After Geelong won the 2022 AFL Grand Final, there were contrasting scenes between Cats and Swans supporters on Saturday night.
The Cats won by 81 points and captured their tenth flag in a strong, one-sided performance.
Swans fans were left to ponder what could have been as their decade-long thirst for Grand Final triumph continues.
Sydney resembled a ghost town as Geelong supporters partied late into the night.
Geelong Cats supporters celebrate a 2022 AFL Grand Final victory against the Sydney Swans by 81 points.
Swans supporters were devastated by the outcome. Sydney has gone a decade without winning the premiership.
Geelong player Isaac Smith was awarded the Norm Smith medal as the game’s best and fairest player. The final score was a resounding 133-52 to the Cats.
The Cats opened the game with a spectacular 41-6 first quarter and never looked back, dominating 62-26 at halftime before pulling away in the second half.
After the game, Cats captain Joel Selwood told Channel 7 that his team deserved to win the grand final.
‘Man, it’s been… They’re extremely difficult to win. They’re extremely difficult to win. Every side claims it, but I believe we deserved a victory,’ he remarked.
“I’ve been hammering away. We make no apologies for being up there and attempting it each year. Please navigate around all of them. They all have fascinating tales.
The Grand Final victory is the first premiership for the Cats in more than a decade.
Tyson Stengle was photographed celebrating with fans after the Cats won the 2022 AFL Grand Final.
Zach Tuohy of the Geelong Cats poses with the fans as the Cats celebrate their AFL Grand Final victory in 2022.
A Swans supporter looks disheartened as he sees his team lose the 2022 AFL Grand Final.
Many Swans supporters left the stadium after the conclusion of the game, having witnessed enough.
Back in Sydney, supporters went to bed early.
The Sydney Swans fans room was as gloomy as the weather, with many people leaving as darkness fell.
Similar to how the two supporting groups had radically different nights, the pregame and intermission entertainment received mixed reactions.
Robbie Williams began the day with a concert that comprised all of his biggest singles and a version of John Farnham’s “The Voice.”
He also paid tribute to cricket legend Shane Warne, whose children sat in the MCG stand that now bears his name.
Later, Delta Goodrem joined him for a duet of his song Kids.
Swans supporters go to bed early following a crushing Grand Final loss to the Cats.
The Sydney Swans fans room was as gloomy as the weather, with many people leaving as darkness fell.
One Cats supporter took a nap prior to what is expected to be a lengthy night of celebrations for the Cats’ first premiership in over a decade.
Robbie Williams began the day with an electrifying performance that featured all of his greatest hits.
Later, Williams was joined by Delta Goodrem for a duet performance of his song Kids.
One user wrote: ‘Best pregame I’ve seen. Robbie is suited for this environment. Wonderful start to the day.
‘Wow! Safe to say the @AFL nailed the pre-game entertainment with @robbiewilliams and then @robbiewilliams & @DeltaGoodrem,’ one social media user commented.
Williams referred to his pal Warne as “Australia’s biggest rock star” as the camera panned to Warne’s distraught son Jackson in the crowd at the renowned sporting venue.
The pop diva also paid homage to John Farnham, who was recently diagnosed with cancer, by performing his hallmark song You’re the Voice, to which the entire audience sang along.
Unfortunately, the audience did not respond positively to the halftime performance. Viewers deemed the most varied and progressive halftime concert in AFL Grand Final history to be “worse than Meatloaf’s 2011 performance”
Australia’s First Nation performers were included at the AFL Grand Final halftime entertainment in Melbourne on Saturday, but some dissatisfied viewers labeled it a ‘woke’ attempt to ‘check boxes’
While Australian rock band Goanna performed their 1982 song Solid Rock, Indigenous performers like Christine Anu, Emma Donovan, Tasman Keith, and William Barton joined them onstage.
Indie rockers Additionally, The Temper Trap performed alongside Indigenous stars Budjerah and Ngaiire.
Nonbinary musician G Flip, who uses they/them pronouns and is currently dating Netflix reality star Chrishell Stause from Selling Sunset, added diversity to the halftime roster.
G Flip began the performance with a thunderous drum solo and subsequently returned to sing Are You Gonna Be My Girl by Jet.
An fantastic didgeridoo solo then introduced Christine Anu and Emma Donovan, leading into Goanna’s Solid Rock.
Others termed it “woke” and thought the voices weren’t up to par, despite the fact that many viewers were undoubtedly pleased to see underrepresented minority groups take center stage.
It seemed as though they were struggling to be awake throughout that halftime show. Was it just me?’ one complained
“Awful halftime show at the @AFL championship game. More about checking boxes than providing enjoyment! We’re constantly taught about it entering sports,’ tweeted another.
The most diverse and progressive halftime show in the history of the AFL Grand Final has been criticized by spectators, with many referring to it as “woke.”
Christine Anu and Emma Donovan were then welcomed with an outstanding didgeridoo solo (shown), which segued into Solid Rock by Goanna.
G Flip, a nonbinary performer who uses they/them pronouns and did a drum solo before singing Are You Gonna Be My Girl? by Jet, added diversity to the halftime roster.
One member of the Australian rock band Goanna played a guitar with an Indigenous flag.