Tag: Grand Final History

Episode 54 1950 Goodbye Mr McHale

June 1, 2026 admin-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2--2 Uncategorized 0 Comments

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.

In the Brisbane Mud for 1950 Carnival Game
Jock McHale the Collingwood Coach

Grand Final movie by Ted Waterford with commentary by Doug Elliot

Episode 54 1950 Goodbye Mr McHale FinalDownload

Episode 53 1949 The End of the Dyer Era

April 29, 2026 admin-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2--2 Uncategorized 0 Comments

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.

For copies of Coleman The Untold Story of an AFL Legend email author Doug Ackerly dougackerly@hotmail.com

1949 The End of the Dyer Era EditedDownload

Episode 51: 1947 The Narrowest of Margins

December 30, 2025 admin-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2--2 Uncategorized 0 Comments


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 as immigrants began new lives, far away from the chaos in Europe and women played 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. 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.

Carlton Premiership Team 1947
Ern Henfrey chaired off MCG after winning 1947 Grand Final
Richmond on MCG v Melbourne (Our Great Game Photographic History)
Women’s football at South Melbourne 1947

More details of Women’s Football 1947 style

Episode 51 1947Download

Episode 50: 1946 A Gigantic Industry

November 21, 2025 admin-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2--2 Uncategorized 0 Comments


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. Jack Dyer. 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.

Episode 50 1946 A Gigantic IndustryDownload

Episode 49: 1945 The Bloodbath

August 31, 2025 admin-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2--2 Uncategorized 0 Comments


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.

Tribunal Findings

The VFL tribunal heard the charges on Tuesday 2 October, and made the following findings

Ted Whitfield (South Melbourne): Suspended until 31 December 1946 for his incident with goal umpire Les Whyte in the final quarter, in which he used abusive language, then attempted to strike Whyte, then ran down the field and lifted his guernsey to try to avoid being reported. Whitfield was also suspended for two weeks for time-wasting by kicking the ball away after a free kick.
Jack Williams (South Melbourne): Suspended for twelve weeks: eight weeks for fighting with Rod McLean, and four weeks for using abusive language towards the umpires.
Don Grossman (South Melbourne): Suspended for eight weeks for striking Jim Mooring.
Jim Cleary (South Melbourne): Suspended for eight weeks for striking Ken Hands; but was cleared of a further charge of attempting to strike Bob Chitty.
Bob Chitty (Carlton: Suspended for eight weeks for elbowing Bill Williams.
Ron Savage (Carlton): Suspended for eight weeks for striking Don Grossman.
Herbie Matthews (South Melbourne): Severely reprimanded for time-wasting by throwing the ball away after a free kick.
Only Ken Hands (Carlton) and Keith Smith (South Melbourne) were found not guilty of their charges.

The Bloodbath

Book by Ian Shaw. Out of print now so may be difficult to get a new copy.

1945 Premiership Team Carlton
Bob Chitty at training
Laurie Nash
Episode 49 1945 The BloodbathDownload

Episode 43: 1939 My Melancholy Duty

December 4, 2024 admin-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2--2 Uncategorized 0 Comments


War declared in Europe and the battle between the VFL and VFA continues with an 18 year old star getting the biggest financial offer ever made to an Australian footballer, would he stay or would he go? Batman, Angry Anderson and the Sydney Olympics, they are all connected and the trail goes back to 1939. There was turmoil at Collingwood, new rules to absorb and a year that saw a turnover in the final four. All this and more in this episode of Grand Final History.


Episode 43 1939 My Melancholy DutyDownload

Geelong Premiership Team 1937

Episode 41: 1937 The Greatest Game of All

August 30, 2024 admin-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2--2 Uncategorized 0 Comments

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.

At the 1937 Carnival triple Brownlow medallist Haydn Bunton did a radio interview that was recorded and now restored. Here it here

Geelong VFL Premiers 1937
Collingwood and Geelong in Devonport
Gordon Coventry (Our Great Game Photographic History)
Crowd spilling onto ground 1937 Grand Final
Collingwood Selection Committee 1937
Episode-41-1937-The-Gratest-Game-of-All-Edited-version-1Download

Episode 40A: The Fourth Decade of the VFL 1927-1936

July 14, 2024 admin-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2--2 Uncategorized 0 Comments

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.

1927 Collingwood Premiership Team
1928 Collingwood Premiership Team
1930 Collingwood Premiership Team
1931 Geelong Premiership Team
1933 South Melbourne Premiership Team
1934 Richmond Premiership Team
1935 Collingwood Premiership Team
1936 Collingwood Premiership Team
1932 Richmond Premiership Team
1929 Collingwood Premiership Team
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Episode 40: 1936 Never on a Sunday

June 28, 2024 admin-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2--2 Uncategorized 0 Comments

Abdications, invasions, Olympics and Grand Finals but some people in 1936 were more worried about 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.

Collingwood players being introduced to the State Governor
MCG 1936 with Southern Stand under construction
VFL Grand Final Photo spread Australasian (Trove)
Collingwood 1936 VFL Premiers

1936 VFL Grand Final on YouTube

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Episode 39: 1935 Watch out for that Truck

June 3, 2024 admin-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2--2 Uncategorized 0 Comments

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.

Episode-39-1935-Watch-out-for-that-TruckDownload

About This Site

Grand Final History is a podcast that will develop over time. Starting with the very first season of VFL football where seven suburban clubs and a regional town broke away from the Victorian Football Association to make their own league.

Each Podcast episode takes a look at the season, provides some snippets of what was happening in the wider world and then unfolds the season. The rule changes to reduce congestion and to open the play up into a more free flowing game (it has been going on for a long time), what challenges were the league and clubs facing (Salary cap breaches have a long history), how was the game developing around the country and internationally (the game’s administrators have been optimistic about international expansion for longer than you may realise).

Then the finals will be described. In the early years this was an evolving process as the VFL tried different finals schemes which sometimes meant a round robin system replaced a Grand Final to decide the Premiers. In other years the team sitting on top of the Ladder could, if they were beaten in the finals, challenge the winner of the finals to decide the premiership. Hence the emergence of a Grand Final. We will explore each Grand Final, the venues, the players, the umpires and how the game was won and lost or sometimes even drawn. Then we might get to share some of the celebrations after the games. From both teams going off to play skittles together to supporters reportedly drinking a suburb dry on Grand Final night.

While AFL is the number one code in Australia today we should not fall into the trap of thinking this was an inevitable outcome. The fact that a competition established by seven Melbourne suburban clubs and a regional Victorian town, playing a code that was unique the southern states of Australia has thrived is a tribute to generations of league and club administrators, players and supporters. As we look back at the history of the VFL and AFL there will be many examples of foolishness, accusations of focusing on money at the expense of the game and the community, complaints about rule changes and more criticisms than can be listed here. However this indigenous code has survived and for now continues to thrive in a globally competitive sporting and entertainment world. This podcast is an attempt to celebrate the history of the competition and the teams that have emerged as the champions of each season. We will see the game move through times of depression, war and deadly viruses and that was just the first 10 seasons. Each Podcast will be released every 2-3 weeks. There is more that 120 seasons to cover so it will be a while before we get to the current season.

The Music for the intro and outro on each episode is from Purple Planet Music: https://purple-planet.com

I am Kieran Magee, a long time Richmond supporter and I hope you subscribe and enjoy the podcast. If you like it, please tell your friends and rate the show on your preferred podcast source. The more we score the more people will find the show. If you have questions or feedback get in contact via the Contact Us page.