View source for 2005 AFL Grand Final

{{Short description|Grand final of the 2005 Australian Football League season}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox Australian rules football grand final
| competition   = AFL
| year          = 2005
| image         = 2005AFLGrandFinal.png
| ground_image  = [[File:Sydney break through their banner, 2005 AFL Grand Final.jpg|300px]]
| caption       = The [[Sydney Swans]] walk onto the field before the game. The Swans would win the game with a 4-point margin, winning their first premiership in 72 years. 
| home          = [[File:Sydney Football Club colours.svg|50px]]<br/>{{AFL Syd}}
| home_abbr     = SYD
| home_image    = 
| away          = [[File:West Coast Football Club colours (2005-2011 away).svg|50px]]<br/>{{AFL|WC}}
| away_abbr     = WCE
| away_image    = 
| home_qtr1     = 3.0 (18)
| home_qtr2     = 6.3 (39)
| home_qtr3     = 6.5 (41)
| home_qtr4     = 8.10 (58)
| away_qtr1     = 2.4 (16)
| away_qtr2     = 2.7 (19)
| away_qtr3     = 5.9 (39)
| away_qtr4     = 7.12 (54)
| home_score    = 8.10 (58)
| away_score    = 7.12 (54)
| date          = 24 September 2005
| stadium       = [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]]
| attendance    = 91,828 
| favourite     = {{AFL Syd}}
| umpire        = [[Scott McLaren]] (11), [[Brett Allen (umpire)|Brett Allen]] (10), [[Darren Goldspink]] (32)
| coin_toss   = {{AFL Syd}}
| kick_end      = City End
| prematch      = [[Delta Goodrem]], [[Silvie Paladino]], [[Michael Bublé]], [[Dame Edna Everage]], Melbourne Gospel Choir and Australian Girls' Choir
| anthem        = [[Silvie Paladino]]
| halftime      =
| postmatch     =
| norm_smith    = [[Chris Judd]] ({{AFL|WC}})
| jock_mchale   = [[Paul Roos (Australian rules footballer)|Paul Roos]]
| hall_of_fame  = 
| network       = [[Network Ten]]
| announcers    =
| last          = 2004
| next          = 2006
}}

The '''2005 AFL Grand Final''' was an [[Australian rules football]] game contested between the [[Sydney Swans]] and [[West Coast Eagles]] at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]] on 24 September 2005. It was the 109th annual [[AFL Grand Final|grand final]] of the [[Australian Football League]] (formerly the Victorian Football League), staged to determine the [[List of AFL premiers|premiers]] for the [[2005 AFL season]]. The match, attended by 91,828 spectators, was won by Sydney by a margin of four points. It was the club's fourth VFL/AFL premiership, and its first since 1933, breaking a league-record 72-year premiership drought.

{{as of|2024}}, the 2005 AFL Grand Final is the highest-rating [[Australian Football League|AFL]] game of all time since the current [[OzTAM|OzTam]] measurement system was introduced in 2001. A total average of 4.449 million people watched the game on TV nationally, including 3.4 million metropolitan viewers.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2005 AFL Grand Final TV ratings - regional figures included.|url=https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/2005-afl-grand-final-tv-ratings-regional-figures-included.201661/|access-date=2021-09-27|website=BigFooty|date=29 September 2005 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Grand Final TV viewership biggest in 10 years|url=https://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/news/341050/grand-final-tv-viewership-biggest-in-10-years|access-date=2021-09-27|website=westernbulldogs.com.au|date=3 October 2016 |language=en}}</ref> It is one of the [[List of most-watched television broadcasts#Australia|most-watched television broadcasts]] in Australia since 2001, ranked 10th overall {{as of|2025|lc=y}}.

==Background==
{{Main|2005 AFL season}}
{{further|2005 AFL Finals Series}}
This was West Coast's first appearance in a grand final since winning the [[1994 AFL Grand Final|1994]] premiership, whilst it was Sydney's first since losing in [[1996 AFL Grand Final|1996]], and the Swans had not won a premiership since [[1933 VFL Grand Final|1933]] (as South Melbourne).

Two players from the Eagles' last premiership in 1994 were appearing in this grand final: [[Drew Banfield]] for the Eagles and [[Jason Ball (Australian footballer)|Jason Ball]] for the Swans in his last AFL game.

At the conclusion of the [[home and away season|home-and-away season]], West Coast finished second on the AFL ladder behind [[Adelaide Football Club|Adelaide]] with 17 wins and five losses. Sydney finished third with 15 wins and seven losses. They met in the qualifying final at [[Subiaco Oval]], and West Coast won by four points.

A major turning point in the Swans' season came when they lost to {{AFL StK}} at [[Docklands Stadium|Telstra Dome]] in round ten, after which Swans coach Paul Roos came under heavy criticism from the entire AFL for his side's game plan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/afl/roos-v-walls-the-war-of-words-continues-20060413-gdnctr.html|title=Roos v Walls: the war of words continues|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|first=Michael|last=Cowley|date=13 April 2006|access-date=13 September 2019}}</ref>

The Eagles qualified for the grand final by defeating minor premiers Adelaide in their preliminary final by 16 points. Meanwhile, Nick Davis famously rescued Sydney in their semi-final at the SCG against Geelong with four 4th-quarter goals, including one just seconds before the final siren. The Swans then overcame [[St Kilda Football Club|St Kilda]] in their preliminary final at the MCG after overturning a 7-point deficit going into the last quarter into a 31-point win with seven final quarter goals.

In the week leading up to the grand final, West Coast's [[Ben Cousins]] was awarded the [[Brownlow Medal]]. There was controversy over the fact that [[Barry Hall]] was allowed to play, as he had escaped suspension for punching St Kilda's [[Matt Maguire]] in the preliminary final when similar incidents had drawn suspensions during the year. Hall later admitted in 2017 that he exploited a loophole in the rules, saying: "I shouldn’t have played. If rules are rules, I shouldn’t have played the Grand Final."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-06-21 |title=Barry Hall: I should have been suspended for 2005 Grand Final {{!}} Sporting News Australia |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/au/featured-content-sport/news/barry-hall-i-should-have-been-suspended-for-2005-grand-final-afl-sydney-west-coast/1i146k5chtkjk1le2dvkfnidus |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=www.sportingnews.com |language=en-au}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Baum |first=Greg |date=2017-06-21 |title=Barry Hall: I shouldn't have played 2005 grand final |url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/barry-hall-i-shouldnt-have-played-2005-grand-final-20170621-gwvjdg.html |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=The Age |language=en}}</ref>

==Match summary==
{{Original research|section|date=May 2017}}West Coast opened the game shaky, with Sydney be aggressive  to get the ball into their forward fifty. However, the West Coast defensive line held strong, only making Sydney kick two goals. The term ended with Sydney leading by 13 points.

In the second quarter Sydney appeared just as strong, kicking three goals. West Coast however, also kicked three goals while kicking accurate. Unfortunately for Sydney they kicked for behinds then goals, kicks four.

Both teams had seemingly easy goals that were missed, but the Eagles most clearly would remember theirs from the fourth quarter. With just under five minutes remaining in the match, West Coast's [[Brent Staker]] almost cost his team the match following a [[50-metre penalty]] to the Swans sending them out of their defensive 50 in a very costly play. With the Swans holding a five-point lead in the closing moments, Sydney's [[Tadhg Kennelly]] rushed a behind to blunt a ferocious Eagles attack.  After the ensuing kick in, West Coast regained control of the ball and sent a long kick back to the half-forward line by [[Dean Cox (Australian footballer)|Dean Cox]]. Sydney's [[Leo Barry]] responded by taking a mark in the midst of the pack full of Eagles players (with the commentator [[Stephen Quartermain]] saying a sequence of words made famous through frequent replays: "Leo Barry, you star!"), denying the Eagles an opportunity to kick a game-winner on or after the final siren, thus ensuring that the Swans would win their first premiership in 72 years (when they were South Melbourne), ending the longest premiership drought in VFL/AFL history.

The match has been labelled as a 'classic',<ref>[[Jim Main]], ''Aussie Rules: For Dummies'' (2nd edition, 2008) p 10.</ref> with the final margin being the closest since the [[1977 VFL Grand Final|1977 drawn grand final]]. This was the first time since the [[1989 VFL Grand Final]] that the grand final was decided by a goal or less.

Eagles player [[Chris Judd]] was awarded the [[Norm Smith Medal]] for being judged the best player afield, although he finished on the losing side; this is one of only four instances of a Grand Final player having won a Norm Smith Medal without being on the winning premiership team.

The same teams met again in the [[2006 AFL Grand Final]], in another close match, with the Eagles emerging victors by one point.
== Norm Smith Medal ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+Norm Smith Medal Voting Tally
!Position
!Player
!Club
!Total Votes
!Vote Summary
|-
|1st (winner)
|[[Chris Judd]]
|[[West Coast Eagles]]
|11
|2,3,3,1,2
|-
|2nd
|[[Nic Fosdike]]
|[[Sydney Swans]]
|6
|0,0,0,3,3
|-
|3rd
|[[ Brett Kirk]]
|[[Sydney Swans]]
|4
|0,2,2,0,0
|-
|3rd
|[[Amon Buchanan]]
|[[Sydney Swans]]
|4
|3,0,0,0,1
|-
|5th
|[[Ben Cousins]]
|[[West Coast Eagles]]
|2
|0,0,0,2,0
|-
|6th
|[[ David Wirrpunda]]
|[[West Coast Eagles]]
|1
|0,0,1,0,0
|-
|6th
|[[Leo Barry]]
|[[Sydney Swans]]
|1
|0,1,0,0,0
|-
|6th
|[[Lewis Roberts-Thomson]]
|[[Sydney Swans]]
|1
|1,0,0,0,0
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Voter
!Role
!3 Votes
!2 Votes
!1 Vote
|-
!Graeme Bond
![[3AW]]
|Amon Buchanan
|Chris Judd
|Lewis Roberts-Thomson
|-
!David Reed
![[The West Australian|West Australian]]
|Chris Judd
|Brett Kirk
|Leo Barry
|-
![[Mark Robinson (journalist)|Mark Robinson]]
![[Herald Sun]]
|Chris Judd 
|Brett Kirk
|David Wirrpunda
|-
![[Michaelangelo Rucci]]
![[Adelaide Advertiser]]
|Nic Fosdike
|Ben Cousins
|Chris Judd
|-
![[Stephen Quartermain]]
![[Network 10]]
|Nic Fosdike
|Chris Judd
|Amon Buchanan
|}

== Teams ==
{| width=92% |
|-
|{{Australian rules football kit
 | pattern_b  = _swans19h
 | pattern_sh = _whitesides
 | pattern_so =  
 | body       = ffffff
 | shorts     = ff0000
 | socks      = ff0000
 | title      = Sydney Swans
}}
|{{Australian rules football kit
 | pattern_b  = _wceagles19h
 | pattern_sh = _goldsides
 | pattern_so = _goldtop
 | body       = 062EE2
 | shorts     = 062EE2
 | socks      = 062EE2
 | title      = West Coast Eagles
}}
|}
{|
| valign="top" |{{Aussie rules team | title =  {{AFL Syd}} 
| backpocket1 = 28 [[Jared Crouch]]
| fullback = 21 [[Leo Barry]]
| backpocket2 = 30 [[Lewis Roberts-Thomson]]
| halfbackflank1 = 4 [[Ben Mathews]]
| centrehalfback = 6 [[Craig Bolton]]
| halfbackflank2 = 17 [[Tadhg Kennelly]]
| wing1 = 26 [[Sean Dempster]]
| centre = 37 [[Adam Goodes]]
| wing2 = 32 [[Amon Buchanan]]
| halfforwardflank1 = 5 [[Ryan O'Keefe]]
| centrehalfforward = 1 [[Barry Hall]] (c)
| halfforwardflank2 = 24 [[Jude Bolton]]
| forwardpocket1 = 10 [[Paul Williams (Australian rules footballer)|Paul Williams]]
| fullforward = 19 [[Michael O'Loughlin]]
| forwardpocket2 = 2 [[Nick Davis (footballer)|Nick Davis]]
| ruck = 16 [[Darren Jolly]]
| ruckrover = 31 [[Brett Kirk]]
| rover = 20 [[Luke Ablett]]
| interchange1 = 27 [[Jason Ball (Australian footballer)|Jason Ball]]
| interchange2 = 42 [[Paul Bevan]]
| interchange3 = 13 [[Adam Schneider]]
| interchange4 = 12 [[Nic Fosdike]]
| interchange5 =
| interchange6 =
| coach = [[Paul Roos (Australian rules footballer)|Paul Roos]]
}}
| valign="top" |{{Aussie rules team | title = {{AFL|WC}} 
| backpocket1 = 39 [[Adam Hunter (footballer)|Adam Hunter]]
| fullback = 23 [[Darren Glass]]
| backpocket2 = 44 [[David Wirrpanda]]
| halfbackflank1 = 17 [[Daniel Chick]]
| centrehalfback = 11 [[Travis Gaspar]]
| halfbackflank2 = 6 [[Drew Banfield]]
| wing1 = 5 [[Tyson Stenglein]]
| centre = 9 [[Ben Cousins]] (c)
| wing2 = 32 [[Andrew Embley]]
| halfforwardflank1 = 4 [[Daniel Kerr]]
| centrehalfforward = 29 [[Ashley Hansen]]
| halfforwardflank2 = 41 [[Brent Staker]]
| forwardpocket1 = 35 [[Kasey Green]]
| fullforward = 1 [[Michael Gardiner]]
| forwardpocket2 = 28 [[Ashley Sampi]]
| ruck = 20 [[Dean Cox (Australian footballer)|Dean Cox]]
| ruckrover = 3 [[Chris Judd]]
| rover = 7 [[Chad Fletcher]]
| interchange1 = 37 [[Adam Selwood]]
| interchange2 = 31 [[Mark Nicoski]]
| interchange3 = 26 [[Sam Butler (footballer, born 1986)|Sam Butler]]
| interchange4 = 14 [[Mark Seaby]]
| interchange5 =
| interchange6 =
| coach = [[John Worsfold]]
}}
|}

== Scorecard ==

{{AFLGameDetailed
| title           = Grand final
| date            = Saturday, 24 September (2:40 pm)
| home team       = {{AFL Syd}}
| home Q1         = 3.0 (18)
| home Q2         = 6.3 (39)
| home Q3         = 6.5 (41)
| home final      = 8.10 (58)
| home goals      = [[Barry Hall|Hall]] '''2'''<br>[[Darren Jolly|Jolly]], [[Adam Schneider|Schneider]], [[Michael O'Loughlin|O'Loughlin]], [[Tadhg Kennelly|Kennelly]], [[Adam Goodes|Goodes]], [[Amon Buchanan|Buchanan]] '''1'''
| home best       = [[Lewis Roberts-Thomson|Roberts-Thomson]], [[Adam Goodes|Goodes]], [[Amon Buchanan|Buchanan]], [[Tadhg Kennelly|Kennelly]], [[Nic Fosdike|Fosdike]], [[Ben Kirk|Kirk]]
| home injuries   = [[Jason Ball (Australian footballer)|Ball]] (cut head), [[Craig Bolton|C. Bolton]] (nose), [[Jared Crouch|Crouch]] (ankle)
| home reports    = Nil
| winner          = H
| away team       = {{AFL WC}}
| away Q1         = 2.4 (16)
| away Q2         = 2.7 (19)
| away Q3         = 5.9 (39)
| away final      = 7.12 (54)
| away goals      = '''2''' [[Adam Hunter (footballer)|Hunter]]<br>'''1''' [[Mark Nicoski|Nicoski]], [[Dean Cox|Cox]], [[Andrew Embley|Embley]], [[Ashley Hansen|Hansen]], [[Ben Cousins|Cousins]]
| away best       = [[Chris Judd|Judd]], [[David Wirrpanda|Wirrpunda]], [[Ben Cousins|Cousins]], [[Dean Cox|Cox]], [[Chad Fletcher|Fletcher]]
| away injuries   = [[Daniel Kerr|Kerr]] (ankle), [[Michael Gardiner|Gardiner]] (cut head)
| away reports    = Nil
| venue           = [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]]
| crowd           = 91,898
| report          = 
| umpires         = [[Brett Allen|Allen]], [[Scott McLaren|McLaren]], [[Darren Goldspink|Goldspink]]
| BOG award       = [[Norm Smith Medal]]
| BOG winner      = [[Chris Judd]] ({{AFL WC}})
| broadcast       = [[Network Ten]]
| anthem          = [[Silvie Paladino]]
| notes           = 
*Sydney won its fourth premiership, and its first since relocating to Sydney from South Melbourne. The club's last premiership as South Melbourne was in 1933, and as of 2024 its 72-year premiership drought is the longest in VFL/AFL history.
*Tadhg Kennelly became the first Irishman to become an AFL premiership player. Later in [[2009 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|2009]], Kennelly became the first man to be both an AFL premiership player and an [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship]] winner, achieving this with his native [[Kerry county football team|Kerry]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/other-sport/2022/0924/1325214-grand-final-joy-for-irish-duo-as-geelong-destroy-sydney/|title=Grand Final joy for Tuohy and O'Connor as Geelong destroy Sydney|publisher=RTÉ|date=24 September 2022}}</ref>
*Chris Judd became the fourth player to win the Norm Smith Medal despite being on the grand final losing team, joining [[Maurice Rioli]] (Richmond 1982), [[Gary Ablett Sr.]] (Geelong 1989) and [[Nathan Buckley]] (Collingwood 2002).
*Only 112 points were scored in total, making this the lowest-scoring grand final since [[1968 VFL Grand Final|1968]].
}}

==Match statistics==

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#f03;"
! Team Stats !! ([[Sydney Swans|Syd]]) !! ([[West Coast Eagles|WCE]])
|-
| '''Kicks''' || 188 || 182
|-
| '''Marks''' || 84 || 68
|-
| '''Handballs''' || 105 || 104
|-
| '''Tackles''' || 62 || 59
|-
| '''Hitouts''' || 29 || 43
|-
| '''Frees''' || 12 || 13
|}

==Entertainment==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! [[Advance Australia Fair|National Anthem]]
| [[Silvie Paladino]]
|-
! Entertainment
| [[Delta Goodrem]] ''(I Am Australian)''<br />''[[Australian Idol]]'' finalists ''([[Waltzing Matilda]])''<br />[[Silvie Paladino]] ''(There You'll Be)''<br />[[Michael Bublé]]<br />[[Dame Edna Everage]]<br />Melbourne Gospel Choir<br />Australian Girls' Choir
|-
! Television broadcaster
| [[Network Ten]]
|-
! Television announcers
| [[Stephen Quartermain]], [[Tim Lane (journalist)|Tim Lane]] — play-by-play<br />[[Robert Walls]], [[Stephen Silvagni]] — analysts<br />[[Christi Malthouse]] — sideline reporter<br />[[Anthony Hudson (commentator)|Anthony Hudson]] — studio host<br />[[Leigh Matthews]], [[Malcolm Blight]] — studio analysts
|}

== See also ==
* [[2005 AFL finals series]]
* [[2005 AFL season]]

==References==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikinews|Sydney Swans win AFL premiership after 72 years in classic match}}
{{reflist}}

{{2005 Sydney Swans premiership players}}
{{Sydney Swans}}
{{West Coast Eagles}}
{{2005 AFL season}}
{{Australian Football League}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:2005 Afl Grand Final}}
[[Category:VFL/AFL Grand Finals]]
[[Category:2005 in Australian rules football|Afl Grand Final, 2005]]
[[Category:Sydney Swans]]
[[Category:West Coast Eagles]]