SUMMARY

For the first time since 2011, two Victorian teams will meet in a Toyota AFL Grand Final. And it proves to be a corker more than 1600km away from the MCG. Two of their generation's best players Dustin Martin (Richmond) and Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong) will go head-to-head, while rival spearheads Tom Lynch and Tom Hawkins will lead their respective attacks. The Tigers are chasing their third premiership in four years in what would rubberstamp one of the most remarkable dynasties in the modern game. At the Cats, champion Gary Ablett is looking to finish his epic 356-game career with a third flag.

WHERE AND WHEN: Gabba, Saturday October 24, 6.30pm AEST (local), 7.30pm AEDT

WEATHER: Brisbane is expected to reach a maximum of 29c throughout the day with only a 30 per cent chance of rain in the afternoon and evening.

HOW MANY WILL BE THERE? Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the crowd has been capped at 30,000. After corporate tickets and members were allotted seats, tickets went on sale to the general public Tuesday and sold out within 20 minutes.

TV AND RADIO: Click here for broadcast guide

ENTERTAINMENT (split pre-game and half-time): Rising rock trio DMA'S will headline a contingent of Australian artists that includes Cub Sport, Sheppard, Electric Fields, Wolfmother lead singer Andrew Stockdale and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.

WHO WILL PRESENT THE CUP AND MEDALS? World No.1 tennis player and Tigers fan Ash Barty will present the cup to Richmond if successful, while Geelong champion Ian Nankervis is in line to take the honours should the Cats salute. 2004 Norm Smith medallist Byron Pickett will present this year's medal, while dual Adelaide premiership coach Malcolm Blight will hand over the Jock McHale Medal to the winning coach.

UMPIRES:Matt Stevic (eighth Grand Final), Simon Meredith (sixth), Craig Fleer (first)

WHAT HAPPENED THIS YEAR?

Round 17: Richmond 7.15 (57) d Geelong 4.7 (31)
The Tigers' manic pressure kept the Cats to their lowest score of the season. Emerging youngster Shai Bolton collected three Brownlow Medal votes for his 18 disposals on a night Jack Riewolt kicked four majors. The Cats were without Joel Selwood, Rhys Stanley, Gary Rohan and Gary Ablett, while the Tigers were missing Shane Edwards, Dion Prestia and David Astbury.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Richmond
The Tigers' extra emphasis on winning the clearances compared to round 17. Despite winning that night over the Cats, they lost the stoppage count by 16. The Tigers were ranked 17th in the competition for clearance differential (-5.6) during the home and away season but have jumped to become the No.1 team this finals series with an average of +4.7 on their opponents. On the flipside, the Tigers have gone from the best team in scoring from opposition turnovers (45.4 points per game) to the third-worst in finals with 29.7 points per game.

Geelong
Can the Cats avoid being sucked into Richmond's pressure and get the game on their terms? The Cats love to control possession but it's gone to a new level during finals with an average of 76 more disposals per game compared to their opponents. While the Cats recorded 32 more touches than the Tigers in round 17, most were while over-possessing trying to get out of trouble. For example, Mitch Duncan had 83 per cent of his touches in the defensive half compared to his season average of 56. There will also be a strong focus on who takes Dustin Martin. When he's forward expect Jake Kolodjashnij or Tom Stewart to get the job and in the midfield it is likely to be split between Cam Guthrie and Brandan Parfitt.

WHAT THE STATS SAY

- The Tigers defenders have been on song this finals series. Dylan Grimes has won six of 10 on-on-one contests to be the No.1 ranked player the category, while Nathan Broad, Nick Vlastuin and Jayden Short are yet to lose a one-on-one contest.

- The second-best team for turning rebound 50s into forward 50s during the season at 26.4 per cent per exit, the Tigers have been clogged up in the finals, dropping to 13 per cent.

- Between the two sides, Dustin Martin and Joel Selwood have enjoyed the biggest jump between their home and away season and finals for this year. Martin's Champion Data average player rating has ballooned from 12.6 to 20.1 and Selwood's 8.3 to 13.

- Martin is vying to become the first player in history to win the Norm Smith Medal for a third time. The superstar has two medals along with Hawthorn legends Luke Hodge and Gary Ayres, as well as Adelaide champion Andrew McLeod.

- The Cats are unbeaten from five matches at the Gabba this season with an average winning margin of 53 points. The Tigers are 2-1, losing their last game at the venue in the qualifying final to Brisbane.

- The top-five players for retention of kicks inside forward 50 this finals series belong to the Cats. The Cats have retained 77.8 per cent of Sam Menegola's kicks with Gary Rohan (71.4), Luke Dahlhaus (71.4), Mitch Duncan (70) and Gary Ablett (66.7) the next best.

- Selwood is aiming to become the club's first four-time premiership player. Selwood and Ablett are the only remaining members from the 2007 flag.

- Should the Cats win, Ablett (2009-2020) will hold the third longest stint between flags after Drew Banfield (1994-2006) and Doug Wade (1963-1975).

IT'S A BIG WEEK FOR …

Richmond
After a quiet 2019 season, Jack Riewoldt exploded in last year's decider with five majors. Can he do it again on Saturday night off a similar form line? Riewoldt has kicked three goals and had just 16 disposals from his three finals to date but will again be an important cog alongside Tom Lynch in attack.

Two out of three ain't bad, but three out of four is a whole other level.

Richmond has claimed back-to-back premierships, and made it three of the last four flags, after coming from behind to beat Geelong by 31 points in the historic first ever Toyota AFL Grand Final at the Gabba. It etched the Tiger dynasty into football history as one of the most dominant sides of the his century.

Dustin Martin, Richmond's inimitable, incredible midfielder, also made history by becoming the first player to win three Norm Smith Medals as the best on ground in the 12.9 (81) to 7.8 (50) win by booting four goals from 21 disposals.

The under lights Gabba clash had it all: injury carnage, a remarkable recovery, a comeback, two stretchers, pitch invaders, pyrotechnics and an entertainment package that will make the debate for day Grand Finals a harder sell in 2021.

But mainly it again illustrated the brilliance of Martin and the Tigers, who came from 15 points down at half-time to secure their 13th flag and first consecutive flag since their 1973-4 triumphs. It was their third premiership under coach Damien Hardwick and skipper Trent Cotchin.

After more than 110 days on the road living in Queensland after COVID-19's second wave forced the competition to relocate out of Victoria, the Tigers will return with the premiership cup later this week after storming home in the second half.

Gary Ablett's farewell did not go as hoped, with the champion Cat injuring his shoulder in the opening minutes immediately after Tigers defender Nick Vlastuin was concussed in a wild piece of play.

Ablett returned later in the quarter after receiving medical attention in the rooms, but continued to nurse the injury throughout the game, struggling to use his arm for the rest of the night and enduring serious pain throughout. His hope of ending his glittering 357-game career with a third flag was dashed as the Tigers booted nine goals to two in the second half.

In a game full by superstars on both sides, it was Richmond's who rose to the occasion. Martin was again exceptional, following his 2017 and 2019 deciders with another standout game. The game's best player proved it with a high-impact game across half-forward, while Patrick Dangerfield, Geelong's own match-winner, was subdued. Geelong Coleman medallist Tom Hawkins kicked one goal from 10 disposals, with Mitch Duncan (25 disposals, one goal) the Cats' best.

There was drama everywhere in the first term. Six minutes into the game it changed: Vlastuin was knocked out by a stray Dangerfield elbow (which will certainly come under Match Review Officer scrutiny) and in the following contest Ablett's shoulder dislocated as he was tackled by Cotchin.

As Vlastuin was taken by stretcher from the field, Ablett left cradling his arm. The shock left the players and crowd stunned, and after a six-minute break in the game, it resumed to more action, including two fans who ran onto the field that almost got involved in the play.

Although the Tigers kicked the first two goals, the Cats settled to take a one-point lead into the first change. Ablett, too, returned to the field – a sight that looked unimaginable minutes earlier after what appeared set to be an anticlimactic end to his phenomenal career.

Geelong took that momentum into the second term, dominating Richmond in the pressure stakes and using their strength at the contest to push aside the Tigers. The Tigers, so renowned for their tenacious attack, were being beaten at their own game.

The Cats kicked three goals to one in the quarter but should have been further ahead after some straightforward misses. They are sprayed kicks which will linger in the minds of the Cats well beyond the final siren.

Richmond's single goal came via Martin – an astonishing snap while fending off some Cats opponents – with the Tigers struggling in attack.

Key forward pair Tom Lynch and Jack Riewoldt combined for one kick in the first half as Geelong's defence, led by the insurmountable Tom Stewart and veteran Harry Taylor, controlled proceedings.

But Richmond wasn't done. Riewoldt kicked the opening goal of the third term after a free kick, before a Jason Castagna outswinger curled through. Martin's brilliance again rose to the top, with the key Tiger's on-the-run checkside trickling through to give Richmond a two-point edge by three-quarter time.

The Tigers powered home in the final quarter, kicking five goals to one to end up comfortable premiers. The final goal came, of course, via Martin in the last two minutes, who shrugged off a tackle from Dangerfield pinned up against the boundary line and snapped an amazing goal. In doing so, the Tigers’ tattooed champion confirmed his status as perhaps the best big-game player in football history.

RICHMOND 2.1 3.2 7.4 12.9 (81)
GEELONG 2.2 5.5 6.8 7.8 (50)

GOALS
Richmond: Martin 4, Prestia 2, Riewoldt 2, Castagna, Lambert, Lynch, McIntosh
Geelong: Menegola 2, Dangerfield, Duncan, Guthrie, Hawkins, Miers

BEST
Richmond: Martin, Short, Edwards, Prestia, Cotchin, Bolton
Geelong: Duncan, Stewart, Selwood, Menegola, Dahlhaus

INJURIES
Richmond: Vlastuin (concussion)
Geelong: Ablett (shoulder), Simpson (concussion)

Richmond's 2020 premiership team

2020 newspaper
Click to enlarge