1897 VFL season
| 1897 VFL Premiership season | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 8 |
| Premiers |
Essendon (1st premiership) |
| Minor premiers |
Geelong (1st minor premiership) |
| Matches played | 62 |
| Highest attendance | 8,000 |
| Leading Goalkicker Medallist |
Eddy James (Geelong) Jack Leith (Melbourne) |
|
1898 → | |
The 1897 Victorian Football League season was the inaugural season of the elite Australian rules football competition.
Premiership season
In 1897, the VFL competition consisted of eight teams of 20 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves" (although any of the 20 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their place on the field at any time during the match).[1]
Each team played each other twice in a home-and-away season of 14 rounds.
Once the 14 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1897 VFL Premiers were determined according to the conditions dictated by the specific format and conventions of the 1897 Finals System, which was used in this season only.
Round 1
| Round 1 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 8 May (3:00 pm) | Fitzroy 6.13 (49) | def. | Carlton 2.4 (16) | Brunswick Street Oval (crowd: 3,000) | Report |
| Saturday, 8 May (3:00 pm) | Collingwood 5.11 (41) | def. | St Kilda 2.4 (16) | Victoria Park | Report |
| Saturday, 8 May (3:00 pm) | Geelong 3.6 (24) | def. by | Essendon 7.5 (47) | Corio Oval | Report |
| Saturday, 8 May (3:00 pm) | South Melbourne 3.9 (27) | def. by | Melbourne 6.8 (44) | Lake Oval | Report |
Round 2
| Round 2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 15 May (3:00 pm) | South Melbourne 6.4 (40) | def. | Carlton 5.6 (36) | Lake Oval | Report |
| Saturday, 15 May (3:00 pm) | Essendon 4.6 (30) | def. by | Collingwood 8.2 (50) | East Melbourne Cricket Ground | Report |
| Saturday, 15 May (3:00 pm) | St Kilda 3.8 (26) | def. by | Fitzroy 10.6 (66) | Junction Oval | Report |
| Saturday, 15 May (3:00 pm) | Melbourne 9.10 (64) | def. | Geelong 3.1 (19) | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Report |
Round 3
| Round 3 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 22 May (3:00 pm) | Collingwood 6.5 (41) | def. | Geelong 5.7 (37) | Victoria Park | Report |
| Saturday, 22 May (3:00 pm) | Fitzroy 5.9 (39) | def. by | Melbourne 7.8 (50) | Brunswick Street Oval (crowd: 10,000) | Report |
| Monday, 24 May (3:00 pm) | Essendon 12.6 (78) | def. | Carlton 6.5 (41) | East Melbourne Cricket Ground | Report |
| Monday, 24 May (3:00 pm) | South Melbourne 8.11 (59) | def. | St Kilda 0.2 (2) | Lake Oval | Report |
Round 4
| Round 4 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 29 May (3:00 pm) | Geelong 5.14 (44) | def. | Carlton 3.4 (22) | Corio Oval | Report |
| Saturday, 29 May (3:00 pm) | South Melbourne 5.11 (41) | def. | Collingwood 5.3 (33) | Lake Oval | Report |
| Saturday, 29 May (3:00 pm) | Fitzroy 2.8 (20) | def. by | Essendon 6.6 (42) | Brunswick Street Oval | Report |
| Saturday, 29 May (3:00 pm) | Melbourne 11.10 (76) | def. | St Kilda 7.4 (46) | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Report |
Round 5
| Round 5 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 5 June (3:00 pm) | Melbourne 15.17 (107) | def. | Carlton 3.8 (26) | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Report |
| Saturday, 5 June (3:00 pm) | Collingwood 5.7 (37) | def. | Fitzroy 2.9 (21) | Victoria Park | Report |
| Saturday, 5 June (3:00 pm) | St Kilda 3.8 (26) | def. by | Essendon 9.9 (63) | Junction Oval | Report |
| Saturday, 5 June (3:00 pm) | Geelong 10.12 (72) | def. | South Melbourne 3.6 (24) | Corio Oval | Report |
Round 6
| Round 6 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 19 June (3:00 pm) | St Kilda 3.6 (24) | def. by | Carlton 5.5 (35) | Junction Oval | Report |
| Saturday, 19 June (3:00 pm) | Melbourne 5.3 (33) | def. | Collingwood 3.8 (26) | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Report |
| Saturday, 19 June (3:00 pm) | South Melbourne 2.4 (16) | def. by | Essendon 1.13 (19) | Lake Oval | Report |
| Saturday, 19 June (3:00 pm) | Geelong 3.13 (31) | def. | Fitzroy 2.3 (15) | Corio Oval | Report |
Round 7
| Round 7 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, 22 June (3:00 pm) | Carlton 5.5 (35) | def. by | Collingwood 6.5 (41) | Princes Park | Report |
| Tuesday, 22 June (3:00 pm) | Essendon 8.15 (63) | def. | Melbourne 3.9 (27) | East Melbourne Cricket Ground | Report |
| Tuesday, 22 June (3:00 pm) | Fitzroy 5.13 (43) | drew with | South Melbourne 5.13 (43) | Brunswick Street Oval | Report |
| Tuesday, 22 June (3:00 pm) | St Kilda 4.7 (31) | def. by | Geelong 16.18 (114) | Junction Oval | Report |
| |||||
Round 8
| Round 8 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 26 June (3:00 pm) | Carlton 1.3 (9) | def. by | Fitzroy 5.17 (47) | Princes Park | Report |
| Saturday, 26 June (3:00 pm) | St Kilda 4.5 (29) | def. by | Collingwood 7.11 (53) | Junction Oval | Report |
| Saturday, 26 June (3;00 pm) | Essendon 5.2 (32) | def. by | Geelong 8.9 (57) | East Melbourne Cricket Ground | Report |
| Saturday, 26 June (3:00 pm) | Melbourne 3.2 (20) | def. by | South Melbourne 11.7 (73) | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Report |
Round 9
| Round 9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 3 July (3:00 pm) | Carlton 4.4 (28) | def. by | South Melbourne 11.8 (74) | Princes Park | |
| Saturday, 3 July (3:00 pm) | Collingwood 5.7 (37) | def. by | Essendon 6.10 (46) | Victoria Park | Report |
| Saturday, 3 July (3:00 pm) | Fitzroy 9.21 (75) | def. | St Kilda 2.6 (18) | Brunswick Street Oval | |
| Saturday, 3 July (3:00 pm) | Geelong 1.9 (15) | def. | Melbourne 0.10 (10) | Corio Oval | Report |
Round 10
| Round 10 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 10 July (3:00 pm) | Carlton 2.1 (13) | def. by | Essendon 5.12 (42) | Princes Park | Report |
| Saturday, 10 July (3:00 pm) | Geelong 7.10 (52) | def. | Collingwood 1.4 (10) | Corio Oval | Report |
| Saturday, 10 July (3:00 pm) | Melbourne 8.5 (53) | def. | Fitzroy 3.8 (26) | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Report |
| Saturday, 10 July (3:00 pm) | St Kilda 0.3 (3) | def. by | South Melbourne 8.16 (64) | Junction Oval | Report |
Round 11
| Round 11 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 17 July (3:00 pm) | Carlton 2.4 (16) | def. by | Geelong 9.12 (66) | Princes Park | Report |
| Saturday, 17 July (3:00 pm) | Collingwood 0.8 (8) | def. by | South Melbourne 2.15 (27) | Victoria Park | Report |
| Saturday, 17 July (3:00 pm) | Essendon 9.8 (62) | def. | Fitzroy 4.6 (30) | East Melbourne Cricket Ground | Report |
| Saturday, 17 July (3:00 pm) | St Kilda 1.7 (13) | def. by | Melbourne 10.11 (71) | Junction Oval | |
Round 12
| Round 12 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 24 July (3:00 pm) | Carlton 2.6 (18) | def. by | Melbourne 5.16 (46) | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Report |
| Saturday, 24 July (3:00 pm) | Fitzroy 4.4 (28) | def. by | Collingwood 3.17 (35) | Brunswick Street Oval | Report |
| Saturday, 24 July (3:00 pm) | Essendon 13.16 (94) | def. | St Kilda 0.3 (3) | East Melbourne Cricket Ground | Report |
| Saturday, 24 July (3:00 pm) | South Melbourne 5.2 (32) | def. by | Geelong 6.8 (44) | Lake Oval | Report |
Round 13
| Round 13 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 31 July (3:00 pm) | Carlton 8.11 (59) | def. | St Kilda 3.7 (25) | Princes Park | Report |
| Saturday, 31 July (3:00 pm) | Collingwood 5.13 (43) | def. | Melbourne 3.10 (28) | Victoria Park | Report |
| Saturday, 31 July (3:00 pm) | Essendon 8.1 (49) | def. | South Melbourne 6.9 (45) | East Melbourne Cricket Ground | Report |
| Saturday, 31 July (3:00 pm) | Fitzroy 2.9 (21) | def. by | Geelong 5.3 (33) | Brunswick Street Oval | Report |
Round 14
| Round 14 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 7 August (3:00 pm) | Collingwood 7.12 (54) | def. | Carlton 3.4 (22) | Victoria Park | Report |
| Saturday, 7 August (3:00 pm) | Melbourne 8.8 (56) | def. | Essendon 6.3 (39) | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Report |
| Saturday, 7 August (3:00 pm) | South Melbourne 3.12 (30) | def. | Fitzroy 4.5 (29) | Lake Oval | Report |
| Saturday, 7 August (3:00 pm) | Geelong 14.12 (96) | def. | St Kilda 3.0 (18) | Corio Oval | Report |
Win/Loss table
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Ladder |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlton | Fit 33 |
SM 4 |
Ess 37 |
Geel 22 |
Melb 81 |
StK 11 |
Coll 6 |
Fit 38 |
SM 46 |
Ess 29 |
Geel 50 |
Melb 28 |
StK 34 |
Coll 32 |
7 |
| Collingwood | StK 25 |
Ess 20 |
Geel 4 |
SM 8 |
Fit 16 |
Melb 7 |
Carl 6 |
StK 24 |
Ess 9 |
Geel 42 |
SM 19 |
Fit 7 |
Melb 15 |
Carl 32 |
4 |
| Essendon | Geel 23 |
Coll 20 |
Carl 37 |
Fit 22 |
StK 37 |
SM 3 |
Melb 36 |
Geel 25 |
Coll 9 |
Carl 29 |
Fit 32 |
StK 91 |
SM 4 |
Melb 17 |
2 |
| Fitzroy | Carl 33 |
StK 40 |
Melb 11 |
Ess 22 |
Coll 16 |
Geel 16 |
SM 0 |
Carl 38 |
StK 57 |
Melb 27 |
Ess 32 |
Coll 7 |
Geel 12 |
SM 1 |
6 |
| Geelong | Ess 23 |
Melb 45 |
Coll 4 |
Carl 22 |
SM 48 |
Fit 16 |
StK 83 |
Ess 25 |
Melb 5 |
Coll 42 |
Carl 50 |
SM 12 |
Fit 12 |
StK 78 |
1 |
| Melbourne | SM 17 |
Geel 45 |
Fit 11 |
StK 30 |
Carl 81 |
Coll 7 |
Ess 36 |
SM 53 |
Geel 5 |
Fit 27 |
StK 58 |
Carl 28 |
Coll 15 |
Ess 17 |
3 |
| South Melbourne | Melb 17 |
Carl 4 |
StK 57 |
Coll 8 |
Geel 48 |
Ess 3 |
Fit 0 |
Melb 53 |
Carl 46 |
StK 61 |
Coll 19 |
Geel 12 |
Ess 4 |
Fit 1 |
5 |
| St Kilda | Coll 25 |
Fit 40 |
SM 57 |
Melb 30 |
Ess 37 |
Carl 11 |
Geel 83 |
Coll 24 |
Fit 57 |
SM 61 |
Melb 58 |
Ess 91 |
Carl 34 |
Geel 78 |
8 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Ladder |
| Colour | Result |
|---|---|
| Green | Win |
| Red | Loss |
| Blue | Draw |
Bold – Home game
Opponent for round listed above margin
Ladder
| ||||||||||||
| TEAM | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | % | PTS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geelong | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 704 | 382 | 184.29 | 44 | |||
| 2 | Essendon (P) | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 706 | 444 | 159.01 | 44 | |||
| 3 | Melbourne | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 685 | 473 | 144.82 | 40 | |||
| 4 | Collingwood | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 508 | 446 | 113.90 | 36 | |||
| 5 | South Melbourne | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 594 | 430 | 138.14 | 34 | |||
| 6 | Fitzroy | 14 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 508 | 485 | 104.74 | 18 | |||
| 7 | Carlton | 14 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 377 | 737 | 51.15 | 8 | |||
| 8 | St Kilda | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 281 | 966 | 29.08 | 0 | |||
| Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, PF = Points for, PA = Points against | ||||||||||||
Ladder progression
- Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 3.
- Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
- Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished in last place on the ladder in that round.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geelong | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 40 | 44 |
| 2 | Essendon | 4 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 40 | 44 | 44 |
| 3 | Melbourne | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 36 | 40 |
| 4 | Collingwood | 4 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 |
| 5 | South Melbourne | 0 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 34 |
| 6 | Fitzroy | 4 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| 7 | Carlton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 |
| 8 | St Kilda | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Finals
Main article: 1897 VFL finals series
Week 1
| Week 1 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 21 August | Geelong 3.11 (29) | def. by | Essendon 5.5 (35) | Corio Oval (crowd: 5,000) | |
| Saturday, 21 August | Melbourne 7.5 (47) | def. by | Collingwood 7.9 (51) | MCG (crowd: 7,000) | |
Week 2
| Week 2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 28 August | Essendon 9.16 (70) | def. | Collingwood 4.6 (30) | MCG (crowd: 8,000) | |
| Saturday, 28 August | Geelong 5.16 (46) | def. | Melbourne 5.7 (37) | Brunswick Street Oval (crowd: 4,000) | |
Week 3
| Week 3 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 4 September | Essendon 1.8 (14) | def. | Melbourne 0.8 (8) | Lake Oval (crowd: 3,800) | |
| Saturday, 4 September | Geelong 8.4 (52) | def. | Collingwood 6.12 (48) | EMCG (crowd: 3,000) | |
Finals Ladder
| ||||||||||||
| TEAM | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | % | PTS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essendon | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 119 | 67 | 177.61 | 12 | |||
| 2 | Geelong | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 127 | 120 | 105.83 | 8 | |||
| 3 | Collingwood | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 129 | 169 | 76.33 | 4 | |||
| 4 | Melbourne | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 92 | 111 | 82.88 | 0 | |||
| Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against | ||||||||||||
Grand final
Essendon won the premiership for finishing on top of the round robin finals ladder and no Grand Final was played.
See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.
Awards
- The 1897 VFL Premiership team was Essendon.
- The VFL's leading goalkickers were Eddy James of Geelong and Jack Leith of Melbourne with 22 goals.
- The Argus newspaper's "Player of the Year" was Melbourne's Fred McGinis.
- The 1897 Wooden Spoon went to St Kilda.
Notable events
- George Stuckey, the captain of the Essendon Football Club team that won the VFL's inaugural premiership, also won the 130-yard Stawell Gift in 1897 in 12.2 seconds off a handicap of 12 yards.
- In the first round of 1897, the VFL revoked the VFA's (then prevailing) push-in-the-back rule. The rule was reinstated before the second round's matches on the following Saturday due to complaints from fans, players and officials.
- On 12 June, a League representative team played against a Ballarat Football League representative team at the Brunswick Street Oval. Ballarat 13.11 (89) defeated the League 8.6 (54).[2]
- On 3 July 1897, Fitzroy rover Bill McSpeerin weaved his way and bounced the ball the length of the Brunswick Street Oval to score a goal against St Kilda.
- Carlton's first six matches were all away games due to renovations at Princes Park.
- The first round finals match between Geelong and Essendon was the only finals match to be played in Geelong until 2013.
References
- ↑ "THE FOOTBALL SEASON.". The Argus. Melbourne, Vic. 8 May 1897. p. 11.
- ↑ Markwell (19 June 1897). "Football Notes". The Australasian. Melbourne, VIC. p. 1229.
- Maplestone, M., Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996, Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN 0-9591740-2-8
- Rogers, S. & Brown, A., Every Game Ever Played: VFL/AFL Results 1897–1997 (Sixth Edition), Viking Books, (Ringwood), 1998. ISBN 0-670-90809-6
- Ross, J. (ed), 100 Years of Australian Football 1897–1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported, Viking, (Ringwood), 1996. ISBN 0-670-86814-0
External links
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