3 minute read

A historic AFL grand final at the Gabba to end a season like no other was never going to be ordinary, and it delivered from well before the first bounce.

A tropical downpour, a heart-stopping Gary Ablett injury, a couple of pitch invaders and a Cher cover - all before quarter time.

The AFL's first grand final outside of Melbourne was far from ordinary, but nothing should surprise on the final day of a season like no other.

It hadn't rained in Brisbane like that in months but suddenly there was talk of a delayed start at the Gabba as the threat of lightning and an official thunderstorm warning punctuated a wet afternoon.

By first bounce there were clear skies though, no surprise for locals used to watching the clouds roll in - and out just as quickly - at a time of year usually reserved for men vying for baggy greens.

The historic, COVID-19-enforced move away from the MCG didn't sit well with everyone and granted, your average man on a Brisbane street would not know Dustin Martin from Darryl White.

But look deeper and you'll see diehards kicking Sherrins from Cape York to Coolangatta, grateful their sport had found a temporary home in their state.

Brisbane's preliminary-final loss took the wind out of many new fans' sails hoping to ride the home side all the way to a fairytale flag.

There were still more than enough of those diehards, decked in full Cats or Tigers kit, happy to trudge a soggy path to the newly-renovated Gabba.

With less than a third of the number - 29,767 was the final figure - usually cramming into the MCG, the Gabba was always going to lack the grandeur inside and the buzz outside.

The first night-time start also gave detractors longer to construct their criticism, even if it did save the game from being played in torrential rain.

And while indie rock band DMA's cover of Cher's Believe fell flat with some, it was nothing compared to the manic early stages that saw the retiring Ablett stoop off clutching his shoulder and a knocked-out Nick Vlastuin following in a stretcher.

With the crowd still processing their exits, a pair of invaders side-stepped security while a late Geelong goal to skip ahead at the first break was short-lived.

Richmond rallied thanks to constant Martin brilliance, the Tigers winning a brutal, tense decider to claim their third title in four years.

Only this time they lifted the premiership cup far from home - after living out of a suitcase on the Gold Coast for more than 100 days - at a ground that was once home to a greyhound track.