Bright sunshine and a chill wind met the players from Hawthorn and Sydney this morning as they awoke for the biggest day of Australian Football's year. After the Grand Final Parade yesterday was soaked with rain, a clear night a strong breeze and a very expensive drainage system should ensure that the venue for the match - the Melbourne Cricket Ground will be in great condition for today's match.

Across Australia and around the world, Australians and footy lovers of many nationalities and races will be tuning in to see a great game of football. The bright sunshine may give way to showers during the match but this will hopefully add to what is expected to be a tight contest and provide a great spectacle for one and all.

Football clubs overseas use the day to raise much needed funds to run the club and to assist in the financial burdens of long distance travel to compete. Many playing overseas have found our game at such functions or on the TV thousands of kilometres (or miles) from the MCG. Long may that continue.

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Sydney Coach, John Longmire was tonight announced as the AFLCA’s Allan Jeans Etihad Airways Senior Coach of the Year in front of over 600 guests at the 2012 Momentum Energy AFL Coaches Association Awards Night at Crown. Voted by his coaching peers, Longmire won the AFLCA Award in only his 2nd year as a Senior Coach. The Award has been named in honour of coaching icon Allan Jeans who passed away last year.

Richmond midfielder Trent Cotchin, won the AFLCA “Wingman Player of the Year Award. Cotchin finished in front of Collingwood’s Dayne Beams with Gary Ablett and Patrick Dangerfield tied in third position. Each Senior Coach voted on a 5,4,3,2,1 basis after each home and away game this Season. Government Minister Andrew McIntosh made the Presentation to Cotchin, with Trent’s partner and parents in attendance.

Goal umpire Chelsea Roffey will this Saturday become the first woman to officiate at an AFL grand final. Many in the international footy community may remember Chelsea from the 2008 International Cup where she provided media coverage for the AFL site working for Media Giants.

Roffey and Luke Walker were named as the goal umpires for this week's Hawthorn v Sydney season-decider.

The field umpires will be Simon Meredith, Brett Rosebury, and Matt Stevic, while the boundary umpires will be Ian Burrows, Jonathan Creasey, Robert Haala, and Mark Foster

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news...z27R0N3ZQu

The AFL and The Reach Foundation announced on Monday Richmond midfielder Daniel Jackson as the winner of the inaugural Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award.

Daniel Jackson was presented the award by Brian Stynes, brother of Jim, last night at the 2012 Brownlow Medal Ceremony.

The Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award honours the former Melbourne Football Club President and champion player who passed away in March this year, following a lengthy battle with cancer.

Essendon's Jobe Watson tonight took out the Brownlow Medal with a season tally of 30 votes. Despite Essendon's poor second half of the year Watson left others in his wake with Trent Cotchin from Richmond and Sam Mitchell from Hawthorn tied for second with 26 votes and Dane Swan and Scott Thompson both polling 25.

The AFL announced this week that the inter-conference Championship match of the 2012 North East Australian Football League (NEAFL) would be played between Queanbeyan and the Brisbane Lions at Manuka Oval in Canberra on this Saturday September 22, at 11:30am local time.

After winning only four matches in 2011, Queanbeyan topped the Eastern Conference table in 2012 and defeated the Sydney Swans Reserves by 30-points to claim the Eastern Conference premiership.

The Brisbane Lions Reserves went from last in 2011 to finish first on the NEAFL Northern Conference ladder in 2012.  They won the 2012 NEAFL Northern Conference Grand Final with a 60-point win over reining NEAFL Champions the NT Thunder.

In a historic victory, the Creekers overcame the Falcons 5.10 (40) to 5.5 (35) to win the 2012 Premiers Division Grand Final and take home the Sue Alberti Cup. It was the Creekers first time to take the Premier Division flag, and the team’s first time to beat the mighty Falcons, who were previously coached to six consecutive premiership flags by former coach Peta Searle, now at VFL club Port Melbourne.

The game was played at Box Hill City Oval, home of VFL team Box Hill Hawks, in front of a crowd of several thousand, a huge leap up from previous years.