Before the start of the 2022 AFL grand final, there was a flamboyant Robbie Williams in hot pink belting out Let Me Entertain You in front of 100,024 football fans at the MCG.

He should have stayed out there.

When the main event got underway, it was Geelong that took over that  mantle to thrill its supporters on the way to the club’s 10th VFL-AFL premiership and its fourth this century.

And the Cats did it in style.

The Cat army was delirious, while Swans fans had almost nothing to cheer in what will be remembered as a dull, one-sided anticlimax after one of the tightest and most hotly contested seasons in AFL history.

For neutrals, many would have preferred Robbie Williams and Delta Goodrem – who were exceptional as the the pre-game entertainment – to come back on.

The Cats were never headed, dominating a tired and dreadfully disappointing Sydney to run out 20.13 (133) to 8.4 (52) winners.

A rout from start to finish

It was a rout, which did not befit what had been a remarkably entertaining and closely fought season after two years of COVID chaos.

Amid the lopsided result, there were good stories everywhere for the Cats.

It was a long-awaited premiership for Brownlow medallist Patrick Dangerfield, who had to wait 303 games to lift the premiership cup.

Cats forward Gary Rohan finally won a premiership medal after playing in three previous grand final losses, with one of those coming as a Swan in 2016.

Geelong skipper Joel Selwood, who played in his record-breaking 40th AFL final and overtook Hawthorn legend Michael Tuck, received the premiership cup from former teammate and 2011 premiership captain Cameron Ling.

Selwood’s future remains unknown, but there would be no better way to bow out after four premierships and 355 games.

Although, when he kicked truly late in the final term, he looked like a man about to finish up a remarkable career.

Dreams of Ireland and glory

Could the premiership cup be headed to Ireland?

In early 2020, in a first person column for the Herald Sun, Cat Zach Tuohy spoke frankly about how his premiership dream had become “slightly obsessive”.

That was then, before he played in a grand final loss to Richmond in 2022 at the Gabba.

Tuohy, who will be 33 in December, has now achieved the ultimate.
And it came almost 12 years to the day since the phone call that changed his life when then Carlton recruiter Gerard Sholly told the then Gaelic football star he wanted to bring him from Ireland to Australia.

“The focus of my AFL dream has always been about winning a premiership,” Tuohy wrote in 2020.

“It’s why I came to Australia and it’s become much more of a focus during the back half of my career.

“The last few years, though, I’ve been slightly obsessive about winning a flag, particularly because I’m closer to the end of my career than the start.

“I’d take the cup back home to Ireland for a visit if I could get my hands on it.

“With every finals exit, you can’t help but think, ‘Have I just blown it?’

“That kills me much more than it used to and it has been the cause of many sleepless nights, so here’s hoping we can get one at the Cats sooner rather than later.”

Tuohy will sleep like a baby tonight.

Tweet from @AFL

Reid gamble goes bust

It is an old grand final adage and a tale as old as time: You don’t take injured players into grand finals.

The Swans did, and it blew up spectacularly for them.

In a move that appeared to sum up Sydney’s day, forward Sam Reid never looked right and was subbed out early in the third quarter.

Reid entered the game under an injury cloud after leaving the preliminary final win a with an adductor strain, but he was was still included in the Swans’ starting 22.

Although, he never looked right and had just four disposals to the long break before being subbed out.

We wonder what young key forward Logan McDonald, who missed out to Rohan, thought as Reid went down to the rooms.

Tweet from @robbiewilliams

Heartbreak for Holmes

Every grand final has a heartbreak story, and this year it was young Cat Max Holmes.

After a week of ‘will he or won’t he,’ the Cats made the call on Saturday morning that Holmes would miss out after he pinged his hamstring in the preliminary final.

The talented wingman had played 18 games this year and had not missed a game since round 14.

It cost him a premiership medal and handed one to Irishman Mark O’Connor, who was the lucky inclusion.

“As a club, we decided the risk was too great to play Max today,” Cats football boss Simon Lloyd said.

“Max has done a remarkable job in preparing all week and ticked the boxes required on Friday morning, however in a Grand Final the risk was deemed too great when we are in the fortunate position of having a number of other players available who can come into the team.”