AFL CHAMPS: Coach Alastair Clarkson and captain Sam Mitchell hold up the 2008 AFL Premiership Cup during their team’s grand reception in Melbourne, Australia. (Mark Dadswell/Getty Images)
Drawing the biggest crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 22 years, 100,012 people witnessed Hawthorn’s 26-point victory over Geelong last Saturday.
After losing just one game in the 22-round season, the reigning premiers for 2007, the Geelong Cats, choked under the Hawthorn Hawks pressure 11.23 (89) to 18.7 (115).
Perhaps Geelong, who had been almost faultless for two seasons, were overwhelmed by their success and the pressure to rise to the occasion each week may have gotten the better of them.
They had shown weaknesses against the Western Bulldogs in the Preliminary Final in the previous week, but most expected them to return to their clean disposal and exemplary execution that had seen them lose just two games of the prior 44.
The Cats, who led by just one point at quarter time, then kicked a wayward 1 goal 9 points to 3.1 in the second quarter and were expected to come out after halftime and convert their dominance around the ground into results on the scoreboard.
After all, the Cats’ 6.12 (48) to Hawthorns’ 8.3 (51) at halftime told half a tale of missed opportunities—the other half being rushed behinds.
Take nothing away from the AFL’s new benchmark, Hawthorn; they were fantastic, while Geelong looked rattled.
Each time the ball sailed between the Hawks’ goal posts, their self-belief grew and by the end of the third quarter, they led by 17 points—9.18 (72) to 14.5 (89). It was all but over.
It’s widely understood that the third quarter (known as the Premiership Quarter) is the vital one in the AFL, with a come-from-behind win very rare. The last time a team was able to come from behind at three-quarter-time to win the Grand Final was 25 years ago.