The match, attended by 91,482 spectators, was won by Brisbane by a margin of 26 points, marking the club's first premiership in their history since their inception in 1997.

Brisbane had won 15 consecutive games leading up to the grand final, a streak which commenced with a major upset of Essendon at the Gabba in Round 10.

Brisbane started the game well, scoring the first goal of the match from a free kick awarded to Alastair Lynch for holding against Dustin Fletcher.

Brisbane's poor kicking for goal almost put them out of the game in the second quarter as Essendon blew their lead out to 20 points late in the term.

The voting panel for the award included Sunday Herald Sun reporter Damian Barrett, Seven Network's Robert DiPierdomenico, ABC Grandstand commentator Stan Alves, and Tony Morwood from 4AAA.

[5] A number of participants from this Grand Final have gone on to coach at senior level in the AFL: 1 Scott and Hardwick coached against each other in the 2020 Grand Final, which, due to a COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria that prevented the match from being played at its contracted ground, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, was played at the Gabba.