It was Essendon's fourth successive Grand Final appearance, having won the 1946 VFL Grand Final but finishing runners-up the previous two years. Star Bombers Full-Forward John Coleman, in his first season of VFL Football, kicked six goals for the game, the last of which brought up his 100th goal for the year.
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