1976 VFL grand final

Last updated

1976 VFL Grand Final
Hawthorn Football Club colours.jpg
Hawthorn 		NMFC AFL.png
North Melbourne
13.22 (100)10.10 (70)
1234
HAW5.6 (36)9.12 (66)10.18 (78)13.22 (100)
NM4.2 (26)7.5 (47)10.8 (68)10.10 (70)
Date25 September 1976
Stadium Melbourne Cricket Ground
Attendance110,143
Umpires Kevin Smith, Bill Deller
Accolades
Jock McHale Medallist John Kennedy Sr.
Broadcast in Australia
Network Seven Network
Commentators Mike Williamson
Lou Richards
←  1975 VFL Grand Final 1977  →

The 1976 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 25 September 1976. It was the 79th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1976 VFL season. The match, attended by 110,143 spectators, was won by Hawthorn by a margin of 30 points, marking that club's third premiership victory.

Contents

Background

This was North Melbourne's third successive Grand Final, and were the reigning premiers after having defeated Hawthorn in the 1975 VFL Grand Final.

At the conclusion of the regular home-and-away season, Hawthorn had finished second (behind Carlton) on the ladder with 16 wins and 6 losses. North Melbourne had finished third with 15 wins and 7 losses. During the season Hawthorn played North Melbourne in two home and away games, winning by 22 and 8 points respectively.

In the finals series leading up to the Grand Final, North Melbourne lost to Hawthorn by 20 points in the Qualifying Final before defeating Geelong by 33 points in the First Semi-Final. They then met Carlton in the Preliminary Final which they won by just one point to advance to the Grand Final. Hawthorn, after their win in the Qualifying Final, defeated Carlton by 17 points in the Second Semi-Final to advance to the Grand Final.

Both teams made six changes to their respective teams from the 1975 Grand Final.

Teams

Kit body brown stripes copia.png
Kit body sleeveless.png
Kit shorts goldsides.png
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks hoops gold.png
Kit socks long.svg
Hawthorn
Kit body 3stripesonwhite.png
Kit body sleeveless.png
Kit shorts whitesides.png
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
North Melbourne
Hawthorn
B:11 Brian Douge 15 Kelvin Moore 31 Bernie Jones
HB:20 Ian Bremner 24 Peter Knights 08 David O'Halloran
C:02 Geoff Ablett 22 Barry Rowlings 26 Rodney Eade
HF:10 David Polkinghorne 14 Alan Martello 04 Kelvin Matthews
F:06 Michael Moncrieff 25 John Hendrie 19 Alan Goad
Foll:23 Don Scott (c)17 Michael Tuck 03 Leigh Matthews (vc)
Res:13 Leon Rice 43 Peter Murnane
Coach: John Kennedy, Sr.
North Melbourne
B:21 John Byrne 23 David Dench (vc)30 Frank Gumbleton
HB:36 Steven Icke 13 Gary Cowton 05 Darryl Sutton
C:18 Paul Feltham 11 John Burns 27 Keith Greig (c)
HF:20 Wayne Schimmelbusch (dvc)28 Terry Moore 15 Malcolm Blight
F:01 Peter Keenan 08 Brent Crosswell 17 Graham Melrose
Foll:22 Mick Nolan 07 Mark Dawson 09 Barry Cable
Res:34 Ross Henshaw 40 Peter Chisnall
Coach: Ron Barassi
Umpires [1]

The umpiring panel for the match, comprising two field umpires, two boundary umpires and two goal umpires is given below. This was the first VFL Grand final to feature two field umpires.

1976 VFL Grand Final umpires
PositionEmergency
Field: Bill Deller (2) Kevin Smith (2)
Boundary:Howard Fox (1)Kevin Mitchell (6)
Goal:Kevin Barker (1)Brian Pratt (1)

Numbers in brackets represent the number of grand finals umpired, including 1976.

Match summary

The match was something of a psychological war, with both teams taking turns to trade blows. North Melbourne went into the match in a somewhat defensive frame of mind; captain Keith Greig was minding Hawthorn's dangerous rover Leigh Matthews, and similarly attacking minded players in Malcolm Blight and Steven Icke also found themselves playing in defence. [2] Hawthorn took the initiative from the start, with Leigh Matthews kicking the first goal of the game after five minutes. Late in the first quarter, Matthews struck Greig on the forehead sending him to the ground, and was reported. Greig was knocked out again later in the match, yet in spite of these heavy blows still played well enough to be among North's best players on the day.

The second quarter was for the most part even as both sides went goal for goal, but Kelvin Matthews and captain Don Scott kicked vital goals to give Hawthorn a 19-point lead at half time. Had they kicked for goal more accurately – star forward John Hendrie especially culpable with one goal and six behinds – the Hawks could easily have opened a six-goal lead. [3]

After 10 minutes in the third quarter Kangaroos coach Ron Barassi made the move of putting Brent Crosswell on for Peter Keenan, which immediately provided North Melbourne with a target. Hawthorn continued to have problems up forward, kicking one goal and six behinds for the quarter, and by three-quarter time the Kangaroos and managed to close the margin to just ten points.

However, in the final quarter the Hawks kept the Kangaroos goalless. Greig suffered another heavy blow from Matthews, while Peter Knights and David O'Halloran each took big marks for Hawthorn. The Hawks added three goals for the quarter and eventually ran out easy winners. It was the club's third win under coach John Kennedy.

Epilogue

Hawthorn's win was dedicated to former captain Peter Crimmins, who was dying from cancer at just 28. Before the game, Crimmins sent a telegram which Kennedy read to the team:

"Good luck to you and all the boys. It will be a long, hard, 100 minutes but I am sure you will be there at the end. Regards, Peter Crimmins."

Kennedy implored his players to "Do it for the little fella", and later stated that he believed his team was never going to lose. [4] The night of the Grand Final some players took the premiership cup to Crimmins' house to let him share in the celebrations. [5] A press photographer accompanied them, and a famous photo was published in the newspapers showing a wasted, reclining, yet beaming Crimmins holding the premiership cup surrounded by his jubilant teammates. [6] The victory became popularly known as 'Crimmo's Cup' in recognition of the inspiration Crimmins provided to his team. Crimmins died just three days after the game, aged 28. [5]

This was Kennedy's last game as Hawthorn coach. He was subsequently appointed coach of North Melbourne in 1985, and in his five seasons there he coached the club to the finals twice.

Hawthorn's next appearance in a Grand Final would be two years later (again against North Melbourne), in the 1978 VFL Grand Final, while North's next appearance would be against Collingwood in the drawn 1977 VFL Grand Final.

Match Scorecard and Details

1976 VFL Grand Final
Saturday, 25 September 2:30pm Hawthorn def. North Melbourne MCG (crowd: 110,143)
5.6 (36)
9.12 (66)
10.18 (78)
13.22 (100)		Q1
Q2
Q3
Final		4.2 (26)
7.5 (47)
10.8 (68)
10.10 (70)		Umpires: Smith, Deller
Television broadcast: Seven Network
3 Moncrieff
2 K. Matthews, Hendrie, Goad
1 L. Matthews, Scott, Rowlings, Martello 		Goals2 Cable, Icke, Burns
1 Cowton, Byrne, Moore, Melrose
Knights, Hendrie, Douge, RowlingsBest Dench, Greig, Cable, Icke, Blight
L. Matthews for striking GreigReports

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leigh Matthews</span> Australian rules footballer (born 1952)

Leigh Raymond Matthews is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and coached Collingwood and the Brisbane Lions in the VFL and renamed Australian Football League (AFL).

Dale Weightman is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Peter Knights is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL). After retiring as a player, he was appointed the inaugural coach of the Brisbane Bears and later returned to coach Hawthorn during the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Crimmins</span> Australian rules footballer (1948–1976)

Peter Crimmins was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). "Crimmo" was known as a lightly built but courageous and skilful rover whose early passing from cancer is one of Australian football's saddest stories. Hawthorn subsequently named the club Best and Fairest award in his honour.

The 1971 VFL season was the 75th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 3 April until 25 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.

The 1972 VFL season was the 76th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 1 April until 7 October, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs – an increase from the four clubs which had contested the finals in previous years.

The 1976 VFL season was the 80th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 3 April until 25 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawthorn Football Club</span> Australian rules football club

The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Mulgrave, Victoria, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was founded in 1902 in the inner-east suburb of Hawthorn, making it the youngest Victorian-based team in the AFL.

The 2008 AFL season was the 112th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured sixteen clubs, ran from 20 March until 27 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top eight clubs. A significant feature of the season was the celebration of the 150th anniversary since the sport of Australian rules football was first established in 1858.

The 1977 VFL grand final was a series of two Australian rules football matches between the North Melbourne Football Club and the Collingwood Football Club. Together they are considered the 80th and 81st grand finals of the Victorian Football League and were staged to determine the premiers for the 1977 VFL season. The premiership is usually decided by a single match; however, as the first grand final ended in a draw, a grand final replay was played the following week and was won by North Melbourne. Both grand finals were held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The first was held on 24 September 1977. The game was attended by 108,224 spectators and ended in a draw, with both teams scoring 76 points. This was the second time a draw had occurred in a VFL grand final, the first being in 1948.

The 1978 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 30 September 1978. It was the 82nd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1978 VFL season. The match, attended by 101,704 spectators, was won by Hawthorn by a margin of 18 points, marking that club's fourth premiership victory.

The 1982 VFL grand final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Richmond Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 25 September 1982. It was the 86th annual grand final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1982 VFL season. The match, attended by 107,536 spectators, was won by Carlton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1987 VFL grand final</span> Grand final of the 1987 Victorian Football League season

The 1987 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 26 September 1987. It was the 91st annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1987 VFL season. The match, attended by 92,754 spectators, was won by Carlton by a margin of 33 points, marking that club's 15th premiership victory.

The 1971 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and St Kilda Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 25 September 1971. It was the 74th annual grand final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1971 VFL season. The match, attended 118,192 spectators, was won by Hawthorn by a margin of 7 points, marking that club's second premiership.

The 1984 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 29 September 1984. It was the 88th annual grand final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1984 VFL season. The match, attended by 92,685 spectators, was won by Essendon by a margin of 24 points, marking that club's 13th premiership victory.

The 1975 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the North Melbourne Football Club and the Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 27 September 1975. It was the 78th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1975 VFL season. The match, attended 110,551 spectators, was won by North Melbourne by a margin of 55 points, marking that club's first premiership victory. In doing so, they became the last of the 12 VFL teams to win a flag, 50 years after their debut season. The last time North had won a flag prior to that was back in 1918 when they were part of the Victorian Football Association.

The 1974 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Richmond Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 28 September 1974. It was the 77th annual grand final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1974 VFL season. The match, attended 113,839 spectators, was won by Richmond by a margin of 41 points, marking that club's ninth VFL/AFL premiership victory. The game itself is also notable for being the first grand final to be videotaped and telecast in colour.

The 1972 Carlton Football Club season was the Carlton Football Club's 109th season of competition, and 76th as a member of the Victorian Football League. Carlton fielded teams in the senior, reserves and under-19s grades of the 1972 VFL season.

The 1982 Carlton Football Club season was the Carlton Football Club's 119th season of competition, and 86th as a member of the Victorian Football League. Carlton fielded teams in the senior, reserves and under-19s grades of the 1982 VFL season, and its senior team also contested the 1982 Escort Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 AFL Grand Final</span> Grand final of the 2015 Australian Football League season

The 2015 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and the West Coast Eagles at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 3 October 2015. It was the 120th annual Grand Final of the Australian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 2015 AFL season. The match, attended by 98,632 spectators, was won by Hawthorn by a margin of 46 points, marking the club's third consecutive premiership and thirteenth VFL/AFL premiership victory overall. Hawthorn's Cyril Rioli was awarded the Norm Smith Medal as the best player on the ground.

References

  1. ↑ "Grand finals – AFLUA". 13 June 2013.
  2. ↑ Atkinson and Atkinson, 2009, p. 323
  3. ↑ Atkinson and Atkinson, 2009, p. 324
  4. ↑ McFarlane, Glenn (14 December 2008). "Hawthorn great John Kennedy still a grand master". Herald Sun. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  5. 1 2 Jackson, Russell (24 September 2013). "The Joy of Six: great grand final moments: 4) Crimmo's Cup in '76". The Guardian (Australian Edition): Talking Sport. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 23 October 2013. "John Kennedy just simply read that telegram out to us prior to the '76 Grand Final and the rest was always going to be history, there was no way we were going to lose that game. We won that premiership and it's called 'Crimmo's Cup' to this day," said Knights.
  6. ↑ "The Best Hawthorn FC Photos". Big Footy. 22 June 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2013.

Bibliography

See also

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.