One of the many initial criticisms of Wildcard Round was that it would reward mediocrity. But few would describe the four teams playing this weekend as mediocre. Few would look at Friday night’s crowd, in excess of 80,000, and bewail a mediocre occasion. Few would look at the calibre of players, including probably the best two players in the sport, Marcus Bontempelli and Nick Daicos, and reach for the M word.
No one from the AFL, from the CEO down, could quite work out whether it constituted a final or not. But one only had to look at the first and final two minutes of the game to realise it was a final in all but name. It was played at a ferocious intensity, with bodies and boots flying and the ball pinging. In the end, the footy was in the hands of Tim Membrey, and his kick drifted right. The Pies had kicked six goals straight in the final term up until that point.
