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AFL Grand Final Sprint

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The AFL Grand Final Sprint is a sprint running race contested by AFL players as part of the on-field entertainment on the day of the AFL Grand Final. The sprint was held each year from 1979 until 1985 and again in 1987 (when the league was known as the Victorian Football League), and then again every year since 2002. Geoff Ablett (Hawthorn/St Kilda) has won the most Grand Final sprints, with four.

Sprint race

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The 2015 Grand Final sprint as the competitors cross the finish line. Majak Daw of North Melbourne was the winner.

The staging running races as curtain-raisers to, or half-time entertainment during, football matches has been a common practice since the early days of football in Victoria. The establishment of a running race on the field during grand final day between players who were not taking part in the game first occurred in 1977. For the Grand Final days in 1977 and 1978, long-distance races run over a mile were staged, with each league club able to nominate up to two entrants. In 1979, the race was changed to a 100 m sprint, with one player per club taking part.[1]

Between 1979 and 1987, the two clubs participating in the grand final had the option of providing one of their players who missed selection in the match, but they generally chose not to do so, meaning the sprint was usually contested by a field of 10 players during this era.

The race was not held from 1988 to 2001 but was reintroduced in 2002 (along with a goalkicking contest, which only lasted one year). With the number of league clubs having grown to 16 during the break in competition, a new format was adopted, with the players now split into two groups of eight for the heats (held before the grand final), and the top four from each heat advancing to the final (held at half-time of the grand final).

From 2006 until 2008, a handicapping system was used, similar to that used in the Stawell Gift.[2]

In 2020 and 2021, the Grand Final sprint took place at quarter-time rather than half-time. In 2022[3] and 2023,[4] the sprint took place before the game. In 2024,[5] there were heats held before the game, with the final occurring at half-time.

In most years, entry has been limited to one player from each AFL club. On two occasions, two slots were open to players from regional leagues, resulting in regional league-player victories on both occasions. In 2016, suburban footballer James Shirley won the race, while taxi driver Harvinder Singh (competing because the race was sponsored by taxi company 13cabs) finished last; and in 2018, under-18s footballers Godfrey Okereneyang and Melvin Monieh came first and second, respectively.[2] The 2021 race was limited to Western Australian participants, as border restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic prevented others from travelling to Perth where the match and race were held.

Winners

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Year Sprint Winner Football Club Football League Grand Final Venue City
1979 Geoff Ablett Hawthorn Victorian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
1980 Geoff Ablett (2) Hawthorn Victorian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
1981 Geoff Ablett (3) Hawthorn Victorian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
1982 Michael Conlan Fitzroy Victorian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
1983 Frank Marchesani Carlton Victorian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
1984 Douglas Cox Essendon Victorian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
1985 Geoff Ablett (4) St Kilda Victorian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
1986 Sprints not held Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
1987 Russell Richards Melbourne Victorian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
Sprints not held from 1988-2001 Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2002 Jared Crouch Sydney Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2003 James Walker Fremantle Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2004 James Walker (2) Fremantle Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2005 Brett Deledio Richmond Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2006 Brendan Fevola Carlton Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2007 Jake King Richmond Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2008 Matthew White Richmond Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2009 Rhys Stanley St Kilda Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2010 Luke Miles St Kilda Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2011 Patrick Dangerfield Adelaide Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2012 Patrick Dangerfield (2) Adelaide Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2013 Patrick Dangerfield (3) Adelaide Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2014 Jordan Murdoch Geelong Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2015 Majak Daw North Melbourne Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2016 James Shirley Murrumbeena Southern Football Netball League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2017 Connor Menadue Richmond Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2018 Godfrey Okereneyang Coolamon Riverina Football Netball League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2019 Ben King Gold Coast Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2019 Jordan Clark Geelong Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2020 Sprints not held The Gabba Brisbane
2021 Josh Rotham West Coast Australian Football League Optus Stadium Perth
2022 Hugo Ralphsmith Richmond Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2023 Max Holmes Geelong Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne
2024 Beau McCreery Collingwood Australian Football League Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne

See also

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References

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  1. ^ David Eastman. "AFL Grand Final Sprint".
  2. ^ a b "AFL (&VFL) Grand Final Sprint". Top End Sports. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  3. ^ "2022 Colgate AFL Grand Final Sprint returns to the 'G". AFL. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  4. ^ "2023 Coles Pre-Game Sprint to heat up the 'G". afl.com.au. 28 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  5. ^ "AFL grand final sprint: Time, participants and results for 2024 | Sporting News Australia". www.sportingnews.com. 28 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.