Opinion: Ashley Browne

What I’m thinking

with Ashley Browne

Finals opener great but not the best

In a tight photo finish, the opening week of the 1994 finals series might have the 2022 edition covered.

As Fremantle staged its magnificent comeback against the Western Bulldogs last Saturday night, the obvious question started being thrown around. Was this the greatest opening weekend of the finals in history?

At first glance it was a no-brainer. We had two games decided by one kick or less.

Brisbane smashed a couple of hoodoos in holding out Richmond in a game worthy of being called the best of the year. Long held fears that the shortcomings of the AFL’s much-touted ARC system would one day help determine a final, might have been realised.

Sydney’s grit and determination to overcome Melbourne last Friday night won the club even more admirers, while the following day we got Collingwood finally losing a close one, which also included the Gary Rohan redemption tale, and then Fremantle’s comeback win from 41 points behind in its first final for eight years.

But was it better than 1994?

That finals series opened on a sunny Saturday afternoon and after four quarters between old rivals North Melbourne and Hawthorn, scores were level.

North won the extra time period by 23 points in an early sign of what a great team they would become under Denis Pagan and led by Wayne Carey.

We almost got a second drawn game a few hours later at the MCG.

Billy Brownless kicked the famous ‘King of Geelong’ match-winner after the final siren to knock over Footscray by five points.

Those of us who were at both games recall it took several hours to fall asleep that night. The adrenalin took a long time to subside.

There were no come-from-behind wins in 1994, but there was a huge upset that added to the allure.

Carlton was one of the flag favourites, but was well beaten by an inspired Melbourne at the MCG, while at the WACA, West Coast and Collingwood were at each other’s throats in a spiteful game that ended with a narrow win to the Eagles and skipper John Worsfold taunting Mick McGuane after the siren for dropping a difficult chest mark that might have put him in range to kick the winning goal.

It was a mind-blowing weekend of footy, but it was hard to be across it all.

The three games in Melbourne were shown abridged and on delay on Channel Seven, with only the Eagles-Magpies game telecast live. To fully digest it, you had to buy the next day’s newspapers or have every game recorded in your trusty VCR.

Contrast that with last weekend.

Almost 170,000 fans passed through the MCG’s doors in the space of 24 hours.

Both the Gabba and Optus Stadium were also packed to capacity and the 58,982 attendance figure in Perth was the largest to watch a Fremantle home game.

The TV ratings were incredible, with more than 4.3 million people watching the games as they happened across the screens of Seven and Foxtel. They are very handy figures just as the League reaches the pointy end of its next media rights negotiations.

It is these numbers that will add to the folklore of this round.

Rusted-on fans probably rode every kick, bump, tackle and free kick (or in the case of the Cats-Pies, those that were missed) of the four games, while even casual onlookers would have been drawn into the magic of it all.

That’s the beauty of following footy in 2022. Every game is live on a TV, phone or tablet near you, and with all types of replay options.

Then there’s the endless ‘fifth quarters’ (© David Parkin) courtesy of 24/7 sports talk radio and various social media channels.

The legend of the opening week of the 2022 finals will live forever.

But was it better than 1994?

The first extra-time final in League history and an after-the-siren goal are hard to top.

As I write this, my head is still spinning after the magnificent weekend of footy just gone.

But I’m also mindful of recency bias and how pervasive it is when discussing the game, so forgive this old man for thinking that as good as the opening to the 2022 finals was, the 1994 version might just have it covered.

I’ll get off my lawn now.

FINALS FRENZY:

Almost 170,000 fans packed into the MCG in the space of 24 hours in a magical start to the 2022 finals; (inset) Billy Brownless celebrates his after-the-siren goal in the famous opening weekend of the 1994 finals series.

My head is still spinning