The annual AFL Grand Final sprint took place at half-time of the match between Sydney and Brisbane at the MCG, on September 28. The event was sponsored by Gatorade. The winner was Collingwood’s Beau McCreery in a photo finish ahead of St Kilda's Darcy Wilson. It was a fair result, as Wilson clearly jumped the gun at the start, and even started with his feet ahead of the other competitors.
History
An AFL player's sprint race has been held since 1979, traditionally at half-time of the AFL Grand Final. There has also been a kicking competition. Since 2021, there has also been a women's sprint held during the AFLW grand final.
2024 Gatorade Grand Final Sprint Results
Final Placings
- Beau McCreery (Collingwood)
- Darcy Wilson (St Kilda)
- Eddie Ford (North Melbourne)
- Will Hamill (Adelaide)
- Will McLachlan (Brisbane)
- Jed McEntee (Port Adelaide)
- Angus Sheldrick (Sydney)
- Jeremy Sharp (Fremantle)
In addition to the above finalists, here are the other players who competed in the heats:
- Orazio Fantasia (Carlton)
- Ben Hobbs (Essendon)
- Shaun Mannagh (Geelong)
- Tom Berry (Gold Coast)
- Josh Weddle (Hawthorn)
- Oliver Sestan (Melbourne)
- Dion Prestia (Richmond)
- Jai Culley (West Coast)
- Riley Garcia (Western Bulldogs)
- Nathan Wardius (GWS)
Heat Results
Prior to the game, two heats took place in order to determine the participants in the final. Tthe heats started at 12:15 pm.
In heat one, Adelaide's Will Hamill, Brisbane's Will McLachlan and Collingwood's Beau McCreery were the clear top three with Fremantle's Jeremy Sharp fourth.
In heat two, North Melbourne's Eddie Ford and St Kilda's Darcy Wilson dashed away from the field, with Port Adelaide's Jed McEntee third and a photo for fourth, Sydney's Angus Sheldrick just pipped the Western Bulldogs' Riley Garcia.
See a video of the 2024 sprint
Related Pages
- AFL Sprint Winners List
- See all the videos of the races we could find.
- AFL half time mile race in 1977 and 1978
- AFL Grand Finalists
- Grand Final kicking competitions.
- Rugby League sprint race