It took all of 246 games and 10 years, but the drawn game between the Adelaide Crows and Brisbane Lions is the first drawn AFL game in the history of the Adelaide Oval….

If you don’t count that 2017 Elimination Final between Port and West Coast that went to extra time.

Another amazing fact – It’s also Adelaide’s first draw in the state of South Australia in their entire history!

It’s also Brisbane’s first draw since Round 19 of 2009, which was the second-longest drought in the AFL (The Western Bulldogs’ last draw was Round 5 in 2008), and it’s the first game in league history to have a margin of 3 points at quarter time, 2 points at half time, 1 point at 3/4 time, and the final result be a draw.

If you want a reference on the first drawn game at some other ‘Recent’ stadiums across the league:

The first draw at Docklands was St Kilda against West Coast in Round 4 of 2000 (116 apiece), which was only the 4th game at what was then Colonial Stadium, which has now hosted 1086 games and had 12 draws.

The AO’s predecessor in Football Park/AAMI Stadium hosted 458 games from 1991 to 2013, yet only had 2 draws in that time, both involving Port Adelaide, the first being against Geelong in Round 10 of 2000 (78 apiece) in what was the 143rd game at Footy Park, and the other was against Carlton in Round 4 of 2005 (109 apiece), in what was the 255th game at Footy Park, and the most recent draw in South Australia until today.

The Gabba has hosted 401 games for 3 draws since 1981, the first being a 93 apiece draw between the Brisbane Lions and Port Adelaide back in Round 20 of 1997, which was the 66th game at the Gabba and the first drawn AFL game for both Port Adelaide and the merged Brisbane Lions (Amazingly enough, they drew again the next year at The Gabba) – The prior Brisbane Bears never played in a draw at the Gabba.

Subiaco Oval hosted 545 games, yet the only draw across 30 years at the old House of Pain was the West Coast-Western Bulldogs game in Round 11 of 2003, which finished 124 apiece after Ashley Sampi kicked a goal after the siren for the Eagles to draw the game.

West Coast also never had a draw in 54 games at the WACA, likewise for Fremantle in the 18 games they played at the WACA, and there has never been a draw at Perth Stadium in the 143 games the ground has hosted since 2018, the closest results being 4 separate 1-point wins (2 for Collingwood, 1 for North Melbourne and 1 for Fremantle).

Despite hosting games as far back as 1903, the SCG’s first draw wasn’t until Round 6 of 1996, when the Sydney Swans and Essendon drew 90 apiece in what the 169th game at the ground, and it would be another 17 years until the next draw at the SCG, which was Sydney against Fremantle in Round 8 of 2013 (70 apiece), the 343rd game at the SCG.

The Swans also never had a draw at the Olympic Stadium in 56 games at the ground.

There’s also been 3 draws in 241 games at Carrara since 1987, 2 of them involving the West Coast Eagles – The first was a 92-92 result against the Brisbane Bears in Round 5 of 1992 when Ray Windsor kicked a goal after the siren for the Bears, marking the first drawn game both the Bears and Eagles had played in:

The next came 23 years later against the Gold Coast Suns in Round 18 of 2015 (83 apiece), when Tom Lynch kicked a tying goal for the Suns seconds from full-time, and the most recent draw was the Gold Coast-Essendon game in Round 11 of 2020, which finished 73 apiece.