Saturday’s thrilling AFL grand final between the Western Bulldogs and Sydney was “spoiled” by the Seven Network, according to an army of irate viewers.

Seven’s coverage of the Bulldogs’ 22-point victory was saturated with advertisements, particularly at key moments.

As a result, fans were regularly robbed of replays and atmosphere as the Bulldogs overturned a half-time deficit to win their first VFL-AFL premiership since 1954.

The nature of their triumph – secured by a pair of late Liam Picken goals and a Tom Boyd long bomb – meant the pro-Bulldogs crowd at the MCG was roaring in the final stages.

Yet fans who were watching on television had little idea of the crowd’s reaction to the goals, instead being force-fed a diet of advertisements and in-house promotions.

Fans missed out on celebrations like this. Photo: Getty

While Seven pays a huge sum for the rights to the AFL and the grand final is one of the biggest days in Australian television, the coverage was a particular shock to those viewers who regularly watch AFL through Foxtel’s Fox Footy channel, who watch without advertisements in each quarter.

The only time Fox Footy shows advertisements is at the breaks, meaning fans get extra coverage and analysis between goals.

But with those on the couch restricted to Seven’s coverage of Saturday’s big game, many fans were left frustrated, leading to a deluge of complaints on Twitter.

Missing Foxtel with all these bloody ads on channel 7 #AFLGF. Such a killer for the atmosphere.

— Chris Aylen (@CJ_Aylen) October 1, 2016

Channel 7 coverage has been the worst ever, why so many adds ? A great game spoiled by commercial TV.#AFLGrandFinal

— Nigel Horsley (@nhorsley61) October 1, 2016

@Channel7 Shameful coverage of #AFLGF Ads on bottom of screen for future??! Broke away at important moments. Not Australian way – #GoDogs

— HereToHelp (@Vollyaholic) October 1, 2016

Next year @AFL do something about Channel 7 and the ads. We want to see celebrations not adverts. #AFLGF

— Tony D (@Tony_Kun) October 1, 2016

@AFL I'm deliberately not watching any show advertised or buy any product advertised because the amount of ads are a disgrace.

— FLP (@FionaPhillips14) October 1, 2016

The game finishes … but the complaints don’t

Even after the final siren sounded – and one of football’s most amazing stories had been confirmed – the barrage of advertisements did not stop.

And Seven’s constant cross-promotion for its wide array of shows also annoyed viewers.

Advertisements for The X Factor: Next Generation and the Jessica Mauboy-led The Secret Daughter were among the most popular on Saturday.

https://twitter.com/DeeDeeDunleavy/status/782086533343870976

Seriously @Channel7 – we can wait for X-Factor promos. This is the greatest moment in football for decades.

— Corz (@Corz45) October 1, 2016

In the build-up to Saturday’s clash, the Seven Network’s director of corporate affairs, Simon Francis, confidently predicted big ratings for the grand final.

“Undeniably, it is an extraordinary match-up between the Swans and the Bulldogs,” he told News Corp.

“A tale of two cities, the pursuit of a dream by the Bulldogs against the Swans, which has delivered the biggest national audiences in its grand final appearances.”

Ratings for last year’s AFL grand final, won by Hawthorn against West Coast, peaked at 3.9 million viewers.

The average rating for the match was 3.5 million, putting Seven’s broadcast in the top-five watched television programs of 2015.