Add Category
Christian Petracca has something to aim for next year.
The newly-minted Norm Smith medallist played one of the all-time great grand finals to lead Melbourne to the club’s first senior premiership in 57 years.
Christian Petracca was at his explosive best on the biggest stage of them all.Credit:AFL Photos
He was the unanimous choice as best afield, and played close to a perfect game.
And for a few minutes, it looked like he’d broken an 18-year-old record.
On the Channel Seven broadcast of the game, it was noted that Petracca notched his 40th disposal deep into the final term, surpassing Simon Black’s VFL/AFL grand final record of 39 disposals set in the Brisbane Lions’ win over Collingwood in 2003.
Loading
Indeed, the first set of stats issued immediately after the final siren by official AFL statisticians Champion Data showed that Petracca had broken the record, finishing with 40 disposals. That number appeared in print in the grand final edition of The Sunday Age. It was right at the time.
But television graphics during the post-match celebrations showed Petracca’s tally at 39 disposals. Why the discrepancy?
Champion Data confirmed on Sunday that Petracca had been credited with a handball that was subsequently taken away following a review. Such alterations are not unusual for the stats provider, who routinely audit tallies to ensure they are as accurate as possible.