Grand final a drawn out affair

Shock. Silence. Disbelief. With the blare of the final siren, the 2010 AFL Grand Final was brought to a close with neither Collingwood nor St Kilda victorious.

It was only the third drawn grand final in AFL history, and the crowd of 100,016 – the highest for a VFL/AFL match in 24 years - who had spent the afternoon cheering and barracking with full voice were left speechless.

Despite the Magpies dominating the first half they took only a 24-point lead into the main break, with the Saints waging a relentless campaign to capture the coveted silverware for the first time since 1966.

It wasn’t until the 29th minute of the final quarter that St Kilda midfielder Lenny Hayes levelled the scores. With mere seconds remaining the players exerted any effort they had left, but it was in vain as the siren sounded with both teams sitting on 68 points.

The following week, the teams and supporters assembled again at the MCG and Collingwood emerged as the resounding victors. But the memory of that original grand final and the emotion it contained would stay with players and fans forever.