Game history AFL Grand Final

1 game history

1.1 1897–1901: origins
1.2 1902–1914: mcg move
1.3 1915–1930: world war , end of challenge final system
1.4 1931–1939: new finals system , start of golden age
1.5 1940–1953: world war ii , after
1.6 1954–1961: melbourne olympic games , ticketing
1.7 1962–1983: second golden age
1.8 1982–1999: national team competition
1.9 21st century

game history

1897–1901: origins

the concept of grand final gradually evolved experimentation victorian football league (vfl) in initial years of competition following inception in 1897. during 19th century, australian football competition adopted approach team on top of ladder @ end of home-and-away series declared premiers. however, fledgling vfl decided finals series played between top 4 teams @ end of season generate more interest , gate money. 1897, vfl scheduled round robin tournament whereby top 4 played each other once , team won matches declared winner.

however, method had flaws, vfl continued experiment, playing section matches after regular season , finals series first on ladder played third team , second met fourth. winners of these semi finals met in final decide premiership. first such final contested in 1898 between essendon football club , fitzroy football club @ st kilda cricket ground, fitzroy won scoring 5.8 (38) essendon s 3.5 (23).

the second finals format discarded vfl after unsatisfactory conclusion 1900 vfl season, melbourne won premiership after having finished sixth out of 8 teams after home-and-away season (ahead of carlton , st kilda) record of 6-8.

the new finals system caused problems in 1901 when geelong finished on top of ladder eliminated when defeated in semi final. right of challenge introduced, giving team finished on top @ end of regular season (the minor premier) right challenge if lost semi final or final. challenge match came called grand final . first 4 grand finals scattered around various melbourne venues: 1 @ albert park, 2 @ st kilda s junction oval , 1 @ east melbourne cricket ground. selection of venue depend on portion of gate demanded ground s landlords.

1902–1914: mcg move

the public remained ambivalent concept of finals football until vfl pulled off coup in 1902. previously, mcg unavailable football in spring months being prepared coming cricket season. vfl convinced melbourne cricket club (mcc) rent ground finals series , first grand final @ today considered home of game attracted more 35,000 people watch collingwood down essendon. success of finals @ mcg proven big attendances every year, , major competitions around australia employing known amended argus system of finals. original argus system had been instituted vfl in 1901, amended system instituted vfl in 1902.

by 1908, new record attendance of 50,261 set, on day when crowd huge broke through fence , filed onto ground, sitting around boundary line watch action. figure beaten in 1912 grand final when 54,463 saw essendon defeat south melbourne. big finals crowds (and increasing cricket attendances) prompted mcc cut down eleven fifty-year-old elm trees inside ground , turn stadium concrete bowl, complete stands , standing room. record fell again in last grand final before world war i, when excitement of st kilda s first premiership attempt drew 59,479 spectators.

1915–1930: world war , end of challenge final system

the war had considerable effect on impact of grand final , attendances plummeted. 1 critic called carlton team receive iron cross after defeated collingwood in thrilling 1915 grand final, ironically dubbed glorious contest famous coach jack worrall. many diggers supported continuance of game, , both 1918 , 1919 grand finals notable large number of australian servicemen in attendance, many of whom wore uniform.

during 1920s, vfl grappled problems associated amended argus system , true grand final not played if minor premier won both semi final , final. although new attendance records set in 1920 , 1922, these semi finals, drew bigger crowds grand final.

there no grand final in 1924; once-off finals system trialled, in top 4 contested round robin, top team round robin face minor premiers in grand final if required; but, when minor premiers essendon won round robin, no grand final staged.

the league reverted amended argus system 1925, when grand final attracted new record crowd of 64,288: match geelong s first vfl premiership win, , huge contingent victoria s second city descended on mcg watch team make history. 1927 until 1930, collingwood won 4 premierships in row, remains league record.

in 1927, 1928 , 1930, biggest crowd of year again drawn semi final , not grand final. this, coupled perception minor premier find losing semi-final advantageous, resulted in league abandoning amended argus system after 1931, replacing page–mcintyre system.

1931–1939: new finals system , start of golden age

the page playoff system (or final 4 ) introduced 1931, whereby semi finals (1 v 2 , 3 v 4) followed preliminary final , grand final, right of challenge abolished. proved satisfactory all, , new system ushered in golden age grand final.

new records set , when 75,754 attended 1933 grand final between south melbourne , richmond, started mcc thinking of expansion again. months earlier, cricket attendance records shattered during bodyline series between australia , england. mcc decided build southern stand, enclosed half ground , completed in 1937. year, geelong-collingwood grand final attracted 88,540 , spectators sitting 5 deep along boundary line. somehow, following year, 96,834 people turned , squashed in watch magpies take on carlton. @ time, melbourne s population 1 million, meant on grand final day, 1 tenth of city @ game.

1940–1953: world war ii , after

the vfl grand final in 1946 stands of mcg

football served distraction people on home front during war, particularly during darkest days between 1941 , 1943. australian government requisitioned number of vfl grounds, including mcg. therefore, grand final staged @ princes park (carlton) in 1942, 1943 , 1945, , @ st kilda s junction oval in 1944 when fitzroy won last premiership on second hottest grand final day on record. 1943 clash thrilling contest, richmond defeating essendon 5 points. 1942 , 1945 matches marred violence, , latter game has gone down in history bloodbath . amazing crowd of 62,986 crammed carlton ground game, played weeks after armistice japan declared.

so when mcg relinquished government in august 1946, there great expectation in buildup grand final, essendon booted record score defeat melbourne. attendances 1930s levels 1947 , 85,815 turned see carlton beat essendon solitary point; similar crowd year later watched bombers , demons play first draw in grand final history. melbourne won replay following week. sight of thousands sitting between fence , boundary line, first seen in late 1930s, usual @ grand final. spectators admitted on first-come basis, , thousands took lining outside stadium in days before match gain best vantage point when gates opened on morning of match. reservations raised spectator safety mcg being filled above capacity.

1954–1961: melbourne olympic games , ticketing

as mcg used main stadium 1956 olympic games, ground upgraded again new stand , capacity. construction work restricted crowd @ 1954 grand final when 80,897 people saw footscray win historic first flag. 8 thousand more witnessed 1955 grand final, before stand completed. 1956 grand final seen dry run opening ceremony of games 2 months later, no 1 prepared outcome. officially, 115,802 fans turned out see melbourne take on collingwood second year in row, contemporary reports state anywhere between twenty , thirty thousand people turned away. gained admittance storming gates, while others perched precariously on roof of southern stand. old record had been shattered 19,000 chaos outside ground prompted vfl introduce ticketing system first time.

attendances hovered around 100,000 mark during coming years. melbourne dominated era 7 straight grand final appearances (for 5 flags), playing collingwood 3 times , essendon twice. 1958 grand final, when collingwood upset melbourne team attempting equal magpies proud record of 4 consecutive premierships, arguably greatest upset recorded in biggest game of all. demons made amends winning next year, when premiership cup presented first time. previously, crowd descended on arena @ end of game, , players variously chaired off ground or walked dressing room. presentation of cup gave after-match ceremonial focus , allowed attention settle on premier team.

following 1956 introduction of television australia, there repeated calls grand final telecast live, vfl refused on basis crowd numbers might affected. delayed telecast allowed 1961 grand final, when hawthorn won first time, thereafter videotaped replay shown.

1962–1983: second golden age

in contrast 1950s when few teams monopolising grand final places, 1960s decade of variety. between 1961 , 1968, 7 teams won flag , number of classic encounters played. in 1964 grand final, thrilling finish enabled melbourne win last premiership date 4 points. 2 years later, in arguably 1 of famous grand finals of them all, st kilda won premiership 1 point, , players went impromptu lap of honour cup, tradition endures. in 1967 grand final, geelong , richmond played match of highest standard, tigers winning in last minutes end long premiership drought. next season, carlton ended long run without success , set record winning team score fewer goals opposition defeated essendon 3 points.

by now, mcg had been expanded again record crowds set in 1968, 1969 , 1970. in commonly referred greatest of all-time, 1970 grand final saw carlton come 44-point half time deficit beat collingwood; watched all-time record crowd of 121,696 people. of matches during period had remember: hawthorn s comeback win in 1971, carlton s record score in highest scoring grand final ever played in 1972, richmond s 2 wins on carlton in 1969 , 1973 in physical encounters, , north melbourne s first grand final victory in 1975 . in memorable 1977 grand final, north melbourne came 27 points down @ 3 quarter time play second drawn grand final in history (the first since 1948). momentum continued on first saturday in october 1977, when defeated collingwood in replay.

after 1981 grand final, old scoreboard removed manuka oval. mcg installed new electronic colour scoreboard in 1982.

by start of 1980s, collingwood had lost 8 grand finals in row since winning 1958 premiership. term colliwobbles began used @ time describe team s inability win grand finals.

1982–1999: national team competition

the 1980s saw sustained period of dominance hawthorn, appeared in every grand final 1983 1989, winning 4 of them in 1983, 1986, , back in 1988 , in 1989 contest. 1989 grand final, high scoring , physical encounter in hawthorn defeated geelong 6 points, considered 1 of greatest of time.

with transformation of vfl australian football league in 1990, , move national competition, there emerged new era in non-victorian based clubs competed premiership. between 1992 , 2006, non-victorian clubs won ten out of fifteen premierships. first club achieve feat west coast in 1992 , 1994, , adelaide won back-to-back premierships in 1997 , 1998. north melbourne other club win 2 grand finals in 1990s, 1996 , 1999 respectively, no team dominated era.

21st century

cameron mooney (no. 21) lines goal in 2008 afl grand final against hawthorn

between 2001 , 2003, brisbane lions won 3 consecutive grand finals, nine-point win against collingwood in 2002 closest of 3 matches. in 2004, port adelaide defeated brisbane lions in first grand final ever played between 2 non-victorian teams. 2005 , 2006 grand finals played between sydney , west coast, each winning 1 premiership less goal; 2005 match remembered strong defensive mark taken sydney s leo barry in dying seconds.

sydney swans supporters celebrate goal @ 2006 afl grand final

the years 2007 2011 saw dominant geelong appear in 4 out of 5 grand finals, winning 3 premierships. match not feature geelong in 2010, when collingwood , st kilda played third draw in grand final history, collingwood winning subsequent replay 56 points.

after 2011, hawthorn established dominant force, finishing runners sydney in 2012 winning 2013, 2014 , 2015 premierships against fremantle, sydney , west coast.

on 19 april 2016, afl announced drawn grand finals resolved use of 2 5 minute time periods, siren not being sounded end second period until tie broken, abolishing use of full replay.