Every AFL team strives for one trophy at the end of the season. But on the way there are several smaller prizes, some historical and others satirical, which add substance to each season.
The AFL premiership cup is the sport's holy grail. But clubs have always been striving for less, and defunct prizesFirst presented in 1959, weighing about 6 kilograms and big enough to see from anywhere at the MCG, the cup is the superlative prize for nearly every AFL player.Seldom was this more apparent than last weekend, which witnessed old and new rivalries.
The early VFL was obsessed with the chase for that piece of cloth. In 1899 Geelong were so confident in winning the title that they were said to be "painting their flagstaff" in preparation for the title. And of course, the club boss hoped it would get publicity, and in the South president's words, "'assist in interest in the code".
The peak of this flurry came in 2000 when seven new awards were introduced, including five by Collingwood. Those awards give a good cross-section of the different inspirations involved. Some recent awards centred around new locations, like Shanghai, Wellington or Hobart, and sometimes causes without specific trophies to mark the occasion, such as Maddie's Match or the Pride Game. Several new Indigenous Round awards have also emerged.In the trophy cabinet at GWS headquarters, a shining trophy takes pride of place. That's the 2016 NEAFL premiership cup — arguably GWS's biggest football prize to date.
That trophy had a distinctive "chunk of wood" design and clear historical reference, being rooted in the very foundation myths of the Australian code, but disappeared quietly in the early 2000s.
ABC Sport Trophies AFL Premiership Cup Qclash Sydney Derby Showdown Anzac Medal
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