1953 VFL Grand Final

The 1953 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Geelong Football Club and Collingwood Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 26 September 1953. It was the 56th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1953 VFL season. The match, attended by 89,149 spectators, was won by Collingwood by 12 points, the club's 12th premiership victory.

This was the third successive Grand Final appearance for the Cats, who were attempting to win three successive flags after having defeated Essendon in the 1951 VFL Grand Final and Collingwood in the 1952 VFL Grand Final. Collingwood had not won a premiership since winning the 1936 VFL Grand Final.

In round 14 of the 1953 season, Collingwood defeated Geelong to end their record 23 game winning streak (26 games unbeaten). Collingwood won again when the sides battled in the Semi Final, and in the Grand Final defeated Geelong for the third time in the year. Geelong had the better of the final quarter, but inaccuracy cost them.

Collingwood's full-back Jack Hamilton and Geelong's dual premiership player Russell Middlemiss missed the game through injury.

Teams

{,
, valign="top",

The game

1st quarter

The game opened with the large crowd spilling out onto the oval and forming a human boundary line; these people got to see a Collingwood side that were more determined to get to the ball first and run their Geelong opponents off their feet. It was a tight first term in which the Magpies didn't allow the Cats to play their usual dominant game. A few fiery incidents occurred, but Umpire McMurray was soon on top of it.

2nd quarter

The second quarter was a microcosm of the game: Geelong were wasteful in front of goal, whereas the Collingwood team, with Batchelor and Rose, were accurate. Three goals to one gave the Magpies a handy lead going into half time.

3rd quarter

Collingwood set up the win in the third quarter by kicking 5 goals to 2. Geelong's ruckman Bill McMaster was carried from the field, and the Cats had to play Renfrey on the ball. This left a hole in the Geelong's attack that the Magpies exploited and resulted in coast-to-coast goals.

Final quarter

With Collingwood slowing to a walk, Geelong challenged hard to make up the gap. Geelong peppered the goals but could only manage 1 goal from 8 attempts. Hovey, who replaced McMaster, had two chances from 20 metres and missed both. A goal against play by Collingwood's Rose put the result out of reach of the Cats. Two late goals to Geelong were not enough to stop Collingwood winning their twelfth pennant.

Statistics

Best

Collingwood
* Mann, Healey, R. Richards, R. Rose, Finck, Merrett

Geelong
* B. Smith, Williams, Morrison, Turner, Davis, Renfrey

Goalkickers

Collingwood
* Batchelor 4, Bob Rose 3, Healey 2, L. Richards, M. Twomey

Geelong
* Davis 3, Rayson 2, Hovey, McMaster, Trezise

Free kicks

*Collingwood 14, 4, 11, 2 total 31
*Geelong 15, 7, 5, 4 total 31

Marks

*Collingwood 61
*Geelong 49

Attendance

* MCG crowd – 89,149

See also

* George Goninon

References

1953 Grand Final page on AFL Tables
* ''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.

Piesse, Ken, "Stray Cat lifts lid on Grand Final dumping", ''Sunday Herald Sun'', (Sunday, 23 September 2007).

{{Australian Football League

VFL/AFL Grand Finals
Grand
Collingwood Football Club
Geelong Football Club
September 1953 sports events in Australia