It was a return to some form of normality in 2022, but the AFL world still managed to throw up some extraordinary moments.
Some were heart-lifting while others were heart-wrenching, but at the end of it all there was no doubting the emotional rollercoaster that the game can bring.
In a year full of storylines, these are the 10 most-read. Some may not be what you’d first expect, but then again, neither was the 2022 season.
1. Off-season chaos
If the two covid-affected years were relatively meagre in terms of off-season movement, 2022 more than made up for them. Player movement hit fever pitch and was led by the bombshell trade request from Jason Horne-Francis after the number one pick spent just one season at North Melbourne. His desire to get to Port Adelaide sparked a chain reaction that led to a staggering four-club mega-deal. It involved Horne-Francis and this year’s number one selection changing hands, while a host of other picks and several players moved clubs. All of this isn’t to mention the trades that took place in the lead-up to the frantic final day (more on that later) and the players who found themselves delisted only to find new homes via the draft in the weeks after the trade deadline.
2. Cripps wins Brownlow
This is really a tale of two victories. Yes, Cripps came through for a thrilling win on Brownlow Medal night, but it followed a marathon appeal at the back-end of the home and away season in which Carlton successfully overturned a two-match ban for a high hit on Brisbane Lions player Callum Ah Chee. The Tribunal appeal, followed by the AFL Appeals Board hearing, was engrossing theatre that had the footy world abuzz during and after it. While Cripps was effectively cleared due to a procedural error by the Tribunal, it added to the unprecedented season for a player several pundits had written off as being too slow and too banged up to return to his best for the remainder of his career.
3. Brownlow Medal tracker
Cripps’ win was all the more engrossing given the circumstances of the count, which was tight right up until the final round. The Blues skipper entered the final round on 26 votes - one behind equal leaders Lachie Neale and Touk Miller on 27. Miller missed out on votes in his side’s final match, but Neale polled one against Melbourne, giving him the lead and a look at his second Brownlow Medal. Cripps’ Blues lost in devastating fashion to arch rivals Collingwood in the final round, which saw them miss the finals, but Cripps was voted the best player on the ground, seeing him rocket to 29 votes and leapfrog Neale and Miller. It was as thrilling a count as there’s been in recent memory and one that had the AFL world waiting with bated breath on CEO Gillon McLachlan’s vote-reading.
4. Cats crush Swans in GF
After so many near misses, it was easy to think Geelong’s aggressive approach at the trade table wasn’t going to pay off. Perhaps that makes this year’s triumph all the sweeter. The Cats broke through for their second premiership under Chris Scott and perhaps the most surprising part of it all was how easy it was. A 16-match winning streak and a finals series in which they were barely tested for the most part. It was a premiership that surely quashed any doubts some Geelong supporters had about Scott’s coaching capabilities and was a reward for taking a big risk at the start of the year when the football department was rejigged significantly. It also marked the perfect farewell for Joel Selwood, with the captain earning the respect of many of those who perhaps weren’t on his side along the journey. Everything went right for the Cats.
5. Carey banned from Crown for white powder
As one of the most high-profile ex-AFL players in the country, there was a large amount of interest in Wayne Carey‘s incident at Crown Casino in Perth. The champion forward was investigated after a bag of white powder fell from his pocket onto a gaming table - he maintained from the outset it was crushed-up anti-inflammatory tablets to treat debilitating football injuries. Carey did not face police charges but he will not resume his TV and newspaper commentary roles for the 2023 season.
6. Final day (and minutes) of frantic trade period
It was a frantic trade period from the outset, but the final day was a spectacle all on its own. A host of players had their trade wishes granted in the dying minutes, with the likes of Tom Mitchell, Josh Dunkley, Ollie Henry, Rory Lobb and Jaeger O’Meara all finding new homes. Earlier in the night, Lachie Hunter also moved from the Dogs to Melbourne, while some players had their trade hopes dashed, including Esava Ratugolea, Jeremy Sharp and Hunter Clark. It was a crazy end to a crazy trade period, which could well signal what to expect in future exchange windows.
7. Harley Balic’s tragic death
Former Fremantle and Melbourne midfielder Harley Balic passed away at age 25, a tragedy that sent shockwaves through the footy community. Balic was drafted by Fremantle with pick No.38 in 2015, managing four games for the club in two seasons. He was traded to Melbourne during the 2017 trade period, but retired one year later, citing a loss of passion for the game. Balic’s death, which Victoria Police confirmed was not being treated as suspicious, sparked a passionate plea from former Western Bulldogs rookie Jamason Daniels, who opened up on his struggles “in hope it might help others who are in a place they never imagined”.
8. Tom Hickey interview
The finals series is always filled with heartwarming and heartbreaking stories and Sydney Swans ruckman Tom Hickey’s certainly stands among those. Hickey was one of the Swans’ best players in the qualifying final win over Melbourne at the MCG, but revealed the emotional toll of the week when speaking to Fox Footy post-game. Hickey said both of his twins had been in hospital during the week, before tearfully telling them “I’m coming home, I’m coming home girls.” It was a touching show of emotion and insight into the amount of support the club had provided to Hickey and his family over the journey.
9. Dayne Zorko’s sledge to Harrison Petty
There can be some beautiful moments in football, but there can also be some truly ugly ones. Dayne Zorko’s sledge of Harrison Petty during a game between Brisbane and Melbourne in August falls squarely into the latter category. Petty was seen in tears during the three-quarter time break and had to be consoled by teammates and coaches. The fallout from the match was considerable, with the AFL and AFL Players’ Association both making contact with those involved, while Zorko issued an apology in the moments after the game.
10. Essendon sacks Ben Rutten
If there’s a template of how not to sack a coach, Essendon probably holds it. Rutten’s papers looked stamped amid boardroom upheaval late in the season and a last-ditch bid for the services of Alastair Clarkson, but he was still left in the dark about his future by his employer despite it being a fait accompli. It was as messy an exit as you could have and though Rutten could be questioned for his ability as a senior coach, he could not be questioned for the dignity with which he carried himself in a situation that was extraordinarily undignified.
