1995 AFL Grand Final

The 1995 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Geelong Football Club and Carlton Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 30 September 1995. It was the 99th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1995 AFL season. The match was attended by 93,670 spectators, the second most attended match of the season behind the 1995 ANZAC day clash between Essendon and Collingwood. The 1995 Grand final was won by Carlton by a margin of 61 points. It was Carlton's 16th premiership victory, making it the most successful club in the league's history (a record subsequently tied by Essendon in 2000). The game also marked Carlton's sixteenth consecutive win and twenty-third win for the year overall, then a record.

Background

This was Carlton's first appearance in a Grand Final since losing the 1993 AFL Grand Final, whilst it was Geelong's first since losing the previous year's premiership decider. The Cats had finished runners-up in three of the past six Grand Finals (in 1989, 1992 and 1994), and were looking for its first flag since winning the 1963 VFL Grand Final.

At the conclusion of the home and away season, Carlton had finished first on the AFL ladder with 20 wins and 2 losses, winning the McClelland Trophy. Geelong had finished second with 16 wins and 6 losses.

In the lead-up to the Grand Final, Carlton defeated the Brisbane Bears by 13 points in the Fourth Qualifying Final, thereby earning the week off, and subsequently defeated North Melbourne by 62 points in the Second Preliminary Final. Geelong defeated Footscray by 82 points in the Third Qualifying Final before defeating Richmond by 89 points in the First Preliminary Final.

The Grand Final billed as having the potential to be the best Grand Final in years, when the top two sides of 1995 were due to clash in their first Grand Final. Geelong looked like it had its best chance of winning a premiership since claiming the 1963 flag, after crushing Footscray and Richmond in the previous two weeks of the finals. Carlton, on the other hand, were the standout team of 1995 - the first team ever to win 20 home and away matches.

Match summary

In spite of the pre-game buildup and expectations of a tight contest, the Grand Final was a very one-sided affair. Played on a wet and blustery day, the Blues had four goals on the board almost before Geelong could blink, and even after the Cats wobbled through the last two goals of the opening term through Peter Riccardi and David Mensch, the match was effectively over at half time with the Blues dominating to lead 10.8 to 3.10. Things only got worse for the Cats in the second half, with one of their key playmakers Riccardi tearing his hamstring early in the third term.

The game will be remembered for the brilliant play of Greg Williams, who was awarded the Norm Smith Medal for being judged the best player afield with five goals and 31 possessions, and also of defender Stephen Silvagni in keeping champion Geelong full forward Gary Ablett goalless. Carlton's Peter Dean also produced one of the more memorable moments of the game half way through the third term, when he applied a smother on a John Barnes kick, picked up the ball, and delivered a pass to Williams which resulted in a goal.

Other dominant players for Carlton included Brett Ratten, Anthony Koutoufides, Stephen Kernahan and Craig Bradley.

In the post-match ceremony when Carlton players were being awarded their victory medallions, Dean attepmted to jump over the railing of the victory dais in celebration, but tripped and fell off it. He was not injured.

Teams

Goal kickers

External links

• Match details at AFL Tables

See also

• 1995 AFL season