1981 VFL Grand Final
Encyclopedia
The 1981 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 26 September 1981. It was the 85th annual Grand Final
of the Victorian Football League
, staged to determine the premiers for the 1981 VFL season
. The match, attended by 112,964 spectators, was won by Carlton by a margin of 20 points, marking that club's 13th premiership victory.
, which Carlton had won by just five points. Collingwood was searching for its first flag since winning the 1958 VFL Grand Final
. They had appeared in three of the last four Grand Finals, losing them all.
At the conclusion of the home and away season, Carlton had finished first on the VFL ladder with 17 wins and 5 losses. Collingwood had finished second, also with 17 wins, but with an inferior percentage.
In the finals series leading up to the Grand Final, Collingwood was defeated by Geelong
by 14 points in the Qualifying Final before defeating Fitzroy
by 1 point in the First Semi-Final. They advanced to the Grand Final after beating Geelong by 7 points in the Preliminary Final. Carlton had a much easier finals run, defeating Geelong in the Second Semi-Final by 40 points to progress straight through to the Grand Final.
, Carlton scored the last six goals of the game to emerge victorious. At one stage late in the third quarter Collingwood led by 21 points after a burst of five unanswered goals, before Carlton scored two late goals to go into three quarter time just 9 points behind.
Some infighting in the Collingwood huddle resulted in Carlton taking all the momentum into the last quarter. Ken Sheldon
kicked the opening goal of the final quarter to get Carlton within four points and then Rod Ashman
kicked one to put them in front. Collingwood laid down, scoring just two points in the quarter and goals from Mark Maclure
and David McKay
sealed the win for Carlton.
The Norm Smith Medal
was awarded to Carlton's Bruce Doull
for being judged the best player afield. Collingwood captain Peter Moore famously threw away his runner-up medal after this game in a show of disgust. This was his fifth appearance in a Grand Final, all without success.
This defeat gave Collingwood their third successive Grand Final loss and their fourth in five years. It was the final grand final loss of the infamous "Colliwobbles." They next appeared in a Grand Final nine years later, winning the 1990 AFL Grand Final
. The win was Carlton's 13th premiership, drawing them level with Collingwood for the most premierships in VFL history - a record that Collingwood had held outright since 1929.
The grand final was the final one played with the old MCG scoreboard. It was given to Manuka Oval
in 1982 after the MCG installed a new colour video scoreboard. The old scoreboard still resides at Manuka Oval today.
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 26 September 1981. It was the 85th 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 1981 VFL season
1981 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1981.-Grand final:Carlton defeated Collingwood 12.20 to 10.12 , in front of a crowd of 112,964 people...
. The match, attended by 112,964 spectators, was won by Carlton by a margin of 20 points, marking that club's 13th premiership victory.
Background
It was a rematch of the two teams that competed in the 1979 Grand Final1979 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...
, which Carlton had won by just five points. Collingwood was searching for its first flag since winning 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...
. They had appeared in three of the last four Grand Finals, losing them all.
At the conclusion of the home and away season, Carlton had finished first on the VFL ladder with 17 wins and 5 losses. Collingwood had finished second, also with 17 wins, but with an inferior percentage.
In the finals series leading up to the Grand Final, Collingwood was defeated by 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...
by 14 points in the Qualifying Final before defeating 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...
by 1 point in the First Semi-Final. They advanced to the Grand Final after beating Geelong by 7 points in the Preliminary Final. Carlton had a much easier finals run, defeating Geelong in the Second Semi-Final by 40 points to progress straight through to the Grand Final.
Match summary
Captained by Mike FitzpatrickMike Fitzpatrick
Michael G. "Mike" Fitzpatrick is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He was reelected to Congress in 2010, and previously represented the district from 2005 to 2007, but lost to Patrick Murphy in 2006....
, Carlton scored the last six goals of the game to emerge victorious. At one stage late in the third quarter Collingwood led by 21 points after a burst of five unanswered goals, before Carlton scored two late goals to go into three quarter time just 9 points behind.
| 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... |
2.4 | 5.8 | 8.13 | 12.20 (92) |
| 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 | 5.7 | 10.10 | 10.12 (72) |
Some infighting in the Collingwood huddle resulted in Carlton taking all the momentum into the last quarter. 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:...
kicked the opening goal of the final quarter to get Carlton within four points and then Rod Ashman
Rod Ashman
Rodney Ashman is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Blues.A forward, Ashman played in back to back premierships in 1981 and 1982.He was named in the forward pocket in Carlton's Team of the Century....
kicked one to put them in front. Collingwood laid down, scoring just two points in the quarter and goals from Mark Maclure
Mark Maclure
Mark Maclure is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League.Mark made his debut for Carlton in Round 13, 1974. He retired from the game in 1986 after playing 243 games for the club....
and David McKay
David McKay (footballer)
David McKay is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Blues during the 1970s.In 1970, in just his second season of VFL football McKay won a premiership with Carlton and was voted as best on ground in the Grand Final. Originally from Newlyn, he was also part of winning...
sealed the win for Carlton.
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...
was awarded to Carlton's Bruce Doull
Bruce Doull
Bruce Doull is a former Australian rules football player who played for the Carlton Football Club....
for being judged the best player afield. Collingwood captain Peter Moore famously threw away his runner-up medal after this game in a show of disgust. This was his fifth appearance in a Grand Final, all without success.
This defeat gave Collingwood their third successive Grand Final loss and their fourth in five years. It was the final grand final loss of the infamous "Colliwobbles." They next appeared in a Grand Final nine years later, winning the 1990 AFL Grand Final
1990 AFL Grand Final
The 1990 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Collingwood Football Club and the Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 6 October 1990. It was the 94th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football...
. The win was Carlton's 13th premiership, drawing them level with Collingwood for the most premierships in VFL history - a record that Collingwood had held outright since 1929.
The grand final was the final one played with the old MCG scoreboard. It was given to Manuka Oval
Manuka Oval
Manuka Oval is a 13,550 capacity ground located in the suburb of Griffith, adjacent to Manuka, a business district of Canberra, Australia's capital....
in 1982 after the MCG installed a new colour video scoreboard. The old scoreboard still resides at Manuka Oval today.
Teams
Goal kickers
Carlton
|
Collingwood
|