The AFL Grand Final 2018 will long be remembered as a classic of all time. A real arm wrestling of a competition between two giant AFL clubs.
A game that went to the wire and arguably produced one of the best clutch gates you’ll ever see.
The end-to-end passage of the West Coast that led Dom Sheed to etch his name into AFL folklore by scoring a goal against the border in the final stages of the game to seal victory was one as iconic as in Grand Finale.
Sheed’s goal is clearly at the height of this legendary competition, but not far behind is a third quarter moment in which an unfortunate runner was involved.
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When Collingwood tried to work his way out of the backline, Taylor Adams was looking for a kick by Jaidyn Stephenson on the 50-meter bow. The only problem was that Stephenson’s way to kick was blocked by his own club’s runner.
The ball landed in the hands of Elliot Yeo from the west coast, who scored the goal to bring the Eagles back into the lead for the first time since the first quarter.
The man who was the center of attention was Collingwood’s runner Alex Woodward, who was a former Hawthorn player.
His unfortunate appearance in the biggest game of the year came when he tried to send a message for Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley.
Less than two years after the famous moment, Woodward spoke about the incident and the ugly fallout he endured along with the class Buckley showed, and an Eagles star helped him overcome the dark hole he entered.
“I just did my job,” said Woodward on Fox Footy’s Open Mike.
“Personally, I thought I was in a pretty good position not to be where I thought the ball would go. So I tried to send a message – and unfortunately I crossed paths with Jaidyn.
“I never contacted Jaidyn, but I really should have been a little more conscious and I definitely raised my hand.”
When he walked off the floor, he admitted that he “felt very guilty” about what had developed, but even that didn’t prepare him for what was to come.
“I knew the effects that might have on the game and I couldn’t help but show these emotions after the game,” he said.
“I was probably not ready to move into the spotlight after the game. I usually think I have fairly thick skin when it comes to this stuff. I had a lot of difficulties during my time in the AFL system. But when it comes to direct news and comments on social media, this stuff is fairly accessible and there is no real filtering.
“The worst was enough to bother me and put me in a little hole. From death threats to suicide suggestions to desires for illness and other injuries. I couldn’t help but be a little convinced.
“I know it’s easy to say you don’t care, but when there is an influx on such a big stage, I can’t help but feel even more guilty. No one else would make me feel as bad as I imagined the situation. “
The emotion of the moment overtook Woodward after the defeat in the rooms, but it was coach Nathan Buckley who was there with advice.
“I was pretty emotional after the game. A lot of guilt, a lot of self-doubt, embarrassed, ”he said. “I just felt like letting a lot of people down.
“But it’s what it is. I have learned to accept the moment as it was. Hopefully it made me a better person after experiencing this and facing another challenge.
“(Buckley said) that I didn’t really have to feel that way. I couldn’t help but feel like that, but he just wrapped his arms around me and said that I was a big part of why the club came in a strong position initially, ”said Woodward.
“As a runner, I really took on this role. I absolutely loved it. I just felt like letting him down (but) he just gave me a few comforting words. “
And it wasn’t just Buckley picking up the emptied Woodward with Eagle’s superstar Nic Naitanui who sent him a private message.
“It also speaks volumes about his character,” he said.
“That meant a lot to me. He said he thought about me – and a lot of the Eagles boys thought about it – and felt pretty sorry for it, which was nice too. “
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