2007 AFL Season - Notable Events

Notable Events

• On Thursday 8 February it was announced that the Seven Network (who had not broadcast AFL for five years) and Ten Network had reached an agreement to on-sell four games per round to pay-TV provider Foxtel.
• In Round 6, Geelong scored 35.12 (222) against Richmond, the highest score kicked in an AFL game since quarters were shortened from twenty-five to twenty minutes in 1994 and the first time a team has scored over 200 points since Round 22, 1995. Their winning margin of 157 points also broke the record for the same period, and they scored an all-time record 23 more goals than behinds, and an all-time record three-quarter time score of 29.9 (183). This was also Richmond's biggest loss in its 99 year history.
• In Round 8, Hawthorn and St Kilda were widely criticised for their game, which in perfect weather yielded only seven goals in the first three quarters (before opening up in the final quarter), and was described as boring by Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy.
• Round 12's game between Carlton and Hawthorn attracted 53,459 fans, breaking the record for the highest AFL crowd at Telstra Dome. In the same game, Hawthorn kicked their highest ever score against Carlton: 27.18 (180), and also achieved their greatest winning margin against Carlton, 100 points.
• Robert Harvey became just the 10th player in VFL/AFL history to reach 350 games, helping St Kilda defeat West Coast. The win was the second time in 60 games that a Victorian Team had beaten West Coast at Subiaco Oval.
• The Round 16 game between Brisbane Lions against Carlton at The Gabba saw Jonathan Brown become the first Brisbane Lions player to kick 10 goals in a match, kicking 10.1 for the game. This surpassed Daniel Bradshaw's 9 goals in 2005 v Melbourne at The Gabba. After this match Denis Pagan was sacked as the coach of Carlton.
• The final game of the home-and-away season became particularly controversial through circumstance. The two teams, Melbourne and Carlton, each had records of 4–17, and had no chance of winning the wooden spoon. Under priority draft pick rules, this meant that whichever team won the game would lose a potential priority draft pick (which would have been the first overall selection if Carlton had it, or pick No. 18 if Melbourne had it). Melbourne won by five goals in a game noted for a lack of defensive pressure, while many in the crowd openly supported their teams to defeat.
• In Round 22 a total of 263 goals and 198 behinds were scored for a total of 1776 points, making the Round the fifth highest scoring Round in VFL/AFL history.
• The second semi-final between West Coast and Collingwood went into extra time after scores were level at the end of regulation. This was only the second time that extra time has been used in an AFL game. It was also the second time that these teams had drawn in a final.
• Geelong set a new record for the highest winning margin in a Grand Final against Port Adelaide, winning by 119 points.