It was the 64th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1961 VFL season.

The match, attended by 107,935 spectators, was won by Hawthorn by a margin of 43 points, marking that club's first premiership victory.

Hawthorn, which was competing in its first VFL grand final since entering the competition in 1925, came into the game as minor premiers, favourites, and on a then-club record 11-game winning streak.

[1] Footscray, who also entered the competition in 1925 and was in its second grand final (the first coming when it won the 1954 premiership), had finished the home and away season in fourth place, and qualified after upsetting the Ron Barassi-led Melbourne by 27 points in the preliminary final.

Despite trailing at half time, Hawthorn won comfortably in the end after kicking six goals to one in a dominant third quarter.