We know that Ten televised the 2007, 2009 and 2011 AFL Grand Finals (with the latter being their last ever broadcast of an AFL match), with Seven screening the 2008 and 2010 deciders, but imagine if this was swapped around?
This would’ve meant Ten televising the 2010 decider, with its innovative five-minute warning, which of course ended in a draw before Collingwood won the replay by 56 points.
The 5 minute warning would’ve made things stressful for fans
And better!
It made it stressful enough in 2009 when we had only a goal or so lead over St Kilda at the end. But yeah, it would have totally changed the final coverage of the draw - you wouldn’t have known at that bounce on the wing that it was all over already.
Should’ve made things extra stressful. Sirens, alarms, flashing lights, OTT commentary, blood pumpig music…would’ve been fun. 
I think Seven scored the better outcome there.
Despite 2009 being a classic.
They got a bonus grand final, even if it was a whitewash.
Regardless, Seven did a lot better than Nine in the previous deal who inexplicably traded away the rights to any finals coverage.
I wonder how Nine could have navigated doing the AFL finals working around their NRL rights, as they’d certainly not get away with putting a Lions or Swans final on delay after an NRL game.
I suppose Ten would probably have agreed to a deal to split the games, but to air Nine’s finals in NRL states where there was an overlap?
I wondered if they might have even just gone for the grand final rather than finals. That at least would have been separate.
Also, on the five minute warning Ten used to do, I just rewatched the end of the 2009 grand final (as you do). Joel Selwood kicks a point for Geelong to level the scores at 67-all just as the five minute warning flashes up and the count-up clock starts. It guaranteed the end was super intense as a result.
It was many years ago now so I may stand corrected, but IIRC Ten having the finals was to compensate Ten carrying the loss-bearing load of prime time Saturday games in NSW and QLD. Maybe it was needed to get Ten into the deal, otherwise Nine would have had to go solo?
I do recall Eddie was publicly miffed that Nine had agreed to just forfeit the finals.
Yep, I had heard similar. That and Nine got the Friday night games as well as the extra Sunday game (live too). I guess it was seen as a way to even the ledger but Nine trading themselves out of any finals games seemed quite the own goal.
In the end, both Seven and Ten did get three premiership Grand Finals each (including the replay that Seven televised in 2010).
Still, the 2007-11 period was a win-win for both networks, with the other televising the Brownlow Medal and the pre-season Grand Final when they didn’t have the premiership Grand Final.
In an alternate universe, apart from Ten televising the drawn Grand Final in 2010 (how frantic would that have been?), they also would’ve bowed out of AFL broadcasting with the 2011 Brownlow Medal, meaning no Grand Final farewell (in the real world, they were able to do that).
I could see 10 getting Friday night and Sunday, but Nine usually in that era showed the 2 NRL finals on delay after the news, maybe in that case, the news could air at 5pm or they could start one final at 4pm and the other one after the news both live. That way, the AFL finals would not be on such a big delay, maybe start it at 7.40pm.
I still love the 5 minute warning - when I’m at the game I know in close matches I’m frantically looking to the benches to see the big signs they put up with how much time is remaining, Ten’s coverage gave you that feeling of kinda knowing there’s not much time left but never being fully sure if it’s one kick or enough time for it to go up the field one last time.
That tension makes the relief of the siren that much stronger.
I’d have to guess it at least played a factor in why Ten ended up working with Seven for the 2007 rights deal, as if Nine were coming in bitter over the previous finals arrangement they might have wanted something heavily skewed in their favour in the new deal to make up for it.
Nine only had two Brownlow Medals in 2003 and 2005 but no AFL grand finals during its broadcast deal.
The Round 22, 2006 game between Collingwood and North Melbourne (then known as the Kangaroos) would be Nine’s AFL farewell, with Ten having the entirety of that year’s finals series as well as the Brownlow.
Courtesy: Rhettrospective
I like Eddie’s acknowledgement of the other FTA broadcasters.