1906 VFL Grand Final

1906 VFL Grand Final
15.4 (94)	6.9 (45)
Date	22 September 1906
Stadium	Melbourne Cricket Ground
Attendance	44,437
Umpires	Bert Wregg

The 1906 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Fitzroy Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 22 September 1906. It was the 9th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1906 VFL season. The match, attended by 44,437 spectators, was won by Carlton by a margin of 49 points, marking that club's first premiership victory.

Lead-up

Carlton FC team, premiers

After the home-and-away season (which lasted for seventeen matches, including the "first round" of fourteen matches and a "second round" of three matches), Carlton was top of the ladder with a record of 14–3 and a percentage of 153.5; Fitzroy finished second with a record of 13–4 and a percentage of 153.3.

The finals were contested using the variation of the amended Argus system seen between 1902–1906. Fitzroy faced fourth-placed Essendon in the First Semi-Final, and won by 36 points, and Carlton faced third-placed Collingwood in the Second Semi-Final and won by ten points. Carlton and Fitzroy then faced off to decide the premiers.

Right to challenge

The winner of this match would automatically win the premiership; no team had the right to challenge for the premiership this season. Under the variation of the Argus System in use between 1902–1906, the club with the best record in all matches (including finals) could have challenged for the premiership if it had not won this game.

However, whichever team won this game would have become the team with the best record, depriving the other of any right to challenge. Entering the match, Carlton had a record of 15–3, and Fitzroy had a record of 14–4 but a superior percentage (155.6 to Carlton's 151.2).

In the event of a Carlton win, Carlton's 16–3 record would have ranked above Fitzroy's 14–5, but in the event of a Fitzroy win, both clubs would have been level on 15–4, but Fitzroy would have been ranked above Carlton with a superior percentage.

This is different from the ruling which would have been used under the more widely known variation of the Argus System, which was in use from 1907–1930, with the exception of 1924. In that variation, the team with the best record in matches excluding finals had the right to challenge; as Carlton had the best record after 17 weeks, it would have retained the right to challenge, regardless of finals results.[1]

Teams

Carlton

Fitzroy

Carlton
B:	Norm Clark	Doug Gillespie	Les Beck
HB:	Billy Payne	George Johnson	Charlie Hammond
C:	George Bruce	Rod McGregor	Ted Kennedy
HF:	Frank Caine	Jim Marchbank	Mick Grace
F:	Alex Lang	George Topping	Ike Little
Foll:	Jim Flynn (c)	Fred Jinks	Fred Elliott
Res:
Coach:	Jack Worrall

Fitzroy
B:	Stewart 'Frank' Abbott	Geoff Moriarty	Joe Johnson
HB:	Gilbert Barker	Jim Sharp	Percy Sheehan
C:	Barclay Bailes	Tammy Beauchamp	Edgar Kneen
HF:	Fred Fontaine	Gerald Brosnan	Bob Smith
F:	Les Millis	Charlie Naismith	Ern Jenkins (c)
Foll:	Bill Walker	Herbert Milne	Percy Trotter
Res:
Coach:

Umpire – Bert Wregg

Statistics

Goalkickers

Carlton:

F Caine 3
M Grace 3
G Topping 3
L Beck 1
F Elliott 1
C Hammond 1
F Jinks 1
I Little 1
J Marchbank 1

Fitzroy:

G Brosnan 1
F Fontaine 1
L Millis 1
C Naismith 1
P Trotter 1
B Walker 1

References

Rodgers, Stephen (1992), Every Game Ever Played: VFL/AFL Results, 1897–1991 (3rd ed.), Ringwood, VIC: Viking O'Neil

Carlton Football Club 1906 VFL premiers
Carlton 15.4 (94) defeated Fitzroy 6.9 (45), at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Beck Bruce Caine Clark Elliott Flynn (c) Gillespie Grace Hammond Jinks Johnson Kennedy Lang Little Marchbank McGregor Payne Topping
Coach: Worrall

Carlton Football Club
Nickname: Blues History Premierships and records Players Captains Coaches Awards John Nicholls Medal AFL Women's best and fairest Leading goalkickers AFL coach: David Teague AFL co-captains: Patrick Cripps and Sam Docherty AFLW coach: Daniel Harford AFLW co-captains: Kerryn Harrington and Katie Loynes
VFL/AFL home grounds	Princes Park (1897–2005) Melbourne Cricket Ground (2005–) Docklands Stadium (2002–)
AFLW home grounds	Princes Park (2017–)
VFL/AFL premierships (16)	1906 1907 1908 1914 1915 1938 1945 1947 1968 1970 1972 1979 1981 1982 1987 1995
Seasons (151)	1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Related articles	1999 AFL First Preliminary Final 2002 salary cap breach Carlton–Collingwood rivalry Carlton–Essendon rivalry

Fitzroy Football Club
History Records Players Captains Coaches Honour roll Team of the Century Mitchell Medal Leading goalkickers
Home grounds	Brunswick Street Oval (1884–1966) Princes Park (1967–1969, 1987–1993) Junction Oval (1970–1984) Victoria Park (1985–1986) Western Oval (1994–1996)
Premierships (9)	1895 1898 1899 1904 1905 1913 1916 1922 1944
Seasons (113)	1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996
Related articles	Brisbane Lions Fitzroy Bulldogs North Fitzroy Kangaroos Proposed mergers and relocations of the Fitzroy Football Club
Fitzroy Football Club merged with the Brisbane Bears in 1996 to form the Brisbane Lions

Australian Football League
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Grand finals	1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
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Awards	AFL Coaches Association awards AFL Players Association awards AFL Rising Star All-Australian team Brownlow Medal (winners) Coleman Medal Goal of the Year Leigh Matthews Trophy Mark of the Year Norm Smith Medal
Major recurring events	AFL finals series AFL Grand Final Anzac Day Eve match Anzac Day match Dreamtime at the 'G Easter Monday clash E. J. Whitten Legends Game Len Hall Tribute game Opening game QClash Queen's Birthday match Showdown Sydney Derby Western Derby
Second-tier and junior competitions	AFL Under 18 Championships NAB League North East Australian Football League South Australian National Football League Victorian Football League West Australian Football League
Former clubs	Brisbane Bears Fitzroy University
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Known as the Victorian Football League from 1897–1989; no grand finals were held in 1897 and 1924