View source for 1900 VFL grand final

{{Short description|Grand final of the 1900 Victorian Football League season}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Use Australian English|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox Australian rules football match
| year         = 1900
| competition  = VFL
| match_type   = Grand Final
| image        = 
| image_size =  
| home         = [[File:Melbourne Football Club colours (1900).svg|50px]]<br/>{{AFL Mel}}
| home_abbr    = MEL
| home_image   =
| away         = [[File:Fitzroy Football Club colours (1897 to 1907).svg|50px]]<br/>{{AFL Fit}}
| away_abbr    = FIT
| away_image   =
| home_qtr1    = 2.3 (15)
| home_qtr2    = 2.5 (17)
| home_qtr3    = 4.8 (32)
| home_qtr4    = 4.10 (34)
| away_qtr1    = 1.4 (10)
| away_qtr2    = 2.7 (19)
| away_qtr3    = 2.7 (19)
| away_qtr4    = 3.12 (30)
| home_score   = 4.10 (34)
| away_score   = 3.12 (30)
| date         = 22 September 1900
| stadium      = [[East Melbourne Cricket Ground]]
| attendance   =  20,181
| umpire       =
| coin_toss    =
| kick_end     =
| prematch     =
| anthem       =
| halftime     =
| postmatch    =
| norm_smith   =
| jock_mchale  =
| hall_of_fame = 1. [[Vic Cumberland]] (1996)
| network      =
| commentators =
| last         = 1899
| next         = 1901
}}

The '''1900 VFL Grand Final''' was an [[Australian rules football]] game contested between the [[Melbourne Football Club]] and [[Fitzroy Football Club]], held at the [[East Melbourne Cricket Ground]] in [[Melbourne]] on 22 September 1900. It was the 3rd annual [[VFL Grand Final|Grand Final]] of the [[Australian Football League|Victorian Football League]], staged to determine the [[List of AFL premiers|premiers]] for the [[1900 VFL season]]. The match, attended by 20,181 spectators, was won by Melbourne by a margin of 4 points.

==Lead-up==
Although Melbourne only won six of its fourteen home-and-away fixtures to finish sixth on the ladder, it won its [[1898 VFL finals system|sectional round-robin]] and defeated the other sectional winner, {{AFL Ess}}, in the semi-final for the right to face the minor premiers, Fitzroy, in the Grand Final; Fitzroy had won the previous two premierships and was aiming for a third premiership in a row.

The winner of this match would win the premiership.

==Teams==
[[Arthur Sowden]], and [[Bill Bowe]] were unable to play for the Melbourne team, due to injury, and [[Eric Gardner]] was unavailable.<ref>[http://demonwiki.org/Grand+Final+1900 Grand Final 1900, ''Demonwiki''.]</ref><ref>[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/9557130 Football, ''The Argus'', (Monday, 24 September 1900), p.7.]</ref>

{| width=92% |
|-
|{{Australian rules football kit
 | pattern_b  = _thinredvertical 
 | pattern_sh =  
 | pattern_so =  
 | body       = 0F1131 
 | shorts     = 002D62 
 | socks      = ff0000 
 | title      =  Melbourne
}}
|{{Australian rules football kit
 | pattern_b  = _gold_v_top
 | pattern_sh =  
 | pattern_so =  
 | body       = 860038
 | shorts     = 002D62
 | socks      =860038
 | title      = Fitzroy 
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|}
{|
|valign="top"|
{{Aussie rules team| title ={{font color|#CC2031|Melbourne|link=Melbourne Football Club}} | color = #061A33  
| backpocket1 = [[Maurie Herring]]
| fullback = [[Eddie Sholl]]
| backpocket2 = [[Les Rippon]]
| halfbackflank1 = [[Harry Parkin]]
| centrehalfback = [[Jack Purse]]
| halfbackflank2 = [[William C. McClelland|Bill McClelland]]
| wing1 = [[Corrie Gardner]]
| centre = [[Charlie Young (footballer, born 1877)|Charlie Young]]
| wing2 = [[Harold Hay]]
| halfforwardflank1 = [[Austin Lewis (footballer)|Austin Lewis]]
| centrehalfforward = [[Jack Leith]]
| halfforwardflank2 = [[Frank Langley]]
| forwardpocket1 = [[Dick Wardill]] (c)
| fullforward = [[Stewart Geddes]]
| forwardpocket2 = [[Tommy Ryan (Australian footballer)|Tommy Ryan]]
| ruck = [[George Moodie]]
| ruckrover = [[Vic Cumberland]]
| rover = [[Fred McGinis]]
| reserve1 =
| reserve2 =
| coach = }}
|valign="top"|
{{Aussie rules team| title = {{font color|#FED102|Fitzroy|link=Fitzroy Football Club}} | color = #860038 
| backpocket1 = [[Hugh McEwen]]
| fullback = [[Geoff Moriarty]]
| backpocket2 = [[Ern Jenkins]]
| halfbackflank1 = [[Bert Sharpe]]
| centrehalfback = [[Alec Sloan]] (c)
| halfbackflank2 = [[Pat Hickey (footballer)|Pat Hickey]]
| wing1 = [[Eddie Drohan]]
| centre = [[Harry J. Clarke|Harry Clarke]]
| wing2 = [[Kelly Robinson]]
| halfforwardflank1 = [[Tammy Beauchamp]]
| centrehalfforward = [[Alf McDougall]]
| halfforwardflank2 = [[Lou Barker]]
| forwardpocket1 = [[Pat Descrimes]]
| fullforward = [[Gerald Brosnan]]
| forwardpocket2 = [[Chris Kiernan]]
| ruck = [[Mick Grace]]
| ruckrover = [[Bill Potter]]
| rover = [[Bill McSpeerin]]
| reserve1 =
| reserve2 =
| coach = }}
|valign="top"|
|}
* Umpire – [[Ivo Crapp|Henry "Ivo" Crapp]]

==Statistics==
===Goalkickers===
[[File:Melbourne fc 1900.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Melbourne team, premiers]]
'''Melbourne''':
* Geddes 1
* Leith 1
* Ryan 1
* Wardill 1

'''Fitzroy''':
* Grace 2
* Barker 1

===Attendance===
* Crowd – 20,181

==See also==
* [[1900 VFL season]]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*[http://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/1900/061119000922.html 1900 VFL Grand Final statistics]
* ''The Official statistical history of the AFL 2004''
* Ross, J. (ed), ''100 Years of Australian Football 1897–1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported'', Viking, (Ringwood), 1996. {{ISBN|0-670-86814-0}}

{{1900 Melbourne premiership players}}
{{Melbourne Football Club}}
{{Fitzroy Football Club}}
{{Australian Football League}}

[[Category:VFL/AFL Grand Finals]]
[[Category:1900 in Australian rules football|Grand]]
[[Category:Melbourne Football Club]]
[[Category:Fitzroy Football Club]]
[[Category:September 1900 in sports]]