1897 VFL season
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Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1897. This was the inaugural season of VFL/AFL football. Seven of the eight charter members of the VFL are still in existence. The exception is Fitzroy: however, the original Fitzroy club is the predecessor to the AFL's Brisbane Lions as well as to an amateur Fitzroy Football Club.
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[edit] 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).
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 VFL Premiership System.
[edit] Round 1
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Collingwood | 5.11 (41) | St Kilda | 2.4 (16) | Victoria Park | 8 May 1897 |
| South Melbourne | 3.9 (27) | Melbourne | 6.8 (44) | Lake Oval | 8 May 1897 |
| Geelong | 3.6 (24) | Essendon | 7.5 (47) | Corio Oval | 8 May 1897 |
| Fitzroy | 6.13 (49) | Carlton | 2.4 (16) | Brunswick Street Oval | 8 May 1897 |
[edit] Round 2
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Melbourne | 9.10 (64) | Geelong | 3.1 (19) | MCG | 15 May 1897 |
| St Kilda | 3.8 (26) | Fitzroy | 10.6 (66) | Junction Oval | 15 May 1897 |
| Essendon | 4.6 (30) | Collingwood | 8.2 (50) | EMCG | 15 May 1897 |
| South Melbourne | 6.4 (40) | Carlton | 5.6 (36) | Lake Oval | 15 May 1897 |
[edit] Round 3
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Fitzroy | 5.9 (39) | Melbourne | 7.8 (50) | Brunswick Street Oval | 22 May 1897 |
| Collingwood | 6.5 (41) | Geelong | 5.7 (37) | Victoria Park | 22 May 1897 |
| South Melbourne | 8.11 (59) | St Kilda | 0.2 (2) | Lake Oval | 24 May 1897 |
| Essendon | 12.6 (78) | Carlton | 6.5 (41) | EMCG | 24 May 1897 |
[edit] Round 4
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Melbourne | 11.10 (76) | St Kilda | 7.4 (46) | MCG | 29 May 1897 |
| Fitzroy | 2.8 (20) | Essendon | 6.6 (42) | Brunswick Street Oval | 29 May 1897 |
| South Melbourne | 5.11 (41) | Collingwood | 5.3 (33) | Lake Oval | 29 May 1897 |
| Geelong | 5.14 (44) | Carlton | 3.4 (22) | Corio Oval | 29 May 1897 |
[edit] Round 5
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Geelong | 10.12 (72) | South Melbourne | 3.6 (24) | Corio Oval | 5 June 1897 |
| Collingwood | 5.7 (37) | Fitzroy | 2.9 (21) | Victoria Park | 5 June 1897 |
| St Kilda | 3.8 (26) | Essendon | 9.9 (63) | Junction Oval | 5 June 1897 |
| Melbourne | 15.17 (107) | Carlton | 3.8 (26) | MCG | 5 June 1897 |
[edit] Round 6
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Geelong | 3.13 (31) | Fitzroy | 2.2 (14) | Corio Oval | 19 June 1897 |
| South Melbourne | 2.3 (15) | Essendon | 1.13 (19) | Lake Oval | 19 June 1897 |
| Melbourne | 5.3 (33) | Collingwood | 3.8 (26) | MCG | 19 June 1897 |
| St Kilda | 3.6 (24) | Carlton | 5.5 (35) | Junction Oval | 19 June 1897 |
[edit] Round 7
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Fitzroy | 5.13 (43) | South Melbourne | 5.13 (43) | Brunswick Street Oval | 22 June 1897 |
| Essendon | 8.15 (63) | Melbourne | 3.9 (27) | EMCG | 22 June 1897 |
| Carlton | 5.6 (36) | Collingwood | 6.4 (40) | Princes Park | 22 June 1897 |
| St Kilda | 4.7 (31) | Geelong | 16.18 (114) | Junction Oval | 22 June 1897 |
Note: Geelong's 16.18.114 was the highest score in 1897.
[edit] Round 8
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Melbourne | 3.2 (20) | South Melbourne | 11.7 (73) | MCG | 26 June 1897 |
| Essendon | 5.2 (32) | Geelong | 8.9 (57) | EMCG | 26 June 1897 |
| Carlton | 1.3 (9) | Fitzroy | 5.17 (47) | Princes Park | 26 June 1897 |
| St Kilda | 4.5 (29) | Collingwood | 7.11 (53) | Junction Oval | 26 June 1897 |
[edit] Round 9
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Geelong | 1.9 (15) | Melbourne | 0.10 (10) | Corio Oval | 3 July 1897 |
| Fitzroy | 9.21 (75) | St Kilda | 2.6 (18) | Brunswick Street Oval | 3 July 1897 |
| Collingwood | 5.7 (37) | Essendon | 6.10 (46) | Victoria Park | 3 July 1897 |
| Carlton | 4.4 (28) | South Melbourne | 11.8 (74) | Princes Park | 3 July 1897 |
[edit] Round 10
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| St Kilda | 0.3 (3) | South Melbourne | 8.16 (64) | Junction Oval | 10 July 1897 |
| Carlton | 2.1 (13) | Essendon | 5.12 (42) | Princes Park | 10 July 1897 |
| Melbourne | 8.5 (53) | Fitzroy | 3.8 (26) | MCG | 10 July 1897 |
| Geelong | 7.10 (52) | Collingwood | 1.4 (10) | Corio Oval | 10 July 1897 |
[edit] Round 11
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Essendon | 9.8 (62) | Fitzroy | 4.6 (30) | EMCG | 17 July 1897 |
| Collingwood | 0.8 (8) | South Melbourne | 2.15 (27) | Victoria Park | 17 July 1897 |
| Carlton | 2.4 (16) | Geelong | 9.12 (66) | Princes Park | 17 July 1897 |
| St Kilda | 1.7 (13) | Melbourne | 10.11 (71) | Junction Oval | 17 July 1897 |
[edit] Round 12
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Essendon | 13.16 (94) | St Kilda | 0.3 (3) | EMCG | 24 July 1897 |
| South Melbourne | 5.2 (32) | Geelong | 6.8 (44) | Lake Oval | 24 July 1897 |
| Fitzroy | 4.4 (28) | Collingwood | 3.17 (35) | Brunswick Street Oval | 24 July 1897 |
| Melbourne | 5.16 (46) | Carlton | 2.6 (18) | MCG | 24 July 1897 |
[edit] Round 13
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Fitzroy | 2.9 (21) | Geelong | 5.3 (33) | Brunswick Street Oval | 31 July 1897 |
| Essendon | 8.1 (49) | South Melbourne | 6.9 (45) | EMCG | 31 July 1897 |
| Collingwood | 5.13 (43) | Melbourne | 3.10 (28) | Victoria Park | 31 July 1897 |
| Carlton | 8.11 (59) | St Kilda | 3.8 (26) | Princes Park | 31 July 1897 |
[edit] Round 14
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Geelong | 14.12 (96) | St Kilda | 3.0 (18) | Corio Oval | 7 August 1897 |
| South Melbourne | 3.12 (30) | Fitzroy | 4.5 (29) | Lake Oval | 7 August 1897 |
| Melbourne | 8.8 (56) | Essendon | 6.3 (39) | MCG | 7 August 1897 |
| Collingwood | 7.12 (54) | Carlton | 3.4 (22) | Victoria Park | 7 August 1897 |
[edit] Grand Final
See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.
No grand final held. Essendon won the premiership for finishing on top of the round robin finals ladder.
[edit] Ladder
All teams played 14 games during the home and away season, for a total of 56. An additional 6 games were played during the finals series.
| Team | Won | Lost | Draw | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essendon | 11 | 3 | 0 | 44 |
| 2 | Geelong | 11 | 3 | 0 | 44 |
| 3 | Melbourne | 10 | 4 | 0 | 40 |
| 4 | Collingwood | 9 | 5 | 0 | 36 |
| 5 | South Melbourne | 8 | 5 | 1 | 34 |
| 6 | Fitzroy | 4 | 9 | 1 | 18 |
| 7 | Carlton | 2 | 12 | 0 | 8 |
| 8 | St Kilda | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
[edit] Finals Ladder
| Team | Won | Lost | Draw | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essendon | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2 | Geelong | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 3 | Collingwood | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Melbourne | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
[edit] Awards
- The 1897 VFL Premiership team was Essendon.
- The VFL's leading goalkicker was Eddy James of Geelong with 27 goals.
- The Argus newspaper’s "Player of the Year", Melbourne's Fred McGinis, was declared 1897 Champion of the Colony.
- St Kilda took the "wooden spoon" in 1897.
[edit] 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 push-in-the-back rule. The rule was reinstated before the second round’s matches on the following Saturday.
- On 3 July 1897, Fitzroy rover Bill McSpeerin weaves and bounces the length of the Brunswick Street Oval to score a goal against St KIlda.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Maplestone, M., Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872-1996, Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN 0-959-17402-8
- 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
[edit] External links
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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date Collingwood 5.11 (41) St Kilda 2.4 (16) Victoria Park 8 May 1897 South Melbourne 3.9 (27) Melbourne 6.8 (44) Lake Oval 8 May 1897 Geelong 3.6 (24) Essendon 7.5 (47) Corio Oval 8 May 1897 Fitzroy 6.13 (49) Carlton 2.4 (16) Brunswick Street Oval 8 May 1897
