1946 VFL Grand Final

Team 1 2 3 Final
Essendon 7.2 9.7 20.15 22.18 (150)
Melbourne 8.3 10.4 11.5 13.9 (87)

The 1946 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 5 October 1946. It was the 50th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1946 VFL season. The match, attended by 73,743 spectators, was won by Essendon by a margin of 63 points, marking that club's sixth premiership victory.

Essendon won comfortably despite trailing at half time. A tally of 11 goals and 8 behinds in the third quarter by Essendon took the game away from Melbourne. This remains the best third quarter score by any team in a VFL/AFL Grand Final.

Wally Lock, Melbourne's half back, was playing his 100th VFL game.

This was the first of six successive Grand Final appearances by Essendon.

Contents

Teams

Essendon
B: Les Gardiner Cec Ruddell Perc Bushby
HB: Herbie Tonkes Wally Buttsworth Harold Lambert
C: George Hassell Bill Pearson Albert Harper
HF: Harry Equid Gordon Lane Dick Reynolds (c)
F: Bob McClure Bill Brittingham Keith Rawle
Foll: Gordon Abbott Jack Cassin Bill Hutchison
Reserve(s): Jack Jones Chris Lambert
Coach: Dick Reynolds
Melbourne
B: Billy Deans Shane McGrath Don Cordner
HB: Col McLean Ted Cordner Wally Lock
C: George Bickford Len Dockett Roy Stabb
HF: Gordon Bowman Fred Fanning Jim Mitchell
F: Adrian Dullard Norm Smith (c) Ernie O'Rourke
Foll: Jack Mueller Stan Rule Alby Rodda
Reserve(s): Frank Kennedy Arnold Byfield
Coach: 'Checker' Hughes

Statistics

Goalkickers

Essendon

  • Lane 7
  • Brittingham 4
  • Hutchison 3
  • Reynolds 3
  • McClure 2
  • Cassin 1
  • Equid 1
  • Rawle 1

Melbourne

  • Mueller 6
  • Dullard 3
  • Bowman 1
  • Fanning 1
  • O'Rourke 1
  • Rodda 1

Attendance

References

See also