The 1971 VFA Division 1 grand final was an Australian rules football match played between the Dandenong Redlegs and the Preston Bullants. The match was held on Sunday 26 September 1971 at the Junction Oval in St Kilda, Victoria, to decide Division 1 Premiership for the 1971 Victorian Football Association season.
The match was one of the most controversial in the history of the VFA. Dandenong won the match by six points; however, Preston challenged the result, on the grounds that a free kick paid to Dandenong full-forward Jim Miller before the opening bounce was not valid under the rules of the game. It was not until Preston's challenge was defeated on the evening of Wednesday 29 September that Dandenong was formally confirmed as premiers. It was Dandenong's second VFA Division 1 premiership.
Lead-up
The Dandenong Redlegs and Preston Bullants had both been promoted from Division 2 to Division 1 in the early 1960s, and had enjoyed success in Division 1 through the latter part of the decade. Dandenong won its first premiership in 1967, and Preston won its first premiership in 1968. The two teams then faced each other in the 1969 grand final, which Preston won by twelve points to secure back-to-back flags. Both sides missed the finals in 1970, but returned to the top of the ladder in 1971.
At the end of the 1971 home and away season, Preston finished as minor premiers with a record of 13-4-1; Dandenong finished second with a record of 12–6. The teams had met in the final round of the home and away season, in a vigorous and spiteful match which included two brawls; Preston won the match by 14 points. The two teams faced off in the Second Semi-Final on 12 September, with Dandenong winning easily; the result was effectively decided by quarter time, when Dandenong led 12.2 (74) to 1.2 (8) by 66 points; the Redlegs eventually won 24.11 (155) to 11.15 (81), by 74 points, with Jim Miller kicking ten goals. Preston faced Sandringham in the Preliminary Final on 19 September, and survived a late comeback to beat the Zebras, 17.17 (119) to 14.21 (105), by 14 points.
The field umpire for the grand final was Jim McMaster. The match was played at the Junction Oval in St Kilda, a neutral venue.
Match report
Prior to the opening bounce, and prior to the opening siren, umpire McMaster observed jostling between Dandenong full-forward Jim Miller and Preston full-back Barry Leslie. Without bouncing the ball, McMaster paid a free kick against Leslie for a push in the back, from which Miller scored the opening goal of the game, giving Dandenong an early six-point lead. This free kick would ultimately be the subject of Preston's challenge to the match result.
Dandenong was kicking with the aid of a breeze in the first quarter, and controlled general play to lead by 28 points at quarter time, although wasteful goalkicking saw the Redlegs score only 7.8 (50) from its fifteen scoring shots. The sides also resumed their hostilities from the final round of the season, with a brawl started after only six minutes had elapsed. With the advantage of the wind in the second quarter, Preston kicked five goals to three to narrow the margin to 14 points at half-time.
In a low-scoring third quarter, Dandenong kicked two goals to one with the wind, to lead by 21 points. Several brawls and fights took place in the third quarter, and three players – Jim Miller and Lyall Henriksen from Dandenong, and Robert Ireland from Preston – were reported for striking.
Preston had the better of attack in the final quarter; they kicked four quick goals late in the game, and at the 22-minute mark, after trailing for the entire afternoon, hit the front by one point. In the close finish, Pat Flaherty kicked a goal to regain the lead for Dandenong by five points, and then kicked another behind to extend the lead to six. There was no further score, the final siren sounded, and Dandenong won the game by six points.
Overall, Dandenong rover Rod Evans was credited as the best on ground for the Redlegs. Ruckman Bernie McCarthy was the Bullants' best player, and Preston's final quarter fightback is largely credited to McCarthy's good ruckwork. Miller was the leading goalkicker on the ground, with five; he finished with 99 goals for the 1971 season, including finals.