AFL grand final: Seven times South West stars defined footy’s biggest day of the year

For the first time ever, the AFL grand final has been packed up and shifted to Western Australia. It means the footy world comes with it, as clubs and players, media personalities and some of the game’s biggest figures flock to this side of the country for Saturday’s premiership decider between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs. Ahead of what could be the biggest sporting event in our State’s history, we’ve unpacked the South West’s involvement in this grand final and the ones that have come before it — exploring our region’s connection to the sport and its biggest event of the year. Here are seven grand final moments which have been defined by South West players. Make ‘em dance, Marlion Manjimup’s Marlion Pickett captured the country’s imagination with his meteoric rise from South Fremantle player to an AFL grand final debut in 2019. The inaugural mid-season draftee became the first player since 1952 to play his first game in the biggest game of the year, just a week after winning a VFL premiership with Richmond. It was a forgettable game of football for GWS and neutral supporters as the Tigers roared home to an emphatic 89-point win, but this bit of play was particularly memorable. After a goal early in the second quarter, Pickett collected an Ivan Soldo handball just forward of the centre circle and face-to-face with Giants star Lachie Whitfield, he spun away out of trouble while running at pace before straightening up on to his right foot and sending a ball inside 50 to be marked by Jason Castagna. Put the Jetts on Bunbury’s Lewis Jetta made a name for himself in his time at Sydney as a dangerous forward with electric pace. But in the grand final of 2012, which would become the first of his two premierships, Jetta found himself at half-back, when coming in hot behind him was the similarly quick Hawthorn legend Cyril Rioli. More than any other, this was a moment defined by a piece of commentary which would go down as one of the most famous ever. Jetta was fed a handball by Heath Grundy late in the opening term, inside defensive 50, and after collecting it on the bounce he took off, with Rioli hot on his heels. “This is interesting,” legendary commentator Dennis Commetti cried. “It’s a main event in any stadium in the world. “Jetta wins the gold medal.” The MCG crowd grew louder with all four of Jetta’s bounces, as he got to centre wing before launching the ball forward. Hunter collects his holy grail Just one-point ahead of Sydney in the grand final of 2006, with a tick under five minutes to play, Adam Hunter made the most famous defensive play in West Coast Eagles history, and turned it into a match-winning goal. Hunter pounced on what Sydney’s Ryan O’Keefe hoped would be a clearing kick, smothering it and knocking it into space inside 50. The ball then fell to teammate Daniel Chick, who dished it back to Hunter and laid a shepherd which allowed the South Bunbury Tiger to waltz in to an open goal before leaping in the air in front of the West Coast fans at the Punt Road end of the ‘G. It wasn’t quite the sealer, with Sydney kicking one last goal to bring the margin back to a point, which is where it would stay, but Hunter’s smother and goal have gone down in West Coast folklore. Barnard’s Bombers bag He might have been very much the unsung hero in a forward-line that featured Bombers legends Matthew Lloyd, Scott Lucas, Michael Long and Norm Smith medallist James Hird, but four goals from Bunbury product Paul Barnard went a long way to securing Essendon’s 16th AFL premiership in 2000. Starting on the bench for the grand final against Melbourne, Barnard would take over the game in the second half. His fourth goal was the best of the lot, a running effort from right on the paint of 50 which cleared the line at goal-post height. He finished the day with 12 kicks, five marks and 4.1. Shifted to Essendon from Hawthorn as part of the Paul Salmon trade at the end of 1995, he would finish with 151 games between the two fierce Victorian rivals. It’s the debutant’s ball As he grew to become the game’s best player, Dustin Martin took on an increased leadership role at Richmond, which was typified by him bringing Pickett into the game during the 2019 grand final — unselfishly finding the first-gamer inside 50. The former Manjimup Tiger then put the game beyond doubt, calmly slotting a set shot to put his side 44 points ahead of the Giants, halfway through the third term. He would finish the game with 22 disposals and that memorable goal. A little bit naughty but a little bit nice Lewis Jetta’s second premiership victory will live long in the memory less for his on-field performance and more for stealing the show in the post-match. At the premiership after party at the MCG, Jetta took off his jacket and lit up an already rapturous crowd with a dance he later described as a “little bit naughty, but a little bit nice”. He then led teammates, with microphone in hand in the singing of the club song on stage. Jetta was also famously photographed dancing in the middle of the MCG with his two children post game. “I saw the kids were doing it, so I figured I might as well do it as well,” he said. Leon Baker, premiership maker Leon Baker was as unassuming as any elite footballer before or since. A natural Victorian, Baker moved to the South West and to South Bunbury chasing waves, before moving to Swan Districts and then Essendon and being dubbed by Kevin Sheedy “Leon Baker the premiership maker”. In the final stages of the 1984 VFL grand final against Hawthorn, the first of his two flags, he did exactly that. Five points down against the powerful Hawks team of the era, Darren Williams took the ball away from the middle and hacked a ball forward. An important fist from Baker saw the ball clear the next pack, before he ran on to it, spun out of trouble like Marlion Pickett would 35 years later, and kicked a goal to put his Bombers one-point up. Like Paul Barnard in the same famous red sash 16 years later, it was Baker’s fourth goal of the day. Syd’s snap At half-time in the 1970 grand final, Carlton trailed fierce rivals Collingwood by 44 points. But this would become one of the great grand finals, and arguably the greatest South West export had his fair share of brilliant moments as the Blues stormed home to win. The best of them, a third-quarter snap from the pocket Eddie Betts would be proud of. Syd Jackson swooped on a loose handball from legendary ruckman John Nicholls, scooted around the boundary and under the pressure of three Magpies opponents, snapped a ball on his right foot, over his shoulder and through for a goal that would form part of one of football’s greatest ever comebacks.