THE MCG returns in all its glory and a premiership captain has his crowning moment in the next instalment of AFL.com.au's 50 biggest stories from 2022.
An explosive press conference launches an inconsistent season for a contender, while Adelaide and Melbourne split the honours as the AFLW doubles up for two seasons in one year.
PART ONE 50-41 Biggest stories of 2022
PART TWO 40-31 Biggest stories of 2022
PART THREE 30-21 Biggest stories of 2022
20. The emotional returns of an inspiring trio
This was the feelgood story of 2022, best captured by a moment in April that represented so much more than football. When North Melbourne and Carlton met at Marvel Stadium in round seven, cancer survivors Ben Cunnington and Sam Docherty came together and embraced pre-game, recognising each other's struggles to overcome bouts of testicular cancer in the previous 12 months. Docherty's return right from round one was incredible, kicking a second-quarter goal that prompted spirited celebrations from his teammates. Cunnington, who was diagnosed in November last year, returned in August against Adelaide and went on to sign a two-year extension after playing the final two rounds. The return to football and subsequent form of Paddy McCartin at Sydney was inspiring in a similar way after his long battle with concussion symptoms, playing 24 games and reinventing himself as an intercepting defender.
19. Bulldogs' year doesn't go to plan after rough start
The round one press conference after the Western Bulldogs lost to Melbourne at the MCG was the explosive moment, but the season in totality was a big story in itself, going from Grand Finalists in 2021 to scraping into the top eight 12 months later. That first press conference saw coach Luke Beveridge challenge former journalist Tom Morris over his reporting, declaring the newsbreaker had been preying on the club and causing turmoil by reporting selection news accurately before teams were released publicly. It was a confronting exchange and the Bulldogs went on to have a middling season, starting the season 3-5 before finishing eighth and losing their elimination final to Fremantle. It was an inconsistent year that didn't deliver on expectations, ending with a pair of big trade moves as club champion Josh Dunkley departed for Brisbane and Rory Lobb arrived from Fremantle.
18. Crows and Demons win AFLW flags
The sixth year of the AFLW competition started with Adelaide cementing its greatness with a third premiership and ended with Melbourne winning a crowning premiership for champion skipper Daisy Pearce. The Demons, who were defeated by the Crows in the season six decider, returned to the Grand Final in season seven, travelling to Brisbane's new home at Springfield, where they went in as underdogs but emerged with a four-point win. Pearce was central to the major storyline of the game, such has been her contribution to women's football in Australia. In a competition first, courageous Brisbane defender Shannon Campbell was awarded the best on ground medal in the Lions' loss, while prolific Adelaide midfielder Anne Hatchard won the prestigious award in her team's season six triumph.
17. The MCG has its moment after two years away
The fans were central to this storyline as football returned to normal in 2022 and stadiums were filled again after two seasons impacted by the pandemic. Having relocated the Grand Final in 2020 and 2021 to the Gabba and Optus Stadium respectively, the MCG was again host to the decider, while there were packed crowds for finals and three home and away games with more than 80,000 fans, including both Collingwood-Carlton clashes and the Anzac Day match. If you were watching on TV, the familiar sound of supporters at a game made footy feel normal again. One of the highlights of the season was Robbie Williams' brilliant performance at the Toyota AFL Grand Final, getting a crowd of more than 100,000 fans rocking at the MCG.
16. AFL chief announces departure but stays to finish the job
It was massive story back in April when Gillon McLachlan announced he would be leaving the AFL at the end of the season, and so it remained as the League searched for his successor and McLachlan set about clearing a large and important to-do list. That included securing a record $4.5 billion broadcast agreement for the game in September, continuing the game's relationship with the Seven Network, Foxtel and Telstra, but there remained work to do on the Tasmanian license and Hawthorn investigation. McLachlan was hailed after announcing his pending departure as a great dealmaker for the game who got the AFL through the pandemic and championed the creation of the AFLW in 2016. He later announced that his departure would coincide with round five of the 2023 season, which will see the entire competition descend on Adelaide for 'Gather Round'.
15. Selwood's crowning premiership
Geelong captain Joel Selwood decided six weeks out that he would end his illustrious career when the Cats' season finished, hoping that moment would come after the Grand Final. Like much of Selwood's career it was a perfectly executed plan, with the champion midfielder going out on top after a pitch perfect season decider. It started with Selwood carrying Gary Ablett's three-year-old son Levi, who has a rare degenerative disease, through the banner and ended with the skipper calling club water boy Sammy onto the MCG to celebrate in a moment that went viral. The 34-year-old then announced his retirement, departing as the longest-serving captain in VFL/AFL history and the only Geelong player to win four premierships.
14. Mid-season break leads to trade speculation for star
As was the case in 2021, one of the bigger controversies of the season involved Collingwood star Jordan De Goey. The talented forward/midfielder had ventured overseas for a mid-season break in Bali when video emerged of him behaving in a disrespectful and questionable way and embarrassing his club. He was fined and went on to take personal leave, with the Magpies pulling a contract offer they had tabled to him. The free agent became the subject of trade speculation, and St Kilda emerged as a frontrunner. But De Goey's form elevated in the final weeks of the season and during finals, with Collingwood ultimately re-signing the 26-year-old for a further five years.
13. Blues fall short at last hurdle
Apart from maybe Collingwood, no group of fans had a wilder ride through the 2022 season than the Carlton faithful, who watched as their team emerged as the most unlikely of premiership contenders before it was ripped away from them in the most heartbreaking of circumstances. They played a brilliantly entertaining style under new coach Michael Voss, with a combative midfield and twin tower forward line, starting the season 8-2 and climbing as high as third on the ladder. Expectations rose and finals seemed assured before the final month, which saw them lose to Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Collingwood in successive weeks when they needed to only win one. The final round saw Magpie Jamie Elliott end their season with a one-point defeat after a trademark Collingwood fightback from 24 points down. It was brutal to watch.
12. Pies flourish doing things the McRae way
New Collingwood coach Craig McRae was a breath of fresh air for the game, and the impact he had on his team was remarkable, lifting the Magpies from 17th in 2021 to one kick away from a Grand Final. It was simply one of the most incredible seasons from a club we have seen, marked by an 11-game winning streak that included eight victories by seven points or less. McRae, who scattered nuggets on coaching philosophy throughout his press conferences, instilled a sense of belief in his team that ensured they never gave up when they were behind, simply flicking into a different gear when they were three goals down and relishing the chase. One of the individual highlights was the season of first-year sensation Nick Daicos, who won the NAB AFL Rising Star Award after a brilliant year at half-back.
11. Brownlow betting scandal
Field umpire Michael Pell was one of four men arrested by the Victoria Police Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit in November after suspicious betting activity on the 2022 Brownlow Medal. Pell was alleged to have shared sensitive information on how the umpires had allocated their 3-2-1 votes in games he had officiated in. It was a massive story that sparked debate around whether the umpires were the best people to vote on the prestigious medal, with that discussion missing the point. Reporting on the story also focused on the matches Pell had officiated in and scrutinised how votes had been allocated in those games. Pell was ultimately dumped by the League and the criminal matter left to police, with voting to stay in the umpires' hands for future Brownlow Medals.