1955 VFL Grand Final

Team	1	2	3	Final
Melbourne	2.3	3.10	4.13	8.16 (64)
Collingwood	2.2	2.5	4.6	5.6 (36)

The 1955 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 17 September 1955. It was the 59th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1955 VFL season. The match, attended by 88,053 spectators, was won by Melbourne by 28 points, marking that club's seventh premiership victory.

A scene from the game is captured in Jamie Cooper's painting The Game That Made Australia, commissioned by the AFL in 2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport.^[1]

Teams

Melbourne
B:	John Beckwith	Peter Marquis	Trevor Johnson
HB:	Don Williams	Geoff McGivern	Noel McMahen (c)
C:	Ian McLean	Ken Melville	Geoff Case
HF:	Laurie Mithen	Clyde Laidlaw	Bob McKenzie
F:	Bob Johnson	Noel Clarke	Ian Ridley
Foll:	Denis Cordner	Ron Barassi	Stuart Spencer
Reserve(s):	Terry Gleeson	Frank 'Bluey' Adams
Coach:	Norm Smith

Collingwood
B:	Lerrel Sharp	Jack Hamilton	Neville Waller
HB:	Peter Lucas	Frank Tuck	Ron Kingston
C:	Des Healey	Jack Parker	Thorold Merrett
HF:	Bill Jones	Ken Smale	Murray Weideman
F:	Mick Twomey	Keith Batchelor	Bob Rose
Foll:	Neil Mann (c)	Arthur Gooch	Ron Richards
Reserve(s):	Jack Hickey	Robert Kupsch
Coach:	Phonse Kyne

Umpire: Harry Beitzel

Statistics

Goalkickers

Melbourne:

N. Clarke 3
I. Ridley 3
C. Laidlaw 1
R. McKenzie 1

Collingwood:

M. Weideman 2
W. Jones 1
B. Rose 1
K. Smale 1

References

↑ Australian Football League, The Game That Made Australia, Retrieved 19 September 2010

AFL Tables: 1955 Grand Final
The Official statistical history of the AFL 2004
Ross, J. (ed), 100 Years of Australian Football 1897-1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported, Viking, (Ringwood), 1996. ISBN 0-670-86814-0

Victorian/Australian Football League Grand Finals

VFL Grand Finals	1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989

AFL Grand Finals	1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Melbourne Football Club 1955 VFL Premiers

Melbourne 8.16 (64) defeated Collingwood 5.6 (36), at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

Captain: 35. McMahen 1. Cordner 2. McKenzie 3. Marquis 5. McLean 6. Adams 7. Case 11. Mithen 12. Spencer 14. T. Johnson 16. Laidlaw 17. McGivern 18. B. Johnson 24. Ridley 25. Williams 26. Clarke 28. Gleeson 30. Beckwith 31. Barassi 38. Melville

Coach: Smith

Melbourne Football Club

History Club honours Current squad Players Coaches Captains Honour board Awards Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal Leading goalkickers Captain: Nathan Jones Coach: Paul Roos Nickname: Demons

Home grounds	Melbourne Cricket Ground (1897–1915; 1919–present) Lake Oval (1899–1901) East Melbourne Cricket Ground (1900) Motordrome (1932) Punt Road Oval (1942–1946; 1956)

Premierships (12)	1900 1926 1939 1940 1941 1948 1955 1956 1957 1959 1960 1964

Seasons (116)	1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Related articles	Casey Scorpions (current VFL-affiliate) Queen's Birthday clash Sandringham Football Club (former VFL-affiliate) 2009 tanking controversy

Melbourne did not compete in the VFL from 1916–1918 due to the First World War

Collingwood Football Club

History Records Current squad Players Captains Coaches Awards Copeland Trophy Leading Goalkickers Captain: Scott Pendlebury Coach: Nathan Buckley Nickname: Magpies

Home grounds	Melbourne Cricket Ground (1992–present) Etihad Stadium (2000–present) Victoria Park (1897–1999)

Premierships (15)	1902 1903 1910 1917 1919 1927 1928 1929 1930 1935 1936 1953 1958 1990 2010

Seasons (119)	1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Awards	Peter Mac Cup Richard Pratt Cup Robert Rose Cup Westpac Community Cup Jason McCartney Medal Copeland Trophy Harry Collier Trophy Joseph Wren Memorial Trophy Gavin Brown Award

Related articles	VFL team Carlton–Collingwood AFL rivalry Anzac Day clash Queen's Birthday clash Colliwobbles Eddie McGuire Joffa Corfe New York Magpies