Sydney made the wrong call in deciding to extend champion forward Lance Franklin's career by another season.
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While Franklin has shown glimpses of his best this season including during the finals series, the grand final should have been his swansong regardless of the result.
Since a series of knee, hamstring and groin problems sidelined him for the 2020 season, Buddy has returned to play a role in the Swans' resurgence.
He has never been strong overhead for his size with his speed and athleticism his major assets, but the signs have been there for the past two years he is starting to slow down.
Franklin, who will be 36 by the start of next season, signed a new one-year deal in the lead-up to the grand final.
Earlier this season he became only the sixth player to kick 1000 goals in VFL/AFL history and is destined to overtake former Geelong and North Melbourne spearhead Doug Wade in fourth spot on the list of leading goalkickers next year.
Over his nine seasons Franklin has provided great value for Sydney on and off the field, but last Saturday's game was his third attempt to win a premiership medal in a Swans jumper and the left-footer is yet to add to his two he won at Hawthorn.
His opportunities were limited as Sydney was crushed by a relentless Geelong, but he suffered the indignity of receiving Bronx cheers from Cats fans in the last quarter.
Franklin was held goalless by Geelong defender Jack Henry, scoring only a solitary behind and finishing with the paltry return of only five disposals.
Selwood set to call time
As a spectacle and contest it was one of the worst grand finals this century, although Geelong supporters would disagree.
It might have been the worst since 2007 when the Cats pulverised the Power by a record margin to break a 44-year premiership drought.
That game 15 years ago also marked the first appearance in a grand final by Joel Selwood, who earned a club-record fourth premiership medal and his first as captain against Sydney.
Selwood, 34, has yet to make a decision on his future, but the AFL's longest-serving skipper is likely to call time on a glorious career.
It would be the perfect way to go out, kickstarting his team with a brilliant 12-possession first quarter and capping off a record-breaking 40th final with another premiership triumph which he completed with a checkside goal in the dying minutes.
He has been a loyal servant of the Cats in 355 games over 16 seasons and his influence has extended far beyond the football field.
Selwood showed his true qualities as a human being, being responsible for several heart-warming moments before and after the grand final.
He carried former teammate Gary Ablett junior's son Levi through the banner before the game, gave a lucky Auskicker his boots on receiving his premiership medal and then shared the premiership cup with Cats waterboy Sam Moorfoot.
After the final siren, Selwood enjoyed a tearful embrace with long-time teammate Tom Hawkins, who may also be tempted to hang up the boots.
Cats' surprise ruck dominance
Geelong set the tone from the opening bounce with its powerful midfield dominating contested possessions and clearances.
The Cats' control around the stoppages had been expected, but their command in the ruck flipped the script and helped establish the massive winning margin.
Rhys Stanley, much maligned as a No. 1 ruckman, played one of his most influential games as he worked over Sydney's Tom Hickey with the able assistance of versatile teammate Mark Blicavs.
Hickey, who had played a major role in taking the Swans to the grand final, was negated as the hungry Cats brushed aside their opponents with ease.
The ball lived in Geelong's forward 50 for long periods. Even when Sydney managed to push forward, the Cats' solid defence proved a massive stumbling block.
Geelong fielded the oldest team to play in a VFL/AFL grand final with an average age of 28 years and 173 days, but the Cats were running just as hard at the end of the game as they were in the opening few minutes to record their 16th consecutive victory.
Robbie Williams saves the day
While the AFL's build-up to the grand final's return to the MCG after a three-year hiatus was beset by crisis and missteps, Robbie Williams stood up to save the day.
The racism allegations involving Hawthorn and former coaches including Alastair Clarkson and Chris Fagan stole the headlines, culminating in the ill-fated repackaged grand final parade on the Yarra River which was an unmitigated disaster.
Just when all seemed lost, up stepped the superstar English singer-songwriter to deliver the greatest grand final entertainment of all time.
In a pulsating 20-minute set, Williams rocked the 'G before the game as 100,000 fans and millions watching on TV at home here and around the globe sang along to his greatest hits.
Williams hit the right note in touching tributes to the late Shane Warne and John Farnham before being joined on stage by Delta Goodrem for a duet.
Sadly the half-time show featuring Australian drummer and singer G-Flip among others did not reach the same heights in terms of quality and crowd engagement.
Has Howard got it right? Email: howardkotton11@gmail.com; Twitter: @hpkotton59