Grand Final History

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. 

www.grandfinalhistory.au/episode-14-1910-a-season-of-scandal

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/01Yox8hCxnOp4QSwYxg4rh?si=oPpoYPGoSXi60Sn1IsFP6Q

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/episode-14-1910-season-of-scandal/id1532640129?i=1000507153942

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?

www.grandfinalhistory.au/episode-13-1909-one-day-in-october

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0S2pw6OosTqkqyp5blj6zn?si=OxPkwZNOSnitLVbU6zZYwg

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/episode-13-1909-one-day-in-october/id1532640129?i=1000504020157

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. 

https://grandfinalhistory.au/episode-12-1908-and-then-there-were-10/

Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/episode/18GcQ3BkbM6bScZ3mOJMRl?si=7dzDhP6LQZ-D5s96v5SlFw

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/episode-12-1908-and-then-there-were-ten/id1532640129?i=1000500993105

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.

https://grandfinalhistory.au/episode-11-1907-answering-the-call/

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/7EVaQycr9rkWTAuq9vq7YR?si=m8yiWVojTPq_l4duPqieJA

Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/episode-11-answering-the-call/id1532640129?i=1000495104145

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

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.