1903 VFL grand final

Grand final of the 1903 Victorian Football League season December 2017 December 2017 AFL Grand Final 50px COL 50px FIT 2.3 (15) 3.4 (22) 3.6 (24) 4.7 (31) 2.2 (14) 2.5 (17) 2.8 (20) 3.11 (29) 4.7 (31) 3.11 (29) 12 September 1903 Melbourne Cricket Ground 32,263 Dick Gibson 1902 1904 The 1903 VFL grand final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Collingwood Football Club and Fitzroy Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 12 September 1903. It was the 6th annual grand final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1903 VFL season. The match, attended by 32,263 spectators, was won by Collingwood by a margin of two points, marking that club's second successive premiership victory. Gerald Brosnan had a chance to win Fitzroy the premiership with a set shot for goal off the last kick of the game but missed narrowly to give Collingwood back-to-back flags. Collingwood's Jim Addison, playing in just his third game, was the only multiple goalkicker. Both Ern Jenkins and Bert Sharpe of Fitzroy were celebrating their 100th VFL games. Lead-up 150px|right|thumb|Gerald Brosnan, player of Fitz Roy After the home-and-away season (which lasted for seventeen matches, including the "first round" of fourteen matches and a "second round" of three matches), Collingwood was top of the ladder with a record of 15–2 and a percentage of 159.4; Fitzroy finished second with a record of 14–3 and a percentage of 171.6. The finals were contested using the variation of the first amended Argus system, seen between 1902 and 1906. Fitzroy faced fourth-placed in the first semi-final, and won by 52 points, and Collingwood faced third-placed in the second semi-final and won by four points. Collingwood (now 16–2) and Fitzroy (now 15–3) then faced off in the final. By virtue of their records, neither club could lose the match and still finish with a better win–loss record than the other; and therefore under the first amended Argus system, there was no chance for a challenge grand final and it was known from the opening bounce that this match would be decisive for the premiership.The Weekly Times 12 September 1903 Football Rover 21 Teams _blackstripes4 000000 000000 Collingwood _gold_v_top 860038 002D62 860038 Fitzroy #FFFFFF Collingwood Collingwood Football Club #000000 George Lockwood Bill Proudfoot Alf Dummett Matthew Fell Jack Monohan Bob Rush Charlie Pannam Con McCormack Eddie Drohan Teddy Lockwood Ted Rowell Lardie Tulloch (c) Arthur Leach Jim Addison Harry Pears Jack Incoll George Angus Dick Condon #FED102 Fitzroy Fitzroy Football Club #860038 Alf Sharp Ern Jenkins Lou Barker Wally Naismith Jim Sharp Fred Fontaine Tammy Beauchamp Harry Clarke Frank Brophy Alf Wilkinson Gerald Brosnan (c) Chris Kiernan Percy Trotter Les Millis Bert Sharpe Bill Walker Herbert Milne Bill McSpeerin Umpire – Dick Gibson Statistics Goalkickers thumb|right|250px|Collingwood, Premier team Collingwood: Addison 2 Condon 1 T.Lockwood 1Fitzroy: McSpeerin 1 Millis 1 Milne 1 Attendance MCG crowd – 32,263 References 1903 VFL Grand Final statistics 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 See also 1903 VFL season Grand final Category:VFL/AFL Grand Finals Category:Collingwood Football Club Category:Fitzroy Football Club Category:September 1903 in sports Category:September 1903 in Australia