1951: Geelong's jubilee flag
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SYSTEMATIC football, played at high speed, carried Geelong to the Jubilee Premiership of 1951, and set a new pattern for all League clubs. That pattern was not just fanatical, tearaway pace with no clear plan. It was dazzling pace, intelligently directed, with quick-thinking players making position and playing on.
Geelong was the fastest, side seen in the League since South Melbourne's "foreign legion" of 1933-34. It swept many opposing teams off their feet, and gave the Cats 16 wins in 20 games and their fourth flag. Only the Geelong premiership side of 1931 had surpassed such a record.
This happened in 1951:
- League fans paid £130,000 for their football, compared with £116,000 in 1950. Outer ground admittance prices rose from 1 /3 to 2/-; members' tickets from 13/6 to 18/6.
- Essendon, runners-up, played in their sixth grand final in six years. They won three and lost three. From 1946 to 1951 the Dons played 127 matches, winning 98 and losing 26. Three games were drawn. In six years. Essendon won five semi-finals, three finals, and three grand finals.
- An amendment of the Coulter law increased payments to players from £4 to £5 a match.
- Geelong won the premiership, the Brownlow Medal, and the goalkicking record for 1951 — 86 goals by George Goninon. This triple achievement equalled Collingwood's performance in 1927 and 1929.
- Essendon's defeat by South Melbourne on May 5 ended a run of 16 consecutive victories by the Dons. It was only their second defeat in 34 games. South's 14-20 was the first century score kicked against them for two years.
- Geelong's 22-20 against Collingwood set a new record score for a second semi-final. Previous best was Richmond's 19-20 against Geelong in 1934.
- George Goninon's 11 goals for Geelong equalled the record shared by Harry Vallence in the first semi-final of 1931 and Ron Todd in the finals of 1938 and 1939.
- Footscray 23-14 beat Melbourne 5-19 at the M.C.G. on June 23. The Bulldogs' winning margin of 103 points was the biggest in the club's League history.
- Geelong's record football crowd — 32.000 — saw the home team, 10-14, defeat Richmond, 8-8, at Kardinia Park on June 23. Previous best was 26,500 at, Corio Oval in 1925.
- For the second time in three years. Collingwood was beaten by 82 points in a semi-final. In the first semi-final of 1949, Essendon kicked 20-16 to the Magpies 8-6. In 1951, Geelong ran up 22-20 to Collingwood 10-10.
- Five goals down against Collingwood with 19 minutes to play in the preliminary, final, Essendon. in a great recovery, kicked 5-3 to win by 10-10 to 10-8. It was the most sensational last quarter effort in a final since 1945, when Carlton scored 7-3 lo wipe out a deficit of 34 points against Collingwood.
- The Dons' two-point win was the closest margin in a preliminary final for 26 years. In 1926, Melbourne defeated Essendon in the preliminary final by three points — 6-6 lo 5-9.
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How the flag was won
Geelong's blistering pace and unyielding defence in the Grand Final broke Essendon's two years' dominance of League football. It was not until the third quarter that Geelong's dashing centre line began lo give the team real dive. A run of six goals left the Dons with a 39 points deficit and only 20 minutes to play.
SCORES IN THE FNALS
First Semi: Essendon, 8-13; Footscray, 8-5
Second Semi: Geelong, 22-20; Collingwood, 10-10
Final: Essendon 10-10; Collingwood, 10-8.
GRAND FINAL
Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | FULL TIME | |
GEELONG | 3-8 | 4-10 | 9-13 | 11-15 (81 pts) |
ESSENDON | 1-0 | 6-2 | 6-4 | 10-10 (70 pts) |
Finals aggregate attendance: 274 743
Receipts: £33 655
Grand Final: 84,109; £10 568
Home-and-away aggregate attendances: 2,068 002; Receipts: £93 337
Statistics for the season
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LEADING GOALKICKERS 1951:
86 GEORGE GONINON (Geelong)
75 JOHN COLEMAN (Essendon)
65 EDDIE HART (Fitzroy)
58 JACK O'ROURKE (Richmond)
57 JOCK SPENCER (North Melbourne)
48 PETER BENNETT (St Kilda)
47 KEITH WARBURTON (Carlton)
HIGHEST SCORE 1951:
Footscray 23-14; Melbourne 5-19
Geelong 22-20; Collingwood 10-10
(equal 152 points)
Footnotes
Title: 1951 — Geelong's jubilee flag
Author: Hugh Buggy
Date: Thursday 5 June 1952, page 8
Publisher: Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957)
Link: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/23177068
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