This week in the would-be Round 5 matches, we revisit one of the matches of the 2019 season, an emotional victory by Port Adelaide in 2015, and one of the best grand finals this century.

When AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan announced that the 2020 season would be reduced to only 17 rounds, he also announced that only the first four rounds would be played as originally fixtured, after which a redrawn fixture would be implemented in which every team would face each other only once.

At this point in time this redrawn fixture has yet to be released, and it remains to be seen when the season will resume with McLachlan stating that there would be no play before May 31, at which point it is hoped some states will relax their border restrictions.

Also as part of the original AFL calendar, the AFL Women’s grand final was to also take place this weekend, but McLachlan also announced three weeks ago that the AFL Women’s season would also be abandoned, with no premier crowned.

However, for the purpose of revisiting the vault I will stick to the original Round 5 fixture, and will continue to do so for subsequent rounds until the season resumes.

In the meantime, sit back and relax as we go down memory lane and revisit some of the classics from years past.

Round 14, 2014: Essendon 15.11 (101) defeated Adelaide Crows 14.8 (92) at Etihad Stadium
By the time Essendon welcomed the Adelaide Crows to Etihad Stadium in Round 14 of the 2014 season, the club was at breaking point.

Not only were the Bombers coming off a second-half capitulation against Melbourne that saw them lose by a solitary point, the future of several players were up in the air with the ASADA investigation continuing to cloud the club.

But stand-in coach Mark Thompson would refuse to blame the ongoing events associated with the investigation as an excuse for their loss to the Dees, which came after they had led by as much as 33 points in the third quarter.

But they would rise to the occasion against the Crows, which like the Bombers had a 6-6 record for the season and were sitting outside the eight.

The Dons kicked seven goals straight in the first quarter, to the Crows’ 2.6 (18), to lead by 24 points at quarter-time.

But the Crows would not go away, kicking three goals to two in the second quarter to reduce the deficit to 19 at the long break.

Brenton Sanderson’s side continued to eat into the Bombers’ lead in the second half, but despite 41 possessions to Scott Thompson and four goals to Josh Jenkins, the Bombers would end up winning by nine points thanks to the efforts of stand-in captain Brendon Goddard.

It was a much needed win for the beleaguered Bombers, and set them on the right path to eventually make the finals where they would later get knocked out by North Melbourne in the elimination final.

Round 22, 2019: Richmond 13.10 (88) defeated West Coast Eagles 13.4 (82) at the MCG
We had to wait until Round 22 last year to see the two most recent premiers to that point, Richmond and the West Coast Eagles, go toe-to-toe in a heavyweight clash at the MCG.

In the week leading up to the match it was being billed as a potential grand final preview, with the Tigers and Eagles both hitting form at the right time of the year.

Damien Hardwick’s side had won their previous seven matches, while Adam Simpson’s premier team had won their last four, their previous loss being by a solitary point against Collingwood at home in Round 17.

The Eagles came out all guns blazing in the first quarter, kicking seven goals to three in the first quarter to lead by 24 points at the first change. It was the highest first quarter score the Tigers conceded for the season.

But the Tigers, led by Dustin Martin, would hit back in the second quarter, kicking three goals to one in the second quarter to cut the deficit to nine points at the main change of ends.

Speaking on Fox Footy’s commentary of the match, Melbourne great Garry Lyon said: “The key player on the ground is Dustin Martin, when he starts winning that much footy, he just starts discarding his opposition”.

The Tiger train was only starting to warm up, and a two-goal-to-one third quarter saw the home side go into the final quarter trailing the previous year’s premiers by just one point.

A rushed behind two minutes into the final quarter levelled the scores, after which Ivan Soldo and Shane Edwards kicked goals for the Tigers to see them take the lead for the first time in the match.

But the Eagles would not go away, and when Josh Kennedy goalled at the 27 minute mark of the final quarter, fans were left to hold their breaths to see if the first draw of the season would eventuate.

A goal to Jack Riewoldt two minutes later would be the final score of the match, and the Tigers would hang on to win by six points in an MCG thriller.

Round 15, 2015: Port Adelaide 9.12 (66) defeated Collingwood 9.9 (63) at Adelaide Oval
It proved to be an emotional night when Port Adelaide and Collingwood faced off at the Adelaide Oval in the final Thursday night regular season match of the 2015 season.

This was Port’s first game since the death of former assistant coach Phil Walsh (they had played their previous game the day before his shock passing), and it was only appropriate enough that they faced a side whom Walsh represented 22 times in his playing career.

A pre-match memorial kicked off the evening, after which the Power kicked five goals to one at quarter-time to lead by 26 points.

But the Pies would work their way back into the match, and when Adam Oxley kicked a goal at the 19 minute mark of the second quarter, scores were level at 34-apiece. However, a goal to Angus Monfries, the Power’s only goal for the quarter, saw the home side lead by seven points at halftime.

The Power extended their lead in the third quarter, leading by as much as 22 points before Alex Fasolo and Jamie Elliott pegged back goals for the Pies to reduce the three-quarter-time deficit to eleven points.

Chad Wingard then kicked his third goal nearly five minutes into the final quarter to see his side out to an 18-point lead, but that would be the Power’s last score of the match as the Pies pegged back another two late goals to set up a grandstand finish.

Ultimately, the Power would honour their late assistant coach, who was on their coaching panel the year they won their only AFL premiership in 2004, with a three-point win, putting what was undoubtedly an emotional week behind them.

After the match, a musical tribute by the Birds of Tokyo took place, with the Adelaide Oval lights darkened.

Round 20, 2013: Gold Coast Suns 13.12 (90) defeated Melbourne 10.17 (77) at Metricon Stadium
It was supposed to be a night of celebration for Gold Coast Suns captain Gary Ablett Jr when he brought up his 250th AFL game against Melbourne at Metricon Stadium late in the 2013 season.

The “son of God” had been in scintillating form all year, and had masterminded the club’s first ever win at the MCG when they thrashed the Dees by ten goals three months earlier.

However, the second-from-bottom Dees had other plans, and arrived on the holiday strip with the clear intention of gatecrashing the party.

Jordie McKenzie, Colin Garland and Mitch Clisby were each given the task of minding the eventual two-time Brownlow Medallist, who in his milestone game would produce his worst performance of the season, being restricted to less than 20 disposals and one goal.

But despite the best efforts of the Melbourne engine room led by Nathan Jones (29 disposals and seven clearances), Jack Viney (24 disposals, eight clearances and two Brownlow Medal votes) and Jack Watts (two goals), the Suns still did enough to win the match by 13 points.

The manner in which they did so was impressive given they finished the match with only one fit man on the bench, while future Dee Steven May was forced to play out the game with a hamstring injury.

Melbourne stand-in coach Neil Craig later accused his side of showing poor discipline and execution, which led to their second loss to the Suns that season. It marked the first time the men from the holiday strip had beaten the same team twice in a regular season.

Round 7, 2005: Western Bulldogs 15.20 (110) defeated Brisbane Lions 12.15 (87) at the Gabba
When the Western Bulldogs arrived at the Gabba to take on the Brisbane Lions in early 2005, the boys of the Bulldog breed hadn’t won in the sunshine capital since 1999, nor beaten the Lions since 2001.

They had also suffered a 35-point defeat against the Geelong Cats at Kardinia Park, in which captain Luke Darcy suffered the dreaded ACL injury that would put him out for the rest of the 2005 season, the previous week.

But the history book got thrown out the window when the Dogs, coached by Rodney Eade after he took over from Peter Rohde at the end of the previous season, sprung a surprise 23-point win in front of a stunned crowd of just over 30,000.

The Bulldogs kicked three goals to one in the first quarter to lead by twelve points at quarter-time, and then doubled their advantage in the second with six goals to four to lead by 25 points at halftime.

But the Lions, who had only won one home game for the season and had thrashed Essendon by 48 points at the Telstra Dome in their previous match, fought their way back into the contest in the third quarter, reducing the margin to nine points at the last change.

By this point, Jonathan Brown had kicked five goals, to go with the eight he kicked against the Bombers the previous week in what was his first match back from suspension arising from an incident in the 2004 grand final, which the Lions lost by 40 points.

The Bulldogs would rediscover their form from the first half though, kicking five goals to three in the final quarter, including a pearler from future captain Brad Johnson, to seal their first win at the Gabba for six years.

Round 1, 2012: Sydney Swans 14.16 (100) defeated GWS Giants 5.7 (37) at ANZ Stadium
A new era dawned for the AFL with the entry of the Greater Western Sydney Giants into the competition in 2012.

As early as 1999, there was talk of North Melbourne (then known as the Kangaroos) relocating to Sydney to become the city’s second team, but it wasn’t until the Sydney Swans’ 2005 premiership win that the AFL’s interest in the western Sydney market started to gain momentum.

In January 2008, the name “Western Sydney Football Club Ltd” was registered with ASIC, and after a couple of hurdles, the name “Greater Western Sydney Giants” was then born in November 2010.

After a year in the TAC Cup (during which they played under the “Team GWS” banner) and then a year in the NEAFL, the Giants finally made their AFL debut on March 24, 2012 against the Sydney Swans in front of a crowd of under 40,000 at ANZ Stadium.

Despite pre-match predictions of a Swans victory by at least 90 points, the Giants performed well than the 63-point losing margin would suggest.

When Kieren Jack kicked the first goal of the season just over a minute in, it appeared to be a long night for the Giants, but they would do well to restrict the Swans, who would eventually take out that year’s premiership, to only 14.16 (100).

Callan Ward went into the record books as the club’s first ever goalkicker, while James McDonald, who had been brought out of retirement to inject some experience into the young line-up, copped a two-game suspension from the judiciary for an illegal bump on Luke Parker.

Ironically, McDonald, who spent his twilight years at Melbourne captaining the club through its rebuilding phase, had served on the match review panel the previous season.

The Giants would lose their first four matches against the Swans by an average of 79 points, but since then the last fourteen Sydney Derbies have been evenly split, with each team winning seven apiece, and the Giants winning a final in 2016 and 2018.

Round 6, 2014: North Melbourne 10.14 (74) defeated Fremantle 8.13 (61) at Patersons Stadium
After two gut-wrenching losses in the west in 2013, North Melbourne was drawn a 2014 fixture that would see them again make two trips across the Nullarbor, again without a home game against either the West Coast Eagles or Fremantle in return.

The corresponding match last year saw Ryan Crowley blanket Roos veteran Brent Harvey, restricting the eventual games record holder to only eleven possessions as the Dockers won by 38 points in rainy conditions at Subiaco Oval.

That came five weeks after the Roos had lost to the West Coast Eagles in a Friday night thriller after Nic Naitanui kicked a goal after the final siren to sink the Shinboners.

This time, Harvey would have the final laugh as he gathered 29 possessions, while Drew Petrie celebrated his 250th AFL game by kicking an important goal in the final quarter, to inspire the Roos to a 13-point win after they had trailed by three points at three-quarter-time.

While the win saw North Melbourne move to 4-2 for the season, the Dockers’ season record dropped to 3-3, though both teams would eventually feature in September together for just the second time (after 2012).

The Roos would eventually make it two from two in Perth in 2014, thrashing the Eagles by 38 points in round eleven and reversing both of their losses to the Western Australia teams from the previous season in the process.

Round 22, 2008: Hawthorn 24.15 (159) defeated Carlton 12.9 (81) at Telstra Dome
While this match may have resulted in a regulation win for Hawthorn on their path to glory, their 78-point win over Carlton in the final round of the 2008 regular season will be remembered for many reasons.

Going into this match, and with the likelihood that either Lance Franklin or Brendan Fevola, or both, would kick their 100th goal for the season, the AFL and the police had made it clear that anyone who trespassed the playing field would face a $6,000 fine and eviction from the ground.

Field invasions had become part of AFL folklore, and in recent times it only ever happens when a player kicks his 100th goal for a season, kicks his 1,000th career goal or, in the case of Tony Lockett in 1999, breaks the all-time leading goal-kicking record.

But the AFL had been attempting to stamp the practice out of the game, in the fear that players, fans or officials could get hurt during the invasion. However, Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd, who has twice kicked at least 100 goals in a season, supported the illegal tradition.

Franklin went into the match needing only two majors to bring up his ton, while Fevola was eight in arrears of the three figures. Thus, police knew they would have a tough task on their hands if both were to reach the milestone on this Saturday night at the Telstra Dome.

Buddy kicked the two goals required to reach the ton towards the end of the first quarter, and the worst fears of the police were realised when, indeed, the fans stormed onto the playing field to congratulate Buddy on his achievement.

As Channel Ten commentator Stephen Quartermain said in commentary, “Lance Franklin joins the 100 club, and people power has spoken! Out they come by their thousands! Just the 28th man in 150 years of AFL, to reach the magical one hundred”.

Focus then turned to Brendan Fevola’s bid for the ton, but it didn’t look like he would reach that figure after being kept goalless in the first half.

But in what turned out to be a meaningless match (as both sides’ ladder positions could not change), the 2006 Coleman Medallist rekindled his hopes with four goals in the third quarter, and when he kicked his seventh goal at the 28 minute mark of the final quarter, the prospect of another field invasion looked likely.

However, Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson would assign multiple defenders on him to ensure he wouldn’t reach his ton, and when the full-time siren sounded, Fevola would end up agonisingly short of the milestone, finishing on 99 goals for the season.

Had he also brought up the ton that night, then another hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fines could have been dished out by the police.

As of 2020, it remains the most recent in-game pitch invasion, and there is unlikely to be another one in the foreseeable future, because there is the remote chance that Buddy could reach the 1,000 goal milestone behind closed doors this year.

Presently, Franklin has kicked 944 goals, and will have only 16 matches in which to crack the four figures this season. If he doesn’t reach the milestone this year, and assuming the fans will be permitted to once again attend matches next season, then the pitch invasion for when he kicks his 1,000th career goal would be likely then.

2009 grand final: Geelong Cats 12.8 (80) defeated St Kilda 9.14 (68) at the MCG
We finish off this round with arguably one of the greatest grand finals witnessed this century.

If it weren’t for the COVID-19 pandemic which has caused nearly all sport worldwide to be suspended, Cats veterans Gary Ablett Jr and Joel Selwood would be playing their 350th and 300th AFL games respectively this weekend.

The occasion would have come against St Kilda, whom they defeated by 12 points to win their second of three flags in a dominant five-year period between 2007 and 2011.

The Saints and Cats had been the best two teams of the 2009 season, though it was Ross Lyon’s side that finished as minor premiers for the first time since 1997, while the Cats settled for second place.

The only regular season match between the two sides saw the Saints win by six points after Michael Gardiner kicked a goal at the death to break an 85-all deadlock and give his side a 14th straight win, while sentencing the Cats to their first loss of the season.

But while the Cats started favourites in the big dance, they would be made to work hard against the Saints, who went into their first grand final in twelve years hoping to end a 43-year hoodoo and add to the solitary flag they won in 1966.

As opposed to the majority of the Geelong line-up that had been part of the side that was victorious in 2007, the Saints had only two players who’d tasted the ultimate success – Adam Schneider and Sean Dempster, who were part of the Sydney Swans’ 2005 premiership side (in which Ross Lyon was an assistant coach).

After the Cats kicked the first two goals of the decider, the Saints started to work their way into the match, with Lenny Hayes kicking a goal and gathering eleven touches as the minor premiers entered the first break with a two-point lead.

Both sides then kicked four goals apiece in the second quarter, but two goals to the Saints in the final minute – one to Justin Koschitzke and another to Schneider (after Darren Milburn had been pinged for umpire abuse) – saw them take a six-point lead into halftime.

The third quarter saw many stoppages, and only four goals kicked (two to each side), the last one kicked by Leigh Montagna that saw the Saints enter the final change of ends with a slender seven-point lead.

At this point, Network Ten boundary rider Andrew Maher could be heard saying on commentary that Ross Lyon demanded concentration from his players if they were to win the match.

A goal to Tom Hawkins in the second minute of the final quarter saw the Cats reduce the deficit to a solitary point, and what unfolded would be one of the most dramatic final quarters in recent grand final history.

No goals would be kicked for the following twenty minutes, during which the Cats kicked three behinds to two to lock the scores up at 67-apiece going into time-on.

Then came the most pivotal moment of the match – if not the entire season – when a Zac Dawson spoil landed in the path of Matthew Scarlett, whose toe-poke kick landed in the hands of Gary Ablett Jr, who then kicked it into the Cats’ forward 50.

Paul Chapman would later finish off the play with a goal, which saw the Cats take a six-point lead. A goal to Max Rooke right on the full-time siren saw the Cats take home their second flag in three years, leaving the Saints, who failed to kick a goal in the final quarter, heartbroken.

The Saints thus became the first team since Hawthorn in 1984 to lose a grand final after leading at three-quarter-time, and also became the first team to lose a grand final after winning each of the first three quarters.

As of 2020, the club’s wait for a second premiership continues into a 54th season. Only Melbourne are currently enduring a longer drought, with 55 completed seasons having elapsed since their last flag in 1964.