The AFL witnessed two draws in 24 hours over the weekend, a rarity that underscores the peculiar place of stalemates in Australian rules football. The Western Bulldogs and Carlton played out the second of these, a match that ended in mass hysteria at Docklands, while Hawthorn and Collingwood produced a more typical grey-area finish. The results have reignited debate about the role of draws in a sport where every win is a triumph and every loss a catastrophe.
Historic Draw Between Hawthorn and Collingwood
The Hawthorn-Collingwood clash on Saturday night marked the first time in VFL/AFL history that the same two teams have drawn both matches in a single season. The game ended with Collingwood players reacting as Hawthorn's Dylan Moore missed a shot after the siren. The draw was notable for a chaotic final 90 seconds, with both teams, usually well-structured, momentarily losing their composure and nearly throwing away the four points.
Collingwood, missing key players Steele Sidebottom, Jeremy Howe, Brayden Maynard, and Darcy Moore, fielded five players with 10 or fewer games of experience. Coach Craig McRae, known for his optimism, hailed the result as a victory, while Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell, whose biography is titled Relentless, seemed less enthused. Mitchell had earlier commented after April's draw, "having a different emotion that you don't usually get adds to the beauty of sport."
Carlton's Dramatic Draw at Docklands
The Sunday afternoon match at Docklands was a stark contrast, with no grey areas. Carlton, despite having more to play for, struggled against a depleted Western Bulldogs side missing Marcus Bontempelli, Tim English, and Bailey Dale. Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge, who had described himself as "as flat as a shit carter's hat" after last year's finals exit, showed little enthusiasm in the build-up, his "Bevo's Brief" on the club's website resembling a hostage video.
Despite the odds, the Bulldogs performed admirably. Ed Richards played one of the best games of his career, while Tom Liberatore, whose knees are "just hanging on," spent the afternoon scrapping and feeding the ball to his teammates. The final three minutes seemed to drag on longer than the original 1858 match between Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College, which took three weeks to complete.
The Unique Value of Draws in AFL
Draws in Australian rules football carry a different context than in cricket or soccer. The first ever game of Australian rules football ended in a draw, and despite the sport now being run by lawyers and TV executives, draws still occur once or twice a year. Each time, there are calls for extra time to align with finals, but the sky doesn't cave in. As Mitchell noted, draws add a unique emotion to sport.
Most draws leave everyone flat, but the Carlton match was an exception, causing mass hysteria. The result leaves both teams in a grey area, but it also highlights the unpredictability that makes the game compelling. With the finals approaching, the impact of these draws on the ladder and team morale remains to be seen.
