It may just not happen overnight. After all, greatness can take a long time to build.
As I young lolly boy at the MCG I would never have dreamed I'd play and coach in seven premierships let alone one day help create the 18th AFL club in Western Sydney and Canberra.
As I sat among 70,000 people at Super Bowl XLIX last week, I started thinking about how long it must have taken the Yanks to perfect the greatest one-day sporting spectacle in the world.
I attended the Super Bowl with former U.S. Ambassador to Australia, Jeffery Bleich, a GWS GIANTS fan and great friend of the club. We both proudly wore our GIANTS caps during the match, even though some of the confused locals assumed we were lost.
Given my Irish heritage I felt obliged to support the New England Patriots, a Boston-based team who went on to win the match 28-24 in a nail-biting finish against the Seattle Seahawks.
But it wasn’t just the on-field action that captured my attention. In fact, those Americans could learn a thing or two from our boys on how to kick and mark.
What impressed me was how much the NFL invested in the entertainment side of the event - the music, the fireworks, the production.
The NFL even owns the big-screen at the stadium which makes you feel like you’re watching the match direct from an All American living room. In addition to the advertising costs, I’m told more than $12 million was spent on entertainment alone.
Given the ever-growing reputation of the Super Bowl, fans now crave more than just a close contest. They demand an extravaganza. And that’s what the NFL delivers year after year.
American half-time entertainment and the match-day experience have now become just as important as the players and teams themselves.
It’s now become part of the fabric of a successful event. Having first-class entertainment is not only favourable, but essential. We need to start acknowledging this and acting accordingly when planning our future AFL Grand Finals.
Money well spent if you ask any of the fans lucky enough to be inside University of Phoenix Stadium or the 118.5 million viewers at home. The twilight time-slot created an electric atmosphere around the stadium and the five-hour event was focused heavily on fan engagement.
Maybe starting our Grand Final a bit later in the day will provide an extra spark. Perhaps it will add to the excitement of the spectacle.
As a player and coach I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in many Grand Finals, each of them memorable for different reasons. The on-field action during a Grand Final is enthralling but we need to keep that excitement alive even when the players aren't on the field.
To produce a world-class event for our Grand Final we need to think differently. We need to invest in entertainment and generate interest outside the traditional football community.
It might not happen overnight, but I wonder if one day the AFL Grand Final could ever rival the Super Bowl for sheer extravagance.
Imagine Katy Perry performing at half time under lights at the MCG on grand final day on the back of a Giant. To an audience of millions around Australia - particularly in NSW and Qld - and many more millions around the globe.
What a statement that would be to the world about our Indigenous game.
After all, anything can happen in this game.
