To call Saturday’s AFL Grand Final one of the greatest ever played would be stating the obvious – but that’s not going to stop us.
It goes without saying that congrats must go out to Collingwood and its massive army for winning the club’s 16th VFL/AFL premiership.
As always, we’ve put together a five-leg multi of hindsight in the final 5 Lessons Learned for AFL season 2023.
(1) Best Grand Final of your lifetime
Let the debate begin!
Just how will the 2023 Grand Final rate in your list of the best ever played?
For this 34-year-old writer, I’d have it at number one.
Granted there’s recency bias, but I was 9 months old when the Hawks and Cats fought it out in 1989 and all of the Grand Finals from 1990-2001 were boring.
There was Leo Barry in 2005, the Eagles by a point in 06, the draw in 2010, the epic 2012 encounter, Dom Sheed in 2018 and then what transpired on Saturday.
No matter how you see it, the 2023 encounter will now be prominent in just about every conversation about just what was the greatest Grand Final of all time.
It did tick all the boxes – close contest, frequent lead changes, controversial umpiring and a game decided by less than a kick and to defy history – Collingwood was the beneficiary.
Also, how good was KISS?
(2) Best Weekend Ever
…if your name is Craig McRae.
Birth of child ✅
Coach team premiership ✅
Celebrate premiership ✅
Quick stop over at premiership reunion ✅
Quality time with your newborn child and with the premiership cup ✅
Nothing will top that.
(3) The drought is over
We ain’t talking about the Collywobbles either.
Not only did Collingwood win a close Grand Final, but they won one in September!
This was the first time the Magpies had won a Grand Final on the last Saturday in September since 1958.
2023 is no ordinary Collingwood premiership.
(4) Lions lick wounds
It’s not the end of the world for Brisbane.
Chris Fagan was still very glass-half-full in his post-game press conference.
With plenty of young talent like Will Ashcroft, Jaspa Fletcher, Cam Rayner and Zac Bailey in their stocks, there’s a good mix of old and new.
The Lions were brave in the Grand Final, there was no shame in defeat.
With an 8-2 record against fellow finalists and unbeaten at the Gabba, they’ll go again and go hard.
Season 2023 was an opportunity lost, season 2024 is an opportunity gained.
(5) There’s always next year
Good news for Brisbane Lions fans!
Our 2024 premiership futures market already has the Lions as $5.50 favourites to take out the flag next year.
No need for Magpies fans to be outraged either, they are a solid $6 to go back-to-back and those odds should be set to plunge over the off-season.
Melbourne is $7, with the Giants and Carlton at $8.
Down the bottom of the market, the Damien Hardwick-led Gold Coast Suns are $41 to win the flag, ahead of Richmond at $51
No surprise that North Melbourne and West Coast are both $251 to go from the bottom to top in 2024.