1980 VFL Grand Final
Encyclopedia
The 1980 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football
game contested between the Richmond Football Club
and Collingwood Football Club
, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
in Melbourne
on 27 September 1980. It was the 84th annual Grand Final
of the Victorian Football League
, staged to determine the premiers for the 1980 VFL season
. The match, attended by 113,461 spectators, was won by Richmond by a margin of 81 points, marking that club's 10th premiership victory.
, whilst Collingwood had competed in and lost two of the last three Grand Finals, in 1977
and 1979
. The Magpies had not won a flag since the 1958 VFL Grand Final
.
Richmond, under coach Tony Jewell
, made the decision in the 1980 home and away season to move rover Kevin Bartlett to the half-forward flank, leading to him kicking 84 goals. At the conclusion of the season, Richmond had finished third on the VFL ladder (behind Geelong
and Carlton
) with 16 wins, 5 losses and a draw. Collingwood had finished fifth with 14 wins, 7 losses and a draw. Collingwood was coached by Tom Hafey
who at one time had coached Jewell at Richmond.
In the finals series leading up to the Grand Final, Collingwood defeated North Melbourne
in the Elimination Final by 8 points before comfortably beating Carlton by 50 points to progress to the Preliminary Final. There they defeated Geelong by just 4 points to advance to the Grand Final. The Magpies became the first team to reach the Grand Final via the Elimination Final. Meanwhile, Richmond defeated Carlton by 42 points in the Qualifying Final and then Geelong by 24 points in the Second Semi-Final to progress to the Grand Final.
, Bryan Wood
, Robert Wiley
, Mervyn Keane
and Dale Weightman
dominated the clearances, feeding forwards Kevin Bartlett, Michael Roach
and David Cloke
.
Bartlett was awarded the Norm Smith Medal
for being judged the best player afield, kicking seven goals, which equaled the then-record. His goal tally for the 1980 VFL finals was 21 which saw him become just the fourth player in history to kick 20 or more goals in a finals series. Cloke contributed 6 goals and Wiley 3 to the team's winning score.
The 81 point winning margin broke the record for the greatest margin in Grand Final history, and stood for three years until Hawthorn surpassed it in the 1983 VFL Grand Final
. Richmond have not won a premiership since, with their only subsequent Grand Final appearance being in the 1982 VFL Grand Final
, which it lost to Carlton
.
This was Collingwood's seventh Grand Final loss since 1958.
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 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,...
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 27 September 1980. It was the 84th 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 1980 VFL season
1980 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1980.-Grand final:Richmond defeated Collingwood 23.21 to 9.24 , in front of a crowd of 113,461 people...
. The match, attended by 113,461 spectators, was won by Richmond by a margin of 81 points, marking that club's 10th premiership victory.
Background
It was Richmond's first appearance in a premiership decider since winning the 1974 VFL Grand Final1974 VFL Grand Final
The 1974 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Richmond Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 28 September 1974. It was the 78th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...
, whilst Collingwood had competed in and lost two of the last three Grand Finals, in 1977
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...
and 1979
1979 VFL Grand Final
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...
. The Magpies had not won a flag since the 1958 VFL Grand Final
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...
.
Richmond, under coach Tony Jewell
Tony Jewell
Tony 'TJ' Jewell is a former Australian rules football player who played in the VFL between 1964 and 1970 for the Richmond Football Club. He was recruited from Oakleigh in the VFA where he had led the club's goalkicking in 1962 and was placed 4th in the VFA's best & fairest award, the J. J. Liston...
, made the decision in the 1980 home and away season to move rover Kevin Bartlett to the half-forward flank, leading to him kicking 84 goals. At the conclusion of the season, Richmond had finished third on the VFL ladder (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...
) with 16 wins, 5 losses and a draw. Collingwood had finished fifth with 14 wins, 7 losses and a draw. Collingwood was coached by Tom Hafey
Tom Hafey
Thomas Stanley Raymond Hafey is a former Australian rules football Victorian Football League player and coach. Hafey played for Richmond between 1953 and 1958, and coached four clubs—Richmond, Collingwood, Geelong and Sydney—between 1966 and 1988, leading teams to a total of four premierships...
who at one time had coached Jewell at Richmond.
In the finals series leading up to the Grand Final, Collingwood defeated 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 Elimination Final by 8 points before comfortably beating Carlton by 50 points to progress to the Preliminary Final. There they defeated Geelong by just 4 points to advance to the Grand Final. The Magpies became the first team to reach the Grand Final via the Elimination Final. Meanwhile, Richmond defeated Carlton by 42 points in the Qualifying Final and then Geelong by 24 points in the Second Semi-Final to progress to the Grand Final.
Match summary
Richmond completely outplayed the Magpies in the Grand Final, with the game being effectively over at half time when the Tigers led by 43 points. Their midfield of Geoff RainesGeoff Raines
Geoff Raines was a former Australian rules football player who played in the VFL between 1976 and 1982 for the Richmond Football Club, between 1983 and 1985 for the Collingwood Football Club, in 1986 for the Essendon Football Club and between 1987 and 1989 for the Brisbane Bears Football Club.-...
, Bryan Wood
Bryan Wood
Bryan Wood is a former Australian rules football player who played in the Victorian Football League between 1972 and 1982 for the Richmond Football Club and between 1983 and 1986 for the Essendon Football Club.-References:...
, Robert Wiley
Robert Wiley
Robert John Wiley is a former Australian rules footballer who played with in the Western Australian National Football League / West Australian Football League and Richmond and West Coast in the Victorian Football League .-Career:Born in Perth, and educated at Scotch College, Wiley was zoned to ...
, Mervyn Keane
Mervyn Keane
Mervyn Keane is a former Australian rules football player who played in the VFL between 1972 and 1984 for the Richmond Football Club.Senior coach of the Sturt Football Club from 1985-1988 and Caulfield Grammarians.-References:...
and Dale Weightman
Dale Weightman
Dale "Flea" Weightman is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond in the Australian Football League between 1978 and 1993....
dominated the clearances, feeding forwards Kevin Bartlett, Michael Roach
Michael Roach (footballer)
Michael Terrence Roach is a former Australian rules football player who represented Richmond in the Victorian Football League from 1977 to 1989....
and David Cloke
David Cloke
David Cloke is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the VFL/AFL.Cloke was a powerful ruckman and occasional forward who enjoyed a marvellous career at two VFL/AFL clubs. He began with Oakleigh where he played alongside his brother Peter, and in 1974 he went to Richmond...
.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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,... |
6.5 | 11.11 | 15.17 | 23.21 (159) |
| Collingwood Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... |
2.6 | 4.10 | 5.18 | 9.24 (78) |
Bartlett was awarded the 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...
for being judged the best player afield, kicking seven goals, which equaled the then-record. His goal tally for the 1980 VFL finals was 21 which saw him become just the fourth player in history to kick 20 or more goals in a finals series. Cloke contributed 6 goals and Wiley 3 to the team's winning score.
The 81 point winning margin broke the record for the greatest margin in Grand Final history, and stood for three years until Hawthorn surpassed it in the 1983 VFL Grand Final
1983 VFL Grand Final
The 1983 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 24 September 1983. It was the 87th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
. Richmond have not won a premiership since, with their only subsequent Grand Final appearance being in the 1982 VFL Grand Final
1982 VFL Grand Final
The 1982 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 25 September 1982. It was the 86th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
, which it lost to 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...
.
This was Collingwood's seventh Grand Final loss since 1958.
Teams
Goal kickers
Richmond
|
Collingwood
|