| 1909 VFL Grand Final | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date | 2 October 1909 | |||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Melbourne Cricket Ground | |||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 37,759 | |||||||||||||||
The1909 VFL Grand Final was anAustralian rules football game contested between theCarlton Football Club andSouth Melbourne Football Club, held at theMelbourne Cricket Ground inMelbourne on 2 October 1909. It was the 12th annualGrand Final of theVictorian Football League, staged to determine thepremiers for the1909 VFL season. The match, attended by 37,759 spectators, was won by South Melbourne by two points, marking that club's first premiership victory.
Carlton and South Melbourne finished in the top two during the minor round of the 1909 season, each finishing with a 14–4 record. South Melbourne was the minor premier, with a higher percentage than Carlton. Carlton won the clubs' two meetings during the minor rounds: in Round 2 by 17 points; and in Round 11 by 24 points, after trailing 0.11 (11) to 4.4 (28) at half-time, then scoring nine goals to none in the third quarter.
During the season, the Carlton Football Club had been split by infighting within the committee, resulting in the resignation of coachJack Worrall Round 13. CaptainFred "Pompey" Elliott took over the coaching duties in Round 14, and Carlton won its last four matches.
As premiers in 1906, 1907, and 1908, Carlton was attempting to win its fourth consecutive premiership. On the other hand, South Melbourne was attempting to win its first premiership.
The finals were played under theamendedArgus system. Both teams won their semi-finals, but Carlton defeated South Melbourne in the final 10.9 (69) to 7.5 (47): South Melbourne, as minor premiers, was therefore entitled to a Grand Final challenge match, and the winner of this match would win the premiership.
The South Melbourne side was missing full-backBill Dolphin, who was injured; wingerJim Caldwell, who had been suspended for nine matches for striking Carlton'sGeorge Bruce in the previous week's preliminary final; and top forwardDick Casey, who was injured from the previous week's final. Had Casey been fit, he would have taken pressure off South Melbourne's leading goalkicker that season,Len Mortimer, who, despite kicking a goal, played indifferently throughout. South's replacements wereBob Deas,Horrie Drane, andTed Wade.Norm Clark was available for Carlton; he replacedLes Beck from the Blues' winning Final side of the previous week.
The match, played in a rather unsettling wind, was very closely contested, with the teams tied at both quarter- and half-time. In the first quarter, South Melbourne's back-flankerTom Grimshaw was knocked out, but he eventually recovered consciousness and finished the match standing in the goal square. In the second quarter, Carlton'sJack Baquie badly injured his ankle and left the field, but he eventually returned in the third quarter to stand in the forward pocket. In the third quarter, Carlton roverMartin Gotz was knocked out and was carried from the ground on a stretcher, but he returned to the ground in the last quarter and stood in the forward line.
In a powerful third quarter—in which Belcher, Ricketts, Cameron, Mortimer, and Gough in sequence brought the ball from the deep backline to the forward line untouched by a single Carlton player, eventuating in Gough's goal—South Melbourne drew ahead of Carlton, 4.12 (36) to 3.11 (29).
In the last quarter, Carlton had several chances to win, scoring 1.1 to South Melbourne's two behinds. With five minutes to go,"Mallee" Johnson andCharlie Hammond got the ball to centre half-forwardHarvey Kelly, who kicked a goal, bringing Carlton to two points behind. Carlton lost the ensuing centre bounce at the restart of play. The ball got to South Melbourne's forward Len Mortimer, but his kick did not make the distance. Carlton moved forward, kicking the ball towards the goals, butWilliam Thomas took what turned out to be a match-saving mark for South Melbourne, as the ball was not near either goal for the remainder of the match.
South Melbourne 4.14 (38) defeated Carlton 4.12 (36).
The 1909 Grand Final was filmed bySpencer's Pictures, aSydney-based film company, and it is the oldest known surviving footage of Australian rules football in action. The near-complete silent film can be viewed on theNational Film and Sound Archive'sYouTube channel (seeexternal links).
     S. Melbourne |  Carlton |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Melbourne | 0.5 | 2.9 | 4.12 | 4.14 | 4.14 (38) |
| Carlton | 0.5 | 2.9 | 3.11 | 4.12 | 4.12 (36) |
South Melbourne:
| Carlton:
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