HERE we are.
The quest for the Holy Grail reaches its conclusion with the best two teams all year facing off in the 2023 Smithy’s VFL Grand Final.
Will the Gold Coast Suns fight, fight, fight till they hold up the Smithy’s VFL premiership cup at about 6pm on Sunday.
Or will Werribee bold in black and gold sing in harmony after winning the club’s first flag since 1993?
GOLD COAST SUNS vs WERRIBEE
2023 Smithy’s VFL Grand Final
Sunday, September 24, 3:10pm, IKON Park
Broadcast: The 2023 Smithy’s VFL Grand Final will be broadcast live and free on the Seven Network via Channel 7 in Victoria and 7plus nationally. The match will also be streamed live and free on AFL.com.au and the AFL Live Official App. Casey Radio 97.7FM will also provide a radio broadcast.
Ticketing: For the 2023 Smithy’s VFL Grand Final admission prices will be adults $20, concession/pensioners $15 and children under 15 free. Tickets should be pre-purchased at www.intix.com.au/org/vfl. Spectators purchasing at the gate are advised the payment method is EFTPOS only.
PREVIEW
We could be in for one of the all-time great VFL Grand Finals.
Two teams that have lost just four games for the year between them by a combined total of 18 points.
And look at the history between them. Their four previous meetings have been a draw, a one-point win to Gold Coast, a two-point win to Gold Coast and a two-point win to Werribee, with the first two of those games being back in 2010 and the past two being classics last year and this year with mirroring 91-89 scorelines.
The Suns will field at least 19 AFL-listed players in the game and there are some genuine stars among them.
We’ve spoken a lot about Frosty Miller medallists Chris Burgess and Brodie McLaughlin and fellow forwards Mabior Chol (five goals last week), foundation Sun Sam Day and Alex Sexton.
McLaughlin will need to prove his fitness following a leg injury that forced his late withdrawal from the preliminary final. He’s expected to play, but in the event he doesn’t, the Suns still have unrivalled potency inside forward 50.
There is a quality midfield headed by the retiring Connor Blakely, Alex Davies, Elijah Hollands and one of the best ruckmen in the competition in Ned Moyle.
There is a miserly but courageous and exciting defence led by Caleb Graham, Charlie Constable, Jeremy Sharp, Oskar Faulkhead, Bodhi Uwland and Jy Farrar.
Joel Jeffrey can play at either end, Hewago Oea is an excitement machine and there is plenty of talent in the Academy boys Jared Eckersley, Campbell Lake and 16-year-old Leo Lombard.
Losing captain James Tsitas to suspension during the week is a massive blow, although the Suns are appealing the ban on Thursday night in a final bid to have their skipper available.
Werribee, on the other hand, has been building towards this day for the best part of a decade and has the most experienced and closeknit group in the VFL.
The midfield is stacked with dual Liston medallist Tom Gribble, four-time best-and-fairest Matt Hanson, ex-captain Dom Brew and Jack Henderson, plus Shaun Mannagh and Kye Declase on the wings.
The backline is near impassable, led by skipper Nick Coughlan, Nathan Cooper, Michael Sodomaco, Louis Pinnuck and last week’s best afield Sam Clohesy.
The forward line has Frosty Miller Medal third-placegetter Hudson Garoni, Nick Hayes, Sam Paea, Josh Porter and Bior Malual, plus youngster Connor Thar, who kicked three goals against Brisbane Lions in his first game since Round 8.
As far as the clubs go, history will be made with the Suns winning their first premiership or the Tigers their first in 30 years.
If you were going to do anything else on Sunday, scrap those plans and get to IKON Park.
As for who wins? It’s a flip of the coin, and that’s just how it should be. Maybe the experience might just get it done for the Bees.
EARLY PREDICTION
Werribee by 1 point
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Gold Coast Suns 2-1-1; At IKON Park: Never Met; Streak: Werribee 1
LAST TIME THEY MET
Round 9 at Avalon Airport Oval
WERRIBEE 3.2, 4.4, 8.4, 14.7 (91)
GOLD COAST SUNS 3.1, 11.4, 12.9, 13.11 (89)
BEST
Werribee: T. Gribble, M. Hanson, K. Declase, S. Mannagh, J. Boyd, D. Brew
Gold Coast Suns: S. Flanders, C. Constable, B. Long, N. Moyle, C. Graham, J. Tsitas
GOALS
Werribee: H. Garoni 3, J. Boyd, M. Hanson, S. Mannagh, S. Paea 2, J. Henderson, J. Riding, M. Sodomaco
Gold Coast Suns: M. Chol, J. Tsitas 3, J. Anderson, S. Brock, C. Burgess, C. Constable, C. Harrington, N. Moyle, A. Sexton
Coaches MVP Votes: M. Hanson 9, K. Declase 7, T. Gribble 5, S. Flanders 3, B. Long 3, D. Brew 2, J. Tsitas 1
Liston Medal: T. Gribble 3, S. Mannagh 2, S. Flanders 1
PREVIOUS HEAD-TO-HEAD
May 1, 2022: Gold Coast 14.7 (91) def Werribee 12.17 (89) (Austworld Centre)
August 14, 2010: Gold Coast 15.9 (99) def Werribee 14.14 (98) (Fankhauser Reserve)
April 24, 2010: Werribee 11.18 (84) drew Gold Coast 12.12 (84) (Avalon Airport Oval)
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER IN 2023
1st Quarter: Gold Coast Suns 14-6 (3rd in VFL); Werribee 15-5 (2nd)
2nd Quarter: Gold Coast Suns 19-1 (1st); Werribee 14-6 (2nd)
3rd Quarter: Gold Coast Suns 14-6 (2nd); Werribee 14-4-2 (1st)
4th Quarter: Gold Coast Suns 17-3 (1st); Werribee 14-6 (2nd)
ROAD TO THE GRAND FINAL
GOLD COAST SUNS
PF: 12.16 88 def Box Hill Hawks 11.7 73 (Heritage Bank Stadium)
QF: 19.13 127 def Brisbane Lions 12.12 84 (Heritage Bank Stadium)
WR: Bye
R22: 23.11 149 def Carlton 2.10 22 (Heritage Bank Stadium)
R21: 19.8 122 def Sydney 8.6 54 (SCG)
R20: Bye
R19: 13.14 92 def Brisbane Lions 11.8 74 (Heritage Bank Stadium)
R18: 17.17 119 def GWS 12.7 79 (Manuka Oval)
R17: Bye
R16: 22.12 144 def Frankston 5.7 37 (Heritage Bank Stadium)
R15: 12.4 76 lost to Essendon 11.11 77 (Windy Hill)
R14: 24.5 149 def Box Hill Hawks 12.13 85 (Heritage Bank Stadium)
R13: 22.14 146 def Northern Bullants 3.6 24 (Genis Steel Oval)
R12: Bye
R11: 17.13 115 def Port Melbourne 7.9 51 (ETU Stadium)
R10: 21.16 142 def Footscray 10.17 77 (TIO Stadium)
R9: 13.11 89 lost to Werribee 14.7 91 (Avalon Airport Oval)
R8: 12.4 76 def Southport 10.14 74 (Fankhauser Reserve)
R7: 17.10 112 def Casey Demons 13.14 92 (Heritage Bank Stadium)
R6: 21.11 137 def Richmond 9.10 64 (Swinburne Centre)
R5: 20.16 136 def North Melbourne 12.8 80 (Heritage Bank Stadium)
R4: Bye
R3: 9.13 67 def Sandringham 6.14 50 (RSEA Park)
R2: 28.14 182 def Geelong 11.9 75 (Heritage Bank Stadium)
R1: 12.12 84 def Williamstown 7.10 52 (Austworld Centre)
WERRIBEE
PF: 14.10 94 def Brisbane Lions 9.10 64 (Avalon Airport Oval)
QF: 11.14 80 def Box Hill Hawks 8.12 60 (Avalon Airport Oval)
WR: Bye
R22: 13.11 89 def Sydney 8.8 56 (Tramway Oval)
R21: Bye
R20: 14.9 93 def Collingwood 8.10 58 (Avalon Airport Oval)
R19: 16.14 110 def North Melbourne 7.11 53 (Arden Street Oval)
R18: 15.19 109 def Frankston 10.5 65 (Avalon Airport Oval)
R17: 23.23 161 def Northern Bullants 2.5 17 (Avalon Airport Oval)
R16: 10.14 74 def Port Melbourne 7.9 51 (ETU Stadium)
R15: 22.9 141 def Sandringham 9.11 65 (Avalon Airport Oval)
R14: Bye
R13: 11.10 76 def Carlton 10.10 70 (Avalon Airport Oval)
R12: 11.16 82 def Richmond 4.13 37 (Swinburne Centre)
R11: 13.19 97 def Coburg 5.7 37 (Piranha Park)
R10: 16.10 106 def Casey Demons 12.6 78 (Avalon Airport Oval)
R9: 14.7 91 def Gold Coast 13.11 89 (Avalon Airport Oval)
R8: 13.13 91 def Footscray 8.9 57 (Avalon Airport Oval)
R7: 10.11 71 def Essendon 8.5 53 (NEC Hangar)
R6: Bye
R5: 24.10 154 def Williamstown 9.7 61 (Avalon Airport Oval)
R4: 5.17 47 lost to Geelong 9.6 60 (Avalon Airport Oval)
R3: 12.14 86 def Southport 8.15 63 (Fankhauser Reserve)
R2: Bye
R1: 10.9 69 lost to Brisbane Lions 10.10 70 (Brighton Homes Arena)
