A night decider, played in Brisbane between two sides who had lost in the first week of the finals all offered opportunity for commentators to dig out a lazy description like no other.

And they didn't need asking twice.

Which was to be expected for someone with such limited vocabulary and imagination as Brian "danger, danger, danger, danger" Taylor but disappointing to see from an anchor with the experience and intelligence of Bruce McAvaney.

Channel Seven could have learned much from the US presidential debate, although if the director had hit the mute button every time BT refused to shut up, Bruce would have had a lot of airtime to fill.

After an unprecedented (another over-used description) season lasting from March to October, commentators and viewers alike were clearly as jaded and exhausted as the players.

Fortunately, national administrators can always be relied upon to stay in touch with the man on the street and delivered a Dustin Martin-like performance in the run-up to the biggest weekend of Australia's decimated sporting calendar.

In a commendable grasp of the delicate nuances of coronavirus restrictions, racehorse ownership was added to essential healthcare as a reason for social distancing exemption while a ban on unnecessary interstate travel was waived for members of the turf community as one patch of grass was given an all-expenses-paid holiday in the Sunshine state.

Despite all the enforced changes to the AFL's showpiece event, some traditions were maintained, not least Mike Brady performing Up There Cazaly from an empty MCG (or rather an MCG full of BT admirers).

Brisbane band Sheppard rivalled the sorcery of Martin and bravery of Ablett for most outstanding individual display of the day as viewers pumped up the volume for the half-time performance of Say Geronimo before turning it back down again for the reemergence of BT.

Meanwhile, an eye-catching accompanying light and pyrotechnic display resembling an Olympic opening ceremony gave the AFL all the evidence it will need to pursue its agenda for a permanent night grand final.

The code's governing body only had to wait 24 hours before being gazumped in outraged media opinion pieces by the NRL and its BT equivalent.

Phil Gould struggled to differentiate between his former club loyalties and current commentating responsibilities as the ex-Penrith general manager insisted his old employers were on top despite being 22-0 behind Melbourne Storm at half-time.

Channel Nine, and Eddie McGuire in particular, must have been stunned by the biased viewpoint of someone with such an obvious conflict of interest.

Unsurprisingly, fans weren't slow to point out Gould's myopia, with a couple referencing some distinguished figures in their Twitter hashtags.

Channel 10's Stephen Quartermain channelled his inner-Trump by calling Gould's commentary "fake news" while Hawthorn's Brownlow Medallist Shane Crawford turned to a bonkers politician closer to home by asking Gould to "please explain".

Former Fox Sports employee Paige Cardona Tweeted a frame from Geelong beating Port Adelaide by the greatest winning margin in AFL grand final history - 119 points in 2007 - along with Gould commenting: "Port Adelaide are on top here #NRLGF."

And the ABC's Richard Hinds added: "Decided not to watch the game and just listened to the Nine commentary. Congratulations Penrith Panthers on your 94-2 victory over the disappointing Storm."

However, as usual the Twitter war was won by Titus O'Reily whose dominance of social media is inversely proportional to his beloved Melbourne Demons' dominance of the AFL.

As Melburnians prepared for both an AFL grand final and a lifting of COVID restrictions last week, O'Reily said the three things he wanted the Victorian Government to announce were: being allowed to see family, outdoor dining for pubs, cafes and restaurants and "a new commentary team for the grand final".

In another reference to his home state's treatment of the global pandemic, he neatly summed up the match: "Nice of Geelong to honour Victoria by looking good early before a litany of mistakes turned it into a disaster."

The weekend's results also continued Victoria's impressive 2020 record as the AFL and NRL crowns were added to the state's previously-established claims to the titles of both Super Netball and "worst handling of COVID-19".