25.09.2009

Race is on to Grand Final sprint

As the clock counts down to tomorrow’s AFL Grand Final, 16 of the league’s fastest stars are busy gearing up for what is sure to be a hotly-contested Grand Final sprint.

As tradition dictates, a representative of each AFL team will tomorrow pull on the runners to test his mettle over 100m on the hallow turf of the Melbourne Cricket Ground in a true sprint showdown.

In a race to determine the AFL’s fastest man, Athletics Australia will again host the halftime event, taken out last year by Richmond’s Matthew White.

Since the revival of the event in 2002, the Richmond Football Club has taken out the coveted title three times and will this year pin its hopes on 19-year-old defender Alex Rance.

Previous winners of the event have included Tiger Jake King (2007), Blues favourite Brendan Fevola (2006), Tiger Brett Deledio (2005), Docker James Walker (2004, 2003) and Swans man Jared Crouch (2002).

At times a handicapped event, tomorrow's runners will all start from scratch in what is shaping up as a battle of brawn on the biggest stage of all.

On the start line this year are:

Heat 1:
Adelaide – Andy Otten
Brisbane – Tom Rockliff
Carlton – Andrew Walker
Collingwood – Brad Dick
Essendon – Paddy Ryder
Fremantle – Stephen Hill
Geelong – Taylor Hunt
Hawthorn – Liam Shiels

Heat 2:
Kangaroos – Warren Benjamin
Melbourne – Colin Sylvia
Port Adelaide – Wade Thompson
Richmond – Alex Rance
St Kilda – Rhys Stanley
Sydney – Mike Pyke
West Coast – Nic Naitanui
Western Bulldogs – Liam Picken

The top four finishers from each heat will advance to the final at halftime of the Geelong v St Kilda showdown.

The Grand Final sprint will be broadcast live from the MCG on Network Ten.