2004 AFL Cairns Grand Final
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| 2004 AFL Cairns Grand Final | |||||
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| Date | 18 September 2004 | ||||
| Stadium | Bundaberg Rum Stadium | ||||
The 2004 AFL Cairns Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between Port Douglas and North Cairns at Bundaberg Rum Stadium on 18 September 2004. It was held to determine the premiers of the AFL Cairns competition, a semi-professional competition in Cairns, Queensland, for the 2004 season.
Before the match began, a brawl began moments after the conclusion of the national anthem. Further fighting occurred on the field and in the crowd during the match.[1]
North Cairns, who were seen as underdogs going into the match, won the match by 48 points, giving the club their first premiership since 1988. However the premiership was stripped following a lengthy investigation, with no premiers awarded for the 2004 season.[2][3]
The grand final gained national media attention, and is considered one of the ugliest moments in Australian rules football history.[4][5]
Finals series
North Cairns (nicknamed the "Tigers") was a founding member of the AFL Cairns competition (then known as Cairns AFL) in 1956, while Port Douglas (nicknamed the "Crocs") had joined in 1989. The clubs were bitter rivals.[2]
The coach of North Cairns was Jason Love, a former VFL/AFL player who played 68 games for North Melbourne and Sydney from 1986 until 1992, while Port Douglas was coached by Andy Viola.[6]
The previous grand final in 2003 had been won by South Cairns, who defeated North Cairns by 36 points.[7]
Port Douglas defeated North Cairns by 65 points in the second semi-final, however the Tigers were still able to qualify for the grand final after defeating Cairns in the preliminary final.
| Semi-finals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 4 September | South Cairns 11.17 (83) | def. by | Cairns 15.14 (104) | ||
| Sunday, 5 September | North Cairns 9.5 (59) | def. by | Port Douglas 18.16 (124) | ||
| Preliminary final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 11 September | North Cairns 16.15 (111) | def. | Cairns 10.5 (65) | ||
Match summary
Moments after the rendition of "Advance Australia Fair" was completed, North Cairns players charged at the Port Douglas players. A brawl immediately began, with some club officials and spectators joining in before the match had officially begun.[8]
The brawl, which involved all 44 players, eventually ended when umpires ran to the centre of the field and bounced the ball to start the game. Fighting continued on the field throughout the game between the two teams.[2]
A junior exhibition match that was scheduled for half-time was cancelled after parents left the stadium with their children.[9] Video broadcast on Nine News showed a North Cairns supporter punching another man in the face as fighting continued.[8][10]
Six police units were called to the stadium, with a 36-year-old woman arrested for obstructing police and contravening directions. A police spokesman later said officers were "too busy breaking up fights" to make more than one arrest.[11]
North Cairns won the game by 48 points.[2] Medal presentations were not held out of fear for more violence, and Port Douglas players almost fought with spectators as they left the field.[8] Some fighting continued in the crowd following the final siren.[9]
Scoreboard
| 2004 AFL Cairns Grand Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 18 September | Port Douglas 8.10 (57) | def. by | North Cairns 16.10 (106) | Bundaberg Rum Stadium | [2] |
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