AFL Grand Final

{{See also|List of AFL Grand Finals}}

File:Fitzroy 1898 premiers.jpg.]]

The Victorian Football League (VFL) was established for the 1897 season by eight clubs which seceded from the Victorian Football Association (VFA). The new league introduced a system of finals to be contested after the home-and-away matches; this ensured that the premiership could not be decided until the last match had been played, generating greater public interest at the end of the season — compared with the VFA's system, which awarded the premiership based on win–loss record across the entire season, with a playoff match only in the event of tied records. The league arranged that the gate from finals matches be shared among all teams, which guaranteed a better dividend to the league's weaker clubs.{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|location=Melbourne|title=The new football league|date=4 February 1897|page=6}}

Although the finals system used in 1897 had the possibility of a grand final, one was not required. As such, the match now recognised as the first grand final took place in the league's second season, on 24 September 1898, between Essendon and Fitzroy at the St Kilda Cricket Ground. This match too had been in doubt until the night before it was played, Essendon disputing the choice and fitness-for-use of the St Kilda ground, which had already been top-dressed for the cricket season. Despite appealing to the league and even announcing it intended to forfeit,{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|location=Melbourne|title=The Football Premiership|date=23 September 1898|page=6}} Essendon relented and played the game,{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|location=Melbourne|title=Football disputes|date=24 September 1898|page=10}} and Fitzroy won the inaugural grand final 5.8 (38) d. 3.5 (23) before a crowd of 16,538.

File:1909 VFL Grand Final.jpg players enter the field before the 1909 grand final.]]

Most VFL finals systems utilised until 1930 comprised a short finals system, usually a simple knockout tournament ending with a match called the 'final'; if the 'final' was not won by the home-and-away season's minor premiers, then the minor premiers had the right to challenge the winner of the 'final' to a playoff match for the premiership. At the time, it was only this challenge match, if played, which was known as the grand final; however, all 'final' matches which decided the premiership have since retrospectively been considered grand finals. The 1899 VFL grand final is the earliest such game; it was won by {{AFL Fit}}, while losing team {{AFL SM}} would have had to have defeated Fitzroy again in a challenge match to win the premiership. In all, eleven 'finals' are now considered grand finals: eight which were won by the minor premiers and would have resulted in a challenge match had the result been reversed (1899, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1911, 1918, 1927 and 1928); and three which decided the premiership but which could not have been followed by a challenge match due to the finals systems and circumstances of those years (1901, 1903 and 1906).

In 1902, the Grand Final was first played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, when {{AFL Col}} 9.6 (60) defeated {{AFL Ess}} 3.9 (27) before a then-record Australian football crowd of 35,000.{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|date=22 September 1902|page=9|title=Football – the Final Match|author=Old Boy|location=Melbourne}} By 1908, every finals match was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and new attendance records were set in 1908 (50,261), 1912 (54,463) and 1913 (59,479). During this period, {{AFL Car}} became the first club to win three consecutive premierships, winning 'finals' in all three years.

Football and grand finals continued through World War I, albeit with reduced attendances, and some controversy that it distracted from the war effort, with one critic calling for the Carlton team to receive the Iron Cross as their premiership medallion. However, many diggers supported the continuance of the game, and returned servicemen were granted free admission to a portion of the grandstand for the 1918 grand final, with many attending in uniform.{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|page=7|location=Melbourne|title=Football|date=9 September 1918}}

File:Essendon fc 1923.jpg's premiership team from 1923.]]

During the 1920s, the VFL grappled with the problems of the challenge final system — specifically that the league was not always guaranteed four finals, and there was the perception that semi-finals could be thrown to guarantee a grand final and the dividend which came with it.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10340822 |title=THE FOOTBALL PREMIERSHIP. |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne |date=19 September 1904 |access-date=14 October 2014 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}} On several occasions during the 1920s, semi-final crowds exceeded that of the final or grand final. In 1924, for the second and last time, no recognised grand final was played; a round-robin finals system was played, with the top team from the round robin to face the minor premiers in a grand final if required; but, when minor premiers Essendon also won the round robin, no grand final was staged.{{citation|first=Stephen|last=Rodgers|title=Every Game Ever Played: VFL/AFL Results, 1897–1991|publisher=Viking O'Neil|location=Ringwood, VIC|edition=3rd|year=1992}} This new finals system was abandoned after one year. A new record crowd of 64,288 was set in 1925, when {{AFL Gee}} played and won its first grand final, attracting a huge contingent of both provincial and metropolitan supporters.{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|date=12 October 1925|page=7|title=Geelong premiers|author=Old Boy|location=Melbourne}} Between 1927 and 1930, {{AFL Col}} became the first and only club to win four consecutive premierships, winning in 'finals' in 1927 and 1928, then grand finals in 1929 and 1930.

In 1931, the Page–McIntyre Final Four system was introduced for finals, which eliminated the minor premier's right to challenge and guaranteed four finals and a genuine grand final each year.{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|date=25 April 1931|page=20|title=League Football – Premiership Rounds – New System Adopted}} Under this system, and all systems which followed it until 1993, one team entered the grand final with a bye week after winning the second semi-final; and the other entered after winning the preliminary final in the week before the grand final. More often than not, the grand final was a rematch between the teams who played the second semi-final two weeks earlier.

Several new record crowds were set through the 1930s, and the Melbourne Cricket Ground's new Southern Stand was constructed and opened in 1937. That year, the Geelong–Collingwood grand final attracted 88,540, with spectators crossing the fence and sitting eight deep along the boundary line;{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|page=3|date=27 September 1937|title=Crowd enters arena at grand final|location=Melbourne}} the following year, another record of 96,486 watched {{AFL Col}} play {{AFL Car}}. {{AFL Mel}} dominated the final years before the Pacific War, comfortably winning grand finals in 1939, 1940 and 1941.

Football served as a distraction for people and as a war fundraiser on the home front during the World War II. The Australian government requisitioned a number of VFL grounds, including the Melbourne Cricket Ground, so the grand finals were staged at Carlton's Princes Park in 1942, 1943 and 1945, and at the St Kilda Cricket Ground in 1944. The last of those games, in 1945, saw a capacity crowd of 62,986 squeeze into the Carlton ground, which was played just weeks after the armistice with Japan was declared.

File:VFL Grand Final in 1945 at the MCG.jpg from the stands of the Melbourne Cricket Ground]]

When the Melbourne Cricket Ground was relinquished by the government in August 1946, there was great expectation in the buildup to the grand finals, and attendances were soon back to 1930s levels. In 1948, {{AFL Ess}} and {{AFL Mel}} played the first drawn grand final in history; a full replay was played the following week, which Melbourne won. The sight of thousands sitting between the fence and the boundary line was now usual at the grand final,{{cite web|url=https://www.nmfc.com.au/news/123277/nmfc-archives-1950-grand-final|title=NMFC Archives: 1950 Grand Final|date=12 May 2015|author=Ricky Mangidis|access-date=10 October 2020|publisher=North Melbourne Football Club}} often resulting in injuries to spectators when players collided with them. Spectators were admitted on a first-come basis, and thousands took to lining up outside the stadium from the Friday before the match to gain the best vantage point when the gates opened on the morning.{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|title=89,060 saw Grand Final football|date=28 September 1953|page=3|location=Melbourne}}

As the Melbourne Cricket Ground was used as the main stadium for the 1956 Olympic Games, the ground was upgraded again with a new stand and extra capacity, and the 1956 grand final was seen as a dry run for the opening ceremony of the games two months later. Although the official capacity was 120,000, the ground could not comfortably accommodate the record crowd of 115,802. Some spectators who gained entry perched dangerously on the back fences of the grandstands and even the roof of the southern stand to get a view of the game; and in violent scenes outside the ground, at least 2,500 gained entry by mobbing gates, climbing fences or sneaking in when the Military Band arrived, while at least 20,000 more were turned away at the gate.{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|date=18 September 1956|page=5|title=Only 102,000 will get in for Games|location=Melbourne}}{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|date=17 September 1956|page=5|title=This must never happen again: rioting M.C.G. mob alarms Games men|author=Ken Moses|location=Melbourne}} To finally prevent a recurrence of these growing crowd management problems, the VFL introduced a pre-purchase ticketing system for the finals and grand final from 1957, and attendances hovered around the health department's revised ground capacity of 102,000 over the following years.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}}

{{AFL Mel}} dominated the 1950s, playing a record seven consecutive grand finals from 1954 to 1960, and winning five premierships, including three in a row from 1955 to 1957. The establishment of the modern premiership cup in 1959 gave the after-match a ceremonial focus and allowed the attention to settle on the premier team, ending the previous custom of the crowd descending on the arena and variously chairing or walking the players off the ground. Delayed telecasts of the match were first shown on television in 1961. The grandstands were expanded again in 1968, and an enduring record crowd of 121,696 saw one of the most famous grand finals of all in 1970, in which {{AFL Car}} overcome a 44-point half-time deficit to defeat {{AFL Col}}. Live telecasts of the grand final into Victoria began in 1977, which saw the second drawn grand final between {{AFL NM}} and {{AFL Col}}. The Norm Smith Medal, awarded to the best on ground in the game, was introduced in 1979.

The 1980s saw a concerted effort by the VFL to relocate the grand final to its privately owned VFL Park, in search of a better commercial deal, but the move was ultimately blocked by the state government and the game remained at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.{{cite news|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=30 November 1983|page=44|title=Cain likely to intervene to keep VFL Grand Final at MCG|location=Canberra, ACT}} The 1980s saw a sustained period of dominance by {{AFL Haw}}, which contested seven consecutive grand finals from 1983 to 1989, winning four of them. The 1989 Grand Final, a high scoring and very physical encounter in which Hawthorn defeated Geelong by six points, is considered to be one of the greatest of all time. By 1990, {{AFL Col}} had lost the last eight decisive grand finals it had played since its 1958 premiership, a streak which became known as the "Colliwobbles"; this came to an end with its victory against {{AFL Ess}} in the 1990 grand final.

File:Sydney swans supporters at the 2006 afl grand final.jpg at the 2006 Grand Final.]]

Starting in the 1980s, the Victorian Football League (VFL) expanded interstate, and it was renamed the Australian Football League (AFL) in 1990. Perth-based {{AFL|WC}}, which joined the league in 1987, became the first non-Victorian club to both contest and win a grand final, in 1991 and 1992, respectively; and, between 1992 and 2006, non-Victorian clubs won ten out of the fifteen grand finals, with the Brisbane Lions enjoying the greatest success, with three premierships in a row between 2001 and 2003.

Since 1994, new finals systems required both grand finalists to qualify by winning a preliminary final in the previous week, ending the long-standing custom of one qualifier enjoying a bye in the week before the grand final. The third and final drawn grand final occurred in 2010 between {{AFL Col}} and {{AFL Stk}}, with Collingwood winning the replay; extra time has since been introduced to decide drawn grand finals, but it is yet to have been required. {{AFL Haw}} was dominant in the early 2010s, winning three grand finals in a row between 2013 and 2015.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the scheduling of the match in 2020 and 2021, as outbreaks of the virus in Melbourne during finals precluded unrestricted travel and mass gatherings in Victoria. In 2020, when most of the league's clubs had been relocated to Queensland for the majority of the season, the grand final was played at the Gabba in Brisbane, the first time it had been played outside Victoria. It was also played at night, the first time it was not played in the afternoon time slot.{{cite web|url=https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-grand-final-2020-date-time-venue-first-bounce-where-will-he-game-be-played-live-press-conference/news-story/7c087c2f58052edc6f82b8ada4a5e139|title=This is a win for Queensland: AFL reveals how QLD won race for historic Grand Final as key fixture details confirmed|work=Fox Sports|date=2 September 2020}} The following season, it was played at Optus Stadium in Perth in a twilight timeslot.{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-31/perth-announced-as-host-of-the-2021-afl-grand-final/100422252|title=Perth confirmed as AFL grand final host for 2021 season decider on September 25|date=31 August 2021|accessdate=2 September 2021|publisher=ABC}}{{Cite web|last=McClure|first=Sam|date=2021-09-06|title=Twilight zone: AFL agrees on bounce time for Perth grand final|url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/afl-narrows-down-start-time-for-perth-grand-final-20210906-p58p9s.html|access-date=2021-09-11|website=The Age|language=en}}

Aside from the prestige of winning the premiership, the premiership-winning club receives four prizes: the premiership cup, the premiership flag, the E. L. Wilson Shield, and A$1.2 million in prize money.

File:Carlton premiership flag 1907.jpg flag at Princes Park in 1907]]

The premiership flag is the most symbolic and longest-standing award for the clubs. It is a large, triangular pennant in league colours (navy blue fimbriated with white) and emblazoned with the league logo, the word 'premiers' and the year of the premiership. It does not feature in post-match presentations, but tradition dictates that it be ceremonially unfurled from the flagpole at the premiers' first home game of the following season. The awarding of a flag, and its ceremonial unfurling, have been tradition since the very first VFL premiership in 1897,{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|location=Melbourne|title=Football – the match of the day|date=7 May 1898|page=11}} and had been customary before that in the VFA and other sports in Victoria since around 1889.{{cite web|url=http://boylesfootballphotos.net.au/article137-The-Evolution-of-the-Premiership-1870-1888|title=The Evolution of 'the Premiership' 1870–1888|author=Michael Riley|date=11 August 2019|access-date=10 October 2020|publisher=Boyles Football Photos}} Although the flag is of lower physical importance than the cup, it retains its symbolic significance, and "the flag" is still widely used as a metonym for the premiership itself in Australian rules football parlance, including in many of the league's team songs.

File:Premiership Cup - 2019 Grand Final Parade.jpg AFL Premiership Cup, bearing ribbons in {{AFL Ric}} and {{AFL GWS}} colours.]]

The most prestigious award for supporters is the AFL premiership cup, which is presented to the captain and coach of the winning team in a ceremony after the game. Prior to the Grand Final, it is traditional for the captain of each side to hold one side of the cup in official promotional photos. The premiership cup is silver (with the exception of the 1996 cup, which was gold to commemorate the league's 100th season),{{cite web|url=https://www.nmfc.com.au/news/13243/arden-street-archives-the-gold-cup|title=Arden Street Archives: The Gold Cup|author=Ricky Mangidis|date=24 February 2017|access-date=12 October 2020|publisher=North Melbourne Football Club}} and it is adorned with ribbons in the winning team's colours when presented. A new cup is manufactured each year by Cash's International at its metalworks in Frankston. The cup was first introduced in 1959 after league president Kenneth Luke sought to recreate the spectacle he had observed at England's FA Cup final; a lap of honour with the cup by the winning team has become customary since 1966. Since 2004, it has become tradition for the cup to be presented by a past legend of the winning club, with each club's potential presenter nominated ahead of the game.{{cite web|url=https://sportress.org/2016/09/28/a-brief-history-of-the-premiership-cup/|title=A Brief History of the Premiership Cup|date=28 September 2016|access-date=26 September 2020|publisher=Sportress}} In 2004, the AFL allowed clubs to purchase cups based on the current design for premierships won prior to 1959.{{cite news|newspaper=Courier Mail|date=16 May 2008|access-date=8 October 2020|author=Andrew Hamilton|title=Brisbane's trophy cabinet swells|url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/afl/brisbanes-trophy-cabinet-swells/news-story/30cdafe8eae9ee5395acd1745d5e4186?sv=1c681704431208710ffb5b6c46798249|location=Brisbane, QLD}}

The premier club's name is also recorded on the perpetual E. L. Wilson Shield, which resides at AFL House.{{cite journal|title=Well known men amongst footballers|journal=Football Record|url=http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/110433|page=13|year=1930|issue=Round 1}} The shield, inaugurated in 1929, was named after long-serving VFL secretary Edwin Lionel Wilson. It was initially discontinued after 1978, when there was no room remaining on the shield. In 2016, it was rediscovered under a stairwell at AFL House; it was refurbished, extra space was added, and it was brought up to date. It, too, does not feature in the on-field presentation.{{cite news|newspaper=Herald Sun|location=Melbourne|title=Old tradition returns|date=1 September 2016|page=69|author=Gilbert Gardiner}}

As of 2019, the premier also receives $1.2 million in prize money, with $660k for the runners-up.{{cite web|url=https://wwos.nine.com.au/afl/afl-news-grand-final-prize-money-takes-a-hit-because-coronavirus/eeb30e09-5f87-4cae-a028-a422183360d9|title=2020 AFL premiership winners to be docked prize money due to pandemic|date=11 August 2020 |access-date=12 October 2020|publisher=Nine Network}} Prior to its increase in 2007, the prize for the premier was only $250k, which was not even enough to cover an interstate club's participation in the finals series.{{cite news|title=West Coast says premiership prize is inadequate|url=http://footystats.freeservers.com/Archive/D-06-Oct-05.html|first=Steve|last=Butler|work=The West Australian|date=29 October 2005|access-date=10 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527192408/http://footystats.freeservers.com/Archive/D-06-Oct-05.html|archive-date=27 May 2012|url-status=dead}}

Each player from the winning team who plays in the grand final is awarded a premiership medal. For much of the league's history, premiership medals were awards made by clubs or their benefactors to the players as part of their celebrations; however, since live telecasts of the game were introduced in 1977, the medal has been a league award presented in the on-field presentation following the match.{{cite web|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/159979/comment-should-everyone-receive-a-premiership-medal-or-just-the-22|title=COMMENT: Should everyone receive a premiership medal?|date=5 October 2016|access-date=26 September 2020|author=Peter Ryan|publisher=Australian Football League}} Since 2002, the medals have been presented each year by children selected nationwide from the Auskick junior football program.{{cite web|url=https://aflnswact.com.au/grand-final-experience-of-a-lifetime-for-auskickers/|title=Grand Final experience of a lifetime for Auskickers|date=8 October 2015|access-date=10 October 2015|author=Alex Foote|publisher=AFL NSW/ACT}}

The league-endorsed medal dating from 1977 is awarded only to the players who participate in the winning grand final team (or in a drawn grand final team if their team won the replay).{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|location=Melbourne|url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/premiership-medals-for-both-grand-finals-20100928-15vsi.html|date=29 September 2010|author1=Jon Pierik|author2=Martin Blake|access-date=26 September 2010|title=Premiership medals for both grand finals}} Players who do not play in the grand final itself do not receive the medal, regardless of their contribution to the club's season; this has been a point of contention, with many observers believing medals should be more broadly awarded across the premier's squad.{{Cite web|last=Colangelo|first=Anthony|date=2019-09-26|title=AFL mulls over premiership medal distribution|url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/afl-mulls-over-premiership-medal-distribution-20190926-p52v6c.html|access-date=2021-09-11|website=The Age|language=en}} Criteria for the club-awarded medals prior to 1977 depended on the individual clubs' decisions.

From 1977 until 1981, runners-up medals were also presented during the post-match ceremony. This was discontinued after 1981, popularly attributed to the negative spectacle of {{AFL Col}}'s Peter Moore — in his fourth losing grand final — throwing the medal on the ground shortly after receiving it.

The Norm Smith Medal is presented to the player judged best on ground in the grand final by a panel of experts. The award is named in honour of ten-time {{AFL Mel}} premiership player and coach Norm Smith. It was first awarded in 1979, and has come to carry great prestige as an individual prize.

The coach of the winning team receives the Jock McHale Medal, named in honour of Collingwood coach Jock McHale who coached a record eight premierships. The medal was first awarded in 2001, and it was retrospectively awarded to all premiership-winning coaches starting from 1950, the first season after McHale's retirement from coaching.

The captain or co-captains of the winning team receive the Ron Barassi Medal, named in honour of ten-time premiership player and coach Ron Barassi Jr. The medal was first awarded in 2024.{{cite web|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/1210945/ron-barassi-medal-to-be-awarded-on-grand-final-day/|title=Ron Barassi Medal to be Awarded on Grand Final Day|date=2 September 2024|accessdate=2 September 2024|publisher=Australian Football League}}

The game's leading goalkicker or goalkickers receive the Jack Collins Medal from the AFL Premiership Players' Club.{{cite news|newspaper=The West Australian|location=Perth|author=Ross Lewis|title=Lewie's List: Curious AFL prizes|date=9 May 2012}}{{cite news|newspaper=Herald Sun|location=Melbourne|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/scott-russell-steps-up-again-on-the-main-stage/story-e6frf9jf-1226042607999|access-date=26 April 2015|date=21 April 2011|title=Scott Russell steps up again on the main stage|author=Jon Anderson}}

{{see also|AFL Grand Final location debate}}

File:AFL Grand Final 2010 on the Melbourne Cricket Ground.jpg at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.]]

The first four Grand Finals were played at different neutral venues chosen by the league's match committee a week in advance:{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|location=Melbourne|title=Football – notes on Saturday's game|author=Old Boy|date=26 August 1901|page=9}} these were played at the St Kilda Cricket Ground (1898 and 1899), the East Melbourne Cricket Ground (1900) and the South Melbourne Cricket Ground (1901).

Since the fifth Grand Final in 1902, after a deal was made with the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC), the Grand Final has been played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground every season, except when it has been unavailable. Under the current agreement among the AFL, MCC and Victorian Government, the ground is contracted to host the game every year until 2059.

Since 1902, only seven Grand Finals have been played at other grounds:

• In 1942 to 1945, when the Melbourne Cricket Ground was requisitioned for military use during World War II: these Grand Finals were played at Princes Park (1942, 1943 and 1945) and the St Kilda Cricket Ground (1944).
• In 1991, when the capacity of the Melbourne Cricket Ground was halved due to construction of the Great Southern Stand: the Grand Final was played at Waverley Park.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, when travel and crowds were restricted in Victoria during the finals; these Grand Finals were played at The Gabba in Brisbane (2020) and Optus Stadium in Perth (2021).

File:2021 AFL Grand Final, Perth Stadium, Simon Goodwin and Max Gawn hoist up the cup together, 25 September 2021.jpg at Optus Stadium.]]

The match sells out most years, and routinely qualifies as the world's most attended domestic sports championship event. The capacity of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is 100,024 and tickets to the game are allocated to different membership groups. In 2019, the allocations were: 13,000 to 23,000 for AFL members, with priority given to nominated supporters of the competing clubs; 3,000 to 5,000 for AFL Medallion Club members; 34,000 divided between the members of the two competing clubs; up to 5,000 for staff, sponsors and guests of the competing clubs; up to 7,000 for staff, sponsors and guests of the non-competing clubs; 5,000 to 30,000 for corporate box, coterie and hospitality packages; and 16,000 to 26,000 for Melbourne Cricket Club members in the ground's permanently dedicated members' reserve area. Where demand outstrips supply within one of those groups, tickets are usually allocated by ballot, and must be pre-purchased at prices ranging from $155 to $422 — with the exception of MCC members, who are entitled to gain free entry to the members' area on the day of the match without pre-purchase of tickets, or with pre-purchase of a $30 reserved seat.{{cite news|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=24 September 2019|access-date=8 October 2020|author1=Anthony Colangelo|author2=Jon Pierik|url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/footy-s-biggest-day-how-the-tickets-are-allocated-20180920-p50518.html|title=Footy's biggest day: how the tickets are allocated}}

As the largest venue in Melbourne, long-term contracts have secured the game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground since as early as the 1930s.{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|location=Melbourne|title=Victorian League Funds|page=6|date=18 September 1931}}{{cite news|newspaper=The Herald|date=14 March 1944|page=10|title=M.C.G. Position|location=Melbourne}}{{cite news|newspaper=The Sporting Globe|location=Melbourne|title=I'm pulling no punches|author=Ben Kerville|date=2 September 1953|page=3}} The VFL resented its reliance on the arrangement, as the ground's government-appointed trust fixed admission prices, and the MCC took a large portion of the gate and retained free entry privileges for its members, an entitlement it had held since 1902.{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|date=20 September 1909|page=15|title=M.C.C. Ground|location=Melbourne}} In the early 1950s, Princes Park was almost upgraded to become the Olympic Stadium, which would have provided an alternative venue; but when the Melbourne Cricket Ground was upgraded instead, it remained the only ground large enough to accommodate the game.{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|location=Melbourne|title=League plans to leave the MCG|author=Percy Taylor|date=8 May 1956|page=18}}{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|date=21 March 1952|page=16|title=Carlton aims at 100,000|location=Melbourne}}

In the 1960s, the VFL constructed its own privately owned ground, VFL Park (later Waverley Park), to a capacity of 75,000. The league announced that it would move the grand final to VFL Park starting from 1984, and submitted plans to expand its ground's capacity to 104,500;{{cite news|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=27 August 1981|page=30|title=$14m rebuilding plan for VFL Park|location=Canberra, ACT}} but the upgrade was blocked by the state government, which even threatened to pass legislation requiring that the game remain at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.{{citation|title=Football Ltd: the Inside Story of the AFL|author=Garry Linnell|year=1995|publisher=Pan McMillan|location=Sydney|page=269}} Eventually, the VFL, MCC and Victorian government negotiated for the game to remain at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with better terms and access privileges for VFL members.{{cite news|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=15 December 1983|page=34|title=Decision on VFL grand finals next year}}

Since the expansion of the league interstate beyond Victoria, the long-term deals at the Melbourne Cricket Ground have been criticised as unfair for non-Victorian clubs, who play fewer games at the ground and are always forced to carry the travel burden of playing in the grand final.{{cite news|newspaper=The Advertiser|location=Adelaide|date=12 April 2018|url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/afl-scores-new-deal-at-mcg-for-grand-final-and-eases-nonvictorian-clubs-concerns/news-story/e46980058ba45db9c2441fa4d0dfb4da|access-date=5 October 2020|title=AFL scores new deal at MCG for grand final – and eases non-Victorian clubs' concerns}}

The grand final is conventionally played on the afternoon of the last Saturday in September; it is often referred to in popular culture as the "One day in September", which is also the name of a famous football song. Since the introduction of the four-term school year to Victoria in 1987, it has fallen during the spring school holiday break;{{cite web|url=https://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/education/termdates|title=School and education history in Victoria|access-date=10 October 2020|publisher=State Library of Victoria}} and, since 2015, the 'Friday before the AFL Grand Final' has been a gazetted public holiday in Victoria.{{cite news |author=Conyers |first=Sherine |date=19 August 2015 |title=AFL grand final eve now a public holiday in Victoria |newspaper=Herald Sun |location=Melbourne |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/afl-grand-final-eve-now-a-public-holiday-in-victoria/news-story/8270e9e960c408e2e818597f54d983e5 |url-status=live |access-date=26 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160909072850/https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/afl-grand-final-eve-now-a-public-holiday-in-victoria/news-story/8270e9e960c408e2e818597f54d983e5 |archive-date=9 September 2016}}

Occasionally, the match is scheduled for the first Saturday in October, and prior to the introduction of extra time to finals in 1991, any drawn finals matches would be replayed, delaying all subsequent finals by a week and pushing the grand final into October. The earliest grand final date has been 2 September in the war-shortened 1916 season, and in the 2000 season, which was scheduled early to avoid a clash with the Sydney Olympics. The latest grand final date has been 24 October, in the 2020 season, which was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout its history, the grand final has remained scheduled for the traditional Saturday afternoon timeslot, most recently at 2:30pm AEST, even after night premiership football became common in the 1980s and when rival codes such as the NRL began regularly broadcasting the NRL Grand Final in the evening for primetime television. AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan has stated that it is out of respect for tradition that the afternoon timeslot has remained, even though playing in the twilight or night timeslots would attract more lucrative television deals.{{cite web|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/133562/decision-looms-on-twilight-or-night-grand-final-for-2019|date=4 March 2019|access-date=8 October 2020|author=Damian Barrett|title=Day, twilight or night? Big call looms for AFL Grand Final|publisher=Australian Football League}} Only the two grand finals played outside Victoria strayed from this, each being played in the east-coast night timeslot: the pandemic-delayed 2020 grand final, to avoid a broadcasting clash with the Cox Plate; and the 2021 grand final in Perth, which would have needed an impractically early 12:30pm local start to meet the traditional timeslot.{{Cite news|last=Gates|first=Zachary|date=31 August 2021|title=Perth's Optus Stadium wins battle to host 2021 AFL grand final as COVID-19 ruins MCG's chances again|work=Wide World of Sports|url=https://wwos.nine.com.au/afl/grand-final-gillon-mclachlan-perth-optus-stadium-mcg-venue/097ba8a0-548e-44c4-af17-0b674038d30b}}

Until the 2015 season, a drawn grand final would be replayed the following Saturday to determine the premier. This occurred on three occasions: in 1948, 1977 and 2010.

The provision to play extra time in the event of a draw was introduced in 2016, ensuring that future grand finals will always be decided on the scheduled day. In the event of a drawn game, the teams will play two extra time periods in full, each lasting three minutes plus time on, with a change of ends after the first period: if still tied, further pairs of extra time periods will be played in the same manner until a winner is determined.{{cite web|url= https://www.afl.com.au/news/345380/afl-statement |title=AFL Statement: AFL Commission Meeting|date=18 December 2019 |publisher=Afl.com.au |access-date=2020-01-09}} From 2016 to 2019, the periods were to have lasted five minutes plus time on, with a third untimed period of golden point extra time to have been played if the game remained tied after the first two periods.{{cite web|url=http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-04-19/no-more-grand-final-replays|title=No more Grand Final replays|publisher=Australian Football League|first=Callum|last=Twomey|date=19 April 2016|access-date=19 April 2016}} As of season 2024, extra time has not yet been required to decide a grand final.

Since 1977, a grand final parade featuring the players from each team has been held around midday on the Friday before each grand final. The players have in the past appeared on parade floats

it has become a motorcade of open-top vehicles, weather permitting.{{cite news |url=http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/thousands-flock-to-afl-grand-final-parade/story-e6frg12c-1225779512155 |title=Thousands flock to AFL Grand Final parade |first=Edwina |last=Scott |date=25 September 2009 |access-date=1 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100521055040/http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/thousands-flock-to-afl-grand-final-parade/story-e6frg12c-1225779512155 |archive-date=21 May 2010 |url-status=dead}} From its inception until 2014, the parade was based in the Melbourne city centre, usually proceeding along St Kilda Road, Swanston Street, Collins Street and ending at the steps of the Old Treasury Building. From 2015 (when the day of the parade became a public holiday) to 2019, the parade began at the Old Treasury Building, and headed down Spring Street and Wellington Parade, ending within Yarra Park outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground.{{cite news|newspaper=Herald Sun|location=Melbourne|title=AFL Grand Final parade route to finish at MCG|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/afl-grand-final-parade-route-to-finish-at-mcg/story-fni5f22o-1227353612495|date=13 May 2015|access-date=26 September 2015|author=Peter Rolfe}} Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 parades did not occur. In 2022, part of the parade saw the teams travel down the Yarra River on boats.{{cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-23/afl-grand-final-parade-cats-swans-mcg-yarra-river/101467898 |title=AFL grand final parade sees Cats and Swans take to Yarra River, but not all fans get a view |first=|last=|date=23 September 2022 |access-date=23 September 2022}}

In the city centre, a parade featuring two Victorian teams in fine weather would generally attract in excess of 100,000 fans;[https://web.archive.org/web/20150926234924/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-09/30/c_131169993.htm Ten of thousands fans gather for Australia Football League grand final parade]{{cite news| url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2009/09/24/1253385074736.html | location=Melbourne | work=The Age | title=Fans brave rain to watch grand final parade – RFNews – theage.com.au | date=25 September 2009 | first=Thomas | last=Hunter}} attendances are typically lower in inclement weather or in the absence of Victorian clubs.{{cite web|url=http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top%3D23%26pg%3D715%26st%3D183 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2009-09-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614115117/http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=23&pg=715&st=183 |archive-date=14 June 2011}}[http://www.abc-for-kids.com/news/stories/2005/09/23/1467076.htm Grand final parade takes over Melbourne's streets – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707072810/http://www.abc-for-kids.com/news/stories/2005/09/23/1467076.htm |date=7 July 2011 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/opm/bc/CTEE/meetings/MEC_51a_200608080530.pdf |title=City of Melbourne, Events Melbourne Branch, 2005/2006 Report |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070915134142/http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/opm/bc/CTEE/meetings/MEC_51a_200608080530.pdf|archive-date=15 September 2007}} On the first public holiday parade in 2015, a record 150,000 spectators attended.{{cite web|title=Record crowd for AFL grand final parade |url=https://au.news.yahoo.com/video/watch/29707384/record-crowd-for-afl-grand-final-parade/#page1 |website=Yahoo!7 |access-date=2 October 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004132825/https://au.news.yahoo.com/video/watch/29707384/record-crowd-for-afl-grand-final-parade/ |archive-date=4 October 2015}}

File:Crowds at afl grand final parade.jpg parade]]

The North Melbourne Grand Final Breakfast has been held annually since 1967 on the morning of the grand final. It is a corporate-style breakfast event, featuring keynote speakers and guests including prime ministers, state premiers and football celebrities. It is the most well-known corporate hospitality event associated with the grand final, and it rose to prominence in the 1970s when it was first televised across Victoria; it was endorsed by the VFL as the official pre-match function. Since then, the event has grown into a significant money raiser for the North Melbourne Football Club.{{cite web|url=https://www.tixstar.com.au/blog/north-melboure-grand-final-breakfast|title=The 2016 North Melbourne Grand Final Breakfast|date=23 August 2016|access-date=11 October 2020|publisher=Tixstar}} Today, the breakfast is broadcast live on Fox Footy.

File:Afl grand final.jpg.]]

{{see also|List of AFL Grand Final pre-match performances}}

Since the match was televised live in the late 1970s, many big Australian and international music stars have performed on the ground as part of pre-match, or occasionally half-time, entertainment. The pre-match entertainment has at times been criticised as uninspiring; and two performances in particular — Angry Anderson in 1991 and Meat Loaf in 2011 — are routinely mocked for the poor performances of the artists.[http://www.theage.com.au/news/music/grand-folly/2006/09/28/1159337253111.html Grand folly]{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/music/afl-says-meat-loaf-just-couldnt-sing-at-grand-final-performance/story-e6frf9hf-1226179362143 |title=AFL says Meat Loaf 'just couldn't sing' at grand final performance |first=Jon |last=Ralph |work=Herald Sun |date=28 October 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121230094115/http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/music/afl-says-meat-loaf-just-couldnt-sing-at-grand-final-performance/story-e6frf9hf-1226179362143 |archive-date=30 December 2012 |access-date=24 July 2012 |url-status=live}} Since 2012, the main pre-match/half-time entertainer has also performed a post-match entertainment set on the arena after the presentations and player celebrations have concluded, which is free and open to the general public.{{cite web|url=http://www.afl.com.au/greatness/premiership-party |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906015247/http://www.afl.com.au/greatness/premiership-party |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 September 2013 |title=Premiership Party |publisher=Australian Football League |date=2018-02-26 |access-date=2018-09-24}}{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-grand-final-2013-entertainment-headlined-by-local-acts-20130902-2sztb.html |title=AFL grand final 2013 entertainment headlined by local acts |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=2013-09-02 |access-date=2018-09-24}}

File:The teams line up for the national anthem, 2005 AFL Grand Final.jpg and Sydney Swans players lining up for the national anthem at the 2005 AFL Grand Final.]]

The pre-match entertainment frequently features traditional football and Australian songs performed live, including "Up There Cazaly", "One Day in September", "That's the Thing About Football", "Holy Grail", "Waltzing Matilda" and the competing teams' club songs. Each year, a motorcade is staged, in which players who have retired since the previous grand final are given a lap of honour in open top cars.{{cite news|url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/sydney/adam-goodes-declines-grand-final-lap-of-honour-for-fear-of-being-booed/news-story/78188f017d83e438d7e5f7fd4e85e12d|title=Adam Goodes declines Grand Final lap of honour for fear of being booed|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|location=Sydney|author=Neil Cordy|date=21 September 2015|access-date=9 October 2020}}

Curtain raiser matches are played on the main arena prior to the musical entertainment. Since 2008, this has been an under-16s or under-17s match,{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|author=Emma Quayle|date=11 November 2007|title=TAC Cup flicked from MCG in revamp}} presently an exhibition match among the country's top under-17s players known as the AFL Futures match.{{cite web|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/137960/teams-named-for-u17-futures-gf-curtainraiser|title=Teams named for U17 'Futures' GF curtain-raiser|date=4 September 2018|access-date=9 October 2020|publisher=Australian Football League|author=Callum Twomey}} Previously, the grand finals of the VFL/AFL reserves (1919–1999), VFL/AFL under-19s (from 1962 to 1991), and the Victorian statewide under-18s (from 1992 until 2007) were usually scheduled as one or two curtain raisers — although sometimes a drawn final and replay meant that a minor grade preliminary final, or no final at all, would be available as curtain raiser.{{cite web|url=https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/list-of-vfl-afl-reserves-grand-finals-1919-1999.989687/|title=List of VFL/AFL reserves Grand Finals (1919–1999)|publisher=Bigfooty|access-date=10 October 2020|date=24 February 2013}}

After the teams enter the arena, each team lines up for a team photograph on the ground. The national anthem is performed live when the teams and umpires are lined up on the wing.

File:2015 AFL Grand Final sprint.jpg sprint as the competitors cross the finish line. Majak Daw of North Melbourne was the winner.]]

As part of the on-field entertainment, a sprint running race known as the AFL Grand Final Sprint is held on the field among players who are not taking part in the game. This was first established in 1979 and held each year until 1987 (except 1986) before being discontinued. It was re-established in 2002 and has been held each year since.{{cite web|url=https://www.hardballget.net/afl-grand-final-sprint.html|author=David Eastman|title=AFL Grand Final Sprint}}

From as early as the 1940s until the 1980s, the long-standing soccer custom{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/07/sports/soccer/07jerseys.html|title=Jersey Swaps, a Ritual With a Story|date=2 July 2010|access-date=8 October 2020|work=The New York Times|author=Billy Witz}} of opponents exchanging guernseys after the match was sometimes observed.{{cite news|newspaper=The Herald|publication-place=Melbourne, VIC|title=Essendon run away with VFL pennant|date=5 October 1946|author=Alf Brown|page=22}}{{cite web|url=https://www.aflq.com.au/former-grand-final-rivals-rejoice-and-recreate-guernsey-swapping-tradition/|title=Former Grand Final rivals rejoice and recreate guernsey swapping tradition|date=26 June 2018|author=Ant Wingard|access-date=8 October 2020|publisher=AFL Queensland}} This most infamously meant that photographs of St Kilda celebrating its only premiership in 1966 featured captain Darrel Baldock hoisting the trophy wearing a Collingwood guernsey; St Kilda later doctored the photo to put him back in a St Kilda guernsey in murals and promotional material it created with the image. The VFL banned the captains from swapping guernseys after 1966,{{cite web|url=https://www.saints.com.au/news/32020/five-facts-you-didnt-know-about-the-1966-premiership|title=Five facts you didn't know about the 1966 premiership|author=Russell Holmesby|access-date=8 October 2020|date=24 September 2019|publisher=St Kilda Football Club}} and the custom eventually fell out of vogue altogether. Decades later, long-retired players often handed the guernseys back to their original wearers.{{cite news|url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/andos-shout-hawthorn-gun-gary-buckenara-hands-back-carlton-legend-bruce-doulls-1986-grand-final-guernsey/news-story/bcae0ef4ccd571090d9d6163511c8a53|title=Ando's Shout: Hawthorn gun Gary Buckenara hands back Carlton legend Bruce Doull's 1986 Grand Final guernsey|date=18 December 2016|location=Melbourne|newspaper=Herald Sun}}

A premiership poster, generally showing a caricature of the winning club's mascot smiling gleefully, is produced and available for purchase after the match through the Herald Sun newspaper each year. First drawn in 1954 by The Herald cartoonist William Ellis Green (aka WEG),{{Cite news | url=http://www.theage.com.au/national/final-siren-for-legendary-footy-cartoonist-weg-20081229-76mh.html | title=Final siren for legendary footy cartoonist WEG | work=The Age | date=29 December 2008 | last=Ham | first=Larissa | access-date=7 January 2014}} and since his death in 2008 by Herald Sun cartoonist Mark Knight,{{cite news|newspaper=Herald Sun|location=Melbourne|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/posters-the-winner-as-mark-knight-takes-wegs-reins/story-e6frf8w6-1225779332949|title=Posters the winner as Mark Knight takes WEG's reins|date=25 September 2009|access-date=30 September 2016|author=Nathan Mawby}} the posters are extremely popular with fans and collectors and sell over 100,000 copies each year.

Many famous, folkloric moments have occurred on the field throughout grand final history:

• 1903, {{AFL Col}} 4.7 (31) d. {{AFL Fit}} 3.11 (29) — on the final kick of the game, Fitzroy captain Gerald Brosnan had a set shot thirty metres from goal directly in front to win the game; his kick just grazed the outside of the goal post and the final bell sounded immediately after.{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|date=14 September 1903|page=8|title=The Football Season|author=Follower|location=Melbourne}}
• 1910, {{AFL Col}} 9.7 (61) d. {{AFL Car}} 6.11 (47) — the final quarter was marred by a massive brawl, sparked by a fight between Richard Daykin ({{AFL Col}}) and Jack Baquie ({{AFL Car}}). Umpire Jack Elder settled matters by blowing his whistle and bouncing the ball, giving the players no option but to forget about the fight.{{cite news|newspaper=The Observer|date=8 October 1910|page=17|title=Football fight|location=Adelaide}} Four players were suspended for a year or more,{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|date=6 October 1910|page=12|title=Football and fighting|location=Melbourne}} and the incident is considered to have initiated the long-standing Carlton–Collingwood rivalry.{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/origin-of-carlton-collingwood-rivalry/story-e6frfhqf-1226418071104|title=Origin of Carlton-Collingwood rivalry|first=Ross|last=McMullin|date=5 July 2012|access-date=5 July 2012|newspaper=Herald Sun}}
• 1913, {{AFL Fit}} 7.14 (56) d. {{AFL Stk}} 5.13 (43) — trailing by 25 points at three-quarter time, St Kilda rallied to narrow the margin to two points with four minutes remaining.{{cite news|newspaper=The Ballarat Star|date=29 September 1913|page=8|title=Metropolitan football league grand final|location=Ballarat, VIC}} Des Baird had an opportunity to put St Kilda in front after taking a mark, but he handballed to George Morrissey in a worse position who kicked a behind, often considered to be the error which swung the game in Fitzroy's favour.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article189125468|title=How an Error Robbed St Kilda of the League Pennant.|newspaper=Sporting Globe|location=Melbourne|date=27 July 1935|access-date=11 July 2015|page=7|edition=1|via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite book|editor-last=Browne|editor-first=Ashley|title=Grand finals: The Stories Behind the Premier Teams of the Victorian Football League. Volume 1, 1897–1938|year=2011|publisher=Slattery Media Group|location=Docklands, Vic.|page=176|isbn=9781921778322}}{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article190342334|title=Why He Didn't Take His Kick.|newspaper=Sporting Globe|location=Melbourne|date=5 June 1937|access-date=11 July 2015|page=8|via=National Library of Australia}}
• 1918, {{AFL SM}} 9.8 (62) d. {{AFL Col}} 7.15 (57) — in the final seconds, trailing by a point, Gerald Ryan ({{AFL SM}}) took a long running shot at goal which fell to a pack in the goal square; South Melbourne rover Chris Laird came rushing through and soccered the ball off the ground for the winning goal.{{cite news|newspaper=The Leader|date=14 September 1918|page=24|title=Football – South Melbourne premiers|author=Pivot|location=Melbourne}}

File:Bob Pratt.jpg missed the 1935 Grand Final after a vehicle accident.]]

• 1921, {{AFL Ric}} 5.6 (36) d. {{AFL Car}} 4.8 (32) — in the Carlton forward line in the final minute, a pass to Alec Duncan ({{AFL Car}}), who was close to goal, was intercepted from behind by Max Hislop ({{AFL Ric}}), who dashed away, kicking the ball as the final bell rang.{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|date=17 October 1921|page=7|title="Tigers" triumphant|author=Old Boy|location=Melbourne}}
• 1927, {{AFL Col}} 2.13 (25) d. {{AFL Ric}} 1.7 (13) — unrelenting heavy rain meant that the game was played in atrocious conditions, with sheets of water inches deep over the ground.{{cite news|newspaper=The Australasian|date=8 October 1927|page=34|title=Collingwood wins premiership – football in a lake|location=Melbourne}} With only 38 points scored, it was the lowest-scoring VFL/AFL game, grand final or otherwise, in the 20th century.{{cite web|url=https://afltables.com/afl/teams/allteams/gamer.html#08|title=Game records – least points in a game|publisher=AFL Tables|access-date=8 October 2020}}
• 1935, {{AFL Col}} 11.12 (78) d. {{AFL SM}} 7.16 (58) — Bob Pratt, {{AFL SM}}'s star full-forward and league leading goalkicker of the previous three seasons, was forced to withdraw from the grand final after being clipped by a truck carrying a load of bricks two days before the game.{{cite news|newspaper=The Australasian|date=5 October 1935|page=53|title=Football champion injured|location=Melbourne}} Without him, South Melbourne lost by 20 points despite having as many scoring shots as Collingwood.{{cite news|newspaper=The Sporting Globe|date=5 October 1935|page=3|title=South feel Pratt's absence: Magpies' stamina wins game|author=Brian Cosgrove|location=Melbourne}}

File:Norm Smith 1939.jpg missed two chances to win the 1948 Grand Final. He won ten grand finals as player and coach, and the medal for best on ground is named in his honour.]]

• 1945, {{AFL Car}} 15.13 (103) d. {{AFL SM}} 10.15 (75) — marred by constant brawling and fighting, the 1945 grand final became known as the Bloodbath. Ten players were reported and received a combined 73 weeks of suspension, and it became the benchmark against which on-field violence was compared for many years.{{cite news|newspaper=The Mail|location=Melbourne|title=Vic. football brawl|date=23 May 1953|page=1}}
• 1947, {{AFL Car}} 13.8 (86) d. {{AFL Ess}} 11.19 (85) — inside the final minute, first-year player Fred Stafford ({{AFL Car}}) kicked the winning goal for Carlton on his non-preferred foot after roving a boundary throw-in.{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|date=29 September 1947|page=14|title=Carlton's snap on bell wins pennant|author=Percy Beames|location=Melbourne}}
• 1948, {{AFL Ess}} 7.27 (69) drew {{AFL Mel}} 10.9 (69) — inaccurate kicking saw Essendon fail to win despite fifteen more scoring shots than Melbourne, an equal record for any VFL/AFL game.{{cite web|url=https://afltables.com/afl/teams/allteams/gamer.html#19|title=Game records – lost with more scoring shots|access-date=8 October 2020|publisher=AFL Tables}}{{cite web|url=https://afltables.com/afl/stats/biglists/bg8.txt|access-date=8 October 2020|publisher=AFL Tables|title=All drawn games in chronological order}} Norm Smith ({{AFL Mel}}) missed two chances in the final minute to win the game: a 45-metre running shot which went out of bounds, then fumbling clean possession from the throw-in due to interference from team-mate Don Cordner.{{cite news|newspaper=The Sporting Globe|location=Melbourne|title=Grand Final Review|date=6 October 1948|page=9}} Melbourne won the replay.
• 1960, {{AFL Mel}} 8.14 (62) d. {{AFL Col}} 2.2 (14) — in a rain-affected game, {{AFL Col}} was held to its lowest score of the 20th century, grand final or otherwise,{{cite web|url=https://afltables.com/afl/teams/collingwood/gamer.html#02|title=Collingwood – Game records – Lowest scores|access-date=8 October 2020|publisher=AFL Tables}} managing only six shots at goal for two lucky goals and two behinds.{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|date=27 September 1960|page=24|title=Melbourne proves its greatness|author=Percy Beames|location=Melbourne}}
• 1964, {{AFL Mel}} 8.16 (64) d. {{AFL Col}} 8.12 (60) — with three minutes remaining, {{AFL Mel}} back pocket Neil Crompton, who had drifted forward to follow his opponent against the coach's instructions, gathered the ball in a pack and kicked the winning goal. It was the only goal Crompton kicked in the last five seasons of his career from 1962 to 1966.{{cite news|url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/melbourne/50-years-on-the-men-who-won-melbournes-last-premiership-await-the-next/news-story/e02329ebb60f30a422f947dd6f4255e3|title=50 years on, the men who won Melbourne's last premiership await the next|date=8 June 2014|access-date=8 October 2020|author=Ron Reed|newspaper=Herald Sun|location=Melbourne}}
• 1966, {{AFL Stk}} 10.14 (74) d. {{AFL Col}} 10.13 (73) — with scores level and 90 seconds remaining, 18-year-old St Kilda forward Barry Breen snapped the winning behind with an ugly kick from a ball-up in the forward pocket, securing St Kilda's first and only premiership.{{cite news|url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/st-kildas-1966-premiership-hero-barry-breen-its-your-turn-now/news-story/26cfd4707ed5a500cdd166cfc6d0b3e1?sv=7350361d09de8bbaeaffba1329d21a4c|title=St Kilda's 1966 premiership hero Barry Breen: It's your turn now|date=25 September 2009|access-date=8 October 2020|author=Mike Sheahan|newspaper=Herald Sun|location=Melbourne}}
• 1970, {{AFL Car}} 17.9 (111) d. {{AFL Col}} 14.17 (101) — Carlton trailed by 44 points at half time, before fighting back to win, in large part due to nineteenth man Ted Hopkins, who was substituted onto the field at half time and kicked four goals. Only one team had ever previously won a VFL/AFL game from such a large half-time deficit.{{cite web|url=https://afltables.com/afl/teams/allteams/gamer.html#17|title=Game records – won from half-time deficit|access-date=8 October 2020|publisher=AFL Tables}} The game was seen by an enduring record attendance of 121,696, and it featured an iconic speckie taken by Alex Jesaulenko ({{AFL Car}}) in the second quarter,{{cite web|url=http://australianfootball.com/articles/view/1970+Grand+Final%3A+Blues+v+Magpies+%22Handball,+Handball,+Handball!%22/1221|title=Handball! Handball! Handball!|last=Devaney|first=John|access-date=23 Aug 2011|publisher=Australian Football}} after which the Alex Jesaulenko Medal for Mark of the Year is now named.[http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/lloyd-davis-make-their-mark/2008/10/08/1223145445609.html Lloyd, Davis make their mark] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081009105250/http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/lloyd-davis-make-their-mark/2008/10/08/1223145445609.html |date=9 October 2008 }}; (9 October 2008)
• 1972, {{AFL Car}} 28.9 (177) d. {{AFL Ric}} 22.18 (150) — with a combined 327 points scored, the 1972 grand final was, at the time, the highest-scoring VFL/AFL game of all time, grand final or otherwise.{{cite web|url=https://afltables.com/afl/teams/allteams/gamer.html#07|access-date=8 October 2020|publisher=AFL tables|title=Game records – most points in a game}}
• 1977, {{AFL NM}} 9.22 (76) drew {{AFL Col}} 10.16 (76) — trailing by 27 points at three-quarter time and having kicked only 11 behinds since quarter time, {{AFL NM}} rallied with five final quarter goals to take a six-point lead. Ross Dunne ({{AFL Col}}) levelled the scores with 40 seconds remaining after converting a set shot from a strong pack mark 15 metres from goal.{{cite news|url=http://150.theage.com.au/view_bestofarticle.asp?straction=update&inttype=1&intid=1109|title=Finally... just Frustration |last=Sheahan|first=Mike|date=26 Sep 1977 |work=The Age|access-date=2009-06-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090913013925/http://www.150.theage.com.au/view_bestofarticle.asp?straction=update&inttype=1&intid=1109|archive-date=13 September 2009}}
• 1977 replay, {{AFL NM}} 21.25 (151) d. {{AFL Col}} 19.10 (124) — trailing by 23 points in the final quarter, Phil Manassa ({{AFL Col}}) gathered the ball at the half-back flank, then ran all the way to the forward line with four bounces and baulking one opponent before kicking a goal from about 40 metres.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Xe9hAAAAIBAJ&pg=6156,958837&dq=phil+manassa&hl=en|title=It's over, the war is won|first=Mike|last=Sheahan|author-link=Mike Sheahan|date=3 October 1977|work=The Age}} Although Collingwood still lost the match, the goal remains famous, and the Phil Manassa Medal for Goal of the Year is now named after it.{{cite news|url=http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-premiership/afl-grand-final-countdown-no2-north-melbourne-v-collingwood-1977/story-e6frf3e3-1225778963326|title=AFL grand final countdown No.2: North Melbourne v Collingwood, 1977|first=John |last=Clark |work=FoxSports|date=24 September 2009}}

File:Robert dipierdomenico.jpg played most of the brutal 1989 Grand Final with a punctured lung.]]

• 1979, {{AFL Car}} 11.16 (82) d. {{AFL Col}} 11.11 (77) — with ten minutes remaining, Wayne Harmes ({{AFL Car}}) kicked errantly towards goal, then chased down his own kick and punched it back towards the goal square just as it was about to go out of bounds in the forward pocket; teammate Ken Sheldon gathered in the goal square and kicked a goal to put Carlton 10 points ahead. Collingwood scored one more goal in the remaining time, but Sheldon's goal proved to be the winner.{{cite web|url=https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/707443/moment-3-wayne-harmes-tap|title=Moment 3: Wayne Harmes' tap|author=Tony deBolfo|date=25 March 2014|access-date=8 October 2020|publisher=Carlton Football Club}}
• 1989, {{AFL Haw}} 21.18 (144) d. {{AFL Gee}} 21.12 (138) — noted for its roughness, Dermott Brereton ({{AFL Haw}}) was infamously knocked out by a solid shirtfront from Mark Yeates ({{AFL Gee}}) at the opening bounce; however, he played out the game in the forward line and kicked three goals despite internal bleeding. Robert DiPierdomenico ({{AFL Haw}}) played three quarters with a punctured lung, and many other players were hospitalised after the game. Hawthorn opened a 40-point lead by quarter time and still led by 37 points at three-quarter time; but with only twelve uninjured men, Hawthorn was almost overrun in the final quarter, with Geelong falling six points short.{{cite news|newspaper=Herald Sun|location=Melbourne|title=Frozen in time: relieve Hawthorn's brutal win against Geelong in the 1989 Grand Final| url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/frozen-in-time-relieve-hawthorns-brutal-win-against-geelong-in-the-1989-grand-final/news-story/415745a4c7a6f46aa447d7e234164655|access-date=8 October 2020|date=19 September 2013|author=Chris de Kretser}}
• 1997, {{AFL Ade}} 19.11 (125) d. {{AFL Stk}} 13.16 (94) — after being moved into the midfield, but instructed to drift forward after each centre bounce, Adelaide's Darren Jarman kicked a record five final-quarter goals, helping Adelaide break away to win with an eight-goals-to-four final quarter.{{cite news|newspaper=The Advertiser|location=Adelaide|url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/lifestyle/sa-weekend/the-moments-that-inspired-fired-up-darren-jarman-to-become-a-grand-final-hero-for-the-adelaide-crows/news-story/a1e116e55a398a88df49c3aa5cf43f5f|title=The moments that inspired fired up Darren Jarman to become a grand final hero for the Adelaide Crows|author=Andrew Capel|date=1 September 2017|access-date=3 November 2020}}
• 2005, {{AFL Syd}} 8.10 (58) d. {{AFL|WC}} 7.12 (54) — with less than five seconds remaining, a long kick was placed deep into the West Coast forward line towards a pack of about eight players, with West Coast crumbers well placed around the pack, but the ball was cleanly marked by {{AFL Syd}} defender Leo Barry to secure the victory.{{cite news|newspaper=Herald Sun|location=Melbourne|url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/frozen-in-time-leo-barrys-mark-in-2005-grand-final-kicks-off-series-of-iconic-gf-images/news-story/5b8238db3981a6eb178c06b732506d7e|title=Frozen in time: Leo Barry's mark in 2005 Grand Final kicks off series of iconic GF images|author=Chris de Kretser|date=13 September 2013|access-date=8 October 2020}}

File:Dom Sheed with the premiership cup 2018 AFL Grand Final.jpg, who kicked the winning goal in the 2018 Grand Final, with the premiership cup]]

• 2009, {{AFL Gee}} 12.8 (80) d. {{AFL Stk}} 9.14 (68) — with scores level with less than four minutes remaining, an errant pass to Gary Ablett Jr. ({{AFL Gee}}) in the centre circle was broken up by Zac Dawson ({{AFL Stk}}); against two St Kilda opponents, Matthew Scarlett ({{AFL Gee}}) was able to deftly toe-poke the ball off the bounce back to Ablett in space, and the ensuing play ended in a goal to Paul Chapman, giving Geelong a lead it never surrendered.{{Cite news| last = Ralph| first = Jon| title = Zac Dawson and forth| newspaper = The Daily Telegraph| date = 2010-09-18| url = http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/afl/zac-dawson-and-forth/story-e6frexx0-1225925578116| access-date = 2010-11-08}}{{Cite news| title = Great grand final – and an even better fence| newspaper = Sydney Morning Herald| date = 2009-09-27| url = http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/blogs/episodes/great-grand-final--and-an-even-better-fence/20090927-g7sp.html

| access-date = 2010-11-08}}{{Cite news | last = Niall| first = Jake| title = 'You can't replicate the pain of losing a grand final until you've lost one'| newspaper = Sydney Morning Herald| date = 2010-06-25| url = http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/you-cant-replicate-the-pain-of-losing-a-grand-final-until-youve-lost-one-20100624-z3le.html| access-date = 2010-11-08}}

• 2010, {{AFL Col}} 9.14 (68) drew {{AFL Stk}} 10.8 (68) — trailing by one point with 90 seconds remaining, a 60-metre running shot by Lenny Hayes ({{AFL Stk}}) landed 10 metres in front of the right behind post, took one bounce 45° left toward the goal, then another bounce 90° right and went through for the tying behind, eluding St Kilda goalsneak Stephen Milne who could not gather the unpredictable ball. The match was drawn, and Collingwood won the replay.{{cite news|newspaper=Herald Sun|location=Melbourne|url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/stephen-milne-shouldnt-have-waited-for-bounce/news-story/ec2f2fcc331b974f00f1ba19cfc0f0fd?sv=39a90cdfb99c1318b3783844806e8a50|title=Stephen Milne shouldn't have waited for bounce|date=27 September 2020|access-date=8 October 2020}}
• 2018, {{AFL|WC}} 11.13 (79) d. {{AFL Col}} 11.8 (74) — West Coast had trailed by 29 points in the first quarter, but they fought back to level the scores at three-quarter time. With less than three minutes remaining and trailing by two points, Dom Sheed ({{AFL|WC}}) kicked the winning goal from a difficult 40-metre set shot from near the right boundary line.{{Cite web |url=http://m.afl.com.au/news/2018-09-29/match-report-west-coast-v-collingwood |title=Match report: Eagles clinch flag in a thriller |last=Bowen |first=Nick |date=29 September 2018 |website=AFL.com.au |publisher=Australian Football League}}

The grand final is one of the most-watched television events of the year in Australia. Since the introduction of the current OzTAM ratings system in 2001,{{cite news |last1=Ricketson |first1=Matthew |title=Ratings game |url=https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/ratings-game-20070308-ge4d8q.html |access-date=29 September 2018 |work=The Age |date=8 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929084454/https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/ratings-game-20070308-ge4d8q.html |archive-date=29 September 2018 |location=Melbourne |url-status=live}} the match has been the highest-rated program of the year four times across metropolitan audiences (2007, 2014, 2015 and 2017); and the post-game ceremony was the highest-rated program twice (2016 and 2018). The worldwide audience has grown substantially, with broadcasts being televised into 72 countries for an estimated audience of around 30 million.[http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/09/22/1189881828861.html Grand final's free kick to economy a tough call]

When television was first introduced to Australia in 1956, the VFL was reluctant to broadcast the grand final into Victoria, fearful that crowd numbers would be affected. The grand final was first shown on television in 1961, shown as a replay starting an hour after the game itself had finished. Live telecasts were first allowed in Victoria in 1977,{{cite web|url=https://www.countryfootyscores.com/the-bush-teelgraph/108-richard-jones/16394-footy-broadcasts-on-radio-started-right-back-in-the-mid-1920s.html|title=Footy broadcasts on radio started right back in the mid-1920s|author=Richard Jones|publisher=Country Footy Scores|access-date=5 October 2020}} although live broadcasts interstate were permitted before that.{{cite web|url=https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/1970-vfl-grand-final-50th-anniversary|title=Jesaulenko, you beauty!|access-date=23 October 2020|publisher=National Sound and Film Archive|author=Simon Smith|date=19 October 2020}} The match has been broadcast live in colour into Victoria since that date, and consistently in high definition since 2015, by the following networks:

• Seven Network (1977–1986, 1988–2001, 2008, 2010, 2012–present)
• 7plus (2024–present)
• Network Ten (2002–2007, 2009, 2011)
• ABC and SportsPlay (1987)

Although the Nine Network held partial rights to the league's matches from 2002 until 2006, it has never broadcast the grand final.

The grand final is covered by anti-siphoning laws, ensuring it remains on free-to-air television in Australia.{{cite news|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|author=Matthew Knott|access-date=9 October 2020|date=19 August 2015|title=TV networks win right to broadcast AFL/NRL in HD, but change may be too late for grand finals|url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/tv-networks-win-right-to-broadcast-aflnrl-in-hd-but-change-may-be-too-late-for-grand-finals-20150819-gj2xb9.html}}

Some archival and newsreel footage for segments of grand finals prior to 1961 still exist, and video from the 1909 grand final is the earliest known surviving Australian football footage.{{cite news|url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/oldest-known-australian-rules-footy-film-reveals-1909-vfl-grand-final/news-story/0d1885d842d4382338a51c3a13cc117f|newspaper=Herald Sun|author=Jamie Duncan|date=9 December 2016|access-date=9 October 2020|title=Oldest known Australian rules footy film reveals 1909 VFL grand final}}

Figures for broadcasts were originally measured across the five metropolitan areas (Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and Sydney) from 2001 to 2023. However, following changes to the TV ratings measurement system in Australia in 2024, metropolitan figures were replaced by a new nationwide 'Total TV' figure, which includes regional and broadcaster video on demand (BVOD) streaming numbers in a single figure.{{Cite web |date=2024-01-23 |title=The biggest change to TV Ratings in 20 Years is coming... here's why. {{!}} TV Tonight |url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2024/01/the-biggest-change-to-tv-ratings-in-20-years-is-coming-heres-why.html |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=tvtonight.com.au |language=en-AU}}

The record under the five metropolitan cities measurement system was set in 2005 when Sydney defeated West Coast, while the total TV record was set in 2024 for the Brisbane versus Sydney match.{{Cite web |date=2024-09-29 |title=AFL grand final smashes records as new era begins |url=https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/afl-grand-final-smashes-ratings-records-for-channel-7-as-new-era-of-7plus-sport-begins-c-16224253 |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=7NEWS |language=en}}

The AFL grand final is televised into many countries, and grand final parties are held around the world.[http://www.afl.com.au/tv-radio/international-broadcast-partners] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090826093855/http://www.afl.com.au/tv-radio/international-broadcast-partners|date=Unknown}}

• Papua New Guinea — EM TV, Australia Plus (live)
• New Zealand — Sky Sport (live) and TVNZ (live)
• Asia-Pacific — ABC Australia (live) (includes China, Hong Kong/Macau, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Palau, Malaysia, Cambodia, Burma/Myanmar, Laos, Brunei, Fiji, Western Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Tuvalu, Timor-Leste(East Timor), Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Micronesia, Kiribati)
• Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan) — ABC Australia (live)
• China — GZTV (live)
• Middle East — Australia Plus and Orbit Showtime Network (live)
• Israel — Fox Sports Israel (live)
• North America[http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php/20090807012630309 AFL and ESPN in U.S./Canada TV Rights deal]
• United States — Fox Sports.
• Canada — TSN (live).
• United Kingdom and Ireland — TNT Sports (live)
• ALL of Europe — Eurosport 2 (live/delayed coverage to be confirmed)
• Africa — Kwesé Sports Orbit Showtime Network (live)
• Latin America and Caribbean — ESPN International (to be confirmed)
• Russia — Viasat (live)

{{Portal|Sports|Australia}}

• Grand final
• List of Australian Football League premiers
• List of VFL/AFL premiership captains and coaches
• List of VFL/AFL Grand Final records
• AFL Women's Grand Final
• NRL Grand Final

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