1945 VFL Grand Final

The 1945 VFL Grand Final, commonly known as the Bloodbath was the Grand Final in the Victorian Football League in season 1945, played between South Melbourne and Carlton.

Capacity crowd

Played only shortly after the conclusion of the second World War, the Melbourne Cricket Ground was unavailable for use, prompting the game to be played at Princes Park. The crowd of 62,986 is a record for Princes Park, and is almost double its current nominal capacity.

Win from fourth place

Carlton held a two point lead at half time, and won the match 15.13 (103) to South Melbourne's 10.15 (75).

Carlton's 1945 premiership win was the first time since the "Page-McIntyre system" had been adopted in 1931 that a team from fourth place on the home-and-away ladder (i.e., a team that had no "double chance") had won the Grand Final.

South Melbourne would not contest another Grand Final until 1996 as the Sydney Swans .

The "Bloodbath"

The game, played in extremely wet, muddy conditions, is remembered as "the Bloodbath" for its overall continuous violence (on the field and amongst the spectators), and its plethora of crude hits, knock-outs, and brawls (many of which were broken up with the assistance of the police).

Teams

Aussie rules team old| title = Carlton
backpocket1 = Arthur Sanger
fullback = Vin Brown
backpocket2 = Jim Baird
halfbackflank1 = Bob Chitty (c)
centrehalfback = Bert Deacon
halfbackflank2 = Jim Clark
wing1 = Doug Williams
centre = Clinton Wines
wing2 = Herb Turner
halfforwardflank1 = Alec Way
centrehalfforward = Ken Hands
halfforwardflank2 = Lance Collins
forwardpocket1 = Rod McLean
fullforward = Ken Baxter
forwardpocket2 = Jim Mooring
ruck = Ron Savage
ruckrover = Jack Bennett
rover = Mick Price
reserve1 = Charlie McInnes
reserve2 =
coach = Percy Bentley

Aussie rules team old| title = South Melbourne
backpocket1 = Brian Kelly
fullback = Jim Cleary
backpocket2 = Don Grossman
halfbackflank1 = Bob Matlock
centrehalfback = Jack Williams
halfbackflank2 = Jack Danckert
wing1 = Ted Whitfield
centre = Herbie Matthews (c)
wing2 = Billy King
halfforwardflank1 = Vic Castles
centrehalfforward = Ron Clegg
halfforwardflank2 = Keith Smith
forwardpocket1 = Alan Linden
fullforward = Laurie Nash
forwardpocket2 = Bill Williams
ruck = Jack Graham
ruckrover = Jack Dempsey
rover = Reg Richards
reserve1 = Ron Hartridge
reserve2 =
coach = Bill Adams

The tribunal aftermath

Ten players were reported for a total of sixteen offences.
* Ted Whitfield (South Melbourne): Charged with using abusive language to goal umpire Whyte, attempting to strike field umpire Frank Spokes, kicking the ball away after a free kick was given against him, and attempting to conceal his guernsey so the goal umpire could not report him. Suspended for 21 matches.
* Jack "Basher" Williams (South Melbourne): Charged with using abusive language to Carlton's Rod McLean and goal umpire Whyte, and adopting a fighting attitude to goal umpire Whyte. Suspended for 12 matches.
* Bob Chitty (Carlton): Charged with elbowing Billy Williams (South Melbourne). Suspended for 8 matches.
* Don Grossman (South Melbourne): Charged with striking Jim Mooring (Carlton). Suspended for 8 matches.
* Ron Savage (Carlton): Charged with striking Don Grossman (South Melbourne) in retaliation for Grossman having king-hit teammate Mooring. Suspended for 8 matches.
* "Gentleman" Jim Cleary (South Melbourne): Charged with striking Ken Hands (Carlton) after a mark and attempted striking of Bob Chitty. Found not guilty on attempted striking charge; suspended for 8 matches.
* Fred Fitzgibbon (Carlton): Charged with one count of melee involvement (despite a 4 match suspension from the preliminary final for having king-hit Collingwood forward Len Hustler, Fitzgibbon ran onto the field and participated in the final quarter brawl until being removed from the arena by police). Suspended for an additional 4 matches.
* Herbie Matthews (South Melbourne): Charged with throwing the ball away after a mark was given against him. Severely reprimanded.
* Ken Hands (Carlton): Charged with charging Ron Clegg (South Melbourne). Found not guilty.
* Keith Smith (South Melbourne): Charged with striking Jim Mooring (Carlton). Found not guilty.

ee also

*1945 VFL season

References

* Holmesby, R. & Main, J., "This Football Century: "The Greatest Game of All", Wilkinson Books, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN 1-863-50222-X
* Rogers, S. & Brown, A., "Every Game Ever Played: VFL/AFL Results 1897-1997 (Sixth Edition)", Viking Books, (Ringwood), 1998. ISBN 0-670-90809-6
* 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

External links

* [http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/The%20Bloodbath%20Grand%20Final.htm Full Points Footy: 1945 VFL Grand Final: Carlton vs. South Melbourne]
* [http://www.theage.com.au/news/Geoff-McClure/Bloodbath-was-beer-match-too/2005/05/19/1116361672799.html Geoff McClure, "Bloodbath was beer match, too", ("The Age", 20 May, 2005)]
* [http://www.blueseum.org/tiki-index.php?page=Grand+Final%2C+1945 Blueseum: Grand Final, 1945]
* [http://stats.afl.com.au/public/statistics/tribunal/3/1945/All/tribunal_3_all_1945.shtml?competition_group_idIndex=2&season_idIndex=63&guiltyIndex=0 AFL Historical Statistics: Tribunal -- 1945 Finals (anachronistically lists South Melbourne players as playing for "Sydney")]