1927 VFL Grand Final
Encyclopedia
The 1927 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 1 October 1927. It was the 31st annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League
, staged to determine the premiers for the 1927 VFL season
.
as captain and player, and gave the captaincy to Syd Coventry
. Coventry went on to win the 1927 Brownlow Medal
and the inaugural Copeland Trophy
.
In the 1927 home-and-away season Collingwood had won 15 of its 18 matches to finish top of the table, with Richmond next, a game behind. Geelong
and Carlton
made up the Four. In the Semi-Finals, Richmond had narrowly beaten Carlton, while Collingwood comfortably defeated Geelong by 66 points, and went into the match as favourites.
by “marking on the chest, not out in front” and “kicking the ball off the ground wherever possible”. With Syd Coventry impassable in defence, Gordon "Nuts" Coventry
booted 2 goals in the 2nd quarter, to take his season tally to 97 and have Collingwood lead by 14 points at half time. Both goals came from mistakes by the Richmond backmen. In the 3rd quarter Richmond responded with a fierce attack on the football and the man – Collingwood’s Syd Coventry, Beveridge
and Rumney
were knocked out in the opening minutes – but the Tigers could not convert the effort into a score, and the Magpies maintained their 14 point margin at 3-quarter time. Richmond’s Fincher
scored a goal early in the last quarter but the Collingwood defence held, with the Magpies winning by 12 points at the final bell.
The whole game yielded an aggregate score of only 3.20 (38). This was the lowest-scoring game in the VFL since Round 5 1900, and it would ultimately be the lowest scoring game (Grand Final or otherwise) in the 20th century, and is also yet to be bettered in the 21st century. It is the lowest aggregate score in any VFL/AFL Grand Final, Collingwood's 2.13 (25) is the lowest winning score in a Grand Final, and Richmond's 1.7 (13) is the lowest score in a Grand Final.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
game contested between the Collingwood Football Club
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
and Richmond Football Club
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
on 1 October 1927. It was the 31st annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
, staged to determine the premiers for the 1927 VFL season
1927 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1927.-Premiership season:In 1927, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume...
.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collingwood | 0.1 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 2.13 (25) |
| Richmond | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.7 (13) |
| Best | Collingwood | S Coventry, Makeham, Rowe, F Murphy, Clayden, Wilson, Beveridge, H Collier |
| Richmond | B McCormack, Geddes, Hayes, Fincher, Harris, Rudolph, O’Halloran | |
| Goals | Collingwood | G Coventry (2) |
| Richmond | Fincher |
Background
Before the 1927 season, Collingwood had last won a premiership in 1919, and had suffered Grand Finals losses in 1920, 1922, 1925 & 1926. Great dissatisfaction brewed amongst the supporters, and at a meeting at the Collingwood Town Hall in March 1927 the committee was put under enormous pressure to end the 7 year premiership ‘drought’. In a remarkable response, the committee sacked the in-form Charlie TysonCharlie Tyson
Charlie Tyson was an Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood and North Melbourne in the VFL during the 1920s....
as captain and player, and gave the captaincy to Syd Coventry
Syd Coventry
-St Kilda:Originally from Diamond Creek, Victoria, Coventry journeyed across the Bass Strait after the First World War to work in the mines at Queenstown, Tasmania, taking with him a reputation as a fine footballer...
. Coventry went on to win the 1927 Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
and the inaugural Copeland Trophy
Copeland Trophy
The E.W. Copeland Trophy is an Australian rules football award given by the Collingwood Football Club to the player adjudged Best and Fairest for Collingwood during the year....
.
In the 1927 home-and-away season Collingwood had won 15 of its 18 matches to finish top of the table, with Richmond next, a game behind. Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
and Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
made up the Four. In the Semi-Finals, Richmond had narrowly beaten Carlton, while Collingwood comfortably defeated Geelong by 66 points, and went into the match as favourites.
Right to challenge
This season was played under the amended Argus System. If Richmond had won this match, Collingwood would have had the right to challenge Richmond to a rematch for the premiership on the following weekend, because Collingwood was the minor premier. The winner of that match would then have won the premiership.Match summary
Heavy rain before and during the match made for atrocious conditions on the day. While Richmond tried to pick up the ball, Collingwood followed the instructions of coach Jock McHaleJock McHale
James Francis "Jock" McHale, was an Australian rules football player and coach for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League in a marathon career that extended from 1903 to 1949....
by “marking on the chest, not out in front” and “kicking the ball off the ground wherever possible”. With Syd Coventry impassable in defence, Gordon "Nuts" Coventry
Gordon Coventry
Gordon "Nuts" Coventry was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League . With 1,299 goals over 18 seasons, Coventry remains one of the greatest full forwards the game has ever seen...
booted 2 goals in the 2nd quarter, to take his season tally to 97 and have Collingwood lead by 14 points at half time. Both goals came from mistakes by the Richmond backmen. In the 3rd quarter Richmond responded with a fierce attack on the football and the man – Collingwood’s Syd Coventry, Beveridge
Jack Beveridge
John Robert "Jack" Beveridge was an Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood in the Victorian Football League and West Perth in the Western Australian National Football League ....
and Rumney
Harold Rumney
Harold Rumney is a former Australian rules footballer.Rumney was rejected by Carlton Football Club after 15 games in 2 seasons and transferred to Collingwood Football Club. His arrival at Collingwood was fortuitous. He played in the quartet of premierships, 1927–1930. He also played in the 1935...
were knocked out in the opening minutes – but the Tigers could not convert the effort into a score, and the Magpies maintained their 14 point margin at 3-quarter time. Richmond’s Fincher
Jack Fincher (footballer)
Jack Fincher was an Australian rules footballer who played for Richmond and Footscray in the Victorian Football League ....
scored a goal early in the last quarter but the Collingwood defence held, with the Magpies winning by 12 points at the final bell.
The whole game yielded an aggregate score of only 3.20 (38). This was the lowest-scoring game in the VFL since Round 5 1900, and it would ultimately be the lowest scoring game (Grand Final or otherwise) in the 20th century, and is also yet to be bettered in the 21st century. It is the lowest aggregate score in any VFL/AFL Grand Final, Collingwood's 2.13 (25) is the lowest winning score in a Grand Final, and Richmond's 1.7 (13) is the lowest score in a Grand Final.
"The Machine"
The 1927 flag was Collingwood’s sixth premiership victory, they went on to win the next three Grand Finals. In winning four 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 - Jack McMurrayJack McMurray, Sr.Jack McMurray Senior was a leading Australian rules football field umpire in the Victorian Football League in the early twentieth century.- Footballer :McMurray was born in Port Melbourne, Victoria in 1889....
- Attendance - 34,551
- Gate - ₤1,779