Most of the game scenes and training scenes are shot at the South Melbourne ground (no longer used for football). Scenes from the last game and the crowd scenes prior to this are shot at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the spiritual home of Australian Rules Football. The MCG was also the site of the 1956 Olympic Games and the 2006 Commonwealth Games, and is also the location of Test cricket in Melbourne.
Actor John Jarratt had never played Australian Rules Football prior to this film. Jarratt had only played Rugby.
John Jarratt trained with the South Melbourne Football Club to prepare for his role playing an Australian Rules footballer in this movie.
The number worn by Macarthy (39) is coincidentally the same number worn by one of the best forwards to play for the Swans in the1980s, Warwick Capper.
This film's title 'The Great MacArthy' was a shortened version of this movie's source novel title 'A Salute to the Great MacArthy'.