1951 VFL grand final

1951 VFL Grand Final
Geelong Essendon 11.15 (81) 10.10 (70)
1 2 3 4 GEE 3.8 (26) 4.10 (34) 9.13 (67) 11.15 (81) ESS 1.0 (6) 6.2 (38) 6.4 (40) 10.10 (70)
Date	29 September 1951
Stadium	Melbourne Cricket Ground
Attendance	84,109
← 1950 VFL Grand Final 1952 ⊟

The 1951 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Geelong Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 29 September 1951. It was the 54th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1951 VFL season.

The match

Geelong

The match, attended by 84,109 spectators, was won by Geelong by 11 points (the club's fourth premiership). The win by Geelong — its first since winning the 1937 VFL Grand Final — capped off a brilliant season; the team won the Minor Premiership, its back-pocket, Bernie Smith, won the Brownlow Medal, and its full-forward, George Goninon, was the league's leading goalkicker.

Essendon

Essendon went into the match without star full-forward John Coleman who had been suspended in controversial circumstances for four matches. On the day of the match, champion ruckman John Gill had a heavy cold and declared himself unfit to play. At the last minute, the Essendon coach, Dick Reynolds, who had retired the year before, was re-registered as a player; Fred Payne replaced Gill in the run-on team, and Reynolds became 19th Man.

Teams

Geelong

Essendon

Geelong B: Bernie Smith Bruce Morrison Loy Stewart HB: Bert Worner John Hyde Russell Middlemiss C: Syd Tate Leo Turner Terry Fulton HF: Russell Renfrey Fred Flanagan (c) Bob Davis F: Bill McMaster George Goninon Peter Pianto Foll: Tom Morrow Jim Norman Neil Trezise Res: Les Reed Ron Hovey Coach: Reg Hickey

Essendon B: Les Gardiner Bill Brittingham Doug Bigelow HB: Harold Lambert Roy McConnell Norm McDonald C: Chris Lambert Alan Dale Lance Mann HF: Ron McEwin Bill Snell Jack Jones F: Fred Payne Keith McDonald Greg Tate Foll: Wally May Bob Syme Bill Hutchison (c) Res: Jack Clarke Dick Reynolds Coach: Dick Reynolds

Statistics

Score

Team	1 Qtr	2 Qtr	3 Qtr	Final
Geelong	3.8 (26)	4.10 (34)	9.13 (67)	11.15 (81)
Essendon	1.0 (6)	6.2 (38)	6.4 (40)	10.10 (70)
Attendance: 85,795

Goalkickers

Geelong: Goninon 4 Davis 1 Flanagan 1 McMaster 1 Morrow 1 Norman 1 Pianto 1 Trezise 1

Essendon: K McDonald 2 Syme 2 Hutchison 1 Jones 1 May 1 Payne 1 Snell 1 Tate 1

See also

• 1951 VFL season

References

• AFL Tables: 1951 Grand Final (Archived 2009-09-24)
• 1951 (Archived 2009-09-24)
• 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

External links

• 1951 Grand Final on YouTube: Dick Reynolds is in Essendon guernsey no.3.