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Grand Final HistoryEpisode 51: 1947 The Narrowest of MarginsCarlton shocked their supporters and the football world in 1947 when they selected their new captain who had only played two games in the VFL. It was a time of change with the invention of the Four'nTwenty Pie, as immigrants beginning new lives, far away from the chaos in Europe and women playing footy in front of one of the biggest crowds of the season. Collingwood threatened to forfeit rather than play their home game against Carlton at the MCG, it was all about money and bribery scandals saw a lifetime ban imposed. Fred Fanning kicked 18 goals in his last...
2025-12-301h 09Grand Final HistoryEpisode 50A Supplementary Episode The Fifth Decade of the VFL 1937-1946A special extra episode covering the 5th decade of the VFL from 1937 to 1946. From the greatest Grand Final ever to the Infamous Bloodbath, from war with the VFA to surviving WWII the VFL and the clubs faced many challenges. Players were killed in the war, some returned from the horrors of the Burma Railway, others kept the country moving at home, playing football when they were not working 12 hours shifts. A decade that finished with the league celebrating its 50th season with a return to an MCG Grand Final.
2025-12-0536 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 50: 1946 A Gigantic IndustryThe VFL celebrates its 50th Jubilee season with the return of the MCG and the Brownlow and some changes including the addition of a 20th man. The game has become a “Gigantic Industry’ according to VFL Secretary Like McBrien but clubs are still having trouble getting enough jumpers and balls with rationing still in place. Goal kicking legend Bob Pratt’s comeback would end after one game, some players would return to VFL footy after the trauma of being POW’s at Changi and the Burma Railway and some future champions would make their debut’s. The finals were thrilling...
2025-11-211h 11Grand Final HistoryEpisode 49 1945 The BloodbathTed Whitten said it was the best game he ever saw, several of the players had no memory of what happened, a suspended player got reported and Ted Whitfield’s pre-match routine was to drink 6 beers with a top up at halftime. The Bloodbath was an extraordinary Grand Final played shortly after the end of World War II where a football match occasionally broke out between the fights. 1945 was a pivotal year, supporters were back watching footy and the country waited for the end of hostilities, mourned the death of the US president and an Australian Prime Minister then saw...
2025-08-311h 30Grand Final HistoryEpisode 48 1944 Up the JunctionSupporters were “Up the Junction” in 1944, making their way to the Junction Oval, hosting the Grand Final for the first time since 1899, baked by hot winds on a 30C day with trams and busses on strike. It had been another tough wartime season, so tough even Jack Dyer got suspended, for the only time in his career. Some had suggested that anyone who hit Dyer deserved a Victoria Cross. The Tigers had considered a boycott in protest against a teammate's suspension but were in their third Grand Final in a row against Fitzroy, back in the Grand Final 22 years afte...
2025-08-021h 18
The Undead SymphonyEpisode 244: In The Flesh (Season 1)Send a textThis is a special episode in which I look at the two seasons of the BBC zombie Drama IN THE FLESH as recommended by Kieren from Eerie Earth podcast, writer and narrator of The Fallen. Now, I never saw this, didn’t even know it existed to be fair, it ran for two season over two years in 2013-14 and has 9 episodes that I think add up to an hour each.The premise. Set after "The Rising", which is the show's take on a zombie apocalypse, the drama focuses on a reanimated yo...
2025-07-2453 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 47 1943 The Earliest Wooden Spoon EverEleven teams started the 1943 season but only ten made it to the final round. To ensure only one bye per team, the club on the bottom of the ladder after round eleven was eliminated! The earliest Wooden Spoon ever! The war meant everything was different, US Marines were at the MCG, they even played a gridiron game, the American football code as a rare game on the G once it was occupied for the war. The Americans even took on the Australians in a hybrid football game described as ‘aerial bombardment”. All the while the VFL season unfolded, with chal...
2025-07-041h 14
2025-06-2227 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 46A The Changi BrownlowThis episode delves into a unique chapter of football history set against the backdrop of World War II. Discover the remarkable story of the Changi Australian Football Association and the creation of the Changi Brownlow Medal within the brutal confines of Changi Prisoner of War Camp in Singapore. Despite being far from home in a hostile environment, Australian POWs found solace and a sense of normalcy through a makeshift football league. Learn how this extraordinary season symbolised the enduring spirit and camaraderie of the players amidst adversity, and how it left an indelible mark on the history of the...
2025-06-1242 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 46 1942 Americanising the City and the GameIn 1942 the Americans were taking over the city and were amazed by the footy and yet some wanted to Americanise the local game to help it expand north and internationally. But there were bigger problems north of Australia with the Japanese advancing through the Pacific.
Not all the teams played, the MCG was a not so secret military base and Sunday football became a regular event but not for the VFL. The ordinary way of life was gone, the government was taking everyone’s binoculars but footy provided some comfort and normality in a season like no ot...
2025-04-101h 03Grand Final HistoryEpisode 45 1941 A Greater Job Than FootballA world in turmoil, a world at war and some want to play football on Sundays, undermining the nation’s spiritual and moral foundations and risking national destruction, there was a lot going on in 1941. Melbourne were aiming for their third premiership in a row while others wondered if football should be played at all. The VFA were stealing star players while others were in military camps, unsure how many games they would play and some were paying the ultimate price.
2025-02-041h 10Grand Final HistoryEpisode 44 1940 The Greatest Shirtfront EverThe greatest shirtfront ever delivered occurred in possibly the toughest season ever, with more players reported in 1940 than ever before. The drama and shocks on the field were matched by the turmoil and challenges off the field as the VFA looked to recruit the biggest stars of the day and many players made the biggest decisions of their lives to enlist in the armed services. St Kilda won their first premiership (The Patriotic Premiership with a Flag and a Cup) while Jack Dyer and Norm Smith clashed on the MCG.
Tune in for an insightful look at...
2025-01-011h 26
Intensive Clare🎅🏼The 2024 Intensive Clare Christmas Quiz!🎄It’s that wonderful time of the year where we get to torture our pundits with sporting brain teasers & some sports trivia that would have made Jimmy Magee’s eyes water! We were joined for this cruel and unusual punishment by Ann-Marie McGann, Kieran Madigan, Orla Considine, Derek Dormer & and special guest in World Handball Champion Seán Considine! We divided our contestants into 2 teams; McMad & Considormer!! Who would take the coveted crown of Intensive Clare 2024 Quiz Champions?! Listen in and find out...
2024-12-3156 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 43 1939 My Melancholy DutyWelcome to 'Grand Final History,' where we delve into the tumultuous events of 1939, the 43rd season of the VFL, amid a backdrop of global and local crises. Experience how devastating bushfires scorched Victoria, culminating in the infamous Black Friday, and how the VFL played a role in providing solace through sport.
Join us as we navigate through a year marked by political upheaval, with the death of Australian Prime Minister Joseph Lyons and global tensions mounting towards World War II. Discover how the VFL operated amidst recruiting battles with the VFA and changes to game rules...
2024-12-031h 11Grand Final HistoryEpisode 42 1938 Throwing the BallThe VFL was “The rebellious child of the Association” and it could not dictate how football was going to be played in 1938. There was a split in Australian Football, the Association were changing the rules, allowing throwing the ball and more as they looked to attract more spectators to their games, so “Who cares what the League thinks” was their motto. 1938 was a dramatic year on and off the field, bribery attempts by gambling cartels, new teams in the finals and doping to help win a grand final. All this and more in the latest episode of Grand Final History.
2024-10-251h 09Grand Final HistoryEpisode 41 1937 The Greatest Game of AllThe greatest game of all they called it: The 1937 Grand Final between Collingwood and Geelong. The year saw a King’s coronation, with a North Melbourne player representing the VFL in London and Fitzroy became the Gorillas! Finals prices increased, never popular, yet a record crowd was a the Grand Final. It was the Magpies chance for a premiership hat trick and to send Gordon Coventry off in style or Geelong’s opportunity to give Reg Hickey a premiership in his second stint as captain coach. Meanwhile, trouble was brewing with the VFA.
2024-08-301h 13Grand Final HistoryEpisode 40A Supplementary Episode The Fourth Decade of the VFL (1927-1936)Welcome to Grand Final History. In this special supplementary episode, we review the fourth decade of the VFL, from 1927 to 1936. We explore the trends, issues, significant incidents, and quirks over the ten years.
New rules, night football, new finals system, new club mascots, goal kicking master classes and the dominant Magpie Machine, the Fourth Decade of the VFL provided a welcome relief for supporters struggling through the Great Depression. This special, supplementary episode provides an overview of the Fourth Decade of VFL football. The teams that did well, the teams that struggled, the players that made a...
2024-07-1430 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 40 1936 Never on a SundayAbdications, invasions, Olympics and Grand Finals but some people in 1936 were more worried about all night trams and football being played on a Sunday. It was the VFL’s 40th Season with Richmond’s Punt Rd home ground the centre of an extraordinary dispute that might bankrupt every club and the league. One of the most infamous tribunal hearings will result in a champion missing a Grand Final and decades of fake news. One club takes on a new nickname as part of their rise to success. Another big season in the VFL.
Join us as we reco...
2024-06-281h 03Grand Final HistoryEpisode 39 1935 Watch Out For That TruckCollingwood and South Melbourne play each other seven times, but only one can win the 1935 VFL premiership. It was a year that saw the first night game between VFL clubs and beer came in cans for the first time, two pivotal moments in history. Footscray made their bid for worst jumper of all time and the Magpies almost forfeited a game. North Melbourne and Hawthorn struggled while the league promised to help Rugby Union. Meanwhile Richmond was looking for alternatives to Punt Road for a home ground. And a truck played its part in Grand Final History.
...
2024-06-031h 07Grand Final HistoryEpisode 38 1934 The First Centenary PremiershipIn this gripping episode of "Grand Final History", we transport you back in time to relive the highs and lows of the 1934 Victorian Football League (VFL) season. This episode encompasses Melbourne's Centenary year, the effects of economic depression, global political turbulence, and local events as experienced by the average supporter
We examine the game-changing evolution of how football was played, from new rules to record breaking performances.
This episode captures the essence of the hard-fought season, marked by controversies, dramatic brawls, and exceptional skill demonstrations. Get insider details of the tensions and concerns plaguing the l...
2024-04-061h 03Grand Final HistoryEpisode 37 1933 Every Club Needs a MascotIt was the year a cartoonist bestowed a mascot onto a VFL club, it was the year Australian Rules and Rugby League tried to invent Universal Football and it was the year St Kilda and North had a game that they both recall very differently. The VFL experimented with a new pricing model for finals, the crowds might have been lower but the league considered it a success. Has the League ever regretted a price rise?
2024-02-161h 04
Must See MatchesEpisode 88 - Akira Hokuto vs. Shinobu Kandori - AJW Dream Slam I - April 2, 1993One of our great joys in doing this show has been talking classic joshi with Sarah Parkin, so lets’s do it one last time for Akira Hokuto vs. Shinobu Kandori from AJW Dream Slam I on April 2, 1993.
PLUS: books, heat, Eastenders booking, the history of LLPW and its battles with AJW, Kandori hates everybody and they hate her, Tom Magee vs. Bret Hart, the lost Eagle Sawai tape vault, angry judokas in wrestling, French ref and waiter ref, Steve Lynskey, 90s screensavers, Astronauts vs. Crazy Lovers, Kieran spots the seams, He-Man figures, unconventional counters, “Tazdori”, retaining anonymity while wearing a gian...
2024-01-071h 17
Grand Final HistoryEpisode 36A Supplementary: Football Media PioneersSo much of football history relies on the pioneering journalists who covered the early years of the VFL. In this episode we take a break from normal programming to look at some of the key reporters in print and the emerging radio media. Find out the names and the stories behind the pseudonyms of those early trail blazers who established media traditions still with us today.
2024-01-0527 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 36 1932 NinthTime is a CharmAustralians struggle with the Depression, unemployment and the death of Phar Lap but there is always footy to look forward to. South Melbourne bring in a new jumper, new management and new players but will it be enough? The Tigers have been runners up four times in five years, their coach Checker Hughes has led teams into eight Grand Finals and been runners up eight times, will it change in 1932?
2023-12-0359 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 35 1931 Almost an ExhibitionGames at the Exhibition Oval, next to the Exhibition Buildings? The VFL was negotiating with Cricket Clubs to get a fair share of revenue for football on grounds controlled by Cricket Clubs and released the 1931 fixture with games at the Exhibition Oval and the Motordrome, opposite the MCG. Football clubs were threatened with eviction. It was going to get tense before an agreement was struck. Collingwood were trying for their fifth premiership in a row but lost a champion player who moved to Tasmania to coach and get a job rather than be unemployed in Melbourne. A Tiger Immortal...
2023-09-2258 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 34 1930 Harry Waits 59 Years for CharlieCollingwood are looking for their fourth premiership in a row but with three time premiership captain Syd Coventry appointed Captain Coach of Footscray how will the Magpies cope? Harry Collier finally gets to meet Charlie, it only took 59 years! Geelong supporters wonder if the You Yang mountains are cursed. 1930 was a tough time for many people but footy provided relief for many. And though the rain fell heavily at times some wanted to make Victoria a dry state.
2023-08-301h 01Grand Final HistoryEpisode 33A Supplementary: Colden Harrison The Father of FootballThe Rum Rebellion, the tragedy of Australia’s frontier wars and the birth of our own game, all of this will be explored as we look at the Henry Colden Antil Harrison, the Father of Football and the forgetting and remembering of his cousin, Tom Wills. Colden Harrison may not have been at the very birth of the game, unlike cousin and brother in law Tom, but his impact was pivotal in the growth and establishment of the native game. And the establishment would recognise him in his own life, even if, in recent times, we have lost focus on...
2023-06-0230 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 33 1929 Coventry’s Ton and Goodbye to the Father of FootballCoventry kicks a ton, the Father of Football dies and the Victorian team rescue a stowaway and there is talk of the VFL killing the VFA, again! The VFL and the world were changing in 1929, not always for the better but one thing that could be counted on was the Collingwood Machine and their quest for a premiership hat trick. The Saints would make a late run for the finals and the premiership game would have a familiar look to it.
2023-05-251h 08Grand Final HistoryEpisode 32A Suplementary 1928 VFL VFA An Olive Branch ExtendedAffiliation between the VFA and VFL was a hot topic in 1928. Could these two feuding organisations put their history behind them and cooperate for the good of football in Victoria. Many meetings, detailed proposals and a preview of an arrangement that was implemented many decades later.
An episode for those interested in the fractious relationship between the VFL and the VFA
2023-04-2214 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 32 1928 A Lot Depends on You TodayCollingwood players threatening to go on strike over pay cuts, the VFA looking to affiliate with the VFL, a Brownlow winner off to the USA to teach American footballers to kick and meet Hollywood stars and Geelong’s grandstand burns down so the players get new boots. 1928 was a busy season as the economy started to look tougher clubs looked to save money. But how could the Magpies defend their premiership if they went on strike? And how did Fitzroy have three more scoring shots than the Cats but lose by 76 points? The Bulldog makes an appearance at Footscray bu...
2023-04-2053 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 31 1927 The Uncertainty PrincipleOne champion footballer killed in a car crash and Geelong nearly lose three premiership players in another accident on the Geelong Road. The popularity of cars is increasing and the road toll is growing. 1927 was not short of drama and incident. Collingwood dumped their captain before the season started with never ending rumours of bribery and corruption. At the National Football Championship a tactic used by the VFL causes an immediate rule change for all future championships. Meanwhile violence on the ground and by spectators reaches new heights. The season ends in a Grand Final that sets records that...
2023-03-0256 min
Grand Final HistoryEpisose 30A Supplemantary The Third 10 Years 1917--1926Ten years in one episode, the third decade of the VFL. From a time of war and global pandemic a six team competition grows to 12 clubs and the game is faster, with higher scores but not everybody is happy. The first radio broadcasts and growing number of newspapers feed a never ending hunger for news about footy. Gambling and bribery scandals target premiership teams. There is event discussion of privately owned clubs and night football decades before theire time. And will Collingwood be allowed to play their home games at Victorai Park?
2023-01-1436 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 30 1926 Six Wonderful MinutesTragedy strikes on and off the field, bushfires burn the state and one VFL player dies due to a tetnus infection after breaking his arm in a game. 1926 had its challenges. There were also highlights, the game was faster, the scores were higher and a Grand Final was won with six wonderful minutes sealing the game. It was also the year where two men coached at one club but played for another in the same season. And, if you think that's odd, wait until you hear about the Geelong business owners who want the reigning premiers to leave the...
2022-12-2251 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 29 1925 Now we are 12The VFL becomes a 12 team competition, Hawthorn, North Melbourne and Footscray leave the VFA. Threats of legal action, suspensions and accusations of dishonourable conduct. But then proposals for two new privately run teams, playing under lights on Saturday and Sunday decades before night football was established. And Grand Final players bashed after training by a gang of supporters from the other club. It was all happening in 1925. New clubs, new rules and host of new coaches across the league, all looking for their place in Grand Final History.
2022-11-0856 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 28 1924 No Grand Final but plenty of scandal and the first BrownlowNo Grand Final but plenty of scandal. Did the premiership team take a dive? Why did Fitzroy select the coach of Melbourne to play in their Semifinal? Is the Brownlow for the Fairest and Best or the Best and Fairest and why are the umpires casting the votes? And the league looks at a new ground as an alternative to the MCG. And will the VFL finally make a decision to admit a 10th team. All this and more in season 1925.
2022-09-1843 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 27 1923 The Blues get the blues1923 sees the start of radio broadcasting but letting people know who won the Grand Final can also be done by shooting flares from an air-plane over a crowded Caulfield Cup crowd. Every team except Carlton would spend some time in the Four yet it would come down to the last round of the season to lock in the finalists. The Blues were not a happy club and players fighting with committee members after a game at Essendon was not going to help but it did see three players suspended. It would be the latest date in the year for...
2022-08-1147 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 26 1922 The Sun Rises Over a New GlobeSignificant changes in 1922 as some of the VFL's biggest names end their careers while two Newspapers debut, providing even more coverage of football for a sports hungry public. The Sun News Pictorial and the Sporting Globe add their voice to the 26th season where Richmond will attempt their third premiership in three years, Essendon move to a new home at Windy Hill and the VFL grapple with new rule proposals. Will throwing the ball become legal?
2022-06-2950 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 25 1921 Up there Cazaly1921 in the Victorian Football League, it was a year that Essendon’s efforts to find a new home ground saw the temporary demise of North Melbourne and a slow train journey to Perth had the best players from Victoria and South Australia playing kick to kick on the wide open Nullarbor Plain. Roy Cazaly moved to South Melbourne and the cry of “Up there Cazaly” was born. During a vicious hail storm that covered the MCG with ice spectators from the outer invaded the hallowed MCC Members’ Stand, desperately seeking shelter. Alongside these and other curious events Richmond were trying t...
2021-12-1545 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 24 1920 Morning GamesInnovation was the theme in 1920 for the VFL: New jumpers proposed to avoid clashes, new rules to open the game and reduce congestion, proposals for ground rationalisation down to two grounds in Melbourne and scheduling Morning Games in the fixture. It was all happening over 100 years ago. Also, controversy in Grand Final week as one player is barred from playing due to a zoning restriction and another makes his debut, in his one and only VFL game, in the Grand Final.
2021-11-1148 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 23 1919 A Spanish VIsitorBorders closed between states, travel restricted, buildings closed, masks required when in public but the footy went on. Might seem familiar today but that was life in 1919 as the Spanish Flu arrived in Australia along with thousands of returning service men and women. All nine VFL teams were playing in 1919, but the Flu was taking its toll on players. Roy Cazaly was out for a few weeks and many players struggled to regain form when returning from illness. St Kilda set a couple of interesting records during the season, firstly not allowing Geelong to score a goal in an...
2021-10-0332 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 22 1918 Goodbye Mr StewardSouth Melbourne go through the 1918 home and away season with just one loss. The secret to their defeat by St Kilda did not emerge for 50 years, and what a secret it was! But how would the Southerners go in the finals? Five Grand Finals for just one premiership so far in the VFL raised some questions about South Melbourne’s ability to handle the pressure in big games. Essendon and St Kilda returned to the VFL in 1918 allowing an eight team competition and the spectators set records for war time attendance. But it was time up for the Stewards, th...
2021-09-0235 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 21 1917 A Lucky HorseshoeDuring a year of turmoil around the world and in Australia football provides a respite from war, tragedy and political division. But there are financial scandals that lead the resignation of the VFL president as clubs use money raised for Patriotic Funds to cover their own expenses. 1917 saw a six team competition and before the Grand Final one former player sent a lucky horseshoe made from a German artillery shell to encourage his team mates. Would it help them get to the “Top of the Tree”?
2021-08-1132 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 20A Supplementary The Second 10 YearsTen years in one episode! The leage expands and contracts, players become professional but gambling and bribery allegations cast a cloud. Collingwood tries doping in a semi final yet lose the game anyway. Violence rears its ugly head involving players, crowds, police and the courts. Coaches are sacked, comittees dumped and players go on strike. The game is captured on film and the first exhibition match is played in London in front of the future King. And the spectre of WWI casts doubt on whether the game can continue, as spectators and players enlist, some never to return.
2021-07-1828 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 20. Then There Was FourHow do you run a league and a season of football when more than half the clubs refuse to play? 1916 was the year when a majority of VFL clubs said football was a distraction from the war effort and others argued that it provided a welcome relief and entertainment for the working man. And it would be an opportunity to raise money for the Patriotic Funds. It was a season like no other. Four clubs playing each other four times in a shortened season before the finals. Where every team made the Final Four!
In London there...
2021-06-2630 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 19 1915 Then there was nine1915, The season starts the day before the Gallipoli landings, with only nine clubs now that University has departed. But many people are asking why footballers are being paid to play a game while soldiers are needed to defend the empire. There is a vote to shorten the season and a majority of clubs agree. A charity game between VFA premiers North Melbourne and St Kilda is played, the purpose is to raise finds for wounded soldiers. But there is not much charity on the field, and why were North using "ring ins" from other VFA clubs? It was a t...
2021-06-0531 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 18 1914 The Storm BeginsCarlton undertake one of the most successful rebuilding efforts of any VFL/AFL team, making the Grand Final with 9 first year players. Can they go all the way?
And what happens when a player is reported for striking a spectator who punched him first, what ruling will the tribunal bring down? In a season that was marked by the start of the WWI the VFL had one of its most even seasons ever. But it would be the final year for University, competing against professionals was challenging, putting a team on the field when the majority of p...
2021-05-1628 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 17 1913 The CalmMelbourne players threaten to go on strike, a deadly virus causes a club to change travel plans, players form thier first union and St Kilda makes a barnstorming entrance into the finals. With record crowds squeezed into the MCG, can St Kilda pull off one of the biggest upsets yet in the VFL's history. In other matters there is an outbreak of peace and goodwill between the VFL and VFA but it won't last.
2021-04-2836 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 16 1912 Footy RecordIt was the year of the Olympics and the Titanic's maiden voyage. But in Melbourne the focus was on the footy. Players now had numbers on their jumpers and the Footy Record was on sale before the game. Could Essendon go back to back under super coach Jack Worrall? One club would mourn the loss of an iconic leader with a shock death before the season began. Another club would have the honour of being the last team to be beaten by University as the students endured another tough year.
2021-04-0638 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 15 1911The ProfessionalsThe era of amateurism (or shamateurism) is over, the VFL changes to a professional league but not all clubs agree. And a potential amalgamation is explored with the VFA. Essendon employ the original super coach Jack Worrall to move them to the next level. Meanwhile St Kilda players go on strike and the club uses more than 60 players in a season. A record that will never be broken
2021-03-0648 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 14 1910 Season of ScandalA year unlike any other. Committee room coups, on field violence, players arrested and charged in court, umpires assaulted at the tribunal hearings and bribery allegations during the final series. It has to be a bumper episode to fit all this in, so put your headphones on and find out what happened in the most controversial season of all time.
And on a positive note, the New York Times publishes an article claiming the Australian game is the best football anywhere on the planet. Wouldn't the AFL like to see that happen this year.
2021-01-3057 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 13 1909 One Day in OctoberThe Grand Final is held in October for the first time. This year also saw a visit from a touring American team playing Australian rules, would they help grow the game in the USA? Carlton have to deal with dissent and disunity as they chase their fourth premiership in a row, St Kilda select a suspended player and lose one of their few victories for the year. And with the introduction of Half Day Trading on Saturday in the retail trade, many more people can now attend the games. All that extra money will not cause any problems in...
2020-12-3133 min
Documentary on One PodcastThe Nobody Zone: Episode 7 - New EvidenceAs new evidence emerges, we return to the first victim that Kieran Kelly claimed – to where it all began. A train. A death. A story.The Nobody Zone is a collaboration between RTÉ's Documentary On One in Ireland and Third Ear productions in Denmark.For more, visit rte.ie/thenobodyzone..The Nobody Zone is written and narrated by Tim Hinman.Storyline and production is by Tim Hinman and Krister Moltzen.Original idea, research and recordings are by Robert Mulhern, Nicoline Greer and Liam O'Brien with production assistance from Sarah Blake, Donal O'Herlihy, Tim Desmond, Ronan Kelly and Michael Lawless.Spec...
2020-12-0940 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 12 1908 And Then There Were TenThe first two expansion clubs, Richmond and University, join the VFL to make a ten team competition. Victoria wins the International Football Jubilee held at the MCG to celebrate the 50th year of the Australian Game.
During the 1908 season St Kilda was caught up in two separate dramas. Were committee members and players caught up in gambling? Was there a game lost deliberately against a less established team? Could any of the allegations be proven? Then during the finals, were St Kilda players under the influence of alcohol, how much did they drink at half time?
...
2020-12-0140 min
First ConvictionThe Nobody Zone: 07 - New EvidenceAs new evidence emerges, we return to the first victim that Kieran Kelly claimed – to where it all began. A train. A death. A story.The Nobody Zone is a collaboration between RTÉ's Documentary On One in Ireland and Third Ear productions in Denmark.For more, visit rte.ie/thenobodyzone..The Nobody Zone is written and narrated by Tim Hinman.Storyline and production is by Tim Hinman and Krister Moltzen.Original idea, research and recordings are by Robert Mulhern, Nicoline Gree...
2020-11-2440 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 11 Answering the CallThe season starts a week earlier and not everyone is happy. St Kilda has their most successful season yet while South Melbourne also make a move up the ladder. The VFL continues to talk up international expansion and also finds a new way to get more people to attend each semi final. Melbourne tries to appoint a coach but the sticky issue of professionalism causes more problems.
And when it gets to the serious end of the season, Carlton's coach puts the call out to two champions to help the club out. This is Grand Final History...
2020-10-1735 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 10A Supplementary The First 10 YearsA supplementary program that takes a quick look at the first 10 years of the VFL looking at
The Different Finals Systems used and the Grand Final Venues
The efforts of the VFL to promote the game nationally and internationally
The emerging challenges of player payments and gambling
It is a way of looking at some of the trends of the first decade and see how the VFL developed in its early years.
2020-10-0212 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 10 1906 Letter to AmericaThe tenth year of the VFL saw the competition healthy and popular. The crowds had returned but there were growing rumblings about clubs breaching the original salary cap. No one was supposed to be paid when the rules said it was an amateur competition. But with big gate takings and the desire to win if you could get the best players. One reporter called it the world's most expensive form of amateurism.
And the league were enthusiastic about the potential for international expansion. They even sent a letter to the President of the United States and dared...
2020-09-2036 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 9 1905 The Year of MiraclesThe VFL was sending money to Queensland to help support the Australian game in Brisbane and beyond. (Perhaps this investment paid off in 2020 when many clubs were able to relocate to Queensland during the Corona Virus affected season?)
Some clubs in 1905 were not happy about the Grand Final being played at the MCG every year, disadvantaging the teams that had succeeded during the year and costing their supporters large sums (in aggregate) in travel costs. And some players even had to return from their sheep shearing duties to run out onto the ground on Grand Final day.
2020-09-2037 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 8 1904 Know your BoundariesThe game is getting too fast for one umpire, it is time to bring in boundary umpires, who will signal out of bounds by waving white handkerchiefs.
Carlton had some challenges when the committee tried to sack the coach but the players backed their man and it was the committee members who were pushed out. Many more committee room coups to come.
The VFL learns that it can increase the price of finals tickets and the crowds continue to come to the games. The money was to promote the game in Sydney, although not everyone a...
2020-09-2026 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 7 1904 Sydney Here We ComeThe first push to promote the game in Sydney. A game for premiership points payed in the harbour town, with no radio or TV to follow the game, some supporters were not too happy about losing a chance to watch their team play. And in an preview of 2020 one club has to cancel games and change their travel schedule because of a deadly contagious virus.
2020-09-2025 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 6 1902 The Home of FootballThe Grand Final is played at the MCG, the Home of Football for the first time. And see which club employed the first coach. The Argus Finals system was updated and the specter of gambling and its influence over the game was raised again, possibly leading to the end of a champions career.
2020-09-2022 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 5 1901 FederationAustralia became a united country. So we would have interstate games instead of inter colonial games.
The final system updated again and the first use of the term Grand Final as the first version of the "Argus System" made its debut. And see why Geelong were unhappy about the lack of a challenge option for the team finishing on top of the ladder, the only time this happened in normal finals until the system was revised in the 1930's
2020-09-2021 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 4 1900 The end of the CenturyThe process for deciding the premiership continued to be criticized, St Kilda would win a game with the decision being made at league headquarters in the week after the game, just like 2008 Sirengate affair in York Park Tasmania and one team makes a late run for the premiership which results in more changes to the finals in years to come.
2020-09-2028 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 3 1899 Eighteen is EnoughThe third season of the VFL and the number of players on the ground was reduced from 20 to 18 to reduce congestion and open the game up. There were fears about the influence of gambling and the role of bookmakers and allegations that the VFL was more focused on money than spectators when it came to selecting a ground for the Grand Final
2020-09-2022 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 2 1898 The First Grand FinalThe second year of the VFL saw the first Grand Final. But only after one of the competing teams decided not to follow through with their threat to boycott the match.
2020-09-2025 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 1 1897 In the BeginningThe very first year of the VFL and there wasn't even a Grand Final. Start the journey here at the beginning of the VFL as they established a new competition for Australian Rules Football in Victoria that would eventually grow into the AFL we know today.
2020-09-2014 minGrand Final HistoryEpisode 0 Grand Final History An IntroductionWelcome to Grand Final History, a Podcast that explores every VFL and AFL premiership since 1897. Each episode takes you through a summary of the season, the changing rules, emerging trends, controversies and highlights. Then into the finals culminating in two teams challenging each other in a Grand Final to become the premiers for the year (Apart from the seasons where a round robin system replaced the Grand Final). From the early years of the VFL when 8 suburban clubs built a competition to a national league playing games in every state and territory across the country.
2020-09-2001 min
The Maroon And White PodThe Backdoor Football Show with Laois Footballer Kieran LillisIn part one of the show Paul Shaughnessy is joined by Finian Hanley and Johnny Magee discussing what it means for teams to be playing in a knockout championship and also talking all things Armagh football. In part two of the show Kieran Lillis talks about what life has been like during lockdown owning a pub and also discusses Portlaoise's and Laois football success success in recent years. This show is brought to you by GA Sports. Here is a link to their website:
https://www.gasports.ie/
2020-06-301h 24
Well Far: The Running PodcastRunning Tech – Watches, apps and tracking – how to use data to go further and faster.To vote for Well Far to win the Listener’s Choice Award, please visit: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/vote Our world is inundated with tech and the running world is no exception. But with so much run tech out there how do you know which gadget, app, watch or tracker is right for you? Fitness Tech Journalist and all round running enthusiast Kieran Alger talks us through the basics of which watch is right. From preserving battery life, to what and what not to track for beginners and seasoned runners alike; this episode is packed ful...
2019-11-0348 min
Monday BreakfastStudents strike!; Hush: Gathering of Kindness; Friends of the Earth- #Keep it in the Ground; Let them stay! Rally for Priya, Nades and their daughters; Martin Croft on bringing 'Come from Away' to Australia7:00 Acknowledgement of Country7:07 Students Strike! 7:15 Tony Gould tells us how the Hush Foundation creates music for children's hospitals and other stressful environments and about Gathering of Kindness, their new album.7:30 Cam Walker, campaign's coordinator for Friends of the Earth Melbourne calls in to tell us about their campaign to extend Victoria's moratorium on onshore conventional exploration and drilling and why we need to let Daniel Andrews know the community says no to the fossil fuel industry.7:45 People gathered outside the Federal Court in Melbourne on Wednesday September 18th, to support Priya, Nades, and their daughters, Kopika and Tharunicaa, who are fighting governme...
2019-09-2200 min