Sydney Film Festival 2019 - Film Review - The Final Quarter

Adam Goodes - Sydney Swans - The Final Quarter

Ian Darling's documentary on the final three years of the playing career of indigenous leader and star player for the Sydney Swans, Adam Goodes provides a clear portrayal into the polarised nature of the public discourse which characterised the controversy into Goodes treatment. Goodes was consistently booed by the large fan bases of opposing teams at every single game where he played with elements of racism displayed by a small number of people including a much publicised name-calling incident involving a 13-year old girl.

Although the film was deliberately crafted using archival footage only, it is a major weakness with the absence of any direct face-to-face interviews with key people or indeed club fans to obtain their views and insights into the behaviour which was exhibited. A complete reliance on clips from AFL game broadcasts, football panel show commentators and 'shock jocks' provides a very superficial overview. Was it only racism ? Or an attempt to distract a highly effective player on the field (the Sydney Swans with Goodes were top of their game and winning premierships) ?  Had fans from the opposing clubs simply reached a point where they were 'booing' without even knowing why they were expressing it, as one commentator and Goodes himself questioned ?

Was it in fact bullying rather than racism or a reaction to the infamous Australian 'tall poppy syndrome' which lay at the base of the reaction (as Goodes himself also wondered) ? Goodes was on the verge of retirement from being a first grade player and had looked forward to winning one last premiership before exiting the game.

The failure of the AFL to manage the situation at a much earlier stage and take stronger measures is well demonstrated in the documentary. Overall, notwithstanding the limitations with content it is a well developed work of film making and editing in particular.