The 1982 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Richmond Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 25 September 1982. It was the 86th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1982 VFL season. The match, attended by 107,536 spectators, was won by Carlton by a margin of 18 points, marking that club's 14th premiership victory.

Background

The previous three premierships had been won by either team, Richmond in 1980 and Carlton in 1979 and 1981, all against Collingwood.

At the conclusion of the home and away season, Richmond had finished first on the VFL ladder with 18 wins and 4 losses. Carlton had finished third (behind Hawthorn), with 16 wins 5 losses and a draw.

In the finals series leading up to the Grand Final, Carlton defeated Hawthorn by 58 points in the Qualifying Final before losing to Richmond by 23 points in the Second Semi-Final. They advanced to the Grand Final after beating Hawthorn once again, this time by 31 points in the Preliminary Final. Richmond advanced straight to the Grand Final on the back of their Second Semi-Final victory.

Match summary

It was a tight game throughout. Carlton started strongly, leading by 18 points just five minutes into the game, before Richmond hit back, and at quarter time the two teams were separated by just four points in Carlton's favour.

A five goal second quarter by the Tigers saw them go into the half time break with an 11 point lead. However, after half time Carlton began to break away, kicking five goals in the third quarter whilst keeping the Tigers goalless to be 17 points up at three-quarter time.

Team	1	2	3	Final
Carlton	4.7	6.11	11.15	14.19 (103)
Richmond	4.3	9.4	9.10	12.13 (85)

Richmond tried hard at the beginning of the final quarter, with Kevin Bartlett and Jim Jess goalling to close the margin, but the Blues held out to win, marking the first time since the 1915 VFL Grand Final that they had won back-to-back flags.

The Norm Smith Medal was awarded to Richmond's Maurice Rioli for being judged the best player afield, despite the fact that he finished on the losing side. It was the first time that a player from the losing side had won the medal (there have since been three more instances in which a Grand Final player has won a Norm Smith Medal without being on the winning premiership side). Wayne Johnston and captain Mike Fitzpatrick were the best for Carlton.

This Grand Final is also remembered for the naked female streaker, Helen D'Amico, who ran onto the field in the third quarter. D'Amico, a 17-year-old stripper from Adelaide, ran onto the field with a Blues scarf and attempted to embrace Carlton player Bruce Doull. She is the first (and thus far only) streaker to disrupt a VFL/AFL Grand Final.

Carlton's next premiership success came five years later, when it won the 1987 VFL Grand Final against Hawthorn. Richmond is yet to appear in another Grand Final.

Teams

Goal kickers

Carlton Ashman 2 Johnston 2 Fitzpatrick 2 McConville 2 Bosustow 1 Harmes 1 Hunter 1 Maclure 1 Marcou 1 Maylin 1

Richmond Bartlett 3 Cloke 3 Rioli 3 Jess 1 Raines 1 Weightman 1

See also

• 1982 VFL season

References

• The Official statistical history of the AFL 2004

External links

• Blueseum page on the 1982 Grand Final