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Clutch moments are the most thrilling moments in sport. A clutch moment is an athlete or team delivering when it counts, under immense pressure, and on the big stage.
In the AFL, there is no bigger stage for a clutch moment than the grand final at the MCG.
The arena is one where legends are made and dreams are crushed.
This piece recounts the biggest clutch moments in AFL grand finals from the past decade.
Lenny Hayes’ goal – 2010
Is there a more reliable player than Lenny Hayes to kick a clutch goal from outside 50?
Ten minutes to go in the first 2010 grand final, Hayes took a mark 55 metres out from goal. The Saints were 15 points down as Lenny assessed his options and realised nothing special was on offer.
With class and poise, Hayes went back from outside his range and delivered a true clutch goal to put the Saints within nine points.
Of course that turned out to be the infamous drawn classic, where Hayes also won the Norm Smith Medal.
Brendon Goddard’s mark – 2010
St Kilda trailed all game in the 2010 grand final, but they slowly crawled their way back throughout the game.
With scores at 61 apiece and seven minutes left on the clock, Brendon Goddard created his popcorn moment. Lenny Hayes smacked boot to ball deep into the Saints’ forward line, and with precision and aggression Goddard leapt into the history books with a spectacular grab.
The timing of the screamer could not have come at a more crucial time, putting the Saints in front for the first time in the game.
Toe poke – 2009
Scores were level in the 2009 grand final, St Kilda minutes away from their first flag in over 40 years, Geelong’s golden era hanging by a thread.
Steve Johnson had the ball on the half back flank to begin a classic piece of play. Gary Ablett appeared to be alone in the centre of the ground and went in for the mark, which was spoiled by Zac Dawson. But in flew Matthew Scarlett with the magical touch that changed history.
The toe poke landed in Ablett’s hands, and Ablett ran and booted to the top of the goal square. Clean hands by Travis Varcoe resulted in a Paul Chapman goal.
Once again Geelong proved why they were the team of the era, producing brilliance when it counted, on the biggest stage of all.
Stuart Dew’s third-quarter dominance – 2008
Nobody gave the Hawks a change in the 2008 grand final, Geelong having lost just one match all season.
Stuart Dew came from Port Adelaide and was not in the best physical shape, but Hawthorn recruited him for a reason and on grand final day he delivered.
After a tight first half both sides needed a star to shine, a player to be the difference. Dew set up two goals and kicked two of his own, all in five minutes of game time to set up the upset of the decade.
Dew’s ruthless aggression and damaging attack on the ball was the difference in the third term. Hawks fan will always remember Dew’s impact and the affect his clutch moments had on the Hawks’ 2008 premiership success.
Daniel Chick’s smother – 2006
The last quarter of the 2006 grand final saw the West Coast Eagles with a one-point lead, the Swans charging hard in an attempt to win back-to-back flags.
West Coast needed a man to stand up, and Daniel Chick did just that.
Chick charged at Ryan O’Keefe with an aggressive, match-winning smother, a pure clutch moment, then backed it up with a handball to Adam Hunter and a classic shepherd to secure Hunter’s goal.
This one percenter is perhaps the greatest in grand final history and secured the Eagles’ legacy on the last Saturday in September.
Leo Barry the saviour – 2005
The Sydney Swans were in front of the West Coast Eagles by four points with seconds remaining in the 2005 grand final.
The Swans’ 72-year premiership drought would have continued if it wasn’t for one man, one moment, one saviour, as Leo Barry cemented himself as the hero in the biggest clutch moment of the decade.
Barry kicked from the back pocket long to the wing, to be intercepted by Dean Cox. Cox wasted little time, launched a Hail Mary inside 50, and from the back pocket Barry’s courage and desperation saved the Swans’ premiership with a career-defining mark – a pack mark that ended the premiership drought.
Have I forgotten a moment? Share your favourite clutch moments from this past decade of AFL grand finals in the comments.
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