Little did the bustling crowd know but only one more goal was to be kicked for the entire second half; potentially this had a little to do with ‘flooding’ about a century or so before the word came into the common footy vernacular….:

The interval lasted for twenty-five minutes. When play was resumed Johnson, Hammond and Elliott went on the ball for Carlton and Bushbridge, Martin and Smith for Essendon... The crowd was so thick on the eastern wing that the iron fence was unable to withstand the strain and collapsed. The crowd streamed in on the ground, but kept well back out of the way of the players. .... The game was now too crowded, far too many men working at close quarters on the ball. (The Herald).

Also of note is the way Carlton would apparently hug the boundary line and use it well before the invention of the ‘deliberate’ rule:

The play became congested and “ragged,” and Gardiner scored a behind, which proved to be Carlton’s last score in the match, although the third quarter had been in progress only a few minutes. In the dressing room during the interval the Carlton players had evidently been instructed to keep their lead, not by attempted attack, but by playing to the wings. This course they pursued for the whole of the remainder of the game, and so earnestly did Clark attempt to carry it out that on one occasion he kicked the ball clean on to and nearly over the roof of the newly erected Harrison Stand *2 on the railway side of the ground. (The Age)

Markwell’s ‘Football Notes’ further explained the Carlton tactics in the low scoring second half:

But Carlton set themselves determinedly to keep Essendon out of range, and rarely took the ball past half-way in the opposite direction. They made the wind their ally, and they hugged the south-east border for all they were worth. What course they would have adopted had Minto scored for Essendon, as he might easily have done on two occasions during the final struggle, it is not possible to say. As things turned out, their policy of “defence not defiance” kept far enough in front to win them the match and the premiership.

Essendon scored their third major in the third quarter, and their still remained some hope for the Bombers “…So the third quarter ended and as Essendon had the wind somewhat in their favor to finish there was still some justification for hope, if not confidence.” (The Age)

The scribes of the day do justice to the challenge at hand, and the last quarter of futile frustration by Essendon and of Carlton’s tactics:

Essendon’s only hope lay in direct attack, and Carlton’s game was to frustrate it. Consequently whenever a Carlton man got hold of the ball he kicked it –sometimes at right angles –towards the boundary, to keep it as far as possible wide of the line from goal to goal, and Essendon strove with all their might to secure shots within range.

In a momentous period of ten minutes Essendon’s forwards –previously weak, but then more faulty than ever –disposed of any chance their side might have possessed and within a few minutes of time it became evident that Carlton must win, though not by much. Essendon had so far done all the attacking in the last quarter and had played much the better game, Carlton as stated kicked only to the wings but at last, by way of relieving the monotony

Carlton’s tactics won the day, and the Premiership was ours by 9 points. Interestingly, each of Carlton's 5 goals were scored in different manners; a snap, a drop kick, a hack out of mid air, a long place-kick and the easiest of running shots. The Age reported the joy of the win:

The victory of the Carlton club for the third consecutive season roused intense enthusiasm, and as the players were leaving the ground several of them were seized and carried on the shoulders of their delighted supporters.

As Phil Garlick of “Punch” summarised:

As one of the winning players said after a rub down and a chat: “Well, there was nothing in it, but we got there!” And that’s it in a nutshell. Carlton and Essendon are likely to provide a good game every time they meet, and thousands will go to see them. People say they are lucky, quoting the goal kicked off the ground out of the ruck thirty yards off, but they are a great team and it was brains first, height and weight next, in their favour: and when any team has to give four inches away all round to a team like Carlton, it is a large order to expect them to run away with their opponents.

In Markwell’s “Football Notes” of the game, due recognition was given once again to certain esteemed players and Coaches:

For Carlton’s unqualified success in recent years everyone qualified to express an opinion gives predominating credit to the astute and experienced managing director, Mr. J. Worrall, who when he took up the reins … found the club deplorably weak and disorganized, and seemed to have a hopeless task before him. His advert to the old club however brought about an immediate improvement. His knowledge of the game, his unerring judgment in the selecting of players fitted for the various positions in his team, his excellent ability as a coach, and, above all, his capacity for infusing into his followers something of his own enthusiasm and devotion to the sport, as well as much of his own pluck and determination, have made his side the most formidable and the most evenly excellent in all departments that has been seen in the field since the establishment of Australasian football

However, the Age writer somewhat prophetically pondered what would end Carlton’s glorious run given our three sensational Premierships in succession, a record not matched by Carlton teams of the century following:

“How much longer are they going to hold it, I wonder?” asked one of the occupants of a crowded tram returning to the city, and there was evidence of keen knowledge of what’s what in his friend’s reply –“Until Jack Worrall pegs out!”

History will demonstrate just as factually as Carlton’s third premiership that within a year from this glorious day, Jack Worrall had in fact been forced out of his position at Carlton mid-season and the Club fell agonisingly short of a Premiership in 1909, failing at the last hurdle in the Grand Final by 2 points. But Jack Worrall later ‘put his peg in’ at Essendon, taking them to the 1911 and 1912 flags and bringing up 5 Premierships overall as Coach to create the Legend that is the story of Worrall.

In the end, Carlton had scored its third magnificent Premiership, restoring the pride that developed from our success in the pre-VFL days. Now, due to the efforts of the 1906-1908 Premiership teams, the Blues had gained ascendancy in the relatively new VFL competition as well.

The Final Scores:
Carlton. – 5 Goals 5 Behinds – 35 Points.
Essendon. – 3 Goals 8 Behinds 26 Points.

Goals
Carlton. – Gotz, Marchbank, Elliott, Kennedy, Kelly.
Essendon. – P. Shea, Legge, Martin.

References:
The Age football articles; September 28, 1908
Punch, Phil Garlick; October 1, 1908
The Herald; September 26, 1908
‘Football Notes’, by Markwell; October 3, 1908

Footnotes:
1 The first Australian Rules Football carnival was held at the MCG in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the sport, and was played in Melbourne between the States. A team from New Zealand was also included.

2 The Harrison Stand was built in the Outer Ground and named in HCA Harrison’s honour during the Football carnival. Erected and completed at a cost of 1850 pounds by 1908, the stand was demolished in 1936 for the Southern Stand.