The 1973 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Richmond Football Club and Carlton Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 29 September 1973. It was the 77th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1973 VFL season. The match, attended 116,956 spectators, was won by Richmond by a margin of 30 points, marking that club's eighth premiership victory.
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This was the second consecutive year in which the two teams met in the premiership decider, with Carlton having won the 1972 VFL Grand Final.
At the conclusion of the regular home-and-away season, Richmond had finished second on the ladder (behind Collingwood) with 17 wins and 5 losses. Carlton had finished third with 15 wins and 7 losses.
In the finals series leading up to the Grand Final, Richmond lost to Carlton by 20 points in the Qualifying Final before defeating St Kilda by 40 points in the First Semi-Final. They then defeated Collingwood by seven points in the Preliminary Final (a game in which they came back from a 45 point deficit) to advance to the Grand Final. Carlton, after their win in the Qualifying Final, defeated Collingwood by 20 points in the Second Semi-Final to advance to the Grand Final.
Both sides had injury and illness concerns before the game. While Richmond's Francis Bourke and captain Royce Hart made recoveries, Carlton's Barry Armstrong and Trevor Keogh were ruled out and Alex Jesaulenko and Neil Chandler were not playing at 100% fitness. Carlton were forced to name Vin Catoggio in the Grand Final side for his first full VFL game.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | 3.5 | 11.8 | 15.11 | 16.20 (116) |
| Carlton | 2.2 | 7.6 | 9.9 | 12.14 (86) |
Played in hot, blustery conditions, the game is well remembered for the heavy hit on Carlton captain-coach John Nicholls at the 3 minute mark and also the knocking out of fullback Geoff Southby in the second quarter. The Blues never recovered and trailed at every change.
Hart, Kevin Sheedy and Ian Stewart each kicked three goals for the Tigers, while their teammate Kevin Bartlett was the best player afield with 27 touches and a goal.
Richmond's next success came the following year, when it won the 1974 VFL Grand Final against North Melbourne. Carlton's next appearance in a premiership decider came six years later, when it won the 1979 VFL Grand Final against Collingwood.
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  | AFL Tables: 1973 Grand Final - AFL Tables - Match Stats - Richmond v Carlton - 29-Sep-1973 |
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