The only time a Grand Final draw forced a full replay
In short: In 2010, two of Australia's biggest football clubs played to a dead heat in the ultimate decider. It was a rare sporting anomaly that left fans wondering how a game could end so perfectly even, eventually requiring a second match just days later to crown a champion.
The 2010 AFL Grand Final between Collingwood and St Kilda resulted in a historic stalemate on September 25. Both teams finished the match with exactly 68 points, marking only the third draw in the history of the VFL/AFL—joining previous draws from 1948 and 1977. Because no extra time was played, a full replay was scheduled for October 2 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This remains the last time a grand final was replayed before the league introduced extra time rules.
The narrative of the matches was defined by contrasting momentum. In the first game, Collingwood dominated the second quarter with a massive 21–5 advantage in inside-50 entries, yet St Kilda managed to claw back through superior clearance work led by Lenny Hayes. The replay saw a different trajectory; while the first match ended in a draw, Collingwood secured a decisive 56-point victory in the second outing. This win marked Collingwood's first premiership since 1990 and their fifteenth overall.
The event was a landmark for sports broadcasting as well. It was the first time an AFL grand final was broadcast in 3D and featured the debut of the Skycam in the league's biggest game. The spectacle also reached global proportions, featuring performances by INXS and American legend Lionel Richie. Despite the high stakes and massive television audiences—peaking at 5.7 million for the final minutes of the replay—the matches served as a rare moment where two powerhouses proved nearly impossible to separate in a single afternoon.
The rivalry was steeped in history, as these were only the second and third grand finals ever contested by the two clubs. Their only previous meeting in 1966 saw St Kilda win their only premiership by a single point (74 to 73). The 2010 series finally broke that trend, providing Collingwood with a long-awaited title after a decade of searching for silverware.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: 2010 AFL Grand Final
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