1990 AFL finals series

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The 1990 finals series was the first finals series to be played under the newly renamed Australian Football League. The series was scheduled to occur over four weekends in September 1990, culminating with the 94th AFL/VFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 29 September 1990. However, after Collingwood and West Coast drew in the qualifying final, the series was extended to five weeks, ending on 6 October. Collingwood would eventually go on to win the 1990 Premiership, breaking a famous 32-year drought marked by numerous Grand Final losses.

The finals system[edit]

This was the 18th and final season in which the McIntyre final five system would be used. With the introduction of the Adelaide Crows the following season, the system would expand to become a final six.[1]

Qualification[edit]

(P) Premiers
Qualified for finals
# Team P W L D PF PA % Pts
1 Essendon 22 17 5 0 2526 1815 139.2 68
2 Collingwood (P) 22 16 6 0 2376 1825 130.2 64
3 West Coast 22 16 6 0 2274 1920 118.4 64
4 Melbourne 22 16 6 0 2339 2066 113.2 64
5 Hawthorn 22 14 8 0 2414 2002 120.6 56
6 North Melbourne 22 12 10 0 2519 2210 114.0 48
7 Footscray 22 12 10 0 2016 2031 99.3 48
8 Carlton 22 11 11 0 2277 2187 104.1 44
9 St Kilda 22 9 13 0 2328 2313 100.6 36
10 Geelong 22 8 14 0 2248 2398 93.7 32
11 Richmond 22 7 15 0 1988 2530 78.6 28
12 Fitzroy 22 7 15 0 1874 2389 78.4 28
13 Sydney 22 5 17 0 1904 2704 70.4 20
14 Brisbane Bears 22 4 18 0 1733 2426 71.4 16

Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 100.1
Source: AFL Tables

Essendon won the minor premiership with 17 wins, followed by Collingwood, West Coast and Melbourne on 16 wins each. Reigning premiers Hawthorn rounded out the Top Five with 14 wins.

Finals[edit]

The opening qualifying final between Collingwood and West Coast ended in a draw, resulting in the game being replayed the following week and all remaining finals being pushed back by a week. The AFL changed the rules for the following year to instead play extra time in the event of a draw in a minor final.[2] The Grand Final replay rule remained in place until 2016.[3]

Qualifying Finals (Collingwood v West Coast)[edit]

Qualifying Final
Sep 08, 1990 Collingwood drew with West Coast Waverley Park (crowd: 54,816) Match report
3.6 (24)
7.11 (53)
10.12 (72)
 13.12 (90)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
3.1 (19)
6.5 (41)
10.10 (70)
 13.12 (90)

Qualifying Final Replay (Collingwood v West Coast)[edit]

Qualifying Final
Sep. 15 1990 Collingwood def. West Coast Waverley Park (crowd: 53,520)
8.1 (49)
12.6 (78)
14.9 (93)
 19.12 (126)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
2.1 (13)
4.5 (29)
9.9 (63)
 9.13 (67)
Brown (4), Daicos (4), Crosisca (2), Francis (2), Manson (2), McGuane, Christian, Kelly, Millane, Russell Goals Sumich (4), Keene (2), Kemp, Langdon, Turley

Elimination final (Melbourne v Hawthorn)[edit]

Elimination Final
Sep. 09, 1990 Melbourne def. Hawthorn MCG (crowd: 74,954)
1.2 (8)
3.6 (24)
9.10 (64)
 10.13 (73)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
2.6 (18)
4.7 (31)
5.10 (40)
 8.16 (64)
Umpires: Rowan Sawers, Peter Carey
Bennett (4), Stretch (2), Fishold, Healy, Jackson, Spalding Goals Brereton (2), Dunstall (2), Hall (2), Platten, Pritchard

First Semi-Final (West Coast v Melbourne)[edit]

1st semi-Final
Sep. 22, 1990 West Coast def. Melbourne Waverley Park (crowd: 43,458)
4.2 (26)
10.5 (65)
16.10 (106)
 19.16 (130)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
2.1 (13)
2.8 (20)
8.9 (57)
 15.10 (100)
Umpires: Rowan Sawers, Denis Rich
Chris Waterman 6,
Peter Sumich 4,
Stevan Jackson 3,
Chris Mainwaring 2,
Laurie Keene, Dean Kemp, Karl Langdon, Chris Lewis 1
Goals Rod Grinter 4
Darren Bennett, Ricky Jackson, Graeme Yeats 2,
Tony Campbell, Simon Eishold, Greg Healy, Earl Spalding, Stephen Tingay 1

Second Semi-Final (Collingwood v Essendon)[edit]

2nd semi-Final
September 23, 1990 Collingwood def. Essendon Melbourne Cricket Ground (crowd: 91,555)
4.5 (29)
7.7 (49)
12.8 (80)
 17.15 (117)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
2.3 (15)
5.7 (37)
7.10 (52)
 7.12 (54)
Umpires: Peter Carey, Bryan Sheehan
Gavin Brown 5
Doug Barwick, Peter Daicos 3
Scott Russell, Craig Starcevich 2
Gavin Crosisca, Tony Francis 1
Goals Paul Salmon 3
Mark Harvey, Derek Kickett, Mark Thompson, Paul Vander Haar 1

Preliminary final (Essendon v West Coast)[edit]

Preliminary final
29 September, 2:30pm Essendon def. West Coast Waverley Park (crowd: 55,813)
4.1 (25)
11.3 (69)
13.10 (88)
 18.13 (121)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
1.2 (8)
5.3 (33)
6.8 (44)
 8.10 (58)
Umpires: Carey, Sheehan
Television broadcast: Seven Network
Harvey, Ezard 3
Vander Haar, Salmon, Madden 2
Long, Bewick, Kickett, Anderson, Watson, Manning 1
Goals Jackson 3
Sumich 2
Mainwaring, Langdon, Heady 1
Madden, T. Daniher, Anderson, Grenvold, Ezard, Hamilton, Bewick Best Mainwaring, Lewis, Scott, Hart, Heady, Brennan, McKenna

Grand Final (Collingwood v Essendon)[edit]

1990 AFL Grand Final
Saturday, 6 October 2:30pm Collingwood def. Essendon MCG (crowd: 98,944) Match report
2.5 (17)
8.9 (57)
11.10 (76)
 13.11 (89)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
2.2 (14)
3.5 (23)
5.6 (36)
 5.11 (41)
Umpires: Sawers, Rich
Norm Smith Medal: Tony Shaw
Television broadcast: Seven Network
National anthem: Normie Rowe
Brown 2, Barwick 2, Crosisca 2, Russell 2, Daicos 2, Monkhorst, Starcevich, McGuane Goals Salmon 2, Kickett, Somerville, Grenvold
Shaw, Russell, Monkhorst, Millane, Francis, Kerrison, Starcevich, Crosisca, McGuane Best Watson, Sporn, T. Daniher, Kickett, Ezard, O'Donnell
Brown (concussion), Starcevich (concussion) Injuries Nil
See Tribunal Reports See Tribunal
  • Match was also broadcast on 3AW and 3LO radio

See also[edit]

Notes and references[edit]

  1. ^ Carroll, Lynda (29 August 2012). "The evolution of the VFL/AFL finals". melbournefc.com.au. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  2. ^ Collins, Ben (4 September 2018). "Suma's boot: When the Pies and Eagles were drawn together". afl.com.au. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  3. ^ Twomey, Callum (19 April 2016). "No more Grand Final replays as AFL Commission agrees to 'golden score'". afl.com.au. Retrieved 23 February 2024.