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Suns boss backs late timeslot for future AFL grand finals
NIGHT FINAL WIN
SUNS chairman Tony Cochrane says the AFL can’t possibly consider shifting the grand final back to a 2.30pm start and passed off critics of the entertainment as “dribblers”.
Cochrane was the man behind Queensland’s successful bid to host the premiership decider at the Gabba and he and wife Thea, who own Cochrane Entertainment, produced the entertainment for the event.
The grand final, played at night for the first time, attracted a national average television audience of 3.812 million and a peak audience of 4.283 million.
It was a the highest average audience since the 2016 grand final and up 30 per cent on last year’s decider while the 383,000 who tuned in from
Brisbane, located in the AFL’s important growth market of Queensland, was the highest in 15 years.
Richmond captain Trent Cotchin has said he wants the game moved back to the afternoon timeslot, but Cochrane declared the later start needed to stay.
“You can look at this in many ways but pretty much every major sporting event in the world now is played at night and it’s played at night for a very simple reason, to maximise TV ratings,” Cochrane said.
“It had phenomenal TV ratings. The pre-game entertainment was double the ratings of last year.
“You just can’t possibly consider moving that back. The AFL is no different to any other sport, it’s got tens of millions of dollars of sponsorship.
“Those sponsors want maximum exposure. You just had amazing ratings and we have proven in a small sample what we can do with the halftime entertainment at night.
“Having taken it to a whole new level, it’s pretty hard to wind it back.
“We have had an off-Broadway try out because it couldn’t be at the MCG this year so I think you will find the AFL will, I hope, stay at night time.”
The entertainment guru said there was even more scope to enhance production further at the MCG compared to the Gabba.
Some were critical of the entertainment offering on social media but Cochrane brushed off suggestions it was anything but a raging success.
“The easiest thing in life is to be a critic, Cochrane said.
“I’m not particularly interested in what the dribblers of the world want to say.”
IF THIS was Cameron Smith’s farewell to rugby league, the Melbourne grand master saved his best for last.
The NRL’s most-capped player summoned 18 years of wisdom and big-match guile to spearhead the Storm’s thrilling 26-20 disposal of Penrith to clinch a club-defining premiership at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium.
The 2020 grand final was billed as a game for the ages: Penrith’s posse of fearless young guns versus Melbourne’s military machine.
In the end, we witnessed 55 minutes of Melbourne magic and two weird, wild and wonderful halves.
Don’t be fooled by the scoreline. It seemed close, but the damage was done in the first 40, Penrith’s heading to halftime in crisis at 22-0.
The chief destroyer was Smith, the Storm champion picking Penrith apart with the precision of a surgeon in his 430th and possibly final game.
Smith insists he has not decided his future but if he chooses to go quietly, without the romantic lap-of-honour script, well ... this was his sweet kiss goodbye.
The Melbourne skipper not only broke Penrith’s hearts, he broke yet more records.
His try and 14-point haul saw him become the greatest pointscorer in grand final history with 44, eclipsing Souths icon Eric Simms (41), and at 37 years and 129 days, he is the game’s oldest premiership winner.
The Storm ruthlessly exploited Penrith’s lack of composure, charging to a shock 22-0 halftime lead. The Panthers, chasing an 18th straight win, surged in the second half, but Smith ensured Melbourne held their nerve to claim their fourth premiership and second in four seasons.
STORM TROOPERS
They say defence wins big games. Melbourne’s defensive mentality in the opening 30 minutes was the bedrock of their title triumph.
The Storm had every reason to fall behind when they butchered the kick-off, with
Melbourne fumbling in the first 10 seconds after Brenko Lee was almost dragged into touch in a disastrous opening.
But while Penrith looked likely, their execution was too frantic in clutch moments. The Storm, their composure bolstered by a slew of previous grand final appearances, stayed calm, keeping faith in their defensive systems.
THE FULL NELSON
Prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona was the heartbeat of the Storm’s pack. When the going was tough early on, the 130kg Melbourne monster muscled up to Panthers bookends James Fisher-Harris and James Tamou.
It was NAS’ ferocious charge close to the line that laid the platform for Smith’s try five seconds before halftime. Asofa-Solomona finished with 109m and made a crucial tackle midway through the second half.
NO.1 WITH A BULLET
Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen is a freak. He scored one of the great grand final tries, ghosting past Nathan Cleary and racing 80m in the 46th minute for the try and a 26-0 lead. His 185m was a tribute to his fitness, energy and fierce desire to win every contest.
CENTRES OF ATTENTION
Lee and Justin Olam are two of Melbourne’s less celebrated players but the centres were outstanding.
Olam’s power running has been a feature this season, so it was only fitting the PNG hulk should open the scoring in the fourth minute, awarded a penalty try after Tyrone May kicked the ball out of his grasp as he dived for the line.
Lee nailed his job. The maligned centre held his own against Stephen Crichton to give Smith the perfect send-off ... if he wants it.