Has Anyone Debuted In A Grand-Final?

[TheLoungeLizard]

Hi all,

I was curious as to anyone in the VFL/AFL history has made the debut in a Grand-Final (Home & Away or Pre-Season competition)?

If not, whats the biggest final someone has made a debut?
Has anyone debuted in a Preliminary Final and then won the flag in their second game of football?

I remember a Brisbane player won one in his 4th game or something like that and Blair from the Pies did something similar but with a few more games.
I think both debuted during the Home & Away season.

Cheers,
Tigerland55.

 

[Engimal]

Hi all,

I was curious as to anyone in the VFL/AFL history has made the debut in a Grand-Final (Home & Away or Pre-Season competition)?

If not, whats the biggest final someone has made a debut?
Has anyone debuted in a Preliminary Final and then won the flag in their second game of football?

I remember a Brisbane player won one in his 4th game or something like that and Blair from the Pies did something similar but with a few more games.
I think both debuted during the Home & Away season.

Cheers,
Tigerland55.

I only know of one. Essendon player George Rawle made his debut at the 1923 VFL Grand Final in a winning effort against Fitzroy.

 

[Carusiii]

I could be wrong but didn't Dermott Brereton Debut in a final and kick a bag?

 

[TheLoungeLizard]

I only know of one. Essendon player George Rawle made his debut at the 1923 VFL Grand Final in a winning effort against Fitzroy.

Nice start to your career! hahaha

 

[dymot]

tHERE WAS SOME Richmond guy who did and then shot himself rabbit hunting in his foot then never played again was on some AFL history show from memory.

 

[JUBJUB]

I could be wrong but didn't Dermott Brereton Debut in a final and kick a bag?

83 Semi v North,kicked 5

 

[Vinnie Vegas]

tHERE WAS SOME Richmond guy who did and then shot himself rabbit hunting in his foot then never played again was on some AFL history show from memory.

In 1920, Bill James played his debut game in a winning grand final for Richmond. He even kicked a goal.

This would end up being the only VFL game of his career.He's the only player in history to play his only game in a grand final.

He was shot in the foot in a rabbit hunting in the offseason, which is the reason for him not playing again.

 

[Rod Stroker]

I could be wrong but didn't Dermott Brereton Debut in a final and kick a bag?

Kicked 5 goals in a final against North on debut. But it wasn't a GF.

 

[TheLoungeLizard]

tHERE WAS SOME Richmond guy who did and then shot himself rabbit hunting in his foot then never played again was on some AFL history show from memory.

So his only game was a winning flag?

 

[TheLoungeLizard]

In 1920, Bill James played his debut game in a winning grand final for Richmond. He even kicked a goal.

This would end up being the only VFL game of his career.

He's the only player in history to play his only game in a grand final.

Ahh, there you go!

How interesting.
I wouldn't mind that to be my career.

(He didn't kick that goal with his first kick did he?)

 

[autocol]

Michael Cooke debuted in a Preliminary Final for the hawks in the 70's, played (and lost) the Grand Final the following week, and never played again.

 

[Milang_Panthers]

Yes there has been 5. One of them (Bill James, Richmond) was his only game.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Michael Cooke played two games for Hawthorn, a Semi and a GF in 1975.

 

[Vinnie Vegas]

Ahh, there you go!

How interesting.
I wouldn't mind that to be my career.

(He didn't kick that goal with his first kick did he?)

I don't think it was his first kick, but wikipedia suggests that it was the sealer.

 

[eddiebankbalance]

You know Richmond are in the finals when they start asking questions in regards to 'the finals'

 

[TheLoungeLizard]

I don't think it was his first kick, but wikipedia suggests that it was the sealer.

Think Robert Harvey would trade his career for that?
I would if I were him.

You know Richmond are in the finals when they start asking questions in regards to 'the finals'

Better than asking the history of 9th place

 

[Dirty Bird]

Wow, Aaron Keating got a game before the 97 prelim. (rd 1)

What was interesting though was he got called up straight from SANFL reserves to AFL prelim.

 

[Dirty Bird]

Better than asking the history of 9th place

Who was the 1st team to finish 9th in VFL/AFL history? Richmond in 1908.

 

[TheLoungeLizard]

Who was the 1st team to finish 9th in VFL/AFL history? Richmond in 1908.

I didn't know that... that's a little depressing...
But every club has to be good at something!

 

[Ron The Bear]

Player|Year|Opp|Res|Games|Club(s)|Career
\Prout, Harry|1908|Ca|L|29|Es|1908-1910
\James, Billy R.|1920|Co|W|1|Ri|1920
\Rawle, George|1923|Fi|W|19|Es|1923-1925
\Vine, Fred|1926|Co|W|105|Me|1926-1934
\Batchelor, Keith|1952|Ge|L|42|Co,NM|1952-1957

 

[TheLoungeLizard]

Player|Year|Opp|Res|Games|Club(s)|Career
\Prout, Harry|1908|Ca|L|29|Es|1908-1910
\James, Billy R.|1920|Co|W|1|Ri|1920
\Rawle, George|1923|Fi|W|19|Es|1923-1925
\Vine, Fred|1926|Co|W|105|Me|1926-1934
\Batchelor, Keith|1952|Ge|L|42|Co,NM|1952-1957

Cheers Ron!

 

[Swampfox]

In 1920, Bill James played his debut game in a winning grand final for Richmond. He even kicked a goal.

This would end up being the only VFL game of his career.He's the only player in history to play his only game in a grand final.

He was shot in the foot in a rabbit hunting in the offseason, which is the reason for him not playing again.

There were others and incidentally the Bill James goal was the sealer

1908 Harry (Jack) Prout - Essendon
1923 George Rawle - Essendon
1925 Francis Pop Vine - Melbourne
1952 Keith (Ken)? Batchelor - Collingwood

I really doubt we will ever see this happen in the modern game


Oh Ron The Bear beat me to it

Although the very famous Pop Vine's first name was Francis not Fred

In fact if it wasn't for Pop Vine being absent in a meeting of the MFC in 1949 when the coaching job was being voted on which went to Allen La Fontaine the Norm Smith coaching career could have started 3 years earlier

Pop Vine owned the rope factory that the yet to debut Jack Mueller lost 2 fingers which didnt stop him from being a Demon great and inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame

 

[Ron The Bear]

(He didn't kick that goal with his first kick did he?)

It was the last goal of the match, so probably not.

You know Richmond are in the finals when they start asking questions in regards to 'the finals'

Do tickets still cost $2.50?

 

[TheLoungeLizard]

In the modern era, whats the biggest final someone has debuted in?

 

[Ron The Bear]

In the modern era, whats the biggest final someone has debuted in?

Full list.

Player|Year|Fin|Opp|Res|Games|Club(s)|Career
\Campbell, Colin M.|1897|RR|Ge|W|12|Es|1897-1899
\Cochrane, George|1897|RR|Co|W|22|Es|1897-1904
\Ferguson, Dave E.|1897|RR|Co|W|2|Es|1897-1898
\Hughes, Harry|1897|RR|Ge|L|2|Me|1897
\Greeves, Ted|1897|RR|Me|W|20|Ge|1897-1899
\Sheahan, Gerald|1897|RR|Ge|L|1|Me|1897
\Stranger, Bill|1897|RR|Ge|L|17|Co|1897-1898
\Holligan, John|1902|SF|Me|W|5|Es|1902-1903
\Prout, Harry|1908|GF|Ca|L|29|Es|1908-1910
\Beasy, Maurie|1920|SF|Ri|W|76|Ca|1920-1928
\James, Billy R.|1920|GF|Co|W|1|Ri|1920
\Rawle, George|1923|GF|Fi|W|19|Es|1923-1925
\Chapman, Charlie|1924|RR|Ri|W|104|Fi|1924-1931
\Harris, Jacky|1924|RR|Fi|W|6|Sy|1924-1925
\Miller, Gil|1924|RR|Fi|W|1|Sy|1924
\Vine, Fred|1926|GF|Co|W|105|Me|1926-1934
\Tuohill, Ted|1938|PF|Co|L|26|Ge,Ca|1938-1944
\Cordner, Don|1941|SF|Ca|W|166|Me|1941-1950
\Silk, Sid|1941|PF|Ca|W|15|Es|1941-1944
\Bywater, Ron|1942|SF|WB|W|58|Sy|1942-1950
\Hay, Bob A.|1942|SF|Es|W|2|Ri|1942
\Batchelor, Keith|1952|GF|Ge|L|42|Co,NM|1952-1957
\Thompson, Len|1965|PF|Es|L|301|Co,Sy,Fi|1965-1980
\Payze, Travis|1966|SF|Co|L|127|St|1966-1974
\Dunstan, Graeme|1972|SF|St|L|31|Co|1972-1974
\Cooke, Michael C.|1975|SF|NM|W|2|Ha|1975
\Howell, Scott|1980|SF|Co|L|39|Ca|1980-1985
\Lovell, Noel|1981|PF|Ge|W|20|Co,Ri|1981-1986
\Brereton, Dermott|1982|SF|NM|W|211|Ha,Sy,Co|1982-1995
\Osborne, Graham D.|1984|EF|Co|L|37|Fi|1984-1989
\Spargo, Paul|1985|SF|WB|L|90|NM,Br|1985-1993
\Hooper, Andrew|2010|SF|Sy|W|7|WB|2010-2012