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{{Short description|Grand final of the 1956 Victorian Football League season}}
{| class="wikitable" | align="right"
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
|- bgcolor="#FF0033"
{{Use Australian English|date=December 2017}}
! Team !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! Final
{{Infobox Australian rules football grand final
|-
| year = 1956
| '''[[Melbourne Football Club|Melbourne]]''' || '''2.4''' || '''6.11'''|| '''10.16''' || '''17.19 (121)'''
| competition = VFL
|-
| image =
| [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] || 3.3 || 4.3 || 5.6 || 6.12 (48)
| home = [[File:Melbourne Football Club Colours.svg|50px]]<br/>{{AFL Mel}}
|-
| home_score = 17.19 (121)
|}
| away = [[File:Collingwood icon.svg|50px]]<br/>{{AFL Col}}
The '''1956 VFL Grand Final''' was an [[Australian rules football]] game contested between the [[Melbourne Football Club]] and [[Collingwood Football Club]], held at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]] on 15 September 1956. It was the 60th annual [[VFL Grand Final|Grand Final]] of the [[Australian Football League|Victorian Football League]], staged to determine the [[List of AFL premiers|premiers]] for the [[1956 VFL season]]. The match was won by Melbourne by 73 points, marking that club's eighth premiership victory.
| away_score = 6.12 (48)
| home_abbr = MEL
| away_abbr = COL
| home_qtr1 = 2.4 (16)
| home_qtr2 = 6.11 (47)
| home_qtr3 = 10.16 (76)
| home_qtr4 = 17.19 (121)
| away_qtr1 = 3.3 (21)
| away_qtr2 = 4.3 (27)
| away_qtr3 = 5.6 (36)
| away_qtr4 = 6.12 (48)
| date = 15 September 1956
| attendance = 115,902
| stadium = [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]]
| last = 1955
| next = 1957
}}

The '''1956 VFL Grand Final''' was an [[Australian rules football]] game contested between the [[Melbourne Football Club]] and [[Collingwood Football Club]], held at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]] on 15 September 1956. It was the 59th annual [[VFL Grand Final|Grand Final]] of the [[Australian Football League|Victorian Football League]], staged to determine the [[List of AFL premiers|premiers]] for the [[1956 VFL season]]. The match was won by Melbourne by 73 points, marking that club's eighth premiership victory.


It was the second successive year in which the two teams met in a premiership decider, with Melbourne having won the [[1955 VFL Grand Final]].
It was the second successive year in which the two teams met in a premiership decider, with Melbourne having won the [[1955 VFL Grand Final]].


The Grand Final was attended by 115,902 spectators,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afl.com.au/staticfile/AFL%20Tenant/AFL/Files/Attendance-alterations-from-1908.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222074850/http://www.afl.com.au/staticfile/AFL%20Tenant/AFL/Files/Attendance-alterations-from-1908.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 December 2015|title=Attendance alterations from 1908|access-date=19 December 2015|publisher=Australian Football League}}</ref> easily setting a new record as the largest crowd to have witnessed a premiership decider in VFL Grand Final history, breaking the record of 96,486 spectators who witnessed the [[1938 VFL Grand Final]]. The capacity of the ground had recently been expanded with a new grandstand for the upcoming [[1956 Summer Olympics]], but the ground was still not large enough to comfortably or safely accommodate such a large crowd; stairwells and aisles were full of people, meaning that many people were unable to leave their positions to use restrooms during the game; and many people had restricted views of the game due to the crowding, resulting in some spectators climbing onto the roofs or back walls of the grandstand and other structures for a better view. The gates were shut for safety reasons when the venue reached capacity, resulting in riots outside the ground in which an estimated 2,500 further spectators broke into the ground. More than 20,000 spectators were turned away at the gate.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|title=This must never happen again – rioting M.C.G. mob alarms Games men|page=5|author=Ken Moses|publication-place=Melbourne, VIC}}</ref> Pre-sale ticketing for finals was introduced from the following season to prevent a repeat of these events, and the crowd record stood until the [[1968 VFL Grand Final]] – after the opening of the Western Stand.
This Grand Final was attended by 115,803 spectators, easily the largest crowd to have witnessed a premiership decider in VFL Grand Final history, breaking the record of 96,486 spectators who witnessed the [[1938 VFL Grand Final]]. The record stood for 12 years until it was eventually broken by the crowd attendance at the [[1968 VFL Grand Final]].

A scene from the game is captured in Jamie Cooper's painting ''The Game That Made Australia'', commissioned by the AFL in 2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport:<ref>Australian Football League, [https://web.archive.org/web/20080925200339/http://150years.com.au/150Moments/150MomentsArticle/tabid/11382/Default.aspx?newsId=55972 The Game That Made Australia], Retrieved 19 September 2010</ref> Collingwood's [[Neil Mann (Australian rules footballer)|Neil Mann]] and Melbourne's [[Ian Ridley]] fighting amongst the spectators who were sitting on the arena (but behind the boundary line).


==Teams==
==Teams==
{| width=92% |
{{Aussie rules team old| title = Melbourne
|-
|{{Australian rules football kit
| pattern_b = _red_v_top
| pattern_sh =
| pattern_so =
| body = 061A33
| shorts =
| socks = ff0000
| title = Melbourne
}}
|{{Australian rules football kit
| pattern_b = _blackstripes
| pattern_sh =
| pattern_so =
| body = ffffff
| shorts = 000000
| socks = 000000
| title = Collingwood
}}
|}
{|
|valign="top"|
{{Aussie rules team
| title = {{font color|#CC2031|Melbourne|link=Melbourne Football Club}} | color = #061A33
| backpocket1 = [[John Beckwith (footballer)|John Beckwith]]
| backpocket1 = [[John Beckwith (footballer)|John Beckwith]]
| fullback = [[Peter Marquis]]
| fullback = [[Peter Marquis]]
| backpocket2 = [[Trevor Johnson (footballer)|Trevor Johnson]]
| backpocket2 = [[Trevor Johnson (footballer)|Trevor Johnson]]
| halfbackflank1 = [[Don Williams (footballer)|Don Williams]]
| halfbackflank1 = [[Don Williams (footballer, born 1935)|Don Williams]]
| centrehalfback = [[Noel McMahen]] (c)
| centrehalfback = [[Noel McMahen]] (c)
| halfbackflank2 = [[Keith Carroll]]
| halfbackflank2 = [[Keith Carroll]]
| wing1 = [[Frank 'Bluey' Adams]]
| wing1 = [[Frank 'Bluey' Adams]]
| centre = [[Ken Melville]]
| centre = [[Ken Melville]]
| wing2 = [[Brian Dixon]]
| wing2 = [[Brian Dixon (Australian footballer)|Brian Dixon]]
| halfforwardflank1 = [[Jim Sandral]]
| halfforwardflank1 = [[Jim Sandral]]
| centrehalfforward = [[Clyde Laidlaw]]
| centrehalfforward = [[Clyde Laidlaw]]
| halfforwardflank2 = [[Laurie Mithen]]
| halfforwardflank2 = [[Laurie Mithen]]
| forwardpocket1 = [[Bob B. Johnson|Bob Johnson]]
| forwardpocket1 = [[Bob Johnson (Australian footballer, born 1935)|Bob Johnson]]
| fullforward = [[Athol Webb]]
| fullforward = [[Athol Webb]]
| forwardpocket2 = [[Ian Ridley]]
| forwardpocket2 = [[Ian Ridley]]
Line 37: Line 82:
| reserve2 = [[Ralph Lane (footballer)|Ralph Lane]]
| reserve2 = [[Ralph Lane (footballer)|Ralph Lane]]
| coach = [[Norm Smith]]}}
| coach = [[Norm Smith]]}}
|valign="top"|

{{Aussie rules team old| title = Collingwood
{{Aussie rules team
| title = {{font color|#FFFFFF|Collingwood|link=Collingwood Football Club}} | color = #000000
| backpocket1 = [[Lerrel Sharp]]
| backpocket1 = [[Lerrel Sharp]]
| fullback = [[Harry Sullivan (footballer)|Harry Sullivan]]
| fullback = [[Harry Sullivan (footballer)|Harry Sullivan]]
| backpocket2 = [[Neville Waller]]
| backpocket2 = [[Neville Waller]]
| halfbackflank1 = [[Peter Lucas]]
| halfbackflank1 = [[Peter Lucas (footballer)|Peter Lucas]]
| centrehalfback = [[Frank Tuck]]
| centrehalfback = [[Frank Tuck]]
| halfbackflank2 = [[Ron Kingston]]
| halfbackflank2 = [[Ron Kingston]]
| wing1 = [[Ken Hedt]]
| wing1 = [[Ken Hedt]]
| centre = [[Bill Twomey]]
| centre = [[Bill Twomey, Jr.]]
| wing2 = [[Thorold Merrett]]
| wing2 = [[Thorold Merrett]]
| halfforwardflank1 = [[Ken Turner (Australian rules footballer)|Ken Turner]]
| halfforwardflank1 = [[Ken Turner (Australian rules footballer)|Ken Turner]]
Line 53: Line 99:
| forwardpocket1 = [[Neil Mann (Australian rules footballer)|Neil Mann]] (c)
| forwardpocket1 = [[Neil Mann (Australian rules footballer)|Neil Mann]] (c)
| fullforward = [[Ken Smale]]
| fullforward = [[Ken Smale]]
| forwardpocket2 = [[Robert Greve]]
| forwardpocket2 = [[Bob Greve]]
| ruck = [[Ray Gabelich]]
| ruck = [[Ray Gabelich]]
| ruckrover = [[Laurie Rymer]]
| ruckrover = [[Laurie Rymer]]
| rover = [[William Jones (Australian rules footballer)|William Jones]]
| rover = [[Bill Jones (Australian footballer, born 1935)|Bill Jones]]
| reserve1 = [[Jack Hamilton (footballer)|Jack Hamilton]]
| reserve1 = [[Jack Hamilton (footballer, born 1928)|Jack Hamilton]]
| reserve2 = [[Robert Kupsch]]
| reserve2 = [[Bob Kupsch]]
| coach = [[Phonse Kyne]]}}
| coach = [[Phonse Kyne]]}}
|}

*Umpire: Allan Nash
*Umpire: Allan Nash

==Statistics==

===Goalkickers===
{| style="width:40%;"
|-
| style="vertical-align:top; width:30%;"|
'''Melbourne''':
* S. Spencer 5
* A. Webb 5
* R. Barassi 3
* B. Johnson 3
* I. Ridley 1
| style="vertical-align:top; width:30%;"|
'''Collingwood''':
* B. Greve 1
* W. Jones 1
* B. Serong 1
* K. Smale 1
* K. Turner 1
* B. Twomey 1
|}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
*[http://stats.rleague.com/afl/stats/games/1956/041119560915.html AFL Tables: 1956 Grand Final]

* ''The Official statistical history of the AFL 2004''
==External links==
* 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
*[https://sahof.org.au/award-winner/1956-melbourne-football-club-australian-football/ Team profile] at [[Sport Australia Hall of Fame Awards|Sport Australia Hall of Fame]]
*[http://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/1956/041119560915.html AFL Tables: 1956 Grand Final]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130419120046/http://www.150years.com.au/150Moments/150MomentsArticle/tabid/11382/Default.aspx?newsId=55972]


==See also==
==Bibliography==
* ''The Official statistical history of the AFL 2004''
* [[1956 VFL season]]
* 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}}


{{1956 Melbourne premiership players}}
{{AFL/VFL Grand Finals}}
{{Melbourne Football Club}}
{{Collingwood Football Club}}
{{Australian Football League}}


[[Category:VFL/AFL Grand Finals]]
[[Category:VFL/AFL Grand Finals]]
[[Category:1956 in Australian rules football]]
[[Category:1956 in Australian rules football|Vfl Grand Final, 1956]]
[[Category:Melbourne Football Club]]
[[Category:Collingwood Football Club]]

Latest revision as of 03:49, 20 December 2024

1956 VFL Grand Final

Melbourne
Collingwood
17.19 (121) 6.12 (48)
1 2 3 4
MEL 2.4 (16) 6.11 (47) 10.16 (76) 17.19 (121)
COL 3.3 (21) 4.3 (27) 5.6 (36) 6.12 (48)
Date15 September 1956
StadiumMelbourne Cricket Ground
Attendance115,902
← 1955 VFL Grand Final 1957 →

The 1956 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Melbourne Football Club and Collingwood Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 15 September 1956. It was the 59th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1956 VFL season. The match was won by Melbourne by 73 points, marking that club's eighth premiership victory.

It was the second successive year in which the two teams met in a premiership decider, with Melbourne having won the 1955 VFL Grand Final.

The Grand Final was attended by 115,902 spectators,[1] easily setting a new record as the largest crowd to have witnessed a premiership decider in VFL Grand Final history, breaking the record of 96,486 spectators who witnessed the 1938 VFL Grand Final. The capacity of the ground had recently been expanded with a new grandstand for the upcoming 1956 Summer Olympics, but the ground was still not large enough to comfortably or safely accommodate such a large crowd; stairwells and aisles were full of people, meaning that many people were unable to leave their positions to use restrooms during the game; and many people had restricted views of the game due to the crowding, resulting in some spectators climbing onto the roofs or back walls of the grandstand and other structures for a better view. The gates were shut for safety reasons when the venue reached capacity, resulting in riots outside the ground in which an estimated 2,500 further spectators broke into the ground. More than 20,000 spectators were turned away at the gate.[2] Pre-sale ticketing for finals was introduced from the following season to prevent a repeat of these events, and the crowd record stood until the 1968 VFL Grand Final – after the opening of the Western Stand.

A scene from the game is captured in Jamie Cooper's painting The Game That Made Australia, commissioned by the AFL in 2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport:[3] Collingwood's Neil Mann and Melbourne's Ian Ridley fighting amongst the spectators who were sitting on the arena (but behind the boundary line).

Teams

[edit]
Melbourne
Collingwood
Melbourne
B: John Beckwith Peter Marquis Trevor Johnson
HB: Don Williams Noel McMahen (c) Keith Carroll
C: Frank 'Bluey' Adams Ken Melville Brian Dixon
HF: Jim Sandral Clyde Laidlaw Laurie Mithen
F: Bob Johnson Athol Webb Ian Ridley
Foll: Denis Cordner Ron Barassi Stuart Spencer
Res: Terry Gleeson Ralph Lane
Coach: Norm Smith
Collingwood
B: Lerrel Sharp Harry Sullivan Neville Waller
HB: Peter Lucas Frank Tuck Ron Kingston
C: Ken Hedt Bill Twomey, Jr. Thorold Merrett
HF: Ken Turner Murray Weideman Bill Serong
F: Neil Mann (c) Ken Smale Bob Greve
Foll: Ray Gabelich Laurie Rymer Bill Jones
Res: Jack Hamilton Bob Kupsch
Coach: Phonse Kyne
  • Umpire: Allan Nash

Statistics

[edit]

Goalkickers

[edit]

Melbourne:

  • S. Spencer 5
  • A. Webb 5
  • R. Barassi 3
  • B. Johnson 3
  • I. Ridley 1

Collingwood:

  • B. Greve 1
  • W. Jones 1
  • B. Serong 1
  • K. Smale 1
  • K. Turner 1
  • B. Twomey 1

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Attendance alterations from 1908" (PDF). Australian Football League. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  2. ^ Ken Moses. "This must never happen again – rioting M.C.G. mob alarms Games men". The Argus. Melbourne, VIC. p. 5.
  3. ^ Australian Football League, The Game That Made Australia, Retrieved 19 September 2010
[edit]

Bibliography

[edit]
  • 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
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