It was the 30th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1928 VFL season.

The match, attended by 50,026 spectators, was won by Collingwood by a margin of 33 points, marking that club's seventh premiership victory and second in succession.

Despite winning the 1927 flag, the 1928 season held significant hurdles for the Magpies to overcome – contentious pay cuts, a threatened player's strike, allegations of bribery against two team members and a long injury list contributed to a late-season slump.

Rowe repeatedly absorbed the pressure from Richmond's backs to provide protection for Coventry run to the ball.

Despite the Tigers reducing their opponent's lead to 16 points at 3-quarter time, the Magpies banged on 2 quick goals early in the final quarter to effectively seal the game.