THE 2009 Toyota AFL Finals Series has a set a new finals attendance record, with 615,283 fans attending the nine matches played in September.

Saturday's 2009 Toyota AFL Grand Final attendance of 99,251 saw this year’s total attendance for the finals series eclipse the previous mark of 594,919 set in 1995.

Saturday’s match between the Geelong Cats and St Kilda was also a winner on television, with Channel 10 recording the highest-ever grand final ratings in Melbourne. The match drew a peak audience of 3.62 million and an average of 2.88 million viewers, with nearly 90 per cent of viewers watching the game.

The game was the most-watched program of the year so far in both Melbourne and Adelaide.

“When you ...
Read more

THE AFL's match review panel has laid no charges from the 2009 Toyota AFL Grand Final, with League football operations manager Adrian Anderson praising the way Geelong and St Kilda approached the season-decider on Saturday.

Three incidents – involving Michael Gardiner and Brad Ottens, Steve Johnson and Steven King, and Cameron Mooney and Sam Gilbert respectively – were assessed, with the impact in all three deemed to be below that required to constitute a reportable offence.

“Geelong and St Kilda played an outstanding grand final filled with hard, contested football, and both clubs approached the game in wonderful spirit,” Anderson said.
 
“We congratulate them on the manner in which they approached the most important game of our season and how they represented ...
Read more

AN ELATED Geelong president Frank Costa believes the Cats have the capacity to win a third premiership in four years next season.

Costa says there is no reason why the Cats can't continue their dominance in 2010, as the club moves to keep its talent-laden group of players together despite a bulging salary cap. 

"Why not? We almost did last year," he said at the Cats' family day on Sunday at Skilled Stadium.

"We won 23 out of 24 games up to the grand final, and we stumbled.

"We've learned a lot from that, and you saw that in that last quarter when we knew the pressure was going to be 100 per cent.

"To score 3.4 ...
Read more

GEELONG defender Andrew Mackie says he hopes fellow backman Tom Harley will play on in 2010, with the club captain yet to make a decision on his immediate playing future.

Mackie, 25, said he thought Harley had the capability to play into a 13th season next year, and hoped he would recommit to the premiership side in the coming days.

"Quality people you can't replace at a footy club, and he's definitely one of them," he said at Geelong's victorious family day on Sunday at Skilled Stadium.

"Whatever his decision is, we'll be proud of him.

"I hope he goes on, but it's totally up to him and we'll see in the next few days.

"He's definitely ...
Read more

JUST 12 months earlier, it was the site of a sombre wake.

On Sunday, Skilled Stadium housed a jubilant celebration as the people of Geelong welcomed the return of the premiership cup.

Thousands of fans turned out to honour their heroes, despite wet and freezing conditions, a 30-minute wait to buy a coffee and an even longer one for a sausage in bread.

Former player and club icon Billy Brownless was there, along with commentator and well-known supporter Anthony Hudson, club president Frank Costa and CEO Brian Cook, who announced that Darren Milburn had agreed to a new one-year deal.

That brought rapturous applause, but the biggest cheers of all were saved for the city's most valuable commodities, who emerged ...
Read more

THE BLEAK, overcast skies over Melbourne on Sunday matched the mood of St Kilda supporters everywhere following their team's heart-breaking grand final loss, but a determined group of followers braved the elements to show their support at the club's family day.

About 2,500 fans filed into Etihad Stadium to commiserate with each other and cheer on Ross Lyon and his team who took the stage about an hour into proceedings to rapturous applause.

"We can't thank you enough for the turnout today," Lyon said.

"We're all bitterly disappointed and it doesn't get any easier in the cold light of Sunday morning, but you're the reason we have to go on and we have to get better in the future.

"It's really ...
Read more

HOW THEY LINED UP
Both coaches backed their players in one-on-one from the first bounce with the mouth-watering match-ups many expected falling into place. Clint Jones went to Brownlow Medallist Gary Ablett, while Cats tagger Cameron Ling sidled up to creative Saint Nick Dal Santo. Joel Corey started on Lenny Hayes and Corey Enright went with Leigh Montagna. Harry Taylor went straight to Nick Riewoldt and Matthew Scarlett to Justin Koschtizke while at the other end Zac Dawson was left standing Cameron Mooney.

FOUR QUARTERS
Q1: St Kilda 3.2 (20) v Geelong 3.0 (18)
Max Rooke foreshadowed his great performance with a super chase down of Raphael Clarke to kick the opener. The Cats were in lower and harder early but as ...
Read more

GEELONG veteran and dual premiership player Darren Milburn will play on with the Cats in 2010.

Club CEO Brian Cook announced the defender's contract extension at the club's family day on Sunday, held less than 24 hours after the Cats won their second premiership in three years.

"He told us around a month ago -- just before the finals started -- that he wanted another year, and that was fine," Cook said to the crowd that braved wintery conditions at Skilled Stadium.

"He's agreed to a one-year contract, so we'll put the finer details on that sometime next week or the week after."

Cook said captain Tom Harley, who is yet to announce his intentions for next season, ...
Read more

GEELONG'S dual premiership captain Tom Harley was undecided on his playing future in the afterglow of Saturday's Toyota AFL Grand Final, but supporters say whichever way he goes, he's done his job.

Harley, 31, became just the second man to captain Geelong to two flags on Saturday, joining Fred Flanagan (1951-52) in the history books. 

The 198-game veteran addressed adoring Geelong fans at the club's official grand final night function and said he was yet to decide if he will play on in 2010.

"Let's just enjoy it for what it is right now," Harley told a packed Melbourne Park Function Centre. "I'll see you all tomorrow, at least."

For Denise Grant of Kew, who has supported Geelong ...
Read more