title: 1908 VFL grand final
text: # 1908 VFL grand final
  
  The 1908 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 26 September 1908. It was the 11th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1908 VFL season. The match, attended by 50,261 spectators, was won by reigning premiers Carlton by a margin of 9 points, marking that club's third premiership victory and third in succession.
  
  ## Right to challenge
  
  This season was played under the amended Argus system. Carlton was the minor premier, and Essendon had finished second. The teams both qualified for this match by winning their semi-finals matches.
  
  If Essendon had won this match, Carlton would have had the right to challenge Essendon to a rematch for the premiership on the following weekend, because Carlton was the minor premier. The winner of that match would then have won the premiership.
  
  ## Teams
  
  | Carlton | Essendon |
  | - | - |
  
  Carlton :
  
  | B: | Norm Clark | Les Beck | Arthur Ford |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | HB: | Jim Flynn | Billy Payne | Fred Jinks |
  | C: | George Bruce | Rod McGregor | Ted Kennedy |
  | HF: | Alex Lang | Jim Marchbank | Martin Gotz |
  | F: | Harvey Kelly | Vin Gardiner | George Topping |
  | Foll: | George Johnson | Charlie Hammond | Fred Elliott (c) |
  | Res: | | |
  | Coach: | Jack Worrall | Jack Worrall | Jack Worrall |
  
  Essendon :
  
  | B: | Len Bowe | Billy Griffith (c) | Bert Daykin |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | HB: | Mark Shea | Bill Busbridge | Bill Johnson |
  | C: | Bill Davies | Bill Sewart | Les Minto |
  | HF: | Paddy Shea | Dave Smith | Harry Prout |
  | F: | Bill Heaphy | Harry Farnsworth | Arthur Legge |
  | Foll: | Allan Belcher | Jim Martin | Ernie Cameron |
  | Res: | | |
  | Coach: | Dave Smith | Dave Smith | Dave Smith |
  
  * Umpire – Jack Elder
  
  ## Statistics
  
  ### Goalkickers
  
  | Carlton: Elliott 1 Gotz 1 Kelly 1 Kennedy 1 Marchbank 1 | Essendon: Legge 1 Martin 1 P.Shea 1 |
  | - | - |
  
  ### Attendance
  
  * MCG crowd – 50,261
  