AFL grand final: Stay up to date with the latest news before and after the final match of 2021

When the spiritual leader of your footy club calls you in for a chat at three quarter time of a grand final, you probably aren’t expecting him to say this.

It was three-quarter-time in the 2010 grand final replay when Ben Johnson – the spiritual leader of the Collingwood rat pack – called in Dane Swan, Alan Didak and myself.

We were seven goals up at the last change against St Kilda when he got us together in a little huddle.

He looked each of us in the eye and said: ‘Listen boys, we’ve got a big week of celebrating coming up, so whatever you do make sure you don’t get injured in these next 30 minutes.’

Those are the sort of memories you never forget if you’re fortunate enough to play in a premiership.

There are plenty of players who go through their whole career without winning one and I was lucky enough to get one early on.

You’ve got to take those opportunities as they come, because if you do you’ll have that connection with those players for the rest of your life.

It means you can relive the stories and exaggerate your deeds and everything that happened for many years to come.

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The Rat Pack at the 2010 premiership reunion. Picture: Michael Klein

Grand final week starts with your mobile phone, which never stops ringing, beeping and buzzing.

If you’re lucky enough to be playing in the biggest game of the year, there are plenty of well wishers but even more people scouring desperately for tickets.

I remember an endless stream of text messages along the lines of: ‘I know it’s probably a big ask but do you have any spare tickets?’

Collingwood’s a big club, and 2010 – which was my first grand final - was a big occasion as the club hadn’t won a flag in 20 years, so it was hard to try to get all your friends and family in.

I prioritised the people that came to games all year, even sometimes at the expense of some family members.

As tough as the Covid situation has been, one positive for Melbourne and Western Bulldogs players this week is they’ll largely avoid the rush for tickets for loved ones.

I’m sure they wouldn’t have minded anyway, as it is just part of the flow and rhythm of grand final week.

It’s a bit of a time-honoured tradition for players.

Only two teams get the privilege to play in it every year, so players must enjoy the moment because it’s something they’ll cherish in later years.

Although, at the present time it’s all about finding the balance between enjoying the week and focusing on the job at hand.

In 2019 with the GWS Giants, we may have got the balance out a bit by embracing it a little bit too much.

Not that we lost focus on what we had to do, but there were times when we probably needed to pull back a bit.

In non-Covid times, there’s a grand final parade and 10,000 fans packed in at training, so it’s not a normal week, no matter what.

In 2010 it was extreme because Collingwood’s supporters were a bit starved of success, which is what Melbourne supporters would be feeling.

For the Demons’ players, one positive is that being in Perth means they’ll have avoided some of that intense, external pressure they would have felt in Melbourne.

They would have had 10,000 fans at Gosch’s Paddock the other day, just like I experienced at the same training oval 11 years ago.

Heath Shaw at Collingwood training in the lead up to the 2010 grand final. Picture: AAP Images

In 2010, there were two grand finals because of the draw and the two weeks could not have been more different.

The first week there was all the fanfare and the parade.

For the replay it was basically a “normal” week with far less commitments.

The replay build-up would be like what the Melbourne and Bulldogs have experienced this week.

It would be different but no less special, as the game’s biggest prize is up for grabs and your deeds on the day are amplified forever.

This is the time of the year when my “smother of the century” always seems to get a run, particularly by my mates who like to remind me that I played 325 games and I’ll be best remembered for a smother.

The funny thing about it was that when we used to work on smothers at training, I’d be at the back of the line.

I never thought it would actually help out in a game, let alone a grand final.

At the time, it was early on and St Kilda hadn’t kicked a goal.

I wasn’t playing anywhere near my opponent and he was the man who kicked it to Nick Riewoldt.

Oops.

The greatest smother in the history of the AFL. Picture: Colleen Petch

Heath Shaw saved a certain goal. Picture: Colleen Petch

I was sort of stuck in between in no man’s land and I ran in towards him as he took the mark in the goalsquare.

As a defender you’ve always got to make an effort in that situation, so I put on the afterburners.

As I did, I started to realise I was getting closer and closer, so my speed picked up and it felt like he was slowing down.

That’s then I started to think, ‘Gee, I’m a chance here’.

The awkwardness of the smother is not lost on me, because my technique wasn’t great.

I still don’t know how I managed to hardly make any contact with him.

It was a great moment, and as my mates remind me, I guess I’ll always be remembered for a smother.

That was just the start of a day I’ll always remember.

At Collingwood during grand final weeks, Mick Malthouse would keep us in bubble wrap at training.

He wanted to avoid situations like Charlie Spargo hurting himself on the track.

Mick was very good at knowing when to step in and give the inspiration and then when to step back and let the boys do their thing.

His speech before the drawn grand final was the best speech I’ve ever heard.

Guys would have run through brick walls for him, but we ended up with a draw.

His second speech a week later obviously wasn’t as good because he’d used up all his good material the week before, but we still got the job done.

Grand final appearances are so precious because you never know when the next opportunity is going to come.

I got mine when I was a young kid and I probably appreciated it more when I got to the Giants and played in one later in my career.

After the drawn grand final in 2010, I spoke to my dad, Ray, who played in four grand finals and a draw himself in 1977.

He said that year they overtrained in the week leading up to the replay and were flogged.

I just remember him saying how lucky I was to get a second chance because he thought we were done.

They were some really wise words from the old man, and it helped settle some of my nerves.

And to win one was such a relief, which was quickly followed by excitement.

Going into today, grand final experience does count for something, but at the same time it is all about two hours and how you perform.

You have to show up.

Ray, Heath and Rhyce Shaw celebrate the 2010 flag.

On the Heater and Daisy Show midway through the year, when Melbourne and the Bulldogs were the top two on the ladder, I said I wasn’t sure if either of those sides would play in the grand final.

That shows my level of expertise, but for what it’s worth I’m tipping Melbourne.

The Demons have the best spine in the competition and that’s why they’ve morphed into the best team in the league.

That’ll hold them in good stead on the game’s biggest stage.

The week off will help the Bulldogs, but to win a grand final you probably have to score 80 points and the Demons are pretty stingy in defence.

To the players, enjoy the moment and being centre stage of pretty much the whole of Australia for two hours, because you never know when you might get to do it again.

Originally published as AFL grand final: Stay up to date with the latest news before and after the final match of 2021