AFL Grand Final - Notable Grand Finals

Notable Grand Finals

• 1903 — Late in the last quarter, Fitzroy skipper Gerald Brosnan marked a pass from teammate Percy Trotter about thirty metres from goal with his team three points behind Collingwood. As he went back to line up his kick, the final bell rang. Brosnan's shot missed, but was so close that a Collingwood defender later claimed that he could hear the ball's lace brush the goal post.
• 1910 — A massive brawl broke out between Collingwood and Carlton players during the last quarter. A number of players were felled and four players were reported (the first in Grand Final history), yet the fight kept going. Umpire Jack Elder settled matters by blowing his whistle and bouncing the ball. Most of the combatants looked on, stunned, as the game recommenced without them, so they had no option but to forget about the fight.
• 1913 — Playing in their first Grand Final, St Kilda struggled, kicking just one goal in the first three quarters against Fitzroy. But they came charging home in the last by closing a 25-point gap to one point with a few minutes remaining. A St Kilda player marked very close to goal on an angle and made a bad mistake by following a pre-game tactic of handballing. His intended target was covered, the Saints lost the ball and Fitzroy booted two goals to seal the match.
• 1914 — With South Melbourne making a late charge at Carlton, the Blues led by six points when a long kick into South's goal square was contested by a pack of players. Just metres from the goal mouth, Ern Jamieson, Carlton's full back leaped straight into Tom Bollard's back, but Umpire Harry Rawle called play on and the ball was cleared. Moments later, the final bell rang. Had Bollard received a free and kicked it from point-blank range, the game would have ended in the first finals draw.
• 1918 — Collingwood had hit the front by a single point. In the final minute of play, South Melbourne went forward and a long kick into the teeth of goal by Gerald Ryan of South spilled from a pack of players. South Melbourne rover Chris Laird came rushing through and rather than attempt to pick the ball up, soccered it off the ground for a goal that won the game.
• 1921 — Richmond led Carlton by four points in a low scoring game played on a very wet day. Both teams were covered in mud as Carlton mounted a series of attacks in an attempt to get a winning goal. In the dying minute, a Carlton player passed toward teammate Alec Duncan, who was close to goal. Somehow, Richmond's Max Hislop hurtled across to Duncan and punched the ball from his grasp to save the premiership for the Tigers.
• 1927 — Collingwood defeated Richmond in atrocious conditions, 2.13 (25) to 1.7 (13). It was the lowest scoring game, Grand Final or otherwise, played during the 20th century.
• 1930 — Collingwood won its record fourth consecutive VFL Grand Final in succession, the 'Machine Team', under the tutelage of the legendary Jock McHale, creating a record which has not been matched in ensuing seasons.
• 1935 — Star full forward Bob Pratt was forced to withdraw from the Grand Final after he was hit by a truck in trying to cross the road the day before the game. Pratt had booted 362 in three seasons. Without him the Swans lost to Collingwood by 20 points, despite having as many scoring shots as the Magpies.
• 1948 — In the first drawn grand final, Essendon's inaccurate kicking led them to draw 7.27 (69) to Melbourne's 10.9 (69). Melbourne easily won the replay 13.11 (89) to Essendon's 7.8 (50).
• 1958 — A Collingwood outfit which had been badly beaten by Melbourne only two weeks earlier held sway in an 18-point victory over Melbourne to denying the Demons a fourth consecutive premiership and successfully defend their club's record of 4 consecutive premierships.
• 1960 — After an historic six consecutive years at the top of the ladder at the end of the home-and-away season, Melbourne won their 5th premiership in seven years, with a convincing win over Collingwood in wet conditions, in which the Demons more than quadrupled the Magpies' score 8.14 (62) to Collingwood's 2.2 (14).
• 1964 — Collingwood, playing Melbourne, looked set for a victory in the last quarter after Ray Gabelich's goal put them up by two points. Back pocket Neil Crompton kicked his first goal in 5 years to snatch back the lead and the match for Melbourne by 4 points, just moments from the final siren.
• 1966— St Kilda won their first premiership in 69 years of competition, defeating Collingwood by a solitary point. With only moments left, the two sides were locked level. Finally, Barry Breen snapped the point that gave the club its only premiership in its history thus far.
• 1970 — Carlton makes history by overcoming a 44-point deficit at half-time to defeat Collingwood by 10 points by the final siren. Alex Jesaulenko takes the Mark of the Year late in the second quarter, and the attendance of 121,696 remains the largest crowd of all time.
• 1972 — Carlton and Richmond scored a combined 50.27 (327) under the changing brand of football, then the highest scoring game of all time, and still the highest-scoring Grand Final of all-time.
• 1975 — North Melbourne win their first Grand Final – the last of the 12 VFL teams to do so.
• 1977 — The first ever Grand Final to be televised live resulted in a draw between North Melbourne and Collingwood. In a Grand Final replay the following week, North Melbourne was victorious.
• 1979 — Carlton defeats Collingwood by five points. Wayne Harmes (Carlton) is awarded the inaugural Norm Smith Medal as best on field, and famously tapped the ball from the boundary line to the goal square to Ken Sheldon for the winning goal.
• 1982 — Maurice Rioli (Richmond) becomes the first player to win the Norm Smith Medal despite being on the losing team.
• 1988 — Champion Hawthorn defender Gary Ayres becomes the first footballer to win two Norm Smith Medals in Hawthorn's then-record 96-point demolition of Melbourne.
• 1989 — The Grand final between Hawthorn and Geelong was one of the closest and hardest fought in years, and nicknamed the "Battle of '89". The game was notable as one of the toughest in the history of the game, with injuries and incidents involving Dermott Brereton (famously knocked out by a solid Mark Yeates shirtfront but courageously returned to play) and Robert DiPierdomenico (played three quarters with a punctured lung) many players were hospitalised after the game. Gary Ablett of Geelong was Norm Smith Medallist in a losing side.
• 1990 — Collingwood broke a 32 year drought and ended the famous "Colliwobbles", winning the first Grand Final of the new AFL era.
• 1991 — Due to the major construction of the Southern Stand at the MCG, the Grand Final was played at VFL Park between Hawthorn and the West Coast Eagles. Hawthorn defeated West Coast by 53 points.
• 1992 — West Coast becamesthe first non-Victorian team to win a premiership, defeating Geelong by 28 points.
• 1998 — In defeating North Melbourne, Adelaide wins back-to-back premierships in their second year under Malcolm Blight, becoming first club in modern times to win the premiership after finishing lower than fourth on the premiership ladder after the home-and-away season. Andrew McLeod wins the Norm Smith Medal for the second consecutive year, the first to achieve the feat.
• 2003 — Brisbane beats Collingwood by 50 points to win its third premiership in a row, the first club to achieve the feat since Melbourne in 1955–1957.
• 2004 - Port Adelaide defeats Brisbane by 40 points the first Grand Final not to include a Victorian team to win their first premiership despite being minor premiers three years in a row.
• 2005 — Sydney defeats West Coast by four points in a tight, low scoring game to win their first premiership since 1933 (when they were South Melbourne), ending a record drought of 72 years. A late, game-saving pack mark in defence by Leo Barry became an iconic finals moment.
• 2007 — Geelong defeated Port Adelaide by a Grand Final record of 119 points to win its first premiership since 1963.
• 2010 — The Grand Final between St Kilda and Collingwood is drawn, the third drawn Grand Final in VFL/AFL history. Collingwood won the Grand Final replay the following week by 56 points.