingwood entered the 2011 season2011 AFL season
The 2011 Australian Football League season was the 115th season of the Australian rules football competition. It was the debut year for , and was scheduled to be the only season to be played with 17 teams...
as the reigning premiers, having defeated in the 2010 AFL Grand Final Replay
2010 AFL Grand Final
The 2010 AFL Grand Final is either of two Australian rules football contests between the Collingwood Football Club and the St Kilda Football Club. Together they are considered the 114th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League, and were staged to determine the...
by 56 points. Collingwood were the best performed side of the home and away season, winning 14 games in a row in the latter part of the season, to finish with a record of 20–2. Collingwood won its second consecutive minor premiership
Minor premiership
A minor premiership is the name of the title given to the team which finishes a sporting competition first in the league standings after the regular season but prior to commencement of the playoffs....
and McClelland Trophy
McClelland Trophy
The McClelland Trophy is an Australian rules football trophy, currently awarded to the minor premiers in the Australian Football League each year...
. Collingwood progressed to the grand final after two hard-fought finals matches; beating by 20 points in a qualifying final, then coming back from a four goal deficit to defeat by three points in a preliminary final.
Geelong entered the season after finishing second in 2010 home and away season
2010 AFL season
-Premiership season:The draw for the 2010 AFL Premiership Season is not a random selection of matches, but rather is planned by the AFL. It is intended to produce a balanced draw while also providing the fans and television networks with blockbuster games. In a competition with 16 teams and 22...
, then losing to Collingwood by 41 points in the preliminary finals. Geelong appointed a new coach, Chris Scott, in the off-season after dual premiership coach Mark Thompson moved to . Geelong won their first 13 games in 2011, before finishing with a record of 19–3 to sit second on the ladder. The Cats had comfortable finals wins, over by 31 points and by 48 points, to qualify for the grand final.
Collingwood and Geelong met twice during the 2011 home and away season, with Geelong winning both games; these were Collingwood's only two losses for the home-and-away season. In Round 8, Geelong won a close game in spite of inaccurate goalkicking, with the final score 8.17 (65) to 9.8 (62). In Round 24, Geelong inflicted Collingwood's heaviest defeat for more than six years, winning 22.17 (149) to 8.5 (53) by 96 points; the minor premiership and the opponents Geelong and Collingwood were to face in the first week of the finals were decided by the end of Round 23, so the Round 24 match could be seen as a dead rubber.
This grand final marked the 41st season in which Collingwood contested an VFL/AFL grand final. The club was attempting to win its 16th VFL/AFL premiership, which would have drawn it level with and for the most premierships in league history. It was Geelong's 17th grand final appearance, with the club attempting to win its ninth premiership overall. It was Geelong's fourth grand final appearance in five seasons, with the club attempting to win its third of those contests. It was the first time since 1998
1998 AFL Grand Final
-Match details:-References:...
that the premiers from the two preceding seasons played in the grand final.
This match was the sixth grand final contested between Collingwood and Geelong and the first since 1953. Three of the previous encounters were won by Geelong (1925, 1937 and 1952) and two were won by Collingwood (1930 and 1953). The two clubs had met in a preliminary final in three of the previous four seasons, with Geelong winning two (2007 and 2009) and Collingwood winning one (2010), but this was the first time in the recent success of both clubs that they had met in the grand final.
When betting markets opened on the Sunday before the game, Collingwood were a slight favourite, with major bookmaker TAB Sportsbet offering $1.80 for a Collingwood victory, compared with $2.00 for a Geelong victory. However, punters backed Geelong heavily and, by Monday, Geelong had become the slight favourite; on Thursday, Sportsbet was offering $1.80 for Geelong and $2.00 for Collingwood.
Media coverage
The match was Network TenNetwork Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
's final AFL broadcast before its broadcasting rights deal expires at the end of 2011. It was Ten's eighth grand final broadcast. The broadcast was transmitted in Standard Definition as the High Definition Channel was used for golf. The Grand Final had a peak audience of over 3.9 million viewers.
Pre-match entertainment
Entertainment included a twelve and a half minute performance by American singer Meat LoafMeat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
. The pre-match medley of Loaf's best-known songs was met with universal derision. Vanessa Amorosi
Vanessa Amorosi
Vanessa Amorosi is an Australian singer-songwriter and recording artist. Her combined album and single sales have reached over 2 million worldwide.-Early life:...
performed the national anthem.
Match summary
Geelong won the coin toss and chose to kick to the Punt Road end of the MCG in the first quarter. It had rained heavily in Melbourne over the previous few days and on the morning of the game, but it was mostly played in dry conditions, with brief periods of rain in the third quarter.First quarter
Geelong scored the opening goal of the game after only eleven seconds, with Geelong winning the first centre clearance and Travis VarcoeTravis Varcoe
Travis Varcoe is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League .-Career:Varcoe debuted in the SANFL for the Central District Bulldogs in 2005, at the age of 17...
scoring the goal. With 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:...
winning in the ruck, Geelong had the better of the clearances early. When Varcoe kicked his second goal in the fourth minute of the game, Geelong led 14–0. From then, Collingwood's backline held Geelong scoreless for fifteen minutes and set shot goals from beyond the 50-metre arc
50-metre arc
In Australian rules football, the 50-metre arc is one of the arcs that exist at each end of the ground, 50m from the goal line...
by Travis Cloke
Travis Cloke
Travis Cloke is a professional Australian rules footballer playing in the Australian Football League. Cloke was drafted under the father-son rule by Collingwood in the 3rd round of the 2004 AFL Draft...
in the 12th and 19th minutes closed the gap to 14–13. From that point, the match was goal-for-goal in the latter stages of the quarter, with the lead changing four times: Andrew Krakouer goaled for Collingwood in the 21st minute; Steve Johnson goaled for Geelong in the 22nd minute; Luke Ball
Luke Ball
Luke Patrick Ball is a professional Australian rules football player currently playing for in the Australian Football League....
for Collingwood goaled in the 24th minute; and Joel Selwood
Joel Selwood
Joel Anthony Selwood is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League...
goaled for Geelong in the 26th minute. At quarter time, Geelong led by one point, 27–26.
Second quarter
Collingwood opened the second quarter very strongly, and kicked three goals in the first ten minutes (to Krakouer in the 2nd minute, Cloke in the 7th minute and Ben Johnson in the 9th minute), to build an eighteen point lead, 45–27; this would ultimately be Collingwood's biggest lead for the match. Cloke's early dominance forced Geelong to take Harry TaylorHarry Taylor (Australian rules footballer)
Harry Taylor III is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League .-Early life:...
off him and make Tom Lonergan his new opponent, which helped the Cats stem the flow of goals. Mathew Stokes
Mathew Stokes
Mathew Stokes is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League .-Early life:...
goaled for Geelong in the 11th minute, and Tom Hawkins
Tom Hawkins (footballer)
Thomas "Tom" Jack Hawkins is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League...
and Johnson both missed opportunities to bring the margin closer; from Johnson's behind, Collingwood went coast-to-coast
Coast to coast goal
A coast to coast goal in Australian rules football is a goal that is scored by delivering the ball from one end of the oval to the other and scoring a goal, without the opposing team touching the ball.It can only be scored after one team scores a behind...
, with Krakouer scoring his third goal from a strong contested mark, to give Collingwood a 51–35 lead at 18th minute. At this stage, Geelong key forward James Podsiadly
James Podsiadly
James Podsiadly is an Australian rules footballer for Geelong in the Australian Football League . He was drafted as a mature-aged rookie in the 2010 Rookie Draft.-Early life:...
, who had scored one behind for the match, was stretchered from the ground with a right shoulder injury, after having fallen on it in a marking contest. Podsiadly was substituted off
Interchange (Australian rules football)
Interchange is the term used to describe a team position in Australian rules football, consisting of the players who are off the ground at any time...
for Mitch Duncan
Mitch Duncan
Mitchell "Mitch" James Duncan is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League...
.
For the remainder of the quarter, Geelong closed the gap on Collingwood: Steve Johnson's goal in the 23rd minute was answered by Collingwood's Steele Sidebottom
Steele Sidebottom
Steele Sidebottom is a professional Australian rules football player currently playing for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League....
in the 24th minute. In the 28th minute, a long chain of contested play around the boundary line finished with a goal to Selwood from the goal-square to narrow the margin to 9 points. Then, in the 32nd minute, 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...
kicked a goal from a free kick
Free kick (Australian rules football)
A free kick in Australian rules football is a penalty awarded by a field umpire to a player who has been infringed by an opponent or is the nearest player to a player from the opposite team who has broken a rule.-Protocol:...
, 25 m out on the boundary line, after the Collingwood ruckman was penalised for tapping the ball out on the full from a ball-up
Ball-up
A ball-up in Australian rules football describes a method of restarting play at a neutral contest after a stoppage within the field of play. It is not to be confused with a boundary throw-in which occurs in most cases when the ball is forced out of bounds...
. There was no more scoring in the long second quarter (which lasted 36 minutes due to the delay for Podsiadly's injury), and Collingwood led 57–54 at half time.
Third quarter
For the first part of the third quarter, it was goal-for-goal, with the lead changing five times. Geelong goaled first in the 4th minute, with Hawkins soccering the ball from a broken contest in the goal square. Collingwood's Sharrod WellinghamSharrod Wellingham
Sharrod Wellingham is a professional Australian rules football player currently playing for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League....
kicked a long goal in play from 50 m in the 7th minute – although replays indicated that the ball had hit the goal post, and should have been awarded a behind. Hawkins for Geelong and Leigh Brown
Leigh Brown
Leigh Brown is a former Australian rules football player who played for Fremantle, North Melbourne and finally Collingwood in the Australian Football League. He is a Collingwood premiership player...
for Collingwood goaled from set shots in the 13th and 14th minutes respectively. Bartel regained the lead for Geelong with a goal from a strong contested mark in the forward pocket in the 24th minute. Activated substitute Mitch Duncan
Mitch Duncan
Mitchell "Mitch" James Duncan is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League...
goaled on the run from 50 m in the 28th minute to extend Geelong's lead to eight points, and Collingwood replied swiftly from the ensuing centre clearance, with Steele Sidebottom
Steele Sidebottom
Steele Sidebottom is a professional Australian rules football player currently playing for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League....
kicking a goal from 50 m on the run. In the 31st minute, Tom Hawkins kicked his third goal of the quarter for Geelong, another soccered goal from short range. With five goals to three in the third quarter, Geelong led 85–78 by seven points.
Final quarter
Hawkins had three early opportunities to kick goals for Geelong in the 2nd, 4th and 5th minutes, all from contested marks; he missed with his first two opportunities, then handpassed the third to Steve Johnson, who scored the goal. In the 9th minute, Varcoe was on the end of a long running play which started at full-back to kick his third goal. In the 15th minute, when Bartel goaled from a set-shot, the margin was out to 26 points, and a Geelong victory was no longer in doubt. Two more goals were scored by Geelong in the dying minutes – one to Steve Johnson in the 22nd minute, and one to popular captain Cameron LingCameron Ling
Cameron Ling is a former Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League...
in the 24th minute – to complete a 38-point victory. Geelong scored five goals to none in the final quarter and scored the last six goals of the match. After the 10-minute mark of the second quarter, Geelong turned a 18-point deficit into a 38-point win, for a 56-point turnaround.
Overall report
The influential players in the midfield were Jimmy Bartel and Joel Selwood for Geelong, and Scott PendleburyScott Pendlebury
Scott Pendlebury is a professional Australian rules football player who plays for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League .- Early life :...
for Collingwood. Collingwood midfielder and 2011 Brownlow Medal
2011 Brownlow Medal
The Brownlow Medal is the most prestigious individual award in Australian rules football. The award was presented on Monday, 26 September, in the week before the 2011 AFL Grand Final.-Leading votegetters:...
list Dane Swan
Dane Swan
Dane Swan is an Australian rules footballer for Collingwood in the Australian Football League.Since 2007 Swan has emerged as one of the AFL's elite midfielders, winner of the prestigious Brownlow Medal in 2011 with a record tally of 34 votes...
was effectively tagged by Ling, and had a limited influence on the match. The ruck contest was well won by Geelong's tandem of Ottens and Trent West
Trent West
Trent West is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League .-Career:...
, who beat Collingwood's primary ruckman Darren Jolly
Darren Jolly
Darren Jolly is a professional Australian rules football player currently playing for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League . Jolly has previously played for Melbourne, the Sydney Swans...
and back-up Leigh Brown.
In Collingwood's forward-line, Travis Cloke was influential in the first half, kicking three goals while playing against Geelong defender Harry Taylor
Harry Taylor (Australian rules footballer)
Harry Taylor III is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League .-Early life:...
. A change of match-ups at half time saw Tom Lonergan switched onto Cloke, and Cloke managed only one behind thereafter.
In Geelong's forward-line, Tom Hawkins was credited with one of the best matches of his career. He kicked 3.2 after half-time, and set up another to Steve Johnson, with Collingwood defender Ben Reid
Ben Reid
Ben Reid is an Australian rules footballer for Collingwood in the Australian Football League .- Early life :He is the son of former Footscray and Carlton player, Bruce Reid. His younger brother Sam Reid also plays AFL football for the Sydney Swans.- AFL career :He was taken with Collingwood's...
unable to quell his influence. Hawkins role was particularly crucial after fellow key forward James Podsiadly was substituted out of the game injured in the second quarter. Additionally, Steve Johnson kicked four goals, despite suffering a knee injury in the preliminary final which many speculated during the week would keep him out of the match.
Norm Smith Medal
The Norm Smith MedalNorm 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...
was won by Geelong's 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...
, who had 28 disposals and kicked three goals. Bartel scored 13 of a possible 15 votes to win the award, including being voted best-on-ground by four of the five judges. Bartel became the fifth player to win a Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The 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...
, premiership medallion and Norm Smith Medal in his career.
Joel Selwood
Joel Selwood
Joel Anthony Selwood is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League...
(28 disposals, two goals) finished second with nine votes, and Tom Hawkins
Tom Hawkins (footballer)
Thomas "Tom" Jack Hawkins is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League...
(19 disposals, nine marks, three goals) finished third with five votes, including the other best-on-ground vote. Scott Pendlebury
Scott Pendlebury
Scott Pendlebury is a professional Australian rules football player who plays for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League .- Early life :...
(two votes) and Cameron Ling
Cameron Ling
Cameron Ling is a former Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League...
(one vote) were the other vote-getters.
Result
The premiership was the ninth VFL/AFL premiership in Geelong's history and the third premiership in five years.Twelve Geelong players – Bartel, Ottens, Ling, Johnson, Selwood, 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....
, Paul Chapman, Andrew Mackie
Andrew Mackie
Andrew John Mackie is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League .-Early career:...
, James Kelly, 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....
, David Wojcinski
David Wojcinski
David "Wojo" Wojcinski is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League .-Career:Wojcinski made his debut in 1998. He won the club's Most Improved Player award for 2004....
and Corey Enright
Corey Enright
Corey Enright is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
– became the first triple-premiership players in the club's VFL/AFL history. Geelong coach Chris Scott became the first man since Alan Joyce
Alan Joyce
Alan Joyce is a former Australian rules footballer who after playing 49 games for Hawthorn became a premiership winning coach for the club. Originally from Glen Iris, Joyce played in the ruck for Hawthorn and gained life membership in 1996.In 1988 when incumbent coach Allan Jeans became ill due to...
in 1988 to win the premiership in his first year as senior coach at a club and, at 35 years of age, the youngest premiership coach since Alex Jesaulenko
Alex Jesaulenko
Alex 'Jezza' Jesaulenko MBE is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is regarded as one of the game's greatest-ever players and is an official Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame...
in 1979.
Scorecard
Teams
The teams were named on Thursday, 29 September.Umpires
The umpiring panel for the Grand Final, including nine match day umpires and three emergencies, was announced on Tuesday, 27 September. Amongst the umpires were three Grand Final debutants: field umpire Chris Donlon
Chris Donlon
Christopher Donlon is an Australian rules football field umpire in the Australian Football League. He has umpired 66 career games in the AFL.Donlon umpired in the 2011 AFL Grand Final.-Footnotes:...
, and boundary umpires Nathan Doig and Christopher Gordon.
| 2011 AFL Grand Final umpires | |||||
| Field Umpire (Australian rules football) An umpire is an official in the sport of Australian rules football.-Origins:Unlike many other codes of football, where the official is called a referee, in Australian Football, the officials borrow their title from the game of cricket, which is played on the same types of fields and was an... : |
1 Chris Donlon Chris Donlon Christopher Donlon is an Australian rules football field umpire in the Australian Football League. He has umpired 66 career games in the AFL.Donlon umpired in the 2011 AFL Grand Final.-Footnotes:... (1) |
8 Brett Rosebury Brett Rosebury Brett Rosebury is an Australian rules football field umpire in the Australian Football League. He has umpired 119 career games in the AFL since his debut in Round 13, 2000.... (4) |
25 Shaun Ryan Shaun Ryan Shaun Ryan is an Australian rules football field umpire in the Australian Football League. He has umpired 110 career games in the AFL.He umpired his first AFL Grand Final in 2008 between Hawthorn and Geelong. He has since umpired Grand Finals in 2009, 2010 , and will umpire in 2011 as... (5) |
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| Boundary Umpire (Australian rules football) An umpire is an official in the sport of Australian rules football.-Origins:Unlike many other codes of football, where the official is called a referee, in Australian Football, the officials borrow their title from the game of cricket, which is played on the same types of fields and was an... : |
Nathan Doig (1) | Mark Foster (4) | Christopher Gordon (1) | Mark Thomson (4) | |
| Goal Umpire (Australian rules football) An umpire is an official in the sport of Australian rules football.-Origins:Unlike many other codes of football, where the official is called a referee, in Australian Football, the officials borrow their title from the game of cricket, which is played on the same types of fields and was an... : |
David Dixon (6) | Luke Walker (3) | |||
| Emergency Umpire (Australian rules football) An umpire is an official in the sport of Australian rules football.-Origins:Unlike many other codes of football, where the official is called a referee, in Australian Football, the officials borrow their title from the game of cricket, which is played on the same types of fields and was an... : |
Field: Matt Stevic Matt Stevic Matt Stevic is an Australian rules football field umpire in the Australian Football League. He has umpired 120 career games in the AFL.... |
Boundary: Jonathon Creasey | Goal: Chelsea Roffey | ||
| Numbers in brackets represent the number of Grand Finals umpired; this number includes 2011, counts the 2010 AFL Grand Final and Replay 2010 AFL Grand Final The 2010 AFL Grand Final is either of two Australian rules football contests between the Collingwood Football Club and the St Kilda Football Club. Together they are considered the 114th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League, and were staged to determine the... separately, and does not including times as emergency. Sources: |
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Footnotes
- 1. It was Collingwood's 43rd grand final appearance overall, if the replayed grand finals of 1977 and 2010 are counted separately to the drawn grand finals in the same years.