The 2016 AFL Grand Final was an absolute belter of a game, with the Western Bulldogs taking out a 22-point win over the Sydney Swans, and it was no surprise that Twitter provided a few pearlers throughout the day.
All the wash-up from the AFL Grand Final
» Match report: Bulldogs are premiers!
» BUCKLAND: The West wins one for all
» Seven talking points from the match
» Another classic Bulldogs banner
» Re-live all the action with our live blog
The pre-match entertainment always attracts a bit of attention these days, no doubt due to Meatloaf’s infamous (and diabolical) performance a few years ago. Sting certainly proved to be a better choice this time around, but unfortunately, his performance was lost on some of Australia’s younger generation.
Did this Sting bloke just ask if someone gets his SMS ? #AFLGF
— don e (@doneas) October 1, 2016
Erm, no. That’d be ‘SOS,’ champ.
The umpires always tend to be a source of contention in any important game, and this one was no different, with one rather famous Australian name throwing himself into the debate.
Great to see the AFL helping the unemployment in Footscray by hiring all their umpires.
— Paul Keating (@PmPaulKeating) October 1, 2016
Of course, that wasn’t going to go unchallenged.
@PmPaulKeating So many flavours, and you chose salty
— Autocorrect (@JazzPineapple) October 1, 2016
Touche, good sir.
Of course, one of the feelgood stories of a feelgood day was the performance of much-maligned (and extraordinarily well-paid) Western Bulldogs forward Tom Boyd, who finished with three goals and eight marks.
I think @Tom_Boyd17 isn't paid enough.#AFLGF #AFLSwansDogs
— Andy Lee (@andy_lee) October 1, 2016
And after Boyd’s superb display, we just couldn’t resist bringing up this old tweet from Mark Robinson.
Dogs lost captain, coach, no.6, integrity, respect and generally lost their way .. And they bring in Boyd on a mill a year… #goodluck
— Mark Robinson (@Robbo_heraldsun) October 15, 2014
Social media’s a cruel place, isn’t it?
After the game, Boyd’s feel good story got completely out-feelgooded (shhh, that’s a word now) by coach Luke Beveridge handing his medal to injured skipper Bob Murphy.
Goosebumps watching coach Luke Beveridge give his premiership medal to injured captain Bob Murphy. THAT'S what sport is about… #AFLGF
— Mitch Lewis (@Mitch_Lewis) October 1, 2016
One of the sadder parts of the day (although not as sad as the result for Swans fans) was the fact that we’ve now heard the last of Dennis Cometti’s vocal chords on the TV.
Dennis Cometti – Most Outstanding Caller- TV.
He can't retire. He just can't. ?
— Shane McInnes (@shanemcinnes) September 20, 2016
But, while Dennis was bringing his storied career to an end, there was plenty of love for two different, veteran broadcasters, Roy and HG, with one pundit prepared to splash the cash to get the radio duo’s commentary in sync with the tele.
There is a million$ Kickstarter waiting for someone who can build a set top box/dongle to sync TV with arbitrary audio streams #royandhg
— Mathew McBride (@mcbridematt) October 1, 2016
Of course, the main story was the Bulldogs finally breaking their 62-year premiership drought.
This shows that if you stick at something for sixty years you can do anything. #AFLGF
— Titus O'Reily (@TitusOReily) October 1, 2016
But, with one drought ending, another one has begun. Sorry, St Kilda fans.
Must suck to be a St. Kilda supporter #NewLongestDrought #AFLGF
— Rick Haseman (@RHaseman) October 1, 2016
Maybe next year. After today, we’re not counting out anything.
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