2021 AFL Grand Final

2021 AFL Grand Final
Optus Stadium (pictured), where the 2021 AFL Grand Final was played, at the moment Simon Goodwin and Max Gawn raise the premiership cup together.

Melbourne

Western Bulldogs
21.14 (140) 10.6 (66)
1 2 3 4
MEL 4.5 (29) 5.9 (39) 12.11 (83) 21.14 (140)
WBD 1.2 (8) 7.5 (47) 9.5 (59) 10.6 (66)
Date25 September 2021, 5:15pm AWST
StadiumPerth Stadium
Attendance61,118[1]
FavouriteMelbourne
UmpiresMatt Stevic, Brett Rosebury, Jacob Mollison
Coin toss won byMelbourne
Kicked towardTrain Station End
Ceremonies
Pre-match entertainmentBaker Boy, Eskimo Joe, John Butler, Abbe May, Gina Williams & Guy Ghouse, Stella Donnelly, Vikki Thorn & Donna Simpson, Colin Hay (Performed from Los Angeles), Mike Brady (Performed from Melbourne)
National anthemAmy Manford
Halftime showBirds of Tokyo with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra
Accolades
Norm Smith MedallistChristian Petracca
Jock McHale MedallistSimon Goodwin
Broadcast in Australia
NetworkSeven Network
CommentatorsJames Brayshaw (host and commentator)
Brian Taylor (commentator)
Luke Hodge (expert commentator)
Daisy Pearce (expert commentator)
Abbey Holmes (boundary rider)
Basil Zempilas (master of ceremonies)
Nathan Fyfe (analyst)
Nic Naitanui (analyst)
← 2020 AFL Grand Final 2022 →

The 2021 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia, on Saturday 25 September 2021. It was the 126th annual grand final of the Australian Football League (AFL), staged to determine the premiers of the 2021 AFL season.

The match was played at Optus Stadium in Perth because an ongoing COVID-19 lockdown prevented the match from being played with spectators at its contracted ground, the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Victoria.[2] It was the first grand final played in Perth and the second consecutive grand final to be played outside Victoria.[3] The event set a new attendance record for Australian rules football in Western Australia.

Melbourne won the match by a 74-point margin, defeating the Western Bulldogs 21.14 (140) to 10.6 (66). Christian Petracca won the Norm Smith Medal. The win was Melbourne's first premiership since 1964.

  1. ^ "Saturday night lights: Massive TV audience for Perth Grand Final". Australian Football League. 26 September 2021. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Western Australians rewarded as Perth hosts historic AFL Grand Final". mediastatements.wa.gov.au. 31 August 2021. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  3. ^ "AFL grand final moves to Perth, will be played at Optus Stadium". The Age. Nine Entertainment. 31 August 2021. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2021.