| 2001 Ansett Australia Cup | |
|---|---|
| Season | 2001 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Winners | Port Adelaide (1st title) |
| Matches played | 27 |
| Michael Tuck Medallist | Adam Kingsley (Port Adelaide) |
←2000 2002 → | |
The2001Ansett Australia Cup was contested by all sixteen clubs of theAustralian Football League prior to the beginning of the2001 AFL season. It ran for five weeks in February and March 2001. The competition took around-robin format to provide all teams with at least 3 practice games to prepare for the 2001 regular season, with all clubs divided into four groups of four, and the group winners qualifying for the knockout semi finals. Group A comprised the defending premiersEssendon,Port Adelaide,Geelong andSydney. Group B featuredKangaroos,Collingwood,West Coast andSt Kilda. Group C featuredBrisbane Lions,Carlton,Western Bulldogs andAdelaide while finally Group D comprisedHawthorn,Richmond,Fremantle andMelbourne.
In the group stages, theBrisbane Lions,Port Adelaide,Hawthorn andKangaroos finished top of their respective groups and qualified for the semi-finals.Port Adelaide won Group A with 3 wins out of 3, qualifying ahead ofSydney andGeelong. The win overGeelong that securedPort Adelaide a place in the semi-finals was marred however by a serious broken leg suffered by key ruckmanBrendon Lade. In Group B,Kangaroos won their place in the semi-finals after a 28-point win in the final group game againstCollingwood. Group C was won byBrisbane Lions after they defeatedCarlton by 13 points in the deciding game of the group. Group D was secured byHawthorn after a 100-point thumping ofMelbourne meant they qualified ahead ofRichmond on percentage.
In the knockout semi-finals,Brisbane Lions andPort Adelaide beatHawthorn andKangaroos respectively to qualify for the Grand Final.Port Adelaide trailedKangaroos at three-quarter time but kicked the first 5 goals of the final term to secure a 16-point victory in front of their own fans atFootball Park. In the other semi-final atColonial Stadium, theBrisbane Lions kicked the final 4 goals of the game againstHawthorn to win by 15 points. The win byBrisbane Lions was significant. as it broke a finals hoodoo in Melbourne, and it set up the first grand final between two non-Victorian teams in VFL/AFL history.
| Group A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 16 February | Geelong 4.10 (34) | def. by | Sydney 6.11 (47) | Marrara Oval (crowd: 8,500) | |
| Saturday, 17 February | Port Adelaide 16.25 (121) | def. | Essendon 5.12 (42) | Football Park (crowd: 19,498) | |
| Friday, 23 February | Port Adelaide 17.10 (112) | def. | Sydney 15.17 (107) | Football Park (crowd: 15,709) | |
| Friday, 23 February | Essendon 12.18 (90) | def. by | Geelong 17.10 (112) | Colonial Stadium (crowd: 22,829) | |
| Saturday, 3 March | Geelong 12.15 (87) | def. by | Port Adelaide 16.9 (105) | Colonial Stadium (crowd: 4,474) | |
| Saturday, 3 March | Sydney 11.17 (83) | def. | Essendon 8.11 (59) | Manuka Oval (crowd: 12,358) | |
| # | Team | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Port Adelaide | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 338 | 236 | 143.64 | 12 |
| 2 | Sydney | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 237 | 205 | 115.61 | 8 |
| 3 | Geelong | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 233 | 242 | 96.27 | 4 |
| 4 | Essendon | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 191 | 316 | 60.38 | 0 |
| Group B | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 16 February | Collingwood 12.14 (86) | def. | St Kilda 10.8 (68) | Colonial Stadium (crowd: 30,072) | |
| Friday, 16 February | West Coast 6.11 (47) | def. by | Kangaroos 14.12 (96) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 16,905) | |
| Saturday, 24 February | Kangaroos 14.12 (96) | def. | St Kilda 12.9 (81) | Manuka Oval (crowd: 8,157) | |
| Saturday, 24 February | West Coast 12.6 (78) | def. by | Collingwood 12.8 (80) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 16,090) | |
| Friday, 2 March | St Kilda 19.9 (123) | def. | West Coast 15.7 (97) | Colonial Stadium (crowd: 8,642) | |
| Saturday, 3 March | Kangaroos 18.12 (120) | def. | Collingwood 14.8 (92) | Colonial Stadium (crowd: 28,983) | |
| # | Team | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kangaroos | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 312 | 220 | 141.82 | 12 |
| 2 | Collingwood | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 258 | 241 | 107.05 | 8 |
| 3 | St Kilda | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 272 | 287 | 94.75 | 4 |
| 4 | West Coast | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 222 | 316 | 70.25 | 0 |
| Group C | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 17 February | Adelaide 10.13 (73) | def. by | Brisbane Lions 16.18 (114) | Westpac Stadium (crowd: 8,000) | |
| Saturday, 17 February | Western Bulldogs 14.8 (92) | def. by | Carlton 16.10 (106) | Colonial Stadium (crowd: 15,815) | |
| Saturday, 24 February | Carlton 10.12 (72) | def. | Adelaide 9.12 (66) | Optus Oval (crowd: 7,291) | |
| Saturday, 24 February | Brisbane Lions 5.15 (45) | def. by | Western Bulldogs 9.7 (61) | Bundaberg Rum Stadium (crowd: 5,800) | |
| Friday, 2 March | Adelaide 11.11 (77) | def. | Western Bulldogs 9.5 (59) | Football Park (crowd: 20,169) | |
| Saturday, 3 March | Brisbane Lions 10.14 (74) | def. | Carlton 9.7 (61) | Gabba (crowd: 22,957) | |
| # | Team | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brisbane Lions | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 233 | 195 | 119.49 | 8 |
| 2 | Carlton | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 252 | 219 | 115.05 | 8 |
| 3 | Western Bulldogs | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 212 | 228 | 93.06 | 4 |
| 4 | Adelaide | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 216 | 245 | 88.24 | 4 |
| Group D | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 17 February | Fremantle 8.9 (57) | def. by | Melbourne 14.14 (98) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 11,392) | |
| Sunday, 18 February | Hawthorn 13.11 (89) | def. | Richmond 6.9 (45) | York Park (crowd: 13,958) | |
| Sunday, 25 February | Richmond 14.13 (97) | def. | Melbourne 9.11 (65) | Optus Oval (crowd: 7,875) | |
| Sunday, 25 February | Fremantle 10.12 (72) | def. | Hawthorn 5.16 (46) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 9,193) | |
| Sunday, 4 March | Richmond 22.13 (145) | def. | Fremantle 7.9 (51) | Optus Oval (crowd: 4,391) | |
| Sunday, 4 March | Hawthorn 21.17 (143) | def. | Melbourne 6.7 (43) | Colonial Stadium (crowd: 9,813) | |
| # | Team | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawthorn | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 278 | 181 | 153.59 | 8 |
| 2 | Richmond | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 288 | 234 | 123.08 | 8 |
| 3 | Melbourne | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 211 | 274 | 77.01 | 4 |
| 4 | Fremantle | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 180 | 288 | 62.50 | 4 |
| Semi-finals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 9 March (7:40 pm) | Port Adelaide 15.12 (102) | def. | Kangaroos 13.8 (86) | Football Park (crowd: 18,516) | |
| Saturday, 10 March (7:40 pm) | Brisbane Lions 14.10 (94) | def. | Hawthorn 12.7 (79) | Colonial Stadium (crowd: 15,866) | |
| Grand Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 17 March (7:30 pm) | Port Adelaide | def. | Brisbane Lions | Football Park (crowd: 35,304) | Report |
| 1.3 (9) 9.5 (59) 15.6 (96) 17.9 (111) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 1.3 (9) 1.3 (9) 3.6 (24) 3.8 (26) | Umpires:Sheehan,Dore,Goldspink Michael Tuck Medal:Adam Kingsley (Port Adelaide) Television broadcast:Seven Network | ||
| Dew4 C. Cornes3 K. Cornes,Francis2 Ackland,P. Burgoyne,J Francou,Guerra,Montgomery,Stevens1 | Goals | 2Bradshaw 1Power | |||
| Kingsley,Dew,P. Burgoyne,J Francou,Stevens,Primus | Best | Bradshaw,White,Pike | |||
| French (leg) | Injuries | Nil | |||
| Nil | Reports | C. Scott reported by field umpireGoldspink for strikingC. Cornes during the final quarter | |||
TheBrisbane Lions (the eventualregular season premiers) were playing in its first grand final of any kind (since the merger withFitzroy), whilePort Adelaide were playing in their second pre-season grand final after going down toHawthorn back in1999. TheBrisbane Lions were unhappy with the arrangements for the final, as they had to travel interstate for the 4th time in 5 games, whilePort Adelaide played their 4th game at home. In the final,Port Adelaide took out their first pre season title with a convincing 85-point thumping of theBrisbane Lions. After an even first 1/4, Port took control in the second term with an 8 goal to 0 blitz, during whichStuart Dew kicked 3 goals in 3 minutes, and comfortably held on to secure the first silverware the club had won since their1997 entry into the AFL.[1] | |||||
| Semi-finals | Grand Final | ||||||||||||
| Port Adelaide | 15 | 12 | 102 | ||||||||||
| Kangaroos | 13 | 8 | 86 | ||||||||||
| Port Adelaide | 17 | 9 | 111 | ||||||||||
| Brisbane Lions | 3 | 8 | 26 | ||||||||||
| Brisbane Lions | 14 | 10 | 94 | ||||||||||
| Hawthorn | 12 | 7 | 79 | ||||||||||
| Weekend 10-11th March[2] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 10 March (2:00pm) | Essendon 13.12 (90) | def. by | Melbourne 19.8 (122) | Optus Oval | |
| Saturday, 10 March (2:30pm) | Western Bulldogs 16.16 (112) | def. | Richmond 4.12 (36) | Whitten Oval | |
| Saturday, 10 March (4:00pm) | Sydney 14.9 (93) | def. | Collingwood 11.10 (76) | Newcastle Number 1 Sports Ground (crowd: 5,250) | |
| Saturday, 10 March (5:30pm) | Adelaide 14.12 (96) | def. | West Coast 6.10 (46) | Football Park (crowd: 5,236) | |
| Saturday, 10 March (4:00pm) | Fremantle 9.7 (61) | def. by | Geelong 17.15 (117) | Fremantle Oval (crowd: 4,200 est.) | |
| Sunday, 11 March (2:00pm) | Carlton 12.13 (85) | def. by | St Kilda 13.15 (93) | Queen Elizabeth Oval,Bendigo (crowd: 10,000 est.) | |
| Weekend of 17th March[5] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 17 March (11:00am) | Essendon 9.6 (60) | def. | Richmond 7.8 (50) | Trevor Barker Beach Oval (crowd: 500 est.) | |
| Saturday, 17 March (2:00pm) | Kangaroos 17.10 (112) | def. | Fremantle 7.6 (48) | Optus Oval (crowd: 1,000 est.) | |
| Saturday, 17 March (2:00pm) | Sydney 16.17 (113) | def. | Carlton 13.19 (97) | SCG (crowd: 3,000 est.) | |
| Saturday, 17 March (2:00pm) | Geelong 7.18 (60) | def. by | Hawthorn 9.12 (66) | Hamilton, Victoria (crowd: 4,500 est.) | |
| Saturday, 17 March (2:30pm) | Collingwood 13.9 (87) | def. by | Melbourne 16.9 (105) | North Hobart Oval (crowd: 8,000) | |
| Saturday, 17 March (4:30pm) | Adelaide 4.10 (34) | def. by | St Kilda 11.13 (79) | Port Augusta | |
| Saturday, 17 March (7:00pm) | West Coast 17.11 (113) | def. | Western Bulldogs 7.18 (60) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 2,500 est.) | |
TheEssendon vs.Richmond match was originally scheduled to be played Friday 16 March (7:00pm) atLavington Oval,Albury. The match was abandoned due to a torrential thunderstorm, despite approximately 8,000 people still attending the ground. The match was hastily rescheduled for the next morning atTrevor Barker Beach Oval inSandringham.[6][7] | |||||