I love finals footy. The intensity, the physicality… it brings out the best in some players, and the worst in others.
Recently, I had a look at the lack of big goal hauls in finals, and found that players had kicked double-figures in a game just six times in the history of the AFL/VFL. And of those six times, four players were represented.
It got me to thinking about the high disposal games we’ve seen over the years, and how many have been able to replicate those big games in the finals.
As it stands at the time of writing, there have been ten games where a player has totalled 50 disposals in a single game – none of them have occurred in September. As a matter of fact, none of the top twenty high disposal games of all-time have occurred in the finals.
And so, off I went on a quest to find the players who have collected the most touches in a single finals game. Here’s what I found
*Please note – I went through, game-by-game from 1990 until the present. Happy to add any from prior to that, but… I just got a bit tired. 🙂
39 – DARREN JARMAN – 1994 QUALIFYING FINAL V NORTH MELBOURNE
A ridiculous day out for Jarman, who also pulled in ten marks in the outing. This was part of the first-ever extra time final, that saw North kick away from Hawthorn in overtime.
39 – LACHIE NEALE – 2022 ELIMINATION FINAL V RICHMOND
The only player to feature on this list twice, Lachie Neale had a massive game against the Tigers, who were such a thorn in his team’s side in years prior.
Amongst his 39 touches were a monstrous 15 clearances (I may have to look this up – might be one of the highest clearance totals in AFL Finals history), but he had a bigger game coming.
39 – CHRISTIAN PETRACCA – 2021 GRAND FINAL V WESTERN BULLDOGS
This is the highest recorded possessions in a Grand Final, and was originally at 40 before Champion Data rescinded one of his touches post-game. That decision meant that Petracca was denied being the first man in history to have 40 touches in a Grand Final. Obviously… thanks for stating the obvious, HB.
No problem.
40 – PAUL LICURIA – 2002 QUALIFYING FINAL V PORT ADELAIDE
When you think about high disposal winners, Licuria flies way under the radar, but he had some solid years at Collingwood. This remains his career high, though, as he was integral in elevating the Pies over Port.
40 – GARY ABLETT JR – 2010 PRELIMINARY FINAL V COLLINGWOOD
The Little Master adds another string to his bow, here, as he also had seven clearances and seven inside 50s for the Cats. Alas, it was not to be on this occasion for him and Geelong, as the Pies rolled over them to advance to the Grand Final.
41 – JOE MISITI – 2000 QUALIFYING FINAL V NORTH MELBOURNE
Smokin’ Joe was no stranger to big numbers, with 35+ disposals to his name on eight occasions, but this was his career-high effort, and it came on the big stage.
Essendon towelled North up in this one, and Misiti’s ten inside 50s, and ten clearances were a big reason why.
41 – STEELE SIDEBOTTOM – 2018 PRELIMINARY FINAL V RICHMOND
Ah yes… THAT Prelim.
This was the year Sidey won the Gary Ayres Medal for the best finals player, and despite so much attention going to Mason Cox, Sidebottom’s Prelim was a masterclass. This season was his peak, and his 41 touches in the penultimate game was the second-highest output of his career.
42 – SAM FISHER – 2009 QUALIFYING FINAL V COLLINGWOOD
Didn’t expect to see this name in the mix, but there we go…
Sure, he has made headlines for other reasons, but on this occasion, he let his footy do the talking. A clear career-high (+9 on his next best), Fisher did as he pleased across half-back, as the Saints knocked over the Pies.
42 – JOSH KENNEDY – 2016 SEMI-FINAL V ADELAIDE
With 42 touches and ten clearance, Kennedy cemented his reputation as one of the best in-and-under mids in the game with this performance in the finals.
Powering the Swans to a Prelim, this was one of the seven times he registered 40+ disposals in a contest. I have a lot of love for Kennedy – one of the no bullshit players of the modern era.
42 – JARRAD MCVEIGH – 2013 SEMI-FINAL V CARLTON
A year after his late-game heroics in the 2012 decider, McVeigh bobs up again, this time with a career-high effort in the finals.
I don’t know what it was about the Swans during this era – they just had so many no-nonsense players that did so many things right, so often. Count McVeigh amongst them – his star shined brightest at this time of year.
43 – DANE SWAN – 2011 QUALIFYING FINAL V WEST COAST
In a lot of ways, the way Dane Swan played his footy revolutionised the use of the interchange bench, and prompted the AFL to make changes. It was obviously working too well for him.
As someone who regularly racked up 40+ touches (13x), Swan was bound to feature in this list.
A perfect balance of inside/outside play saw Swan collect nine inside 50s and nine clearances as he guided his Magpies into a Preliminary Final date against the Hawks – a game that still haunts me to this day!
46 – LACHIE NEALE – 2021 QUALIFYING FINAL V MELBOURNE
And the clubhouse leader is Lachie Neale. Of course it’s Lachie Neale – the bloke doesn’t care if this is home and away or finals… he just goes out and does the work!
Unfortunately, he ran into a bit of a buzzsaw in this one, as the Dees were on a mission, but his 46 touches and 13 clearances comprised to create a brilliant individual game.
As stated above, I am yet to go through the VFL-Era, and will add players as I stumble upon them. If I do find one, I reckon it might be the most impressive of all, given the lower possession totals in older games.
Keep your eyes open and let me know if you find any.
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
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