The stories behind players who missed out on an AFL Grand Final spot

A lanky bloke with a sandy-blond mullet sits down on a log fence in a park, his head bowed and his hands clasped in front of him.

Scores of footy fans decked out in Geelong gear barely notice him as they wander past, their minds squarely fixed on Saturday’s big game.

He cuts a forlorn figure in a sea of blue and white positivity.

“Bad luck mate, next time,” an older man barks.

The skinny 24-year-old lifts his head to acknowledge the gesture, his face painted with emotion in the knowledge that his dream of playing in an AFL Grand Final has been shattered.

More and more fans offer their support as the realise who the man is, but it does little to lift his mood.

The year is 1994, and Cats utility Grant Tanner has just left training at Kardinia Park on the Thursday before the game knowing that his body has let him down.

Having debuted in Round 9, the South Australian played 16 straight matches, including strong performances in qualifying and semi-final victories, before an ankle injury forced him out of the famous preliminary final victory over North Melbourne.

“Up until half-time of the semi-final against Carlton I was probably the best on the field,” Tanner says.

“But I twisted my ankle and I didn’t like wearing tape, so it was probably worse than it could have been.

“The commentators said I’d done a knee. Bruce (McAvaney) had it confirmed to him. But it was just an ankle. My parents weren’t real happy about the way it was reported.”

While Tanner knew any hopes of playing in the prelim had been dashed, he was confident he could recover in time to face West Coast in the decider.

That was until a run in with footy royalty shattered the dream.

“I ended up getting out on the track and things were looking pretty good,” Tanner, who still lives in Geelong, says.

“But (Gary) Ablett decided to sit on my shoulders during a drill and the ankle collapsed again.

“I had to make the call. I’m a team man and I didn’t want to let them down so I told Blighty (coach Malcolm Blight) and Ayresy (assistant coach Gary Ayres) that I was pulling out.

“It wasn’t easy, you never know when you’ll get another chance, but it was the right thing to do.”

For Tanner, the wait for the next chance was not a long one.

During a 20 disposal performance in the qualifying final of 1995 against Footscray, Tanner tweaked his hamstring badly enough that club doctors had to break the bad news again – he was going to miss out on another shot at playing in a Grand Final.

But after missing out the year before, Tanner had other ideas. And it came in the form of a South Australian butcher.

“I’d done my hammy in the semi-final and the club docs said I was no chance,” Tanner says.

“But I knew a guy in Mount Gambier, a butcher by trade, who did deep tissue massages, so I drove down there and got him to have a look at it.

“The pain was excruciating. He actually got his kid to sit on me so I wouldn’t move so much.

“I was so desperate to get it done that on the drive down I was done for speeding, but the cop knew (Cats teammate) Paul Brown and let me off because he knew how much playing the game meant to me.

“By Thursday I knew I was right to go, but Ayresy wanted to test me so he made me kick a footy 100 times on my left, and 100 times on my right as hard as I could into the nets.

“I told Ayresy that I didn’t lie to him the year before about my ankle, and I wasn’t lying to him this time – I was ready to go.”

While it was elation for Tanner, it was heartache for the man who had to make way.

Brenton Sanderson, in his first year at the Cats after short stints at Collingwood and Adelaide, was dropped following a three disposal performance in the preliminary final.

He would never get another chance to play in an AFL decider.

“Nobody wants to watch the game from the sidelines,” Tanner says.

“You sit there knowing that you could help if you were out there but there’s nothing you can do. It’s hard to cop.”

It’s a heartache many players before and after both Tanner and Sanderson will share, including at least one unlucky Bulldog who will likely make way for Cody Weightman this week after the small forward recovered from a concussion, while Ryan Gardner could make way for Alex Keath.

Since 1991, 51 players have faced the reality of missing out on a Grand Final having played in their club’s penultimate game.

The 51 players since 1991 who missed out on a Grand Final after in their club’s penultimate game

Matthew Robran (Hawthorn, 1991): The son of SANFL legend Barrie Robran was in his first season at the Hawks when he was called in to replace injured spearhead Dermott Brereton in the crucial semi-final against Geelong.

Back then, the team that won that semi moved straight through to the decider, and the 20-year-old was serviceable, kicking a goal as the Hawks held on by just two points. Two weeks later, however, Brereton was declared fit to face West Coast in the Grand Final and Robran was the unlucky man to cop the big cut.

The omission would in part lead to Robran requesting a trade home to the newly minted Crows, where he would play in two premierships in 1997 and 1998.

Adrian Barich (West Coast, 1991): The midfielder turned Perth media personality only played seven games in 1991, including a nine disposal performance in the Eagles’ preliminary final victory over Geelong.

He would end up making way for star wingman Chris Mainwaring, who had missed the entire finals series up until that point through injury.

Barich would only play one more game for the Eagles before trying his hand at rugby league.

David Hart and David Hynes (West Coast, 1992): Hart and Hynes were the unlucky players to make way for Brett Heady and Michael Brennan for West Coast’s inaugural premiership in 1992, as injury cruelled their seasons at the worst possible time. In a semblance of justice, however, both would go on to play in the Eagles’ second premiership in 1994.

Andrew Bews (Geelong, 1992): The father of current day Geelong defender Jed missed out on the 1992 decider after injuring his shoulder a week earlier in the preliminary final against Footscray.

While Bews did play in the legendary 1989 final against Hawthorn, the 1992 prelim would be the closest he would get to playing on the big stage again, as he was traded to Brisbane at the end of the 1993 season.

He was replaced in the team by Neville Bruns, who famously ran Geelong’s merchandise store through the 1990s – and could also play a bit of footy.

Derek Kickett, Michael Symons and David Flood (Essendon, 1993): Only one team in the past 30 years has made three changes to their Grand Final team, and Kevin Sheedy’s selection choices in 1993 were arguably the most controversial, mainly because of the dumping of Derek Kickett.

Kickett had played 23 games on the way to the decider against Carlton, including all three finals, but was sensationally cut as Mark Harvey, Mark Thompson and Dean Wallis were brought in.

“In all my footy career on a Thursday night after a training session, I’ve never rung the manager to say, ‘Am I in the footy team?’ That week of the grand final I rang (Essendon manager) Danny Corcoran and said, ‘Am I in the footy team?’ And he said no,” Kickett said in 2017.

“I had a feeling I was going to get dropped.

“Sheeds had some personal vendetta against me and it wasn’t about my injury or whatever my performance was, it was a personal vendetta because we had a few words about three or four weeks before the grand final.”

Essendon would go on to win the flag, while Kickett moved to the Sydney Swans in 1994. Sheedy and Kickett are yet to reconcile over the matter.

Ron De Iulio (Carlton, 1993): After starring in his rookie season in 1992, the midfielder struggled with consistency in 1993, and was eventually dropped for the Grand Final in favour of Tim Powell. De Iulio would also go on to miss Carlton’s 1995 premiership, and wasn’t selected for their 1999 Grand Final loss to North Melbourne.

Mitchell White (West Coast, 1994): A premiership player in 1992 as a teenager, White struggled through 1994 with a groin injury and only played five games from Round 18 to the preliminary final. Unable to solidify his spot in the team, White made way for the returning Ashley McIntosh as the Eagles notched their second flag in three years.

Troy Bond (Carlton, 1995): In what was another controversial call to rival Kevin Sheedy’s axing of Derek Kickett, Bond was cut after 15 matches in the 1995 season to be replaced by first-year midfielder Scott Camporeale.

Explaining the decision years later, coach David Parkin said he had left it up to the playing group to pick the team and it was a move he would go on to regret.

“The easiest way for me, the gutless horror, was to give the 22 players a team sheet with their name on it and give me the 20 other blokes they wanted to go over the top with on the weekend,” Parkin told SEN in 2020.

“I don’t know the actual figures but I think Troy got his own vote and not too many others which was a tragedy for him.

“He was home in Adelaide by Friday and I had to confront him and tell him. I’ve never spoken to Troy since, he probably wouldn’t speak to me any way, but the good thing was in ’97 Adelaide won the premiership and thank god Troy was in that team and became a premiership player.”

Brenton Sanderson (Geelong, 1995): The mid-sized defender played 13 games in 1995 after crossing to Geelong from Collingwood, but made way for Grant Tanner in the decider. Sanderson never got another chance to play in a Grand Final, but was an assistant coach for the Cats in their drought-breaking 2007 premiership.

Matt Armstrong (North Melbourne, 1996): While bitterness often overtakes players omitted for a Grand Final, Matt Armstrong was at the opposite end of the spectrum.

Having played 18 games for the season, Armstrong went statless in North’s preliminary final win over the Bears, and subsequently made way for Stuart Anderson in what would become the Kangaroos’ first flag in 19 years.

“If there’s someone there who misses out then you can’t help but feel for them,” coach Denis Pagan would go on to tell Sportal.

“I certainly think about it even now. Probably I think more about that than perhaps (that) we won the grand final because Matthew Armstrong’s a quality person.”

Pagan said after Armstrong was dropped on the Thursday night, he went around and hugged every player, before calling the coach on the Friday to apologise because he had not wished him good luck.

The preliminary final would be the last AFL match Armstrong played.

Tony Modra and Trent Ormond-Allen (Adelaide, 1997): Form is one thing, but copping a season-ending knee injury the game before the Grand Final is a whole other form of heartache.

Modra had won the Coleman Medal in 1997 before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in the preliminary final against the Bulldogs, not only forcing him out of the 1997 premiership but limiting his ability to return for the 1998 flag as well.

Ormond-Allen was equally unlucky, playing 18 matches in 1997 before succumbing to glandular fever late in September. He would also miss the 1998 flag.

Matthew Young (St Kilda, 1997): Young played 18 games in St Kilda’s run to the 1997 Grand Final, but was dropped in favour of Robert Neill because of concerns over his endurance. He would go on to play four more seasons at St Kilda but never had another chance at playing in a decider.

Chad Rintoul (Adelaide, 1998): A member of the Crows’ inaugural premiership team in 1997, Rintoul was in and out of the 1998 side, and while he played both the the semi and preliminary final of 1998, he was dropped in favour of extra ruckman Ben Marsh. Rintoul would go on to be traded to West Coast at the end of the 1998 season.

Jason McCartney (North Melbourne, 1999): We’ve talked about omissions and injuries, now let’s talk about the third horseman of the Grand Final apocalypse – suspension.

Tall swingman McCartney had been on the Crows list in 1997 when they won the flag without him in the starting team, then played for North Melbourne in the 1998 Grand Final as the Kangaroos lost to the Crows.

Playing every game in the 1999 season, McCartney’s bad Grand Final luck appeared to be at an end as North pummeled the Lions into submission – the problem being that McCartney had pummeled his forearm into Lions ruckman Clark Keating’s head, copping a suspension and missing out on North’s 1999 flag.

The suspension opened the door for youngster Cameron Mooney, who registered a zero disposal game as the Kangaroos downed Carlton.

Simon Fletcher and Adam White (Carlton, 1999): While form, injury and suspension play their parts, sometimes it’s just a matter of better players coming back into the team.

With Adrian Hickmott (injury) and Anthony Franchina (suspension) coming back, Fletcher and White were forced out of the 22 as the Blues went down to North Melbourne.

Fletcher, who was in his debut year, would play another five season at the Blues, while White would register just one more game for Carlton before being delisted.

Cameron Bruce (Melbourne, 2000): Another victim of the cruel injury curse, Bruce had played 19 games in his debut season, but tore his quad in Melbourne’s 50-point victory in the preliminary final over North Melbourne. Ben Beams was brought into the side to play just his 18th game, and while Bruce would go on to play 234 games for Melbourne, he never managed to get further than a semi-final in his career.

Matthew Kennedy (Brisbane Lions, 2001): During the tall defender’s first 74 games with Brisbane, the Bears recorded just 16 wins.

So there was an element of injustice that when the team finally came good, Kennedy was the man to be dumped as key forward Alastair Lynch returned from suspension in the 2001 decider.

Kennedy had battled through the season and played just eight games for the year, with Brisbane’s preliminary final win over Richmond being his final game in the AFL.

Michael Long and Mark Bolton (Essendon, 2001): There is arguably only one thing worse than injuring yourself in the game before the Grand Final. And that’s injuring yourself in a training session in the days leading up to the game.

That was the case for Bombers veteran Michael Long, who tweaked his hamstring during training and missed the game as a result.

While Long did play in the 1993 and 2000 premierships, it would be a sad farewell as the 2001 preliminary final became his last match in the AFL.

Bolton, who had played just 19 matches, was omitted for superstar forward Matthew Lloyd, who had missed the prelim due to suspension.

Gary Moorcroft came in for Long.

Robert Copeland (Brisbane Lions, 2002): Playing in his second season at the Lions after being a member of Brisbane’s 2001 premiership in his debut year, Copeland was dropped after 17 games to make way for veteran defender and current Cats coach Chris Scott, who was returning from a hamstring injury. Copeland would go on to win another flag in 2003 before retiring in 2008.

Jason Cloke (Collingwood, 2002): Another victim of his own aggression, Cloke missed the clash with Brisbane after being suspended for striking Adelaide’s Tyson Edwards. Up until that point, the son of Magpies and Tigers legend David Cloke had played in 23-straight matches in his debut season. He was replaced by Jarrod Molloy, who registered just one touch in a game the Magpies lost by nine points.

Tim Notting (Brisbane Lions, 2003): The midfielder was forced out of the 2003 premiership side to make way for Marcus Ashcroft, who was playing the final game of his career. Notting had played in both the 2001 and 2002 Lions premierships.

Anthony Rocca (Collingwood, 2003): Like Cloke before him, Rocca was suspended for striking after making high contact with Port Adelaide ruckman Brendon Lade in the preliminary final. And like Molloy before him, Rocca’s replacement, Tristen Walker, would register just one touch as Collingwood lost to the Brisbane Lions for a second straight season.

Shaun Hart (Brisbane Lions, 2004): The three-time premiership player and 2001 Norm Smith medallist missed Brisbane’s fourth Grand Final in as many years after fracturing his cheekbone in a collision with teammate Daniel Bradshaw the week before. It would be his 273rd and final match in the AFL.

Michael Braun and Rowan Jones (West Coast, 2005): The Eagles pair were both ruled out of the clash with the Swans after they suffered knee injuries in the the preliminary final against Adelaide, with Sam Butler and Kasey Green coming in. Both Braun and Jones would go on to play in the 2006 West Coast premiership.

Jaymie Graham (West Coast, 2006): The tall utility was the unlucky man to make way for veteran David Wirrpanda, despite playing in all but one match during the 2006 season.

Graham, who would go on to become an assistant coach at West Coast, told Perth Now it was a tough call but he understood the pressure coach John Worsfold was under.

“You are a part of it but it doesn’t feel the same,” Graham said.

“One thing now as a coach is you do understand where the coaches are coming from and the importance of picking the right team for any given day.

“That’s one thing I’ve taken from that moment and missing out and as much as I’d love to be a premiership player for the West Coast Eagles, it wasn’t going to define me and who I am.”

Mark Blake (Geelong, 2007): The ruckman was controversially dropped for Geelong’s drought-breaking premiership after playing 22 games for the season.

Blake had battled in the preliminary final as the Cats scraped in with a five point win over Collingwood, and veteran ruckman Steven King – who had played just five games for the year – was brought in instead.

Blake would go on to play in the 2008 Grand Final loss to Hawthorn, and the 2009 premiership against St Kilda.

Michael Wilson (Port Adelaide, 2007): The Power veteran would miss the 2007 decider after tearing his Achilles in the preliminary against North Melbourne. Wilson had previously played in Port’s 2004 premiership.

David Wojcinski (Geelong, 2008): Wojcinski’s dash off half back had been key in Geelong’s 2007 flag, but a roller-coaster 2008 saw him dropped for the returning Paul Chapman. Geelong would go on to lose, while Wojcinski would play in both the 2009 and 2011 premierships, making him the only Cat of the era to play in all three flags without playing in a losing Grand Final.

Robert Eddy (St Kilda, 2009): The youngster was dropped in favour of former Swan Sean Dempster as the Saints looked to inject more experience into their Grand Final team. Eddy returned the next season and played in both the drawn Grand Final and the replay, but was delisted at the end of the 2010 season.

Tyson Goldsack and Leon Davis (Collingwood, 2010): In a topsy-turvy turn of events, Goldsack was dropped for Davis ahead of the 2010 Grand Final with St Kilda, before earning a reprieve in the replay after the draw – at the expense of Davis. Davis had previously played in Collingwood’s Grand Final losses in 2002 and 2003, and was also a part of the team that fell to Geelong in 2011.

Ben McEvoy and Michael Gardiner (St Kilda, 2010): In a similar set of circumstances to their rivals, McEvoy was dropped for the first Grand Final to make way for the returning Steven Baker, before being recalled for the replay after Gardiner injured himself in the drawn match.

Dayne Beams (Collingwood, 2011): The midfielder was officially left out of the game with groin soreness having struggled through the latter part of the season. He had previously been a part of Collingwood’s 2010 premiership.

Tom Murphy (Hawthorn, 2012): Having been a late call up for the injured Luke Hodge the week before, Murphy was omitted when Hodge was deemed fit to play the 2012 decider. The preliminary final would be his final game for the Hawks as he moved to the Gold Coast Suns the next season.

Brendan Whitecross (Hawthorn, 2013): In one of the more heartbreaking stories of finals injuries in this list, Whitecross missed the 2013 flag after injuring his knee in the final quarter of the preliminary final against Geelong.

Whitecross had only returned to the team in Round 14 having recovered for a knee injury in the semi-final the season before, which saw him miss the 2012 decider.

While the Hawks would win flags in 2013, 2014 and 2015, Whitecross would miss all them, playing just four games in that period.

Jonathon Ceglar and Jonathan Simpkin (Hawthorn, 2014): The two Jonatha(o)n’s were the unlucky omissions for Ben McEvoy and Cyril Rioli, who were both returning from injury. Despite being on the list throughout Hawthorn’s dominant era, Ceglar never got a chance to play in a Grand Final, while Simpkin had won a flag in 2013 as Whitecross’s replacement.

Billy Hartung (Hawthorn, 2015): The speedy midfielder was omitted after 20 matches for the Hawks in 2015 to make way for spearhead Jack Gunston. He would play another two seasons at the Hawks, before one year at North Melbourne in 2018.

Aliir Aliir and Harrison Marsh (Sydney, 2016): Tall defender Aliir was forced out of the game with a knee injury in his debut season, after playing 13 matches for the year, while Marsh was omitted as veteran Jarrad McVeigh and rising star winner Callum Mills returned from injury.

Jack Graham (Richmond, 2019): While all the focus was on the sensational story of Marlion Pickett making his debut in the Grand Final, Graham was the unlucky man to go out after suffering a shoulder injury in the preliminary final against Geelong.

Two seasons earlier, Graham had been the bolt from the blue for the Tigers, winning a premiership in just his fifth game. He would also go on to be a part of the 2020 premiership team.

Bobby Hill and Lachie Keeffe (GWS, 2019): In another case of making way for players who were clearly in the best 22, Hill and Keeffe were omitted as Toby Greene (suspension) and Lachie Whitfield (injury) returned to the Giants team.

Source: AFL NEWS ABC