Grand Final History
Welcome to Grand Final History, a Podcast that explores every VFL and AFL premiership since 1897. Each episode takes you through a summary of the season, the changing rules, emerging trends, controversies and highlights. Then into the finals culminating in two teams challenging each other in a Grand Final to become the premiers for the year (Apart from the seasons where a round robin system replaced the Grand Final). From the early years of the VFL when 8 suburban clubs built a competition to a national league playing games in every state and territory across the country.
Episodes
![1935: Watch Out For That Truck](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/1225332/Grand_FInal_Main_Logo6o020_300x300.jpg)
Monday Jun 03, 2024
1935: Watch Out For That Truck
Monday Jun 03, 2024
Monday Jun 03, 2024
Collingwood and South Melbourne play each other seven times, but only one can win the 1935 VFL premiership. It was a year that saw the first night game between VFL clubs and beer came in cans for the first time, two pivotal moments in history. Footscray made their bid for worst jumper of all time and the Magpies almost forfeited a game. North Melbourne and Hawthorn struggled while the league promised to help Rugby Union. Meanwhile Richmond was looking for alternatives to Punt Road for a home ground. And a truck played its part in Grand Final History.
Join us as we delve into the captivating history of 1935, where football, innovation, and world events intertwined to shape a memorable year.
![Episode 38: 1934 The First Centenary Premiership](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/1225332/Grand_FInal_Main_Logo6o020_300x300.jpg)
Saturday Apr 06, 2024
Episode 38: 1934 The First Centenary Premiership
Saturday Apr 06, 2024
Saturday Apr 06, 2024
In this gripping episode of "Grand Final History", we transport you back in time to relive the highs and lows of the 1934 Victorian Football League (VFL) season. This episode encompasses Melbourne's Centenary year, the effects of economic depression, global political turbulence, and local events as experienced by the average supporter
We examine the game-changing evolution of how football was played, from new rules to record breaking performances.
This episode captures the essence of the hard-fought season, marked by controversies, dramatic brawls, and exceptional skill demonstrations. Get insider details of the tensions and concerns plaguing the league then, from club financial difficulties to fears of a sport collapse.
We revisit sensational moments like Bob Pratt's legendary 15-goal game, South Melbourne's stunning victory over Collingwood, and the remarkable performance by Laurie Nash. Relive the rollercoaster final matches, leading up to the historic grand final showdown between Richmond and South Melbourne.
In this historical analysis, we expose the unseen drama off the field, from bribery allegations to internal physical clashes, and their impact on the sport. We bring forth tales of bravery, grit, and unyielding spirit, showcased by legendary players, which continue to inspire fans decades later.
Don't miss out on this journey back in time that uncovers the riveting story of the 1934 football season; its thrills and spills, victories and heartbreaks, and every defining moment that shaped this golden era of Australian football.
![Episode 37 1933 Every Club Needs a Mascot](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/1225332/Grand_FInal_Main_Logo6o020_300x300.jpg)
Friday Feb 16, 2024
Episode 37 1933 Every Club Needs a Mascot
Friday Feb 16, 2024
Friday Feb 16, 2024
It was the year a cartoonist bestowed a mascot onto a VFL club, it was the year Australian Rules and Rugby League tried to invent Universal Football and it was the year St Kilda and North had a game that they both recall very differently. The VFL experimented with a new pricing model for finals, the crowds might have been lower but the league considered it a success. Has the League ever regretted a price rise?
![Episode 36A Supplementary: Football Media Pioneers](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog1225332/Grand_FInal_History_Newspaper_Logo_g3sa57_300x300.jpg)
Friday Jan 05, 2024
Episode 36A Supplementary: Football Media Pioneers
Friday Jan 05, 2024
Friday Jan 05, 2024
So much of football history relies on the pioneering journalists who covered the early years of the VFL. In this episode we take a break from normal programming to look at some of the key reporters in print and the emerging radio media. Find out the names and the stories behind the pseudonyms of those early trail blazers who established media traditions still with us today.
![Episode 36 1932 NinthTime is a Charm](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/1225332/Grand_FInal_Main_Logo6o020_300x300.jpg)
Sunday Dec 03, 2023
Episode 36 1932 NinthTime is a Charm
Sunday Dec 03, 2023
Sunday Dec 03, 2023
Australians struggle with the Depression, unemployment and the death of Phar Lap but there is always footy to look forward to. South Melbourne bring in a new jumper, new management and new players but will it be enough? The Tigers have been runners up four times in five years, their coach Checker Hughes has led teams into eight Grand Finals and been runners up eight times, will it change in 1932?
![Episode 35 1931 Almost an Exhibition](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/1225332/Grand_FInal_Main_Logo6o020_300x300.jpg)
Friday Sep 22, 2023
Episode 35 1931 Almost an Exhibition
Friday Sep 22, 2023
Friday Sep 22, 2023
Games at the Exhibition Oval, next to the Exhibition Buildings? The VFL was negotiating with Cricket Clubs to get a fair share of revenue for football on grounds controlled by Cricket Clubs and released the 1931 fixture with games at the Exhibition Oval and the Motordrome, opposite the MCG. Football clubs were threatened with eviction. It was going to get tense before an agreement was struck. Collingwood were trying for their fifth premiership in a row but lost a champion player who moved to Tasmania to coach and get a job rather than be unemployed in Melbourne. A Tiger Immortal made their debut but did not get a touch. And the finals get a shake up with the traditional Right of Challenge dismissed for all time.
![Episode 34 1930 Harry Waits 59 Years for Charlie](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/1225332/Grand_FInal_Main_Logo6o020_300x300.jpg)
Wednesday Aug 30, 2023
Episode 34 1930 Harry Waits 59 Years for Charlie
Wednesday Aug 30, 2023
Wednesday Aug 30, 2023
Collingwood are looking for their fourth premiership in a row but with three time premiership captain Syd Coventry appointed Captain Coach of Footscray how will the Magpies cope? Harry Collier finally gets to meet Charlie, it only took 59 years! Geelong supporters wonder if the You Yang mountains are cursed. 1930 was a tough time for many people but footy provided relief for many. And though the rain fell heavily at times some wanted to make Victoria a dry state.
![Episode 33A Supplementary: Colden Harrison The Father of Football](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/1225332/Grand_FInal_Main_Logo6o020_300x300.jpg)
Friday Jun 02, 2023
Episode 33A Supplementary: Colden Harrison The Father of Football
Friday Jun 02, 2023
Friday Jun 02, 2023
The Rum Rebellion, the tragedy of Australia’s frontier wars and the birth of our own game, all of this will be explored as we look at the Henry Colden Antil Harrison, the Father of Football and the forgetting and remembering of his cousin, Tom Wills. Colden Harrison may not have been at the very birth of the game, unlike cousin and brother in law Tom, but his impact was pivotal in the growth and establishment of the native game. And the establishment would recognise him in his own life, even if, in recent times, we have lost focus on the role he played in the making of our great game, Australian Football.
![Episode 33 1929 Coventry’s Ton and Goodbye to the Father of Football](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/1225332/Grand_FInal_Main_Logo6o020_300x300.jpg)
Thursday May 25, 2023
Episode 33 1929 Coventry’s Ton and Goodbye to the Father of Football
Thursday May 25, 2023
Thursday May 25, 2023
Coventry kicks a ton, the Father of Football dies and the Victorian team rescue a stowaway and there is talk of the VFL killing the VFA, again! The VFL and the world were changing in 1929, not always for the better but one thing that could be counted on was the Collingwood Machine and their quest for a premiership hat trick. The Saints would make a late run for the finals and the premiership game would have a familiar look to it.
![Episode 32A Suplementary 1928 VFL VFA An Olive Branch Extended](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/1225332/Grand_FInal_Main_Logo6o020_300x300.jpg)
Saturday Apr 22, 2023
Episode 32A Suplementary 1928 VFL VFA An Olive Branch Extended
Saturday Apr 22, 2023
Saturday Apr 22, 2023
Affiliation between the VFA and VFL was a hot topic in 1928. Could these two feuding organisations put their history behind them and cooperate for the good of football in Victoria. Many meetings, detailed proposals and a preview of an arrangement that was implemented many decades later.
An episode for those interested in the fractious relationship between the VFL and the VFA
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