# 1985 VFL finals series

The 1985 Victorian Football League finals series was the 89th annual edition of the VFL/AFL final series, the Australian rules football tournament staged to determine the winner of the 1985 VFL Premiership season. The series ran over four weekends in September 1985, culminating with the 1985 VFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 28 September 1985.
The top five teams from the 1985 VFL Premiership season qualified for the finals series, which was played using the McIntyre final five system.

## Matches

The system used for the 1985 VFL finals series was the McIntyre final five system, which had been used continuously by the VFL since 1972.

### Week one (qualifying and elimination finals)
#### Elimination final (Carlton vs North Melbourne)

The opening match of the 1985 VFL finals series saw fourth-placed Carlton host fifth-placed North Melbourne in the elimination final at VFL Park. This marked the sixth final between the two sides, having previously met in the second semi-final in 1979.

##### Scorecard

| | Elimination final | Elimination final | Elimination final | | |
| Saturday, 7 September (8:10pm) | Carlton | def. by | North Melbourne | VFL Park (crowd: 49,126) | Report |
| | 3.6 (24) 10.10 (70) 14.10 (94) 16.11 (107) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 2.3 (15) 6.3 (39) 12.5 (77) 20.6 (126) | Umpires: Cameron, Robinson Television broadcast: Seven Network | Umpires: Cameron, Robinson Television broadcast: Seven Network |
| Maclure 3 Harmes 2 Madden 1 | Maclure 3 Harmes 2 Madden 1 | Goals | 4 McCann 3 Glendinning 2 Schimmelbusch, Demetriou 1 Jonas | 4 McCann 3 Glendinning 2 Schimmelbusch, Demetriou 1 Jonas |
| Madden, Maclure, Marcou, Johnston | Madden, Maclure, Marcou, Johnston | Best | Holt, Larkin, Schimmelbusch | Holt, Larkin, Schimmelbusch |
| Blackwell (bruised ankle) | Blackwell (bruised ankle) | Injuries | P Krakouer (bruised thigh), Ramsey (bruised thigh), Demetriou (bruised jaw) | P Krakouer (bruised thigh), Ramsey (bruised thigh), Demetriou (bruised jaw) |
| Nil | Nil | Reports | Demetriou (striking), McDonald (striking) | Demetriou (striking), McDonald (striking) |

#### Qualifying final (Footscray vs Hawthorn)

The Qualifying final saw second-placed Footscray host Hawthorn at the MCG. This marked the second VFL final between the two sides - having previously met in the 1961 VFL Grand Final, which was won by Hawthorn. The Bulldogs were playing in their first VFL finals series since 1976.

##### Teams

The line-ups below were as published in The Football Record.
Footscray :
| B: | 03 Mark Kellett | 08 Rick Kennedy | 45 Michael Ford |
| HB: | 49 Brian Cordy | 32 Peter Foster | 04 Brad Hardie |
| C: | 51 Michael McLean | 24 Stephen Wallis | 07 Doug Hawkins |
| HF: | 20 Jim Edmond (c) | 37 Neil Peart | 27 Stephen MacPherson |
| F: | 21 Tony Buhagiar | 18 Simon Beasley | 09 Les Bamblett |
| Foll: | 01 Andrew Purser | 17 Phil Maylin | 33 Brian Royal |
| Int: | 02 Jim Sewell | 11 Allen Daniels | 43 Rod MacPherson |
| Int: | 14 Robert Groenewegen | 29 Neil Cordy | |
| Coach: | Michael Malthouse | Michael Malthouse | Michael Malthouse |
Hawthorn :
| B: | 07 Gary Ayres | 02 Chris Mew | 29 Russell Greene |
| HB: | 15 Russell Morris | 06 Rod Lester-Smith | 30 Peter Schwab |
| C: | 09 Robert DiPierdomenico | 16 Terry Wallace | 04 Peter Russo |
| HF: | 34 John Kennedy | 23 Dermott Brereton | 11 Gary Buckenara |
| F: | 28 Chris Langford | 19 Jason Dunstall | 03 Leigh Matthews(c) |
| Foll: | 21 Michael Byrne | 37 Robert Handley | 22 Richard Loveridge |
| Int: | 25 Peter Curran | 39 Paul Abbott | |
| Coach: | Allan Jeans | Allan Jeans | Allan Jeans |
Footscray made no late changes to the starting line-up, selecting Allen Daniels and Jim Sewell as the interchange players. Hawthorn also made no changes to the starting line-up, but replaced the named interchange players - Paul Abbott and Peter Curran- with emergencies Rodney Eade and Colin Robertson.

##### Match Summary
###### Scorecard

| | Qualifying final | Qualifying final | Qualifying final | | |
| Sunday, 8 September (2:30pm) | Footscray | def. by | Hawthorn | MCG (crowd: 58,367) | Report |
| | 2.3 (15) 3.5 (23) 6.11 (47) 8.14 (62) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 6.5 (41) 11.11 (77) 15.16 (106) 22.23 (155) | Umpires: Sawers, Howlett Television broadcast: Seven Network | Umpires: Sawers, Howlett Television broadcast: Seven Network |
| Bamblett, Beasley 2 Edmond, S MacPherson, Royal, Peart 1 | Bamblett, Beasley 2 Edmond, S MacPherson, Royal, Peart 1 | Goals | 5 Dunstall 3 Byrne, Brereton 2 Matthews 1 Buckenara | 5 Dunstall 3 Byrne, Brereton 2 Matthews 1 Buckenara |
| Hardie, Bamblett, Hawkins, Wallis, Royal | Hardie, Bamblett, Hawkins, Wallis, Royal | Best | Wallace, Lester-Smith, Morris, Greene, Mew, Langford, Dunstall | Wallace, Lester-Smith, Morris, Greene, Mew, Langford, Dunstall |
| Daniels (strained ankle) | Daniels (strained ankle) | Injuries | DiPierdomenico (calf) | DiPierdomenico (calf) |
| Nil | Nil | Reports | Nil | Nil |

### Week two (semi-finals)
#### First semi-final (Footscray vs North Melbourne)

The first semi-final saw Footscray host North Melbourne at the MCG. This was the first meeting between the two clubs in a VFL final.

##### Teams

The line-ups below were as published in The Football Record.
Footscray :
| B: | 04 Brad Hardie | 08 Rick Kennedy | 45 Michael Ford |
| HB: | 49 Brian Cordy | 32 Peter Foster | 03 Mark Kellett |
| C: | 17 Phil Maylin | 24 Stephen Wallis | 07 Doug Hawkins |
| HF: | 51 Michael McLean | 37 Neil Peart | 09 Les Bamblett |
| F: | 21 Tony Buhagiar | 18 Simon Beasley | 20 Jim Edmond (c) |
| Foll: | 01 Andrew Purser | 11 Allen Daniels | 33 Brian Royal |
| Int: | 02 Jim Sewell | 27 Stephen MacPherson | 43 Rod MacPherson |
| Int: | 14 Robert Groenewegen | 29 Neil Cordy | |
| Coach: | Michael Malthouse | Michael Malthouse | Michael Malthouse |
North Melbourne :
| B: | 30 Roy Ramsay | 16 Stephen McCann | 49 Darren Crocker |
| HB: | 27 Keith Greig | 13 John Law | 15 Ross Smith |
| C: | 28 Andrew Demetriou | 07 Darren Steele | 02 John Holt |
| HF: | 45 Peter Jonas | 04 Ross Glendinning | 20 Wayne Schimmelbusch (c) |
| F: | 48 Mark Arceri | 06 Ian Fairley | 08 Phil Krakouer |
| Foll: | 25 Donald McDonald | 09 Matthew Larkin | 03 Jim Krakouer |
| Int: | 56 Paul Spargo | 37 Michael Passmore | 29 Peter German |
| Int: | 17 Kym Hodgeman | 32 David Dwyer | |
| Coach: | John Kennedy | John Kennedy | John Kennedy |
North suffered a major blow before the game when captain Wayne Schimmelbusch was omitted after failing to recover from a torn thigh muscle in time, and ended up being replaced by Kym Hodgeman, with Paul Spargo and David Dwyer being confirmed as the interchange players. Footscray also made one change to its line-up, omitting Neil Peart and replacing him with Jim Sewell. Robert Groenewegen and Stephen MacPherson were the confirmed interchange players.

##### Match Summary

Under pressure against a North Melbourne team buzzing from its come-from-behind win against Carlton in the elimination final, the Bulldogs responded after their previous week's Qualifying final thrashing to end the Kangaroos' season and record their first VFL final victory since 1961.
The loss of Schimmelbusch was somewhat mitigated by the return of suspended rover Jim Krakouer, who ended up being among North's best players. The first half was filled with free-flowing and vigorous play, as both sides traded goals. By mid-way through the first quarter, Footscray were down two players when Ford and Kellett came off injured within minutes of each other; the former when he was met solidly by Larkin and was stretchered off with concussion, and the latter when he came off the ground with suspected cruciate ligament damage. Despite this, the Bulldogs managed to go into half-time with a three-point lead. The game up to this point had been characterized by swings of momentum as one team would kick a string of goals in a few minutes, then the other would do the same.
The critical period of the game occurred early in the third quarter, starting at the five-minute mark when Beasley, who had comprehensively outplayed his opponent Fairley, took a superb pack mark. From the set shot, he slotted his fifth to bring up his 100th goal of the season, to the delight of fans and teammates. Then a minute later Daniels, a much-improved player from the previous week, smothered an attempted clearing kick from North defender Law and snapped his second goal. Further goals from Bamblett, Beasley and Royal capped off a ten-minute purple patch for Footscray that pushed the lead out beyond 30 points
After the game Bulldogs coach Michael Malthouse expressed his delight with his team's turnaround in form:
   Last week the guys were genuinely embarrassed and they were out today to make amends. We don't want to over emphasise revenge but we will be thinking about Hawthorn and just try to do the right things. [... The players] realise that finals are more intense. The sides that win finals are played by guys who want to do it together. Next week will be a different game at a different venue. We have six days to analyse what we will do.

###### Scorecard

| | First semi-final | First semi-final | First semi-final | | |
| Sunday, 15 September (2:30pm) | Footscray | def. | North Melbourne | MCG (crowd: 56,112) | Report |
| | 3.1 (19) 9.8 (62) 14.16 (100) 19.23 (137) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 4.3 (27) 9.5 (59) 11.9 (75) 16.11 (107) | Umpires: James, Robinson Television broadcast: Seven Network | Umpires: James, Robinson Television broadcast: Seven Network |
| Beasley 7 Royal 5 Daniels, Edmond 2 Hawkins, Bamblett, Buhagiar 1 | Beasley 7 Royal 5 Daniels, Edmond 2 Hawkins, Bamblett, Buhagiar 1 | Goals | 3 J Krakouer 2 Glendinning, Larkin, Holt 1 P Krakouer, McCann, Demetriou, Jonas, Arceri, Spargo, Fairley | 3 J Krakouer 2 Glendinning, Larkin, Holt 1 P Krakouer, McCann, Demetriou, Jonas, Arceri, Spargo, Fairley |
| Hawkins, Wallis, Royal, Maylin, Foster, B Cordy, Daniels | Hawkins, Wallis, Royal, Maylin, Foster, B Cordy, Daniels | Best | Larkin, Holt, McDonald, J Krakouer, Steele | Larkin, Holt, McDonald, J Krakouer, Steele |
| Nil | Nil | Injuries | Nil | Nil |
| Nil | Nil | Reports | Nil | Nil |
| This marked Footscray's first VFL final win since 1961 ||||||

#### Second semi-final (Essendon vs Hawthorn)

The second semi-final saw minor premiers Essendon host Hawthorn at VFL Park. The match was the fourth time the clubs had played in a final having contested the 1983 grand final as well as the second semi-final and grand final of 1984.

##### Scorecard

| | Second semi-final | Second semi-final | Second semi-final | | |
| Saturday, 14 September (7:25pm) | Essendon | def. | Hawthorn | VFL Park (crowd: 67,063) | Report |
| | 4.4 (28) 4.8 (32) 11.14 (80) 14.18 (102) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 3.2 (20) 6.2 (38) 6.3 (39) 9.8 (62) | Umpires: Cameron, Ryan Television broadcast: Seven Network | Umpires: Cameron, Ryan Television broadcast: Seven Network |
| Foulds 3 Merrett, Thompson 2 Baker 1 | Foulds 3 Merrett, Thompson 2 Baker 1 | Goals | 2 Brereton, Kennedy 1 Buckenara | 2 Brereton, Kennedy 1 Buckenara |
| Watson | Watson | Best | Mew | Mew |
| Nil | Nil | Injuries | Nil | Nil |
| Nil | Nil | Reports | Nil | Nil |

### Week three (preliminary finals)
#### Preliminary final (Footscray vs Hawthorn)

The Preliminary final saw Footscray host Hawthorn at VFL Park on Saturday, 21 September. This marked the third final between the two sides and second in this series, having previously met in the Qualifying final two weeks earlier.

##### Scorecard

| | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | | |
| Saturday, 21 September (2:30pm) | Footscray | def. by | Hawthorn | VFL Park (crowd: 55,246) | Report |
| | 4.4 (28) 6.6 (42) 10.7 (67) 15.9 (99) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 3.2 (20) 7.4 (46) 10.8 (68) 16.13 (109) | Umpires: James, Sawers Television broadcast: Seven Network | Umpires: James, Sawers Television broadcast: Seven Network |
| Beasley 3 Edmond 2 Royal, Buhagiar 1 | Beasley 3 Edmond 2 Royal, Buhagiar 1 | Goals | 4 Judge, Dunstall 2 Matthews 1 Brereton | 4 Judge, Dunstall 2 Matthews 1 Brereton |
| Hardie, Hawkins, Purser | Hardie, Hawkins, Purser | Best | Loveridge, Judge, Ayres, Wallace | Loveridge, Judge, Ayres, Wallace |
| Nil | Nil | Injuries | Nil | Nil |
| Nil | Nil | Reports | Nil | Nil |

### Week four (Grand Final)

This was the third consecutive VFL Grand Final contested between Hawthorn and Essendon.
| | Grand final | Grand final | Grand final | | |
| 28 September (2:30 pm) | Essendon | def. | Hawthorn | MCG (crowd: 100,042) | Report |
| | 6.4 (40) 11.9 (75) 15.11 (101) 26.14 (170) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 5.1 (31) 9.3 (57) 11.5 (71) 14.8 (92) | Umpires: Cameron, Robinson Norm Smith Medal: Simon Madden Television broadcast: Seven Network | Umpires: Cameron, Robinson Norm Smith Medal: Simon Madden Television broadcast: Seven Network |
| Salmon 6 Merrett 5 Harvey 4 Watson 3 Baker, Ezard, Williams 2 Thompson, Duckworth 1 | Salmon 6 Merrett 5 Harvey 4 Watson 3 Baker, Ezard, Williams 2 Thompson, Duckworth 1 | Goals | 8 Brereton 1 Matthews, McCarthy, Loveridge, Judge, Lester-Smith, DiPierdomenico | 8 Brereton 1 Matthews, McCarthy, Loveridge, Judge, Lester-Smith, DiPierdomenico |
| Madden, Merrett, Watson, Salmon, Baker, Thompson, Williams | Madden, Merrett, Watson, Salmon, Baker, Thompson, Williams | Best | Brereton, Lester-Smith, Kennedy, Morris, O'Halloran | Brereton, Lester-Smith, Kennedy, Morris, O'Halloran |
| Nil | Nil | Injuries | Nil | Nil |
| Nil | Nil | Reports | Nil | Nil |
| Essendon won its 14th VFL premiership and achieved back-to-back VFL premierships for the fourth time. The Bombers broke their Grand final record last quarter score from the previous season, kicking 11 goals 3 behinds. ||||||