The list and strategy matched, the fitness program works, and everyone had that quiet awareness that this was the case and they had a really good opportunity.

We had a core of absolute gun players who in that moment saw themselves as role models for responsible team play, rather than the focal point to be supported by the 'lesser' players.

Burgess fitness program.

Covid isolation providing insulation from the fugazi.

2 hours ago, John Crow Batty said:

I was at the game and we certainly had home ground advantage after acclimatising for several weeks in Perth and playing the prelim there. The crowd I estimate was 65-70% supporting us. This was the only big game in my life with a packed house that I remember crowd support was clearly in our favour. Never experienced that the MCG. I love Optus Stadium.

Also ,that was the year when we usually played in front of empty stadia.

So for a change we weren’t in “cauldrons of hatred” for the whole season.

Even in our home games at the MCG our supporters are usually out numbered .

This affects the players, and the umpires.

Not in 2021.

2 hours ago, 3KZ is Football said:

Watch Harmes take of the ball in slow motion, it’s finger tip perfect, but that was the moment

We had weathered a very strong pressure from the Dogs and just needed that one piece of play to reset…

Lace out....

https://youtu.be/Yp1i5_YRdw0?si=O5Y7Mj59kXWJ0say&t=68

My very close friend and fanatical supporter, with whom I had attended innumerable matches over 30-40 years, died unexpectedly a few weeks before the finals. My daughter is convinced he was manipulating things from above.

21 hours ago, John Crow Batty said:

I was at the game and we certainly had home ground advantage after acclimatising for several weeks in Perth and playing the prelim there. The crowd I estimate was 65-70% supporting us. This was the only big game in my life with a packed house that I remember crowd support was clearly in our favour. Never experienced that the MCG. I love Optus Stadium.

The two MCG finals in 2018 were massive for crowd support, especially against Geelong. The 23 year finals drought breaking games in 1987 at the G were off the charts.

Edited January 25Jan 25 by Witches Hat
Left out the date

19 hours ago, The Panglossian said:

Also ,that was the year when we usually played in front of empty stadia.

So for a change we weren’t in “cauldrons of hatred” for the whole season.

Even in our home games at the MCG our supporters are usually out numbered .

This affects the players, and the umpires.

Not in 2021.

There was only 6 games with no crowd - Dogs x 2, Geelong, Adelaide, Gold Coast and Hawthorn.

51 minutes ago, Witches Hat said:

The 23 year finals drought breaking games in 1987 at the G were off the charts.

I went to both of them with an esky complete with fine wine and delicacies from the David Jones Food Hall. Such memories.

Like others though I also remember wandering dazed around the Waverley carpark the following week. The silence was eerie.

Unlike others I measure our turnaround in the 2021 GF from Hannan's fluffed play on handball at the 13 minute mark. Had he connected and they had goaled things may have been different.

The 2021 GF is a thing of beauty but it's getting harder to watch as I realise how we failed in the following years

3 hours ago, Ollie fan said:

My very close friend and fanatical supporter, with whom I had attended innumerable matches over 30-40 years, died unexpectedly a few weeks before the finals. My daughter is convinced he was manipulating things from above.

Or below?

On 25/01/2026 at 17:37, Diamond_Jim said:

Unlike others I measure our turnaround in the 2021 GF from Hannan's fluffed play on handball at the 13 minute mark. Had he connected and they had goaled things may have been different.

And more particularly that that fluffing was partly caused by Captain Max taking responsibility and running with Bailey Dale as he ran past for the Hannan handball. He couldn’t keep up but probably put enough pressure on to prevent Dale getting an easy receive, slotting a goal and putting his team 25 points up and on a roll. Might have broken us.

I celebrate that 1%er, as important a pressure moment as we saw that day.

On 25/01/2026 at 17:37, Diamond_Jim said:

The 2021 GF is a thing of beauty but it's getting harder to watch as I realise how we failed in the following years

Indeed….

5 years this year.

We'll never see lightening in a bottle like that again.

Not for negative reasons, but because it was that special.

The culmination of years of work and planning absolutely clicking and then the power of the momentum was unstoppable.

The years under Goodwin, Gawn and co. all coming together. All players on the same page and determined without any distractions.

1 hour ago, layzie said:

We'll never see lightening in a bottle like that again.

There will always be peroxide.

Unless you meant lightning? 😁

See below (crazy to think this song, one of my favourite who tracks) was released 61 years ago in December 1964.

Edited January 27Jan 27 by binman

Just now, binman said:

2 hours ago, binman said:

  2 hours ago, binman said:

Thanks Binman I was just 19 in 1964, The Who became one of my favourite groups.

I’m going with Gus as the main reason. The third was one of the most inspirational quarters I’ve ever seen by one player.

It just filtered through the team, as evidenced by the look in Trac’s eyes after his dribbler.

On 24/01/2026 at 09:49, joeboy said:

I don’t think I’ve read or heard what the explanation was behind possibly the greatest 40 minutes of football EVER when we won the grand final in 2021

Was it Goodwin, providence , fate or luck?

You left out skill and fitness. They were necessary, too.

19 hours ago, Demonstone said:

There will always be peroxide.

Unless you meant lightning? 😁

Damn the auto-correct got me a beauty.

As a person who likes to spell correctly, the worst thing one can have happen on here is to be corrected by Demonstone ☹️

I will put my hand up and own this but I'll be ready to laugh at the next victim!

On 24/01/2026 at 11:25, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

I fear I might be in a very significant minority, but is there anyone else on here who would not have expected to be at the 'G, had it been there, and so is not burdened by a lack of fulfilment? (This is sacrilege, perhaps! - but we are Demons 😉)

I was there for 1988 and 2000, but those miserable experiences (though joyously not repeated on the night in question 😊) aren't what influence me now. Age? The whole ticketing miasma? Crowd aversion? AFL overhyping? Cost? And with what I felt, almost constantly, from 21 August, through September, on the night of 25 September, and well into October 2021, and what I saw on the big screen and other media across that time, I'm imperceptibly short of fulfilment, if at all!

Did u miss 55, 56, 57,59,60 and 64? I saw the lot. More flags-just a yawn!!!!

15 hours ago, Farmer said:

Did u miss 55, 56, 57,59,60 and 64? I saw the lot. More flags-just a yawn!!!!

Kudos to you, 'Jeff' (I presume, as opposed to the agricultural professional?)

I did miss them all. I was alive - just, and was a regular home and away attendee in the '60 and '64 seasons, on my 50-year-MCC-member grandfather's ladies ticket, available to kids under 12. Finals were not available to me, then.

So it looks like you have me for age, too. I once attempted a survey on here, as to how big a cohort 'our' generation is in Demonland. Not a great response, but from people's stories from time to time, it does seem significant.

I have no idea how to link comments from other threads on here, but on the thread about Bomberblitz’s assessment of our team going into 2026, @MaccaR made some excellent points that were a good part of the secret sauce that contributed to our performance in 2021 more generally and not completely about the GF.

Paraphrasing because they put it much more eloquently and with more detail, but player connection and belief we could get there played a significant role in my view. There were obviously many factors that got us there, but without those, would we have gotten there? Who knows…

2 minutes ago, 710 Ashbury St said:

I have no idea how to link comments from other threads on here

Highlight the relevant text, copy and paste to desired thread.

Edited January 29Jan 29 by Demonstone

Just now, Demonstone said:

Highlight the relevant text, cut and paste to desired thread.

Thank you—I was looking at the share button and trying to do it that way…