Grand Final History: Recent Episodes
Kieran Magee
Welcome to Grand Final History, a Podcast that explores every VFL and AFL premiership since 1897. Each episode takes you through a summary of the season, the changing rules, emerging trends, controversies and highlights. Then into the finals culminating in two teams challenging each other in a Grand Final to become the premiers for the year (Apart from the seasons where a round robin system replaced the Grand Final). From the early years of the VFL when 8 suburban clubs built a competition to a national league playing games in every state and territory across the country.
Games in four states, the first night game for premiership points, radio broadcasts of interstate games and teams visiting the Gold Coast, 1952 was a window to the future. Geelong began a mighty streak and Coleman kicked yet another ton. It was the wettest season in years, one ground literally ploughed up to remove the water but that didn't stop the footy! The venue for the Melbourne Olympics was announced, not what you might be expecting.
Mr Football, Ted Whitten, won four Best and Fairest Awards in one season the year before his VFL debut with Footscray in 1951. It was a year with one of the biggest tribunal shock decisions in the entire history of the V/AFL and a year full of rumours about Dick Reynold's return to the playing field. Essendon players wanted reserved seats for their wives, mothers or girlfriends at the Finals but was there an ulterior motive? The Grand Final was a thriller which moved one player to describe it as “Not just your average run of the mill Grand Final.” Listen to the entire episode to see how the 1951 VFL unfolded and which club received the first trophy for winning a VFL Premiership.
Every Jock McHale Medal winner can trace their coaching DNA back to Jock McHale, yet who was this man, this Prince of Coaches. A man who held the games played record, a man who held the games coached record, a man whose 8 premierships as coach is unmatched, a man who coached Collingwood to an unprecedented and unmatched four premierships in a row. All of that and more, an author, a political campaigner, a husband, a father and an inspiration. He began his League career more than 120 years ago but his name will never be forgotten. Listen to this episode to learn more about the man his players always called Mr McHale.
Jock McHale coached Collingwood for almost 1,400 days. His successor lasted just 4 days. The man the players always called Mr McHale retired in 1950 and a civil war exploded at Collingwood. Hawthorn also had their own controversial, disruptive coaching replacement scandal, an experience that became a turning point for the club. It was a year of war in Korea and Communism reached the MCG on Grand Final Day and league footballers played the game under lights. Times were changing at the half way mark of the 20th Century.
Jack Dyer played the game hard until he could play no more, but none of the players were expecting a kiss from the big man after his last game. As his career came to an end John Coleman made a debut unlike any other in the history of V/AFL footy. The Russians exploded an atomic bomb but that was not the only big news on grand final day. The 1949 VFL season saw a new team top the ladder in a year four clubs appointed new coaches looking for success. Listen to the episode to find out what was happening in 1949 on and off the field and why Carlton took such a long time to get to Kardinia Park to play Geelong.
www.grandfinalhistory.au/episode-53-1949-the-end-of-the-dyer-era/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0AJI6862IImeCqE5PQ67Z4?si=8e473c5c970b4227
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grand-final-history/id1532640129
Was Melbourne’s 1948 Grand Final team the craziest brave selection for any Grand Final team ever? Two blokes who had played the season for Uni Blacks in the Amateurs and a full forward who had spent the season in the Reserves. Essendon had already beaten Melbourne 3 times in 1948 and 12 times in a row. What were the Demon’s selectors thinking? A big season of footy got even bigger when the 1948 Grand Final ended in a draw. A first for the VFL and everyone had to come back the following week, one coach was not going to be at the wedding that had been scheduled for the week after footy was supposed to be finished. Find out what was happening in 1948 and who would be premiers after the first ever drawn VFL Grand Final.
Carlton shocked their supporters and the football world in 1947 when they selected their new captain who had only played two games in the VFL. It was a time of change with the invention of the Four'nTwenty Pie, as immigrants beginning new lives, far away from the chaos in Europe and women playing footy in front of one of the biggest crowds of the season. Collingwood threatened to forfeit rather than play their home game against Carlton at the MCG, it was all about money and bribery scandals saw a lifetime ban imposed. Fred Fanning kicked 18 goals in his last game for Melbourne. The Final Four saw the last four premiership winners playing for the premiership but only one team could take the 194 Flag by the narrowest of margins.
A special extra episode covering the 5th decade of the VFL from 1937 to 1946. From the greatest Grand Final ever to the Infamous Bloodbath, from war with the VFA to surviving WWII the VFL and the clubs faced many challenges. Players were killed in the war, some returned from the horrors of the Burma Railway, others kept the country moving at home, playing football when they were not working 12 hours shifts. A decade that finished with the league celebrating its 50th season with a return to an MCG Grand Final.
The VFL celebrates its 50th Jubilee season with the return of the MCG and the Brownlow and some changes including the addition of a 20th man. The game has become a “Gigantic Industry’ according to VFL Secretary Like McBrien but clubs are still having trouble getting enough jumpers and balls with rationing still in place. Goal kicking legend Bob Pratt’s comeback would end after one game, some players would return to VFL footy after the trauma of being POW’s at Changi and the Burma Railway and some future champions would make their debut’s. The finals were thrilling, the second drawn semi final had the MCG curators fretting and the Grand Final would define what a “Premiership Quarter” looked like.
Ted Whitten said it was the best game he ever saw, several of the players had no memory of what happened, a suspended player got reported and Ted Whitfield’s pre-match routine was to drink 6 beers with a top up at halftime. The Bloodbath was an extraordinary Grand Final played shortly after the end of World War II where a football match occasionally broke out between the fights. 1945 was a pivotal year, supporters were back watching footy and the country waited for the end of hostilities, mourned the death of the US president and an Australian Prime Minister then saw the dawn of the Atomic Era. Listen to the episode to see how the 1945 season unfolded and how the legend of the Bloodbath began.
Supporters were “Up the Junction” in 1944, making their way to the Junction Oval, hosting the Grand Final for the first time since 1899, baked by hot winds on a 30C day with trams and busses on strike. It had been another tough wartime season, so tough even Jack Dyer got suspended, for the only time in his career. Some had suggested that anyone who hit Dyer deserved a Victoria Cross. The Tigers had considered a boycott in protest against a teammate's suspension but were in their third Grand Final in a row against Fitzroy, back in the Grand Final 22 years after their last premiership. As the Allies progressed through Europe and the Pacific, football administrators grappled with the future of football, would their be peace in our time between the VFL and the VFA?
Join us as we delve into the stories of resilience, sportsmanship, and historical significance that shaped the 1944 VFL season.
Eleven teams started the 1943 season but only ten made it to the final round. To ensure only one bye per team, the club on the bottom of the ladder after round eleven was eliminated! The earliest Wooden Spoon ever! The war meant everything was different, US Marines were at the MCG, they even played a gridiron game, the American football code as a rare game on the G once it was occupied for the war. The Americans even took on the Australians in a hybrid football game described as ‘aerial bombardment”. All the while the VFL season unfolded, with challenges of player availability and news of loss at the front line. Still plans were being prepared for peace time, would the VFL be expanding?
This episode delves into a unique chapter of football history set against the backdrop of World War II. Discover the remarkable story of the Changi Australian Football Association and the creation of the Changi Brownlow Medal within the brutal confines of Changi Prisoner of War Camp in Singapore. Despite being far from home in a hostile environment, Australian POWs found solace and a sense of normalcy through a makeshift football league. Learn how this extraordinary season symbolised the enduring spirit and camaraderie of the players amidst adversity, and how it left an indelible mark on the history of the sport. With insights from Roland Perry's book, "The Changi Brownlow," and historical records this is a story that honours the legacy of resilience of the prisoners at Changi and the unifying power of the Australian Game.
In 1942 the Americans were taking over the city and were amazed by the footy and yet some wanted to Americanise the local game to help it expand north and internationally. But there were bigger problems north of Australia with the Japanese advancing through the Pacific.
Not all the teams played, the MCG was a not so secret military base and Sunday football became a regular event but not for the VFL. The ordinary way of life was gone, the government was taking everyone’s binoculars but footy provided some comfort and normality in a season like no other.
A world in turmoil, a world at war and some want to play football on Sundays, undermining the nation’s spiritual and moral foundations and risking national destruction, there was a lot going on in 1941. Melbourne were aiming for their third premiership in a row while others wondered if football should be played at all. The VFA were stealing star players while others were in military camps, unsure how many games they would play and some were paying the ultimate price.
The greatest shirtfront ever delivered occurred in possibly the toughest season ever, with more players reported in 1940 than ever before. The drama and shocks on the field were matched by the turmoil and challenges off the field as the VFA looked to recruit the biggest stars of the day and many players made the biggest decisions of their lives to enlist in the armed services. St Kilda won their first premiership (The Patriotic Premiership with a Flag and a Cup) while Jack Dyer and Norm Smith clashed on the MCG.
Tune in for an insightful look at how the year 1940 was a pivotal turning point for Australian football, shaping the future of the game both on and off the field.
Welcome to 'Grand Final History,' where we delve into the tumultuous events of 1939, the 43rd season of the VFL, amid a backdrop of global and local crises. Experience how devastating bushfires scorched Victoria, culminating in the infamous Black Friday, and how the VFL played a role in providing solace through sport.
Join us as we navigate through a year marked by political upheaval, with the death of Australian Prime Minister Joseph Lyons and global tensions mounting towards World War II. Discover how the VFL operated amidst recruiting battles with the VFA and changes to game rules aimed at enhancing the pace and spectacle of Australian football.
Witness the shifting dynamics of the VFL clubs, with Collingwood's dominance under scrutiny and Melbourne's eventual triumph. Relive the dramatic moments of the finals, set against the backdrop of cinematic breakthroughs and innovations like the twist tie. This episode captures a pivotal moment in football history, reflective of a world on the brink of war.
The VFL was “The rebellious child of the Association” and it could not dictate how football was going to be played in 1938. There was a split in Australian Football, the Association were changing the rules, allowing throwing the ball and more as they looked to attract more spectators to their games, so “Who cares what the League thinks” was their motto. 1938 was a dramatic year on and off the field, bribery attempts by gambling cartels, new teams in the finals and doping to help win a grand final. All this and more in the latest episode of Grand Final History.
The greatest game of all they called it: The 1937 Grand Final between Collingwood and Geelong. The year saw a King’s coronation, with a North Melbourne player representing the VFL in London and Fitzroy became the Gorillas! Finals prices increased, never popular, yet a record crowd was a the Grand Final. It was the Magpies chance for a premiership hat trick and to send Gordon Coventry off in style or Geelong’s opportunity to give Reg Hickey a premiership in his second stint as captain coach. Meanwhile, trouble was brewing with the VFA.
Welcome to Grand Final History. In this special supplementary episode, we review the fourth decade of the VFL, from 1927 to 1936. We explore the trends, issues, significant incidents, and quirks over the ten years.
New rules, night football, new finals system, new club mascots, goal kicking master classes and the dominant Magpie Machine, the Fourth Decade of the VFL provided a welcome relief for supporters struggling through the Great Depression. This special, supplementary episode provides an overview of the Fourth Decade of VFL football. The teams that did well, the teams that struggled, the players that made a name for themselves and how the League started to flex its economic and political muscle as the game continued to grow in popularity.
Abdications, invasions, Olympics and Grand Finals but some people in 1936 were more worried about all night trams and football being played on a Sunday. It was the VFL’s 40th Season with Richmond’s Punt Rd home ground the centre of an extraordinary dispute that might bankrupt every club and the league. One of the most infamous tribunal hearings will result in a champion missing a Grand Final and decades of fake news. One club takes on a new nickname as part of their rise to success. Another big season in the VFL.
Join us as we recount the dramatic and eventful year of 1936 in VFL history, a year that shaped the future of Australian football and reflected the broader societal changes of the time.
Collingwood and South Melbourne play each other seven times, but only one can win the 1935 VFL premiership. It was a year that saw the first night game between VFL clubs and beer came in cans for the first time, two pivotal moments in history. Footscray made their bid for worst jumper of all time and the Magpies almost forfeited a game. North Melbourne and Hawthorn struggled while the league promised to help Rugby Union. Meanwhile Richmond was looking for alternatives to Punt Road for a home ground. And a truck played its part in Grand Final History.
Join us as we delve into the captivating history of 1935, where football, innovation, and world events intertwined to shape a memorable year.
In this gripping episode of "Grand Final History", we transport you back in time to relive the highs and lows of the 1934 Victorian Football League (VFL) season. This episode encompasses Melbourne's Centenary year, the effects of economic depression, global political turbulence, and local events as experienced by the average supporter
We examine the game-changing evolution of how football was played, from new rules to record breaking performances.
This episode captures the essence of the hard-fought season, marked by controversies, dramatic brawls, and exceptional skill demonstrations. Get insider details of the tensions and concerns plaguing the league then, from club financial difficulties to fears of a sport collapse.
We revisit sensational moments like Bob Pratt's legendary 15-goal game, South Melbourne's stunning victory over Collingwood, and the remarkable performance by Laurie Nash. Relive the rollercoaster final matches, leading up to the historic grand final showdown between Richmond and South Melbourne.
In this historical analysis, we expose the unseen drama off the field, from bribery allegations to internal physical clashes, and their impact on the sport. We bring forth tales of bravery, grit, and unyielding spirit, showcased by legendary players, which continue to inspire fans decades later.
Don't miss out on this journey back in time that uncovers the riveting story of the 1934 football season; its thrills and spills, victories and heartbreaks, and every defining moment that shaped this golden era of Australian football.
It was the year a cartoonist bestowed a mascot onto a VFL club, it was the year Australian Rules and Rugby League tried to invent Universal Football and it was the year St Kilda and North had a game that they both recall very differently. The VFL experimented with a new pricing model for finals, the crowds might have been lower but the league considered it a success. Has the League ever regretted a price rise?
So much of football history relies on the pioneering journalists who covered the early years of the VFL. In this episode we take a break from normal programming to look at some of the key reporters in print and the emerging radio media. Find out the names and the stories behind the pseudonyms of those early trail blazers who established media traditions still with us today.
Australians struggle with the Depression, unemployment and the death of Phar Lap but there is always footy to look forward to. South Melbourne bring in a new jumper, new management and new players but will it be enough? The Tigers have been runners up four times in five years, their coach Checker Hughes has led teams into eight Grand Finals and been runners up eight times, will it change in 1932?
Games at the Exhibition Oval, next to the Exhibition Buildings? The VFL was negotiating with Cricket Clubs to get a fair share of revenue for football on grounds controlled by Cricket Clubs and released the 1931 fixture with games at the Exhibition Oval and the Motordrome, opposite the MCG. Football clubs were threatened with eviction. It was going to get tense before an agreement was struck. Collingwood were trying for their fifth premiership in a row but lost a champion player who moved to Tasmania to coach and get a job rather than be unemployed in Melbourne. A Tiger Immortal made their debut but did not get a touch. And the finals get a shake up with the traditional Right of Challenge dismissed for all time.
Collingwood are looking for their fourth premiership in a row but with three time premiership captain Syd Coventry appointed Captain Coach of Footscray how will the Magpies cope? Harry Collier finally gets to meet Charlie, it only took 59 years! Geelong supporters wonder if the You Yang mountains are cursed. 1930 was a tough time for many people but footy provided relief for many. And though the rain fell heavily at times some wanted to make Victoria a dry state.
The Rum Rebellion, the tragedy of Australia’s frontier wars and the birth of our own game, all of this will be explored as we look at the Henry Colden Antil Harrison, the Father of Football and the forgetting and remembering of his cousin, Tom Wills. Colden Harrison may not have been at the very birth of the game, unlike cousin and brother in law Tom, but his impact was pivotal in the growth and establishment of the native game. And the establishment would recognise him in his own life, even if, in recent times, we have lost focus on the role he played in the making of our great game, Australian Football.
Coventry kicks a ton, the Father of Football dies and the Victorian team rescue a stowaway and there is talk of the VFL killing the VFA, again! The VFL and the world were changing in 1929, not always for the better but one thing that could be counted on was the Collingwood Machine and their quest for a premiership hat trick. The Saints would make a late run for the finals and the premiership game would have a familiar look to it.
Affiliation between the VFA and VFL was a hot topic in 1928. Could these two feuding organisations put their history behind them and cooperate for the good of football in Victoria. Many meetings, detailed proposals and a preview of an arrangement that was implemented many decades later.
An episode for those interested in the fractious relationship between the VFL and the VFA
Collingwood players threatening to go on strike over pay cuts, the VFA looking to affiliate with the VFL, a Brownlow winner off to the USA to teach American footballers to kick and meet Hollywood stars and Geelong’s grandstand burns down so the players get new boots. 1928 was a busy season as the economy started to look tougher clubs looked to save money. But how could the Magpies defend their premiership if they went on strike? And how did Fitzroy have three more scoring shots than the Cats but lose by 76 points? The Bulldog makes an appearance at Footscray but not everyone is pleased. The VFL gets its first draw in a finals series then in the Grand Final one player sets a goal kicking record that still stands today.
One champion footballer killed in a car crash and Geelong nearly lose three premiership players in another accident on the Geelong Road. The popularity of cars is increasing and the road toll is growing. 1927 was not short of drama and incident. Collingwood dumped their captain before the season started with never ending rumours of bribery and corruption. At the National Football Championship a tactic used by the VFL causes an immediate rule change for all future championships. Meanwhile violence on the ground and by spectators reaches new heights. The season ends in a Grand Final that sets records that have not been matched since.
Ten years in one episode, the third decade of the VFL. From a time of war and global pandemic a six team competition grows to 12 clubs and the game is faster, with higher scores but not everybody is happy. The first radio broadcasts and growing number of newspapers feed a never ending hunger for news about footy. Gambling and bribery scandals target premiership teams. There is event discussion of privately owned clubs and night football decades before theire time. And will Collingwood be allowed to play their home games at Victorai Park?
Tragedy strikes on and off the field, bushfires burn the state and one VFL player dies due to a tetnus infection after breaking his arm in a game. 1926 had its challenges. There were also highlights, the game was faster, the scores were higher and a Grand Final was won with six wonderful minutes sealing the game. It was also the year where two men coached at one club but played for another in the same season. And, if you think that's odd, wait until you hear about the Geelong business owners who want the reigning premiers to leave the VFL.
The VFL becomes a 12 team competition, Hawthorn, North Melbourne and Footscray leave the VFA. Threats of legal action, suspensions and accusations of dishonourable conduct. But then proposals for two new privately run teams, playing under lights on Saturday and Sunday decades before night football was established. And Grand Final players bashed after training by a gang of supporters from the other club. It was all happening in 1925. New clubs, new rules and host of new coaches across the league, all looking for their place in Grand Final History.
No Grand Final but plenty of scandal. Did the premiership team take a dive? Why did Fitzroy select the coach of Melbourne to play in their Semifinal? Is the Brownlow for the Fairest and Best or the Best and Fairest and why are the umpires casting the votes? And the league looks at a new ground as an alternative to the MCG. And will the VFL finally make a decision to admit a 10th team. All this and more in season 1925.
1923 sees the start of radio broadcasting but letting people know who won the Grand Final can also be done by shooting flares from an air-plane over a crowded Caulfield Cup crowd. Every team except Carlton would spend some time in the Four yet it would come down to the last round of the season to lock in the finalists. The Blues were not a happy club and players fighting with committee members after a game at Essendon was not going to help but it did see three players suspended. It would be the latest date in the year for a VFL Grandfinal, and the first time a Premiership match was postponed due to the weather. Who would win on this one day in October?
Significant changes in 1922 as some of the VFL's biggest names end their careers while two Newspapers debut, providing even more coverage of football for a sports hungry public. The Sun News Pictorial and the Sporting Globe add their voice to the 26th season where Richmond will attempt their third premiership in three years, Essendon move to a new home at Windy Hill and the VFL grapple with new rule proposals. Will throwing the ball become legal?
1921 in the Victorian Football League, it was a year that Essendon’s efforts to find a new home ground saw the temporary demise of North Melbourne and a slow train journey to Perth had the best players from Victoria and South Australia playing kick to kick on the wide open Nullarbor Plain. Roy Cazaly moved to South Melbourne and the cry of “Up there Cazaly” was born. During a vicious hail storm that covered the MCG with ice spectators from the outer invaded the hallowed MCC Members’ Stand, desperately seeking shelter. Alongside these and other curious events Richmond were trying to back up their first premiership while eight other clubs were looking to get in their way.
Innovation was the theme in 1920 for the VFL: New jumpers proposed to avoid clashes, new rules to open the game and reduce congestion, proposals for ground rationalisation down to two grounds in Melbourne and scheduling Morning Games in the fixture. It was all happening over 100 years ago. Also, controversy in Grand Final week as one player is barred from playing due to a zoning restriction and another makes his debut, in his one and only VFL game, in the Grand Final.
Borders closed between states, travel restricted, buildings closed, masks required when in public but the footy went on. Might seem familiar today but that was life in 1919 as the Spanish Flu arrived in Australia along with thousands of returning service men and women. All nine VFL teams were playing in 1919, but the Flu was taking its toll on players. Roy Cazaly was out for a few weeks and many players struggled to regain form when returning from illness. St Kilda set a couple of interesting records during the season, firstly not allowing Geelong to score a goal in an entire game, even though it was Geelong’s home game. But not so good for the Saints was their game against South Melbourne losing by 27 goals and allowing South to set the record high score for the VFL including 17 goals in the last quarter! That is still a record over 100 years later. Richmond and Collingwood battled it out for the Grand Final. Who would take home the 1919 VFL Premiership?
South Melbourne go through the 1918 home and away season with just one loss. The secret to their defeat by St Kilda did not emerge for 50 years, and what a secret it was! But how would the Southerners go in the finals? Five Grand Finals for just one premiership so far in the VFL raised some questions about South Melbourne’s ability to handle the pressure in big games. Essendon and St Kilda returned to the VFL in 1918 allowing an eight team competition and the spectators set records for war time attendance. But it was time up for the Stewards, those extra officials that could go onto the ground and report players. They would not be missed.
During a year of turmoil around the world and in Australia football provides a respite from war, tragedy and political division. But there are financial scandals that lead the resignation of the VFL president as clubs use money raised for Patriotic Funds to cover their own expenses. 1917 saw a six team competition and before the Grand Final one former player sent a lucky horseshoe made from a German artillery shell to encourage his team mates. Would it help them get to the “Top of the Tree”?
Ten years in one episode! The leage expands and contracts, players become professional but gambling and bribery allegations cast a cloud. Collingwood tries doping in a semi final yet lose the game anyway. Violence rears its ugly head involving players, crowds, police and the courts. Coaches are sacked, comittees dumped and players go on strike. The game is captured on film and the first exhibition match is played in London in front of the future King. And the spectre of WWI casts doubt on whether the game can continue, as spectators and players enlist, some never to return.
How do you run a league and a season of football when more than half the clubs refuse to play? 1916 was the year when a majority of VFL clubs said football was a distraction from the war effort and others argued that it provided a welcome relief and entertainment for the working man. And it would be an opportunity to raise money for the Patriotic Funds. It was a season like no other. Four clubs playing each other four times in a shortened season before the finals. Where every team made the Final Four!
In London there was the first exhibition game of Australian Rules, played by Australian Servicemen from the VFL, VFA, SA and WA football leagues and more. Attended by thousands of spectators including the future King of England. A moment of respite in a year that would claim the lives of many footballers and people from all walks of life.
1915, The season starts the day before the Gallipoli landings, with only nine clubs now that University has departed. But many people are asking why footballers are being paid to play a game while soldiers are needed to defend the empire. There is a vote to shorten the season and a majority of clubs agree. A charity game between VFA premiers North Melbourne and St Kilda is played, the purpose is to raise finds for wounded soldiers. But there is not much charity on the field, and why were North using "ring ins" from other VFA clubs? It was a tough season with attendance down due to the war but the finals bought the crowds back. Team selection for the Grand final caused a sensation, two players bought back from army training to play in the Premiership match. Pity about that 16km route march in the morning.
Carlton undertake one of the most successful rebuilding efforts of any VFL/AFL team, making the Grand Final with 9 first year players. Can they go all the way?
And what happens when a player is reported for striking a spectator who punched him first, what ruling will the tribunal bring down? In a season that was marked by the start of the WWI the VFL had one of its most even seasons ever. But it would be the final year for University, competing against professionals was challenging, putting a team on the field when the majority of players enlist was impossible. This was one of many impacts on the VFL with the start of the war, in a year that was the beginning of the storm.
Melbourne players threaten to go on strike, a deadly virus causes a club to change travel plans, players form thier first union and St Kilda makes a barnstorming entrance into the finals. With record crowds squeezed into the MCG, can St Kilda pull off one of the biggest upsets yet in the VFL's history. In other matters there is an outbreak of peace and goodwill between the VFL and VFA but it won't last.
It was the year of the Olympics and the Titanic's maiden voyage. But in Melbourne the focus was on the footy. Players now had numbers on their jumpers and the Footy Record was on sale before the game. Could Essendon go back to back under super coach Jack Worrall? One club would mourn the loss of an iconic leader with a shock death before the season began. Another club would have the honour of being the last team to be beaten by University as the students endured another tough year.
The era of amateurism (or shamateurism) is over, the VFL changes to a professional league but not all clubs agree. And a potential amalgamation is explored with the VFA. Essendon employ the original super coach Jack Worrall to move them to the next level. Meanwhile St Kilda players go on strike and the club uses more than 60 players in a season. A record that will never be broken
A year unlike any other. Committee room coups, on field violence, players arrested and charged in court, umpires assaulted at the tribunal hearings and bribery allegations during the final series. It has to be a bumper episode to fit all this in, so put your headphones on and find out what happened in the most controversial season of all time.
And on a positive note, the New York Times publishes an article claiming the Australian game is the best football anywhere on the planet. Wouldn't the AFL like to see that happen this year.
The Grand Final is held in October for the first time. This year also saw a visit from a touring American team playing Australian rules, would they help grow the game in the USA? Carlton have to deal with dissent and disunity as they chase their fourth premiership in a row, St Kilda select a suspended player and lose one of their few victories for the year. And with the introduction of Half Day Trading on Saturday in the retail trade, many more people can now attend the games. All that extra money will not cause any problems in this most amateur of sports, surely?
The first two expansion clubs, Richmond and University, join the VFL to make a ten team competition. Victoria wins the International Football Jubilee held at the MCG to celebrate the 50th year of the Australian Game.
During the 1908 season St Kilda was caught up in two separate dramas. Were committee members and players caught up in gambling? Was there a game lost deliberately against a less established team? Could any of the allegations be proven? Then during the finals, were St Kilda players under the influence of alcohol, how much did they drink at half time?
And who would win the premiership in 1908? Could Carlton make it three in a row or would another club rise to the occasion.
The season starts a week earlier and not everyone is happy. St Kilda has their most successful season yet while South Melbourne also make a move up the ladder. The VFL continues to talk up international expansion and also finds a new way to get more people to attend each semi final. Melbourne tries to appoint a coach but the sticky issue of professionalism causes more problems.
And when it gets to the serious end of the season, Carlton's coach puts the call out to two champions to help the club out. This is Grand Final History for 1907.
A supplementary program that takes a quick look at the first 10 years of the VFL looking at
- The Different Finals Systems used and the Grand Final Venues
- The efforts of the VFL to promote the game nationally and internationally
- The emerging challenges of player payments and gambling
It is a way of looking at some of the trends of the first decade and see how the VFL developed in its early years.
The tenth year of the VFL saw the competition healthy and popular. The crowds had returned but there were growing rumblings about clubs breaching the original salary cap. No one was supposed to be paid when the rules said it was an amateur competition. But with big gate takings and the desire to win if you could get the best players. One reporter called it the world's most expensive form of amateurism.
And the league were enthusiastic about the potential for international expansion. They even sent a letter to the President of the United States and dared to hope about international games against America.
The VFL was sending money to Queensland to help support the Australian game in Brisbane and beyond. (Perhaps this investment paid off in 2020 when many clubs were able to relocate to Queensland during the Corona Virus affected season?)
Some clubs in 1905 were not happy about the Grand Final being played at the MCG every year, disadvantaging the teams that had succeeded during the year and costing their supporters large sums (in aggregate) in travel costs. And some players even had to return from their sheep shearing duties to run out onto the ground on Grand Final day.
The game is getting too fast for one umpire, it is time to bring in boundary umpires, who will signal out of bounds by waving white handkerchiefs.
Carlton had some challenges when the committee tried to sack the coach but the players backed their man and it was the committee members who were pushed out. Many more committee room coups to come.
The VFL learns that it can increase the price of finals tickets and the crowds continue to come to the games. The money was to promote the game in Sydney, although not everyone agreed.
The first push to promote the game in Sydney. A game for premiership points payed in the harbour town, with no radio or TV to follow the game, some supporters were not too happy about losing a chance to watch their team play. And in an preview of 2020 one club has to cancel games and change their travel schedule because of a deadly contagious virus.
The Grand Final is played at the MCG, the Home of Football for the first time. And see which club employed the first coach. The Argus Finals system was updated and the specter of gambling and its influence over the game was raised again, possibly leading to the end of a champions career.
Australia became a united country. So we would have interstate games instead of inter colonial games.
The final system updated again and the first use of the term Grand Final as the first version of the "Argus System" made its debut. And see why Geelong were unhappy about the lack of a challenge option for the team finishing on top of the ladder, the only time this happened in normal finals until the system was revised in the 1930's
The process for deciding the premiership continued to be criticized, St Kilda would win a game with the decision being made at league headquarters in the week after the game, just like 2008 Sirengate affair in York Park Tasmania and one team makes a late run for the premiership which results in more changes to the finals in years to come.
The third season of the VFL and the number of players on the ground was reduced from 20 to 18 to reduce congestion and open the game up. There were fears about the influence of gambling and the role of bookmakers and allegations that the VFL was more focused on money than spectators when it came to selecting a ground for the Grand Final
The second year of the VFL saw the first Grand Final. But only after one of the competing teams decided not to follow through with their threat to boycott the match.
The very first year of the VFL and there wasn't even a Grand Final. Start the journey here at the beginning of the VFL as they established a new competition for Australian Rules Football in Victoria that would eventually grow into the AFL we know today.
Welcome to Grand Final History, a Podcast that explores every VFL and AFL premiership since 1897. Each episode takes you through a summary of the season, the changing rules, emerging trends, controversies and highlights. Then into the finals culminating in two teams challenging each other in a Grand Final to become the premiers for the year (Apart from the seasons where a round robin system replaced the Grand Final). From the early years of the VFL when 8 suburban clubs built a competition to a national league playing games in every state and territory across the country.