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Much hyped showdown of AFL titans means nothing
David Wiseman
Roar Guru
25th June, 2009
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David Wiseman
Roar Guru
25th June, 2009
8
1102 Reads
Geelong and St Kilda players fight for the ball during the AFL 1st Qualifying Final between the Geelong Cats and the St kilda Saints at the MCG. GSP Images

Geelong and St Kilda players fight for the ball during the AFL 1st Qualifying Final between the Geelong Cats and the St kilda Saints at the MCG. GSP Images

Batten the hatches and prepare yourself. We might only be eight – or nine depending on your maths- years in, but don’t be surprised to hear it labeled as the Match of the Century. The hype and build-up next week is going to be unlike anything ever witnessed before.

If the game can match the expectations, it will be one of the greatest of all time.

Two 13-0 sides locking horns in the ultimate heavyweight showdown – a showdown which, if you think about it, is absolutely meaningless.

Despite the Grand Final-like hype, there is nothing on the line.

They don’t hand out trophies in July (though, in the AFL, a trophy seems to be handed out every week, but you have to ignore that for the time being), just four points, which neither side needs.

If I was Mark Thompson or Ross Lyon, I would be telling my side to treat this game as seriously as an intra-club match in February.

I wouldn’t be placing any of your cards on the table. There is nothing to be gained from winning this match.

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In fact, there is more to gain by losing it.

It would be remarkable if St Kilda and Geelong didn’t meet in the Grand Final and you wouldn’t want to show your hand for that match now. Sure the two teams probably know more about the other side than they know about themselves, but they both probably have something up their sleeve.

Most importantly, losing now gets rid of the unwanted distraction that comes with going through the season undefeated. An unwanted distraction that only gets worse during the finals.

Every New England Patriot wishes that the 1 in 18-1 season hadn’t mattered in the game which meant the most. The 16-0 regular season effort is great, but in the scheme of things is worthless.

Geelong, in particular, would know more than anyone how meaningless the regular season is if you don’t win the Grand Final.

For a while, the rest of the season is the future, and then for a moment, it is in the present,

But for the most part, it lives in the past.

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And when things are in the past, the way you view them is by the way they ended.

Only one of these two sides can win the flag and the losers aren’t going to get much solace that they started the year 13-0 or whatever it turns out to be.

People can tell you about Grand Finals that happened 60 years ago as if it happened five minutes ago, but no-one ever remembers what happened in Round 14.

That’s because, when all is said and done, it’s not worth remembering.

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