Dane Rampe's staggering act in runner-up speech as AFL fans slam Brisbane Lions medal farce

Dane Rampe has once again won over the AFL world with an incredibly classy runner-up speech after the grand final. The Sydney Swans were left shattered on Saturday after losing their second grand final in three years, with Brisbane surging to a 120-60 victory at the MCG.

The Lions rebounded from the heartache of their grand final loss to Collingwood last year, but for the Swans it was more devastation after they were the best team all season. Sydney players were in tears after the game, and stand-in captain Rampe struggled to contain his emotions as he took to the stage.

But just as he did in 2022, the Swans veteran delivered an incredibly classy and humble speech. Rampe paid tribute to the Lions and the resiliency they showed after losing by just four points in the decider last year, describing it as an achievement in itself to make it back to the grand final.

“Unfortunately I know how hard it is to dust yourself off after a loss,” he said. “You guys should be extremely proud.”

He then turned his attention to his teammates, urging them to keep their heads up and use the disappointment to go one better in 2025. “I’m sorry we fell short again, which leads me to my boys today,” he said.

“As I said, we’ve fallen short again. But I stand here with pride that we put ourselves back in the ring and dusted ourselves off and put ourselves in position to keep swinging. We fell short today but we should be proud of ourselves.”

Rampe's speech left fans and spectators singing his praises, with many taking to social media to laud the gutted captain. "It's never easy to come up on stage and speak after a disappointing loss but Dane Rampe spoke so well there, good on you Dane," one person wrote. Another commented: "Dane Rampe's speech was articulate and gracious. At a time when he was heaving with emotion, it was an excellent speech."

Fresh calls for AFL to change premiership medal rules

Lions coach Chris Fagan was full of emotion after the full-time siren sounded, and also delivered a brilliant victory speech. But the post-match presentation sparked more questions about why it's only the players who play on the day who receive a medal.

Oscar McInerney was an integral part of Brisbane's campaign all season, but couldn't play the grand final after dislocating his shoulder twice in the preliminary final win over Geelong last weekend. The ruckman showed his absolute class by celebrating every one of his teammates after they received their medals, even though he would have been shattered he didn't get one and couldn't play.

Fans took to social media to praise McInerney's reaction amid his personal heartbreak, while also calling for the AFL to change the rules around who gets medals for a premiership triumph. Fagan and Swans coach John Longmire both declared on Friday that they think ever member of a grand-final winning squad should be rewarded with a premiership medal.

"I think the whole squad should get medals," Fagan said in Friday's press conference. "Teams win matches but squads win premierships and all the boys that don't play contribute just as much, so for me I think that makes logical sense. Every player on your list should receive a medal if you are lucky enough to win one." Swans coach Longmire agreed and simply said: "I'm with Fages".

Charlie Cameron cops backlash over moment with Auskicker

Also during the presentation on Saturday, Lions veteran Charlie Cameron sparked some backlash when he inadvertently forgot to shake the hand of the young Auskick player who presented him with his medal. As is tradition after an AFL grand final, the players are handed their medals by young boys and girls who play junior footy.

The youngster always drapes the medal over a player's neck, before the player presents them with a hat and is supposed to shake their hand. But Cameron left a young girl hanging when he forgot the handshake part. It's not the first time it's happened, but some were critical of Cameron's actions.