1979 VFL Grand Final
Encyclopedia
The 1979 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football
game contested between the Carlton Football Club
and Collingwood Football Club
, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
in Melbourne
on 29 September 1979. It was the 83rd annual Grand Final
of the Victorian Football League
, staged to determine the premiers for the 1979 VFL season
. The match, attended by 113,545 spectators, was won by Carlton by a margin of 5 points, marking that club's 12th premiership victory.
. The last time the Blues had been premiers was when they won the 1972 VFL Grand Final
against Richmond
. Collingwood had last appeared in a Grand Final two years previously, when it was defeated by North Melbourne
in the 1977 VFL Grand Final
. The Magpies had last won a flag in 1958
.
At the conclusion of the home and away season, Carlton had finished first on the VFL ladder with 19 wins and 3 losses. Collingwood had finished third (behind North Melbourne
) with 15 wins and 7 losses.
In the finals series leading up to the Grand Final, Collingwood lost to North Melbourne in the Qualifying Final by 39 points before beating Fitzroy
in the First Semi-Final by 22 points to progress to the Preliminary Final. There they faced North Melbourne once again, this time winning by 27 points to advance to the Grand Final. Carlton had a much easier finals run, defeating North Melbourne by 38 points in the Second Semi-Final to advance straight through to the Grand Final.
In the week leading up to the Grand Final, Collingwood ruckman Peter Moore was awarded the Brownlow Medal
.
Then occurred one of the most memorable moments in VFL/AFL history. With Carlton kicking to the City End, Harmes gathered the ball on the half-forward flank and hurried a kick forward. The kick floated into the right forward pocket, with no player from either team in the vicinity. Harmes chased his own kick as the ball bounced towards the boundary line, and dived to punch the ball back into play before the ball went over the line. Harmes' punch directed the ball into the goal square, where Ken Sheldon
, who was running forward at the time, was able to gather the ball and score a goal, giving Carlton a ten-point buffer. Many Collingwood fans maintain to this day that the ball was out of bounds before Harmes punched it back in. The incident was one of the first two recreated for the Toyota Memorable Moments
series of advertisements.
A successful left-foot snap by Collingwood centre half-forward Allan Edwards lifted the hopes of the Magpie army, but from the resultant bounce Carlton managed to move the ball forward where substitute Alex Marcou scored a point. Moments later, the siren sounded.
The inaugural Norm Smith Medal
was awarded to Harmes for being judged the best player afield, much to the chagrin of Collingwood supporters who were still ranting about that goal, as well as the fact that Harmes was a grand-nephew of Norm Smith. However, it was Harmes who helped spark the second-quarter comeback when all seemed lost for Carlton.
Carlton's Alex Jesaulenko
became the last ever player to captain-coach a team to victory in a Grand Final. During the final quarter he injured his ankle and had to leave the field on a stretcher.
Goals Collingwood: Davis 4, Brewer, Carlson, Edwards, Ireland, Kink, Ohlsen, Wearmouth
Best Carlton: Harmes, Francis, Johnston, Buckley, Klomp, Armstrong
Best Collingwood: Picken, Morris, Byrne, Davis, Barham, Ohlsen
Umpires: Bill Deller
, Kevin Smith
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 Carlton Football Club
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...
and 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...
, 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 29 September 1979. It was the 83rd annual Grand Final
AFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...
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 1979 VFL season
1979 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1979.-Grand final:Carlton defeated Collingwood 11.16 to 11.11 , in front of a crowd of 112845 people...
. The match, attended by 113,545 spectators, was won by Carlton by a margin of 5 points, marking that club's 12th premiership victory.
Background
This was the first Grand Final appearance by Carlton in six years since losing the 1973 VFL Grand Final1973 VFL Grand Final
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 last time the Blues had been premiers was when they won the 1972 VFL Grand Final
1972 VFL Grand Final
The 1972 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Richmond Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 7 October 1972. It was the 76th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the...
against Richmond
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,...
. Collingwood had last appeared in a Grand Final two years previously, when it was defeated by North Melbourne
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
in the 1977 VFL Grand Final
1977 VFL Grand Final
The 1977 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the North Melbourne Football Club and the Collingwood Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 24 September 1977...
. The Magpies had last won a flag in 1958
1958 VFL Grand Final
The 1958 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Melbourne Football Club and Collingwood Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 20 September 1958. It was the 62nd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the...
.
At the conclusion of the home and away season, Carlton had finished first on the VFL ladder with 19 wins and 3 losses. Collingwood had finished third (behind North Melbourne
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
) with 15 wins and 7 losses.
In the finals series leading up to the Grand Final, Collingwood lost to North Melbourne in the Qualifying Final by 39 points before beating Fitzroy
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
in the First Semi-Final by 22 points to progress to the Preliminary Final. There they faced North Melbourne once again, this time winning by 27 points to advance to the Grand Final. Carlton had a much easier finals run, defeating North Melbourne by 38 points in the Second Semi-Final to advance straight through to the Grand Final.
In the week leading up to the Grand Final, Collingwood ruckman Peter Moore was awarded the 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...
.
Match report
The game was played in rainy and muddy conditions. Collingwood planned to grind Carlton into the mud, and managed to take a 10-point lead into quarter time, keeping Carlton goalless. Twenty minutes into the second quarter, Collingwood had stretched their lead to 28 points. Carlton still hadn't scored a goal, and with the conditions only getting heavier, things were looking promising for the Magpies. Seemingly in desperation, Alex Jesaulenko moved himself out of the centre and brought in young pocket battleship Wayne Harmes. Suddenly, Carlton sparked into life, as goals to Harmes, Maclure, Johnston and Buckley saw the Blues grab the lead at half time by one point. Carlton capitalized on their momentum, scoring five goals to two and taking a 21-point lead at three quarter time. However, 18 minutes into the final quarter, the Blues' lead had been slashed to four points, with the Magpies having kicked the last three goals of the game.| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
0.4 (4) | 5.7 (37) | 10.12 (72) | 11.16 (82) |
| Collingwood Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... |
2.2 (14) | 5.6 (36) | 7.9 (51) | 11.11 (77) |
Then occurred one of the most memorable moments in VFL/AFL history. With Carlton kicking to the City End, Harmes gathered the ball on the half-forward flank and hurried a kick forward. The kick floated into the right forward pocket, with no player from either team in the vicinity. Harmes chased his own kick as the ball bounced towards the boundary line, and dived to punch the ball back into play before the ball went over the line. Harmes' punch directed the ball into the goal square, where Ken Sheldon
Ken Sheldon
Kenneth "Ken" Sheldon is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League. He is the father of Brisbane Lions player, Sam Sheldon.-Carlton career:...
, who was running forward at the time, was able to gather the ball and score a goal, giving Carlton a ten-point buffer. Many Collingwood fans maintain to this day that the ball was out of bounds before Harmes punched it back in. The incident was one of the first two recreated for the Toyota Memorable Moments
Toyota Memorable Moments
The Toyota Memorable Moments series is a series of television advertisements produced over several years for the Australian Football League by its major sponsor, Toyota....
series of advertisements.
A successful left-foot snap by Collingwood centre half-forward Allan Edwards lifted the hopes of the Magpie army, but from the resultant bounce Carlton managed to move the ball forward where substitute Alex Marcou scored a point. Moments later, the siren sounded.
The inaugural Norm Smith Medal
Norm Smith Medal
The Norm Smith Medal is the award given in the AFL Grand Final to the player adjudged by an independent panel of experts to have been the best player in the match.-History:The Norm Smith Medal is named after former Melbourne player and coach, Norm Smith...
was awarded to Harmes for being judged the best player afield, much to the chagrin of Collingwood supporters who were still ranting about that goal, as well as the fact that Harmes was a grand-nephew of Norm Smith. However, it was Harmes who helped spark the second-quarter comeback when all seemed lost for Carlton.
Carlton's Alex Jesaulenko
Alex Jesaulenko
Alex 'Jezza' Jesaulenko MBE is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is regarded as one of the game's greatest-ever players and is an official Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame...
became the last ever player to captain-coach a team to victory in a Grand Final. During the final quarter he injured his ankle and had to leave the field on a stretcher.
Teams
Match summary
Goals Carlton: Sheldon 3, Buckley 2, Maclure 2, Francis, Harmes, Jones, YoungGoals Collingwood: Davis 4, Brewer, Carlson, Edwards, Ireland, Kink, Ohlsen, Wearmouth
Best Carlton: Harmes, Francis, Johnston, Buckley, Klomp, Armstrong
Best Collingwood: Picken, Morris, Byrne, Davis, Barham, Ohlsen
Umpires: Bill Deller
Bill Deller
William "Bill" Deller OAM was a leading Australian rules football field umpire in the Victorian Football League in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s....
, Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...