1945 VFL Grand Final

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The 1945 VFL Grand Final, commonly known as the Bloodbath was the Grand Final in the Victorian Football League in season 1945, played between South Melbourne and Carlton. Played only shortly after the conclusion of the second World War, the Melbourne Cricket Ground was unavailable for use, prompting the game to be played at Princes Park. The crowd of 62,986 is a record for Princes Park, and is almost double its current nominal capacity.

The game is remembered as the Bloodbath for a number of crude hits and brawls, not helped by the rain which fell during the game. Ten players were reported for a total of sixteen offences, and were suspended for a total of sixty-nine games, comprising:

Ted Whitfield (South) — 21 games
Jack Williams (South) — 12 games
Bob Chitty (Carlton) — 8 games
Don Grossman (South) — 8 games
Ron Savage (Carlton) — 8 games
Jim Cleary (South) — 8 games
Fred Fitzgibbon (Carlton) — 4 games

Fitzgibbon's four games were in addition to the four games he was suspended for during the preliminary final; despite his suspension, he ran onto the field to participate in the final quarter melee.

The result of the game itself had significance. Carlton triumphed 15-13-103 vs 10-15-75, after holding a slender two point lead at half time. It was the first time since the Page-McIntyre System that a team had won the premiership without the double-chance. It was also the last time that South Melbourne (later Sydney) would contest in a Grand Final for 51 years, the second longest such drought.