AFL Grand Final 2019: Date, time, key match-ups, tips as Richmond faces GWS Giants

Richmond will enter this year’s grand final as a hot-favourite, but GWS Giants will welcome back several stars as they eye a maiden premiership. Find out who out experts are tipping and all the key details for the decider.

Tom Lynch battles with GWS Giants defender Nick Haynes earlier this season. Picture. Phil Hillyard.

The 2019 AFL Grand Final will be played on Saturday, September 28 when Richmond chases its second premiership in three years and GWS eyes its maiden flag.

The start time has been confirmed for 2.30pm after more debate about a twilight decider.

The annual Grand Final parade will be held in the streets of Melbourne on Friday, September 27 — a public holiday in Victoria.

The Grand Final will be shown live and free-to-air on Channel 7.

FOLLOW THE AFL GRAND FINAL LIVE HERE

WHEN IS THE 2019 AFL GRAND FINAL?

When: Saturday, September 28 (Time TBC)

Where: MCG

TV: Live broadcast on Channel 7

MORE FINALS NEWS:

Richmond ready for huge week ahead of 2019 Grand Final, defender Nick Vlastuin writes

GWS Giants, Leon Cameron prove doubters wrong in biggest prelim upset since 1999 Carlton-Essendon epic

Will GWS Giants stars Lachie Whitfield, Stephen Coniglio return for grand final?

Mick Malthouse previews the 2019 AFL Grand Final between Richmond and GWS Giants

GWS Giants to play Richmond in Grand Final after epic preliminary final win over Collingwood

Stream every match of the 2019 Toyota AFL Finals Series before the Grand Final Live & On-Demand on KAYO SPORTS. Get your 14 day free trial and start streaming instantly >

Sam Edmund and Sam Landsberger have picked Shane Edwards to win the Norm Smith Medal. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

GRAND FINAL TIPS

Glenn McFarlane

Richmond 15 points

Norm Smith: Dustin Martin

Sam Edmund

Richmond Six points

Norm Smith: Shane Edwards

Sam Landsberger

Richmond 18 points

Norm Smith: Shane Edwards

Lauren Wood

Richmond 24 points

Norm Smith: Dion Prestia

Chris Cavanagh

Richmond 12 points

Norm Smith: Tom Lynch

Mick Malthouse

Richmond 7 points

Norm Smith: Toby Greene

Ben Horne

GWS Giants 5 points

Norm Smith: Toby Greene

A nervous Toby Greene watches Saturday’s preliminary final due to suspension. Picture. Phil Hillyard.

TAB ODDS

Richmond $1.38. GWS Giants $3.20.

Margins

Richmond 1-39 points $2.05, 40+ points $3.30

GWS Giants 1-39 points $3.60, 40+ points $15

Draw $41

Matt De Boer frustrated Dustin Martin when they clashed earlier this year. Picture. Phil Hillyard

KEY MATCH-UPS

Tom Lynch v Phil Davis

Fresh from a majestic five-goal haul in a prelim, a red-hot Lynch will go into the Grand Final and Phil Davis will walk to his side. The pair did battle in Round 17, with Lynch kicking three from 18 disposals. But the GWS co-captain has been in excellent form this finals series and assuming he gets back to full fitness, this will be one to watch.

Dustin Martin v Matt De Boer

No love lost here, with the pair set to come face-to-face for the first time since a frustrated Martin was driven to distraction by De Boer in Round 3. Damien Hardwick said his man was provoked by the incessant attention. De Boer didn’t play the Tigers in Round 17, but the GWS attack dog has kept Marcus Bontempelli to 13 touches in the elimination final, restricted Lachie Neale to 17 in the semi and then alternated between Scott Pendlebury (18 touches) and Adam Treloar (22 possessions) in the preliminary final. “Dusty” slayed Brisbane in the qualifying final and was damaging against the Cats when appearing to play injured. Huge battle.

Jeremy Cameron v Dylan Grimes

How’s the tale of the tape with this one? The Coleman medallist against the best defender in the league. Bring it on. Cameron kicked 3.4 against the Tigers in Round 17, gathering 19 disposals and taking six marks. Grimes spent time on him in that match, as did Nick Vlaustin and Nathan Broad.

LAST TIME

Round 17, 2019, Richmond 13.16 (94) def GWS 9.13 (67) at the MCG

Jack Riewoldt returned for the first time since Round 6 and the Tigers won their third in a row — the Tiger train starting to pick up speed en route to September.

The Tigers were smashed in contested ball, but were slicker in wet and slippery conditions and led from start to finish and were never troubled.

The Giants’ tilt at a maiden flag was said to be teetering on the edge after Leon Cameron’s side lost for the fourth time in five games and also lost Stephen Coniglio to a long-term knee injury.

Jeremy Cameron (3.4) and Toby Greene (34 disposals, two goals) were the Giants’ best.

Ivan Soldo had greater impact than ruck counterpart Toby Nankervis in the preliminary final. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

THE HEADACHES

Richmond: Like the soft drink ad of the 80s, Ivan has worked hard to be a “Soldo Man”.

His growth as a player was underlined by the fact Toby Nankervis’s return saw the Tigers bend their philosophy and play two rucks.

But do they persist at the expense of some run? Soldo played less time than Nankervis in the preliminary final, but had twice as many hitouts and disposals than his big teammate.

It prompted Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn to tweet his admiration: “Think I’m a Soldo fan.”

GWS: Where do you start? While Toby Greene is a walk-up inclusion from suspension, can Lachie Whitfield recover from surgery to remove an appendix?

Will the Giants throw Stephen Coniglio in at the deep end in a Grand Final after not playing since Round 17 with a serious knee injury?

Could Brett Deledio complete the most remarkable of premiership fairytales?

Then there’s Phil Davis, whose leg injury saw him thrown forward in desperation against the Pies.

Think I’m a Soldo fan.

— Max Gawn (@gawndog37) September 20, 2019

INJURIES

Richmond

Alex Rance (knee) season

Jack Higgins (brain bleed) season

Jack Graham (shoulder) test

Nathan Broad (concussion) test

GWS

Phil Davis (leg) test

Stephen Coniglio (knee) test

Brett Deledio (calf) test

Lachie Whitfield (Appendicitis) test

Callan Ward (knee) season

Jonathon Patton (knee) season

ROAD TO THE GRAND FINAL

It’s hard to believe Richmond was ninth after Round 14.

But they were and have since responded with venom and go into the decider on an 11-match winning streak.

The Tigers rolled GWS, Collingwood and West Coast en route to the finals, where they took the Brisbane Lions’ best punches at the Gabba in the qualifying final before stitching them up.

No words can do justice to the Giants’ resilience. Beset by injuries, suspensions and even appendicitis, they have marched from sixth - via Brisbane and Melbourne - to a Grand Final with an extraordinary never-say-die attitude.

Bullied the Dogs, hung tough in an incredible Gabba final against the Brisbane Lions and somehow held up under insane pressure to deny Collingwood.

Originally published as AFL Grand Final 2019: Date, time, key match-ups, tips as Richmond faces GWS Giants