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1953 VFL grand final
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Grand final of the 1953 Victorian Football League season
December 2017
December 2017
1953 VFL 50px 8.17 (65) 50px 11.11 (77) GEE COL 2.3 (15) 3.9 (27) 5.11 (41) 8.17 (65) 2.4 (16) 5.6 (36) 10.10 (70) 11.11 (77) 26 September 1953 89,149 Melbourne Cricket Ground 1952 1954
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
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Collingwood _thinwhitehoops _3whitehoops 1C3C63 1C3C63
Geelong
150px|right|thumb|Bob Rose
#FFFFFF Collingwood Collingwood Football Club #000000 Lerrel Sharp Jack Finck Arthur Gooch Jack Parker Neville Waller Ron Kingston Des Healey Bill Twomey, Jr. Ron Richards Pat Twomey Terry Waites Thorold Merrett Mick Twomey Keith Batchelor Lou Richards (c) Neil Mann Bill Rose Bob Rose Murray Weideman George Hams Phonse Kyne
#FFFFFF Geelong Geelong Football Club #1C3C63 Bernie Smith Bruce Morrison Harry Herbert Sid Smith John Hyde Geoff Williams Les Reed Leo Turner Bert Worner Noel Rayson Fred Flanagan (c) Bob Davis George Swarbrick Russell Renfrey Neil Trezise Bill McMaster Norm Sharp Peter Pianto Doug Palmer Ron Hovey Reg Hickey
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.December 2022 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. 0-670-86814-0
Piesse, Ken, "Stray Cat lifts lid on Grand Final dumping", Sunday Herald Sun, (Sunday, 23 September 2007).
Grand final
Category:VFL/AFL Grand Finals
Category:Collingwood Football Club
Category:Geelong Football Club
Category:September 1953 sports events in Australia