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The 1928 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football
game contested between the Collingwood Football Club and
Richmond Football Club, held at
the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 29 September
1928. It was the 32nd annual Grand Final of the
Victorian Football League,
staged to determine the premiers for
the 1928 VFL
season.
|
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Final |
| Collingwood |
2.4 |
7.8 |
9.11 |
13.18 (96) |
| Richmond |
0.3 |
4.5 |
7.7 |
9.9 (63) |
| Best |
Collingwood |
G
Coventry, H
Collier, S
Coventry, Rowe, A Collier, F Murphy, Rumney, Libbis |
|
Richmond |
O’Halloran, Murdoch, Watson, B McCormack, Harris, Lilburne, Fincher |
| Goals |
Collingwood |
G Coventry (9), L
Murphy (2), Harris, Makeham |
|
Richmond |
Weidner (2), Titus
(2), O’Halloran (2), Emprey, (2), Goding |
Background
Despite winning the 1927 flag, the 1928 season
held significant hurdles for the Magpies to overcome – contentious
pay cuts, a threatened player’s strike, allegations of bribery
against two team members and a long injury list contributed to a
late-season slump. Still, they managed to top the ladder by the end
of the season, winning 15 of 18 home-and-away games.
In contrast, Richmond was in excellent shape at the end of the
home-and-away season. Armed with a swift midfield, they had beaten
Carlton by 53 points in the First
Semi-Final, and, after the Melbourne v Collingwood Second
Semi-Final was drawn and had to be replayed, the Tigers had a 3
week break before the Grand Final. They went into the Grand Final
as strong favorites.
Match
summary
Collingwood saw Richmond as a skillful, confident team, but also
vulnerable to being distracted as well. They set out to taunt the
Tigers with name-calling and other verbal challenges while
maintaining the ball as their first objective.
The first quarter was a scramble, and the defenses of both sides
held. Collingwood used all six of their followers in the ruck for
the first half, saving Percy Rowe for the second half. A blistering
10 minutes in the 2nd quarter saw Collingwood seize control of the
match to lead by 21 points at half time, with Gordon “Nuts”
Coventry kicking 4 goals for the quarter. Rowe repeatedly
absorbed the pressure from Richmond’s backs to provide protection
for Nuts’ run to the ball. Despite the Tigers reducing their
opponent’s lead to 16 points at 3-quarter time, the Magpies banged
on 2 quick goals early in the final quarter to effectively seal the
game. Collingwood won by 33 points, and Nuts finished with 9 goals,
a Grand Final record that stood for 61 years, until equaled by Gary Ablett
in the 1989 VFL Grand Final.
The
Machine
The 1928 flag was Collingwood’s seventh premiership victory.
They went on to win the next 2 Grand Finals. In winning 4
premierships in a row from 1927-1930 they set a record that has not
been equaled to date. The teams from this era became known as “The
Machine” for the teamwork, efficiency and effectiveness with which
they played.
Teams
See also
References
- Atkinson, Graeme: The Complete Book of AFL Finals,
1996. ISBN 1875971475
- McFarlane, Glenn and Roberts, Michael: The Machine - The
Inside Story of Football's Greatest Team, 2005. ISBN
0958641234
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