5 players with most Grand Final appearances in AFL history

A Grand Final is the biggest event on the AFL calendar. It is a day to celebrate the hard work of the players throughout the season. It is also a day for players to mark their names in the club's history either as winners or as losers.

Some teams boast of incredibly talented players, which makes them reach the finals regularly. This article lists players who have appeared in the most Grand Finals in V/AFL history. There is a tie between four players whose legacies tie them together as part of two clubs with the most premierships in V/AFL history.

5 players with most Grand Final appearances in AFL history

#2 Bill Hutchison — 10 appearances

Hutchison debuted for Essendon in 1942. He played as a rover and was regarded as one of the best the game had ever seen. He appeared in 10 finals and was part of their premiership side in 1942, 1946, 1949, and 1950. He also won two consecutive Brownlow's in 1952 and 1953. He retired in 1957 after losing to Melbourne in the final.

#2 Dick Reynolds — 10 appearances

Former Essendon Bomber VFL player Dick Reynolds waves to the crowd

Reynolds played for Essendon throughout his career. He debuted in 1933 and the next season, he won his first Brownlow medal. He won two more and joined the short list of three-time winners. He appeared in 10 finals in his career and won four premierships- 1942, 1946, 1949, and 1950. He retired in 1951.

In 2002, an Essendon panel ranked him number one in their Champions of Essendon list ahead of 24 other Essendon legends.

#2 Albert Collier — 10 appearances

Collier made his Collingwood debut in 1925. He started as a forward but moved to centre-half-back after some years. He was an important part of the Collingwood team that won four premierships in a row (1927-1930), a feat that still stands.

He left Collingwood at the height of the great depression in 1931 but returned in 1933. He served as vice-captain from 1935-1939 and the Magpies made the grand final throughout this time.

He won six premierships and played in 10 finals before the Collingwood committee forced him to retire ahead of the 1940 season.

#2 Gordon Coventry — 10 appearances

Coventry started his career with Diamond Creek Football Club in the new Heidelberg District Football League which began after WWI. He was invited by Collingwood to play as Dick Lee's replacement.

He was Collingwood's leading goalkicker for 16 consecutive seasons. He was also the first player to kick 100 goals in a season, which he did five times. He kicked a total of 1299 goals in his career; a record that stood for 60 years.

He played 10 finals in his career and won five with Collingwood.

#1 Michael Tuck — 11 appearances

Michael Tuck, Hawthorn FC Hall of Fame Legend is seen during the 2024 Hawthorn Football Club Hall of Fame function

Tuck joined Hawthorn in 1971. He scored three times against Richmond on his senior debut the following year. He lost his form and was dropped to the reserve side. He played many positions before establishing himself as a ruck-rover.

He was an important player for Hawthorn as they made seven consecutive grand finals between 1983 and 1989. Tuck became captain after Leigh Matthews retired in 1986 until his own retirement in 1991.

He holds the record for most grand final appearances with 11 and most grand finals won with seven. His record for most senior games played in VFL/AFL history was broken by Brent Harvey in 2016 but still stands for Hawthorn. He is the only player to play as many games as he did without winning a club's best and fairest with 426 games.