When Footy Gets Disrupted – AFL Unpopular Opinions

When Footy Gets Disrupted – AFL Unpopular Opinions

Dylan Leach

With Cyclone Alfie getting the better of the Opening Round matches in Queensland, it’s not the first time footy has been at the mercy of Mother Nature 

On the first edition of Neds AFL Unpopular Opinions for 2025, I did a deep dive into the times footy has faced an interruption from over the years and it’s all very biblical as part of my personal favourite segment – Dylan’s Delights. 

From wild weather and rogue animals to streakers, electrical failures, and even games played in sandpits, it’s all very biblical.

And, as it turns out, our own Alastair Lynch (and yours truly) has had a front-row seat for quite a few of these moments.

Mother Nature

Cyclone Alfie is far from the first time Mother Nature has gotten in the way of the footy.

The 1923 Grand Final between Essendon and Fitzroy was postponed due to a waterlogged MCG, while in 1960, an entire round was called off due to flooding, and not of the Paul Roos/Ross Lyon variety.

Queensland’s first-ever VFL premiership match in 1952 between Essendon and Geelong had to be replayed under lights on a Monday after a Saturday washout, marking the first night game for premiership points.

More recently, lightning delays have disrupted clashes like Melbourne vs. Collingwood in a dead-rubber match in Round 24 last year, Geelong vs. Hawthorn on Easter Monday, and even Buddy Franklin’s first game as a Swan in 2014.

Sometimes, the game goes on despite the chaos.

Fitzroy famously knocked Carlton out of the finals race in 1971 as thick fog blanketed the Junction Oval, leaving players to rely on sound rather than sight.

In 1993, Brisbane and St Kilda battled through a hailstorm at Waverley Park, with Paul Peos pelted by ice as he lined up for goal.

And in 2019, a freezing Canberra night saw Hawthorn dismantle GWS, their coach braving the conditions in shorts.

Even cyclones haven’t stopped footy.

Stuart Dew’s coaching debut for Gold Coast in 2018 unfolded in biblical rain as Tropical Cyclone Nora loomed.

Pre-season matches in Geelong and Mackay have been abandoned due to flooding, while AFLW games at Drummoyne have been repeatedly disrupted by storms.

Sprinklers at VFL Park

On a freezing cold Tuesday night back in 1979, the ground fondly remembered as “Arctic Park”, the grounds automatic sprinkler system popped out during play drenching the Hawks and Claremont players in the process.

The night series game was broadcast on national television, shutting down play for a few minutes before the Hawks went on to win the match.

Streakers

Footy has had a few streakers over the years, but no one stands out quite like Helen D’Amico.

It was the 1982 Grand Final between Carlton and Richmond when the then 19-year-old stripper stopped play in the second quarter paying special attention to Blues immortal Bruce Doull.

D’Amico put Tasmania, rather than Brazil on the map.

Carlton’s Bruce Doull holding onto streaker Helen D’Amico’s scarf after she ran on the field, stopping play for several minutes. Picture: HWT Library.


Pigs on the Ground

“THERE’S A PIG ON THE GROUND! THERE IS A PIG AT FULL FORWARD”

Was that Sandy Roberts greatest ever passage of commentary?

It was Round 18, 1993 when St Kilda travelled up to the SCG to take on the Sydney Swans without Tony Lockett.

A Saints fan at the time, opted to bring a pig on to the ground with number 4 and “PLUGGA” painted on its side, for which resulted in one of the greatest moments in Australian sports broadcasting.

There’s more YouTube gold about the pig on the ground with this Sam Newman Sunday Footy Show investigation at the time…

Snakes on the Ground

In Round 3 of the 2023 AFLW season, a highly venomous red-bellied black snake slithered onto the field at Blacktown International Sportspark, delaying the clash between GWS and Richmond.

With temperatures soaring to 34 degrees and the ground surrounded by bushland, the unexpected intruder wasn’t entirely out of place.

Originally set for a 1:35 pm AEST start, the game was pushed back by around 30 minutes as officials worked to safely remove the snake.

A few months later at the same venue, prior to a pre-season match between the Sydney Swans and Brisbane Lions, just minutes before the scheduled 7:10 pm AEDT start, all floodlights unexpectedly went out, prompting players to retreat to their dressing rooms.

Adding to the night’s oddities, a baby red-bellied black snake (quite possibly a relation to the snake that was at the AFLW match from earlier) was spotted on the field before the match, requiring removal by a snake catcher, who later gave this statement to the media

Lights Out 

During a St Kilda v Essendon game on a Saturday night at Waverley Park back in 1996, the game had to be stopped early in the third quarter because the light towers went out.

The players went off the ground and told the lights would come back on in 15-20 minutes, they didn’t.

Malcolm Blight who was hosting the Channel 7 broadcast that evening addressed viewers from his cigarette lighter and fans invaded the ground, started a bonfire and ripped off a goalpost.

Footy fans making off with a point post after the lights went out at Waverley Stadium in 1996. Picture: Optus Vision.

The game would resume the following Tuesday night to complete a quarter and a half of football, with teams allowed to make changes to the side – Essendon brought in James Hird and won the match.

Some 27 years later, Brisbane was dominating Melbourne under the Friday night lights at the Gabba—until the lights suddenly went out, best summed up by James Brayshaw “OH NO” 

With just 12 minutes left in the game and Brisbane leading by 40 points, a partial blackout struck the stadium, reportedly due to a fire in one of the light towers.

The unexpected power outage halted play for about 35 minutes, leaving players, officials, and fans in limbo.

Under AFL rules, the game had up to 60 minutes to resume before being abandoned.

When play finally restarted, Melbourne came out firing, piling on five quick goals and putting a serious scare into the Lions.

But despite the late surge, Brisbane managed to hold on, sealing an 11-point victory in one of the most bizarre finishes in recent AFL history.

Scoreboard on Fire

It was Round 22 ,1999 and Richmond was hosting Carlton in what would be Tiger coach Jeff Gieshan’s final game in charge.

As Richmond ran out onto the ground, flames engulfed the grounds electronic scoreboard on top of the old Ponsford Stand.

Within a matter of minutes, the fire destroyed 20 percent of the scoreboard, and fans in the Ponsford Stand were evacuated onto the arena.

It took a crew of 30 firefighters and almost 20 minutes to put out the blaze, which was deemed to be an electrical fault.

The game was delayed by 40 minutes with Richmond recording an 11-point win.

Death Valley

In the early days of Docklands – then known at Colonial Stadium, the city wing of the ground looked like a Sandpit during a Friday night match between North Melbourne and Brisbane.

The surface was deemed so bad that the following day’s clash between St Kilda and Hawthorn had to be moved to the MCG for fears of player safety.

Marvel Stadium turns 20: We rank the top 20 moments

At the time, a young Craig Hutchison was a sports reporter for Channel 7 and referred to the ground as “Death Valley”, which didn’t go down well with the network at the time and he was suspended for using the term on air.

Craig Hutchison 'Hutchy' 2001 Channel 7 (broadcaster) - YouTube
Young Hutchy circa 2000.

The Teams Plane Doesn’t Land

It was in the 2012 pre-season when St Kilda was meant to play Essendon in a practice match in Wangaratta.

Rather than taking the 2.5 hour bus trip to get to the ground, Essendon thought it would be a great idea to fly into the regional Victorian town.

Problem was, the wild weather meant the Bombers couldn’t fly into the Wangaratta air field and the game was cancelled, with the Saints opting to play an intraclub match in front of the locals.

Young Saint Tom Ledger slides for the ball at a waterlogged Wangaratta.

Covid

The COVID era in footy brought unprecedented disruption, with games played in eerie silence as empty stadiums replaced packed or heavily reduced crowds.

Teams were forced into isolation hubs for months, sacrificing normal routines and family time to keep the season alive.

Players and staff lived under strict protocols, adapting to a constantly shifting landscape.

Fixture chaos became the norm, with games rescheduled at short notice and clubs playing “home” games in unfamiliar, neutral venues.

Despite the challenges, the season marched on with Richmond winning the 2020 Grand Final and the Gabba and Melbourne breaking it’s 57 year drought over in Perth. Let’s never deal with that again. 

 

 

🎧LISTEN NOW – NEDS #AFL UNPOPULAR OPINIONS  🎧

LiSTNR – https://bit.ly/3IwuIMK

APPLE – https://apple.co/3D3KviU

SPOTIFY – https://spoti.fi/36BM6QP