A PREMIERSHIP contender's ill-fated dinner and a talented key forward's stunning career revival feature in the next instalment of AFL.com.au's 50 biggest stories from 2022.
A "life-changing" pay deal for AFLW players and Tasmania's ongoing fight for an AFL team also land on the list from 30-21, while players learn to keep their hands down when talking to the umpires.
PART ONE 50-41 Biggest stories of 2022
PART TWO 40-31 Biggest stories of 2022
30. Mundy retires amid class of champions
Of all the adjustments fans will have to make in 2023, it is perhaps Fremantle fans that face the biggest when they watch their team without David Mundy in it. The evergreen midfielder announced his retirement in August in a surprise decision, prompting the Dockers to use his looming departure as a motivation in their run to finals. A humble champion over 376 games and a match-turning stoppage specialist at his best, Mundy said he was relieved to be leaving the Dockers at a point when they can challenge for a maiden premiership, with his legacy evident in the young onballers that he has nurtured. Freo fans won't be the only ones adjusting, with the retiring class of 2022 full of premiership stars and club champions.
HANGING UP THE BOOTS The retired best 22 of 2022
29. JK's final bag
"Can you imagine kicking eight goals in your last game," West Coast coach Adam Simpson said as he sat next to champion forward Josh Kennedy after one of the most rollicking games of the season. Kennedy had done just that, producing his best goalkicking performance in almost seven years as the Eagles fell just short against Adelaide at Optus Stadium in round 21. The Eagles did everything they could to get the ball in JK's hands, and the dual Coleman medallist and all-time club leading goalkicker did the rest in the undoubted highlight of West Coast's season. Kennedy's farewell was emotionally charged and felt hard by the club and its fans, with the brilliant key forward hailed in his exit as one of the club's greatest leaders and a spiritual force for the team during an era of success that was punctuated by the 2018 flag.
28. A "life-changing" pay deal
Before season seven could start, the AFL and AFLPA first needed to strike an AFLW collective bargaining agreement that gave the competition's players a significant pay rise. The deal, announced in May, was significant for the competition, with players nearly doubling their pay in a one-year agreement. The top tier of players were paid $71,935, while the minimum AFLW wage increased from $20,239 to $39,184. In the grander scheme, it was a step forward in the League's ambition to have "year round" athletes by 2030, with chief executive Gillon McLachlan hailing the 94 per cent pay rise as a "landmark improvement in pay for AFLW players and an historic level of investment in domestic women's sport".
27. Ducking and dissent cause debate
It wouldn't be a normal AFL season without a debate on umpiring and rule interpretations when the winter months hit. In 2022, it was high contact free kicks that angered fans, leading the AFL to instruct umpires not to reward players who contribute to drawing high contact from tacklers, with Collingwood forward Jack Ginnivan at the centre of the debate. The other hot umpiring topic was dissent, with a crackdown early in the season leading to players giving away 50m penalties if they raised their hands in anger. There was a shift in behaviour from players, with AFL football operations boss Brad Scott declaring "there's no acceptable level of dissent towards umpires. It's been accepted in the game for far too long … and we just have to get onto it."
26. Curnow's revival drives Blues
Charlie Curnow's knee was "broken in half three or four times" during the wretched injury run that wiped out two years of his career from late 2019. "It wasn't standing up to doing a simple dead lift … how's it going to go against the best backlines in the competition?" his brother Ed told AFL.com.au's Riley Beveridge, reflecting on the doubts that had existed around how the Carlton key forward would eventually return. It's fair to say 64 goals and a Coleman Medal season, playing every game, exceeded expectations, with Curnow thrilling fans again with his energy and athleticism. It was a welcome reminder of Curnow's dynamic talent, and the best part is he is still only 25 and has at least seven seasons left in the AFL after signing a monster contract extension.
A GENUINE FREAK Inside the making, and re-making, of Charlie Curnow
25. Dees' flag defence punctured over dinner
Melbourne looked so far ahead of the competition during a 10-game winning streak that the prospects of an undefeated season became a serious consideration. Things got rocky mid-season, however, with a dinner at Melbourne restaurant Entrecote ending with Steven May and Jake Melksham coming to blows. Melksham required surgery on an infected hand, while May was suspended by the club for the Queen's Birthday clash against Collingwood, which resulted in a third straight defeat. Club leaders were left embarrassed by the Entrecote incident, which was sparked by hurtful comments from May directed at teammates around the dinner table. The Demons got themselves back on track to earn a home qualifying final, but it was a flashpoint in an ultimately unsuccessful flag defence that ended with a straight sets finals exit.
24. Elliott sinks Bombers after the siren
The pick of the match-winning goals in 2022 was the Jamie Elliott special after the siren that secured a dramatic win for Collingwood in round 19. Against Essendon at a heaving MCG, Elliott marked between two opponents with 30 seconds to play. He lined up where the 50m line meets the boundary and was set on taking responsibility from the moment he marked, showing why when he guided through a perfect set shot, sparking wild celebrations. The match itself was thrilling and could have been over after young Bomber Harrison Jones chased down Jeremy Howe with one minute left. Jones lined up to give the Bombers a seven-point lead but hit the post with his set shot, giving the Magpies one last window to pounce.
23. Tasmania continues fight for a team
The most significant development in Tasmania's long fight for an AFL team came late in the year when Premier Jeremy Rockliff and AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan announced an in-principle agreement on commercial terms for the 19th licence. With a commitment that includes $12 million per year over 12 years, and $60 million towards a high-performance and admin complex, the final hurdle now appears to be securing funding for a new stadium on the Hobart waterfront. The AFL requires the support of its clubs to approve the new licence, with McLachlan making ground but unable to commit to a timeframe for Tasmania.
22. Eddie Betts tells all
It was one chapter in Eddie Betts' autobiography, The Boy From Boomerang Crescent, but it was an explosive one that grabbed the headlines, shedding new light on Adelaide's ill-fated 2018 pre-season camp. Betts wrote in detail of the way counselling sessions were misused and Aboriginal cultural rituals were misappropriated. "There was all sorts of weird shit that was disrespectful to many cultures, but particularly and extremely disrespectful to my culture," the former Adelaide and Carlton star wrote. He also detailed the personal toll it had taken, forcing apologies from those responsible for the players' welfare.
21. Giants and Cameron part ways
Greater Western Sydney grew up under Leon Cameron and had its culture shaped by the coach, who led the Giants for 193 games. After just two wins in the first nine rounds of 2022, however, Cameron stepped down in what he stressed was a mutual decision not to see out the final year of his contract. Cameron led the Giants to September in five of the six seasons between 2016 and 2021, winning at least one final in all of those campaigns and reaching the 2019 Grand Final. Assistant Mark McVeigh took charge for the rest of the season and won four more games, with the Giants looking to the future now under new coach Adam Kingsley, who should see significant upside in the list he has inherited.