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The 1929 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 28 September
1929. It was the 33rd annual Grand Final of the
Victorian Football League,
staged to determine the premiers for
the 1929 VFL
season.
|
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Final |
| Collingwood |
6.3 |
7.6 |
9.6 |
11.13 (79) |
| Richmond |
2.0 |
3.3 |
5.5 |
7.8 (50) |
| Best |
Collingwood |
Libbis, Wescott, S Coventry, Ahern, Clayden, Dibbs, A Collier, Edmonds |
|
Richmond |
Murdoch, Bentley, Geddes, Watson, Empey,
Weidner, Harris |
| Goals |
Collingwood |
Edmonds (5), G Coventry (2), H Collier, Libbis,
F Murphy, L Murphy |
|
Richmond |
Baggott (2),
Weidner (2), Geddes, O’Halloran (2), Lilburne |
Background
Collingwood’s 1929 season was outrageously successful. They won
every game of the home-and-away games, a record that still stand
today. ‘Nuts’
Coventry became the first player to kick 100 goals in a season
(124 in total), and Albert Collier won the Brownlow
Medal.
While Collingwood finished on top of the ladder, Carlton were second on 15 wins,
Richmond on 12 wins and a draw and St
Kilda on 12 wins. The 2nd Semi-Final saw the upset of the
season, with the rugged and determined Tigers beating the Magpies
by 62 points. They went on to beat Carlton in the Preliminary Final
with a thrilling finish; Jack Titus scored the winning goal right on
the bell. A third Collingwood v Richmond Grand Final was
scheduled.
In the week leading up to the Grand Final, Collingwood received
handwritten anonymous letters, threatening the lives of eleven
prominent players. Fortunately, they were intercepted by officials
and withheld from the players until after the game.
Match
summary
Richmond kicked the first goal of the day but wasted
opportunities for the rest of the quarter. Collingwood took
advantage and led by 27 points at half time, a lead they held for
the rest of the match. The two teams fought determinedly and, quite
often, outside the spirit of the game. Bob Makeham was knocked senseless in the
2nd quarter, although he played on despite concussion.
While ‘Nuts’
kicked only 2 goals for the day, the attention that the Richmond
defence paid him allowed Horrie ‘Tubby” Edmonds to fulfill the
most important day of his footballing life, kicking 5 goals playing
deep near the boundary line in attack.
Charlie Ahern,
24 years old and playing in only his 3rd game, provided inspiration
to the side. His main role was to protect Syd Coventry, and despite fracturing his
arm, he battled on manfully, and held his own in what was, at
times, a physically spiteful match. Ahern was to die only 18 months
later from rectal cancer.
Collingwood won by 29 points, attributable to the Magpies’
rock-solid defence, Ahern’s 5 goals and that players carried on in
the face of serious injuries.
The
Machine
The 1929 flag was Collingwood’s eighth premiership victory, and
third in a row over Richmond. They went on to win the 1930 Grand
Final. 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
- Umpire - R Scott
- Attendance - 63,366
- Gate - ₤3,227
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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