THE EMERGENCE of one of the game's most influential young players in 2015 was one of the most memorable things about 2015 and features in the countdown from 20-11. The Tribunal appears again for an infraction that only drew a fine, but did arguably the most damage in the big picture of any bump strike or trip this year.
20. Sam Mitchell's dodgy knee
"I looked at the vision that the MRP look at and I can understand why it's not a good look and it's not a good thing for the game," Mitchell said after being fined for kneeing Nat Fyfe in round 15. It was the second time in 2015 he had corked an opponent when protecting himself in a contest, with Taylor Walker also on the receiving end. Unfortunately for Fyfe, the star Docker suffered a resulting groin injury.
19. WA preliminary final double-header
Domain Stadium was home to the good, bad and the ugly on preliminary final weekend as the home of WA football hosted back-to-back blockbusters for the first time. The football from West Coast and Hawthorn was good, giving neutrals the Grand Final they had wanted. But crowd behaviour was bad, with Friday night incidents from the Dockers' crowd detracting from the spectacle. Then there was the ugly, with a man in the crowd hitting a woman after she had asked him to watch his language.
18. The rise of Jeremy McGovern and the Weagles' Web
If one player personified a full team defence, it was McGovern. The 23-year-old, who had played just 13 games at the start of the season, became the key cog in West Coast's decimated defence and allowed them to play a new and remarkably successful style. The web, as it became known, may end up being discarded when Eric Mackenzie and Mitch Brown return after it fell down in the Grand Final. But there is no doubt it was the reason West Coast was able to overcome adversity and make it further than anyone would have believed in 2015.
Jeremy McGovern was at the heart of a stellar Eagles defence in 2015. Picture: AFL Media
17. Bulldogs come of age as fairytale takes off against the Sydney Swans
If the Bulldogs go on to win a premiership under Luke Beveridge, this could well be the match where their journey began. It was the moment they went from being a much-hyped group to a serious team, and the players seemed to know it as they filtered into the SCG rooms post-match. In tough conditions in round five, the Dogs edged ahead in the final term and hung on to win by four points on the road. From there they looked every bit a finalist.
16. Support for Adam Goodes
After watching his teammate and close friend endure persistent booing for two months, Lewis Jetta took a stand in the west and performed the same war dance Adam Goodes had, this time in front of West Coast supporters. Then in round 18, the SCG crowd stood and applauded Goodes for one minute in the third quarter at the seven-minute mark. It was part of a series of gestures across the League to support Goodes, with players taking a stand. Western Bulldogs captain Bob Murphy wore Goodes's No.37 jumper to toss the coin against Essendon, Richmond wore its Indigenous Round jumpers, Melbourne wore black, yellow and red arm bands, and Collingwood's Travis Varcoe wore his own arm band with an Aboriginal flag and the number 37.
Bob Murphy wears Adam Goodes' No.37 in a tribute to the Swans star. Picture: AFL Media
15. Adelaide's greatest Showdown win?
The Crows and Power ran through a joint banner at Adelaide Oval in the first Showdown since the death of Phil Walsh and they put on a contest befitting the emotional occasion. Trailing by five goals at the last change, Port rallied to kick 4.5 in the final quarter. The Crows could manage just 0.2 but they held firm in defence in the dying minutes in some of the most tense football of the season. Crows champion Mark Ricciuto said it was arguably the finest of the Crows' 18 Showdown triumphs.
14. Daniel Menzel's fairytale return
It was 1450 days since his last AFL game and followed four knee reconstructions, but Daniel Menzel showed in his triumphant return that "you never lose your smarts and never lose your skills". Receiving the ball just outside 50m in the first quarter against Collingwood, Menzel kicked off a couple of steps to boot his first goal, with every Cat on the field running to celebrate. He finished with four in one of the feel good stories of the season in round 22.
13. Patrick Dangerfield v Nat Fyfe
"Call me a weirdo, but I think we have to protect the look of the game," Phil Walsh said after letting Fyfe run free in an epic head-to-head battle with Dangerfield in round nine. Between them the pair had 78 possessions, 23 clearances and 16 inside 50s in a thrilling throwback to a different era. Allowing such a contest was a gift to the fans from Walsh, who had the aesthetics of the game in his mind from the moment he took on the responsibility of senior coaching.
Dangerfield versus Fyfe, head-to-head, was one of the standout clashes of the season. Picture: AFL Media
12. Riley Knight's tears for Phil Walsh
After one year on the Crows' list, Knight entered 2015 yet to make his debut and fighting to impress a new coach. He bonded with Phil Walsh and the coach told him he was ready to make his debut before his tragic death. Knight played when the Crows returned to the football field against West Coast but, like his teammates, was shattered once the siren sounded. Knight leaving the ground being consoled by teammates will be one of the images that lasts from 2015.
11. Jack Darling’s momentum-killing fumble in the Grand Final
It's the only dropped mark that Eagles' fans will remember when they think back to the 2015 Grand Final. Darling, who had kicked a momentum building goal minutes earlier, was streaming forward and the Eagles had all the run. Take this chance and they would have been just 19 points behind with the best part of two quarters to play. Darling fluffed an easy chest mark and the Hawks rebounded to convert. The margin was 31 points and the game was over not long after.
