Background
Geelong was looking for its first premiership since winning the 1963 VFL Grand Final and West Coast was attempting to repeat its success in the 1992 AFL Grand Final, when it had defeated Geelong by a margin of 28 points, becoming the first non-Victorian team to win the AFL Premiership.
At the conclusion of the home and away season, West Coast had finished first on the AFL ladder with 16 wins and 6 losses, winning the McClelland Trophy. Geelong had finished fourth (behind Carlton and North Melbourne) with 13 wins and 9 losses.
During the lead-up to the game, West Coast were the strong favourites to win. Geelong had won through to the decider after winning three tough finals, including two dramatic after-the-siren wins over Footscray and North Melbourne. West Coast had a relatively smooth run into the Grand Final, beating Collingwood in a Qualifying Final to earn a week's rest, before easily accounting for Melbourne in a Preliminary Final.
Read more about this topic: 1994 AFL Grand Final
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