AFL clubs finding even better ways to celebrate milestones — but the Magpies opted out
ADELAIDE celebrated Scott Thompson’s 300th game in style, on and off the field. But the beaten Magpies let Thommo, footy ... and themselves down, and should be ashamed, says Kane Cornes.
NOT every AFL player gets to finish the celebrations of his milestone match with a win ... but along the way, he can certainly feel like a winner, as he should.
Scott “Thommo” Thompson had the perfect ending on Saturday night as his 300th AFL game was marked with the club song being belted out with extra gusto at Adelaide Oval after beating Collingwood.
Well, almost perfect — and the one sour note is no fault of Thompson, the Adelaide Football Club or the Crows fans. It falls on Collingwood — and their captain Scott Pendlebury.
The Magpies failed to form a guard of honour for Thompson as he left Adelaide Oval on Saturday night — an salute that has almost become an unwritten rule in significant milestone games across the AFL.
It is not only an enormous sign of respect for the player. It also is a great look for the game.
It demonstrates that while we are all competitive beasts, at the final siren we recognise that there are some things that are bigger than the game — including sportsmanship.
Collingwood’s actions show extremely poor leadership. Pendlebury failed. This only adds to the public perception that the club is arrogant.
In round five, the Adelaide players formed a guard of honour as Shaun Burgoyne left the MCG to honour his contribution in 300 AFL games. It is a tribute that still means a great deal to the star Hawk.
Scott Thompson deserved the same.
The Crows, by contrast, did not fail Thompson — on or off the field.
In the build-up to a significant milestone, the Adelaide Football Club proved how the moment has gone far beyond a dedicated run-through banner at the start of the game.
AFL clubs celebrate milestone games better than they ever. It seems each of the 18 AFL clubs is trying to trump the others by making a player’s celebration the boldest.
Not long ago, a milestone game would be marked by a highlights video — traditionally shown to the player’s teammates on the eve of the match.
Outside the inner sanctum, the player would be put in front of the media pack for the standard weekly press conference. And there was the banner — with the player given the right to lead the team out and the chance to bring his children for an unforgettable experience.
Not now. The advent of social media has given the AFL clubs a new avenue to build milestone celebrations from good to great!
And with greater exposure, AFL clubs turn the celebration of a favourite son’s achievements into a marketing opportunity.
North Melbourne designed a special guernsey for Brent “Boomer” Harvey 400th AFL game. Let’s see what Hawthorn has planned for Sam Mitchell’s 300th at the weekend.
If the recognition of Hawthorn teammate Shaun Burgoyne’s 300th — in round five against Adelaide — is anything to go by, it will be big.
Social media provides the opportunity for everyone to buy into the celebrations.
As soon as the final siren had sounded on the Crows victory against Melbourne — the lead-up game to Thommo’s 300th — Adelaide had created the hashtag #thommo300 and promoted it to its 92,000 followers on Twitter.
It did not take long for the hashtag to go viral. The tributes kept rolling in. And at the weekend, Thompson was declaring his appreciation by tweeting: “A big thank you for all the kind words and messages of support in the lead up to the weekend’s game. It is greatly appreciated.”
Then there were the Thompson T-shirts created by the Crows’ merchandise store. The fans were lapping up the opportunity to wear their beloved “Thommo”, in caricature style, on their backs.
The media was granted outstanding access to the star player. Thompson completed varied media appearances during the week, including interviews on leading shows AFL360 on Fox Footy and the Channel Nine Footy Show.
The highlight, without question, was an adorable video on the Crows’ website featuring Scott’s daughter Ava interviewing him and his son Harry. This is one video clip Thompson will no doubt treasure forever.
Once the siren had sounded Thompson’s teammates rushed over to congratulate the 300-gamer, but they had to dodge Channel Seven commentator Cameron Ling and his camera crew as the AFL broadcaster scrambled for that critical post-match interview.
Thompson looked exhausted from the game, but also drained from a very emotional week that started out with him determined enjoy the moment.
You could tell that he just wanted to see his kids, thank the fans and then get behind closed doors to celebrate with family and friends.
Ava and Harry raced onto the ground to be with their dad as Thompson was walking the boundary high-fiving the Adelaide faithful who had stayed after the final siren to cheer off their warrior.
Rory Sloane and captain Taylor Walker were waiting near the team race as they had the honour of chairing their great mate off the field.
But clearly one party was not buying into the celebrations. Collingwood made a quick exit.
The Magpies should also be quick to acknowledge their failure.