Violence & Brawls ·
Lynch and Wakelin’s 2004 Grand Final Fight
The first-quarter confrontation brought Lynch a 10-week suspension. Years later, Wakelin and a nearby Shaun Burgoyne recalled how it unfolded.
In the first quarter of the 2004 AFL Grand Final, Brisbane forward Alastair Lynch began throwing punches at Port Adelaide defender Darryl Wakelin, who responded with punches of his own. Nearby, Shaun Burgoyne and Jason Akermanis were tussling as the ball came towards them. The confrontation at the MCG on September 25 came during Lynch’s final AFL appearance. He was retiring after the match and received a 10-week suspension and a $15,000 fine for his part in the fight.
Wakelin’s account, given to the This Is Your Journey program in 2025, began with a warning before play. He remembered Lynch turning towards him and saying words “along the lines of, ‘Don’t try anything today or I’ll have a crack’.” They had previously pushed and shoved as opposing full-back and full-forward, Wakelin said, and had been reported for striking each other a couple of years earlier.
Wakelin recalled Lynch pulling up short during a lead and injuring his quadriceps. He then described Burgoyne and Akermanis pushing and shoving, and his own instruction: “Boys, sort it out.” According to Wakelin, Lynch came over, grabbed him by the throat and said, “What are you going to do about it, hero?”
“Usually, they throw a couple (of punches) and it stops… but this just kept going,” Wakelin said. He remembered thinking he needed to get hold of Lynch’s head, “give him a couple and hold on”. He also said he tried to stay out of the way of Lynch’s fists.
Burgoyne, speaking on Hawthorn’s Heavy Hitters podcast in 2020, remembered standing beside the fight and weighing whether to intervene. “They’re two six-foot-five guys swinging, me and Jason Akermanis are two small guys!” he said. He initially thought he should help, then worried about being hit. As the ball approached, his attention returned to Akermanis: if Burgoyne left him to join the fight, Akermanis could lead away and take an easy mark. Burgoyne stayed with him.
The official match record distinguishes strikes from attempted strikes. Lynch was reported twice for striking Wakelin, drawing suspensions of four and three matches, and four times for attempting to strike him, drawing another three matches and a fine. Wakelin was fined for attempting to strike Lynch. Wrestling reports against both men resulted in no finding.
Port Adelaide won 113–73. Lynch later told Fox Footy’s Open Mike that the confrontation “was undoubtedly the most regrettable time of my career.”