Game of the Year - An award the game needs

[LachyH]

Fantastic thread. I have wanted the AFL to award a Game of the Year for a long time. Maybe not as officially as the original poster suggested, but perhaps on Grand Final day, in an unofficial capacity, a small number of experts get together and decide on one match. I am much happier as a footy fan watching great footy games, and care less about great players. I love the idea.

Game of the Year in 2014 to date. Well, for compelling, edge-of-your-seat excitement, the Round 2 game that featured Essendon and Hawthorn, Round 3 game between Bulldogs and Richmond, as well as the Round 6 game between Carlton and West Coast probably top the list, but a game that probably deserves top billing, a game that was played between two great teams that had plenty of highlights, Geelong and Hawthorn.

But it's a great debate, what type of games deserve the title of best game of the season? A thriller between two sides who perhaps aren't the greatest teams, so the games like the Bulldogs-Richmond, and Carlton-West Coast that I mentioned already, or games between two great sides that is a fantastic exhibition of football, but perhaps doesn't quite go down to the wire, such as the Cats and the Hawks.

 

[FISTO]

2014:
Brisbane vs Essendon round 8
Bulldogs vs Kangaroos round 2

 

[HBF]

Easter Monday between Geelong and Hawthorn has to be the clubhouse leader at the moment.

 

[Mateyman]

Brisbane v Geelong 2013 easily H&A game of the year for me. The massive come from behind with the last goal kicked after the siren by the 200? gamer was ridiculously fairytale.

 

[craffles]

Hmmm. Interesting thread but I don't really see the purpose behind it. Just because their are a bunch of other meaningless awards around doesn't mean we need to create another one because it fills a gap. I really don't think any players or clubs would be that stoked by winning it, nor supporters and the only real commercial aspect behind it is TV replays and or DVD sales?

 

[Milang_Panthers]

Port Adelaide vs West Coast last year (not sure what round?) was an awesome game!

 

[Air_Chester]

Think the Pies and Eagles just served up a strong contender for this year.

 

[Scotland]

Think the Pies and Eagles just served up a strong contender for this year.

It was a cracker up until the umpires ruined it at the end.

 

[Unique Name]

2013 would be the Brisbane vs Geelong game
Runner up would be Geelong vs Freo final.

 

[Masto]

Think the Pies and Eagles just served up a strong contender for this year.

It was an ok game. Might have been more interesting if the Eagles had won. Otherwise its just a carbon copy of the last 20 years - including the umpires. Not quite up there with the match when they had a former collingwood player as umpire who kept bouncing it straight to their players.

 

[Air_Chester]

It was a cracker up until the umpires ruined it at the end.

Yeah that left me a bit sour. But that aside, total quality.

 

[Prestigerrycomo]

It was an ok game. Might have been more interesting if the Eagles had won. Otherwise its just a carbon copy of the last 20 years - including the umpires. Not quite up there with the match when they had a former collingwood player as umpire who kept bouncing it straight to their players.

Oh the irony of your signature "We're a no excuse football club."

 

[Mateyman]

It was an ok game. Might have been more interesting if the Eagles had won. Otherwise its just a carbon copy of the last 20 years - including the umpires. Not quite up there with the match when they had a former collingwood player as umpire who kept bouncing it straight to their players.

Seems likely that umpires who can barely bounce it up straight would be able to deliberately pass it to individual players

 

[Masto]

Oh the irony of your signature "We're a no excuse football club."

No excuses. This isn't the thread for that - this is about the game of the year - which would include good umpiring - wouldn't you think?

 

[Masto]

Seems likely that umpires who can barely bounce it up straight would be able to deliberately pass it to individual players

He was dropped soon after and never seen again, thank god.

 

[Prudster]

2013 would be the Brisbane vs Geelong game
Runner up would be Geelong vs Freo final.

Nope. The Hawthorn v Geelong Prelim is easily first if you are counting finals.

 

[Magpie Since 1986]

Nope. The Hawthorn v Geelong Prelim is easily first if you are counting finals.

Hawthorn's last 3 prelims ('13, '12 and '11) have all been cracking games.

 

[Air_Chester]

Reckon I might have watched the winner today from the SCG. Sydney beat Port and Buddy trumped Wingard in the highlight reel stakes. Felt like a heavyweight main event, played like a heavyweight main event, won clean in the middle.

Though the game on the west coast was a pretty crazy affair and worth a mention as well. The West Coast-Gold Coast game was more your flyweights peppering the shit out of each other with rapid combos and and the Suns swinging wildly for a KO to beat the clock, and just missing their chance.

 

[_larry_]

Signed up to BigFooty after a couple of years of lurking, just to say that I reckon this is a great idea. BUT, can we NOT have a randomly selected panel select the game? Fans pay hundreds of dollars on memberships, merchandise and Pay TV etc. throughout the year to watch the game we love. Why should Darce, Tony Shaw, Richo, McLachlan and whoever else get to decide. There are hundreds of thousands of people watching. Let the people decide.

As someone else suggested, it could be done as a huge fan night at the end of the season incorporating all the best skills and moments of the year. Engaging fans is something the NBA and other American sports do very well (see: the NBA All Star fan voting). And, yeah, I know Americanisation is not popular, but it's much better than being constantly taken for granted by the AFL and subjected to 'entertainment' like the Grand Final Footy Show.

Idea has serious merit.

 

[DV2000]

you've got some of your facts wrong
Geelong didn't play St Kilda in an elimination final in 2011.
Geelong beat Hawthorn after the siren in 2012 on round 19, not 17
Otherwise, good post

 

[Fadge]

Reckon I might have watched the winner today from the SCG. Sydney beat Port and Buddy trumped Wingard in the highlight reel stakes. Felt like a heavyweight main event, played like a heavyweight main event, won clean in the middle.

Though the game on the west coast was a pretty crazy affair and worth a mention as well. The West Coast-Gold Coast game was more your flyweights peppering the shit out of each other with rapid combos and and the Suns swinging wildly for a KO to beat the clock, and just missing their chance.

Can't agree more on the Sydney/Port match - cracking game of Football. Just a shame those without Foxtel weren't able to witness it.

 

[dthom]

I think the number of awards for everything needs to be cut down. Best player in the AFL? Congratulations, demand a higher paycheck, or if you are like Gary Ablett who is/was the highest paid player, justify your paycheck.

 

[Air_Chester]

How'd everyone think we panned out last year for classics? I could do with a refresher.

For mine the Hawthorn-Essendon and Sydney-Port games were my clear cut favourites, and I felt the Hawthorn-GWS close one provided some stellar drama.

Finals-wise, obviously, that Hawks-Port prelim will stay in people's minds for years to come.

 

[bombersfan4000]

Agree 100% Great idea. I'm amazed the AFL (and Fox Footy) don't have an entire awards night dedicated to the all the great highlights of the year.

• Play of the year
• Match of the year
• Most courageous act
• biggest bump (legal)
• best defensive effort
• best goal assist
• Best tackle
• Best handpass
• Best kick
• Best hard-ball get

It would showcase all the great skills of our game and make great TV. We see these highlights shown during the week, but why don't they formalise it? No need for idiotic speeches and ceremonies. Just package up a one hour show and show us all the contenders (from different angles) and a replay of the winners. What footy fan wouldn't watch that?

The Mark and Goal of the Year used to be such a big deal. These days, it's become something of an afterthought. Why not spruce it up a little by adding new categories?

• Most courageous mark.
• The strongest mark (under pressure, pack marks, etc)
• Best high mark

Instead of having one award for the best individual goal, why not also have an award for best team goal? The best team goals are always miles better than the flukey individual efforts. End to end skills, as opposed to arsey snaps from the boundary line. It's a bit of a tragedy that none of the great team goals from yesteryear have been packaged onto 7's highlight reels. Instead, all we see are the solo efforts.

We have the All Australian awards night, but there should also be positional best player awards

• best defender
• best forward
• best midfielder

People might say the Brownlow equals "best midfielder", but the Brownlow only scores players' best games. They should poll the coaches (and their assistants) to find the 3 best players in each category. I reckon they would be the best judges.

Nice idea, but you have far to much time on your hands!

 

[ioppolo]

West Coast vs North Melbourne @ Subi last year. We were looking at our lowest ever score at Subi, but our Brownlow hero saved the day with a goal after the siren. But alas, we were still 29 points behind.