1897 VFL finals series
Encyclopedia
The Victorian Football League
's 1897 finals series determined the top four final positions of the 1897 VFL season
. It began on the weekend of August 21, 1897 and ended on the weekend of September 3, 1897. Essendon
were crowned the 1897 VFL premiers, finishing the finals series on top of the mini-ladder.
First Round Final (Essendon
First Round Final (Collingwood
Collingwood
narrowly defeated Melbourne
in probably the finest game of the season. Collingwood's formed had vastly improved, although the Melbourne side was sadly depleted through injuries.
Second Round Final (Essendon
Essendon
played brilliantly to account for Collingwood
, kicking five goals five to three points in the final term. Essendon had become the only unbeaten team after round two, and even if they had lost the final game their percentage would have been enough to win them the premiership.
Second Round Final (Geelong
Geelong
finished the stronger to down Melbourne
; a goal by James near the end winning the game for them.
Third Round Final (Essendon
In an interesting game, Melbourne hit the post three times and a goal by Essendon player Waugh was disallowed after the bell. Edgar Croft scored the winning goal by marking a skewed kick in the forward pocket.
Third Round Final (Geelong
In a "dead rubber" match, Geelong
's brilliant first-quarter burst meant Collingwood
's chances of making it back into the match were near impossible. However in a thrilling match, Geelong ran out winners by less than a goal.
Essendon
The players listed below are in no particular order, however the captain and vice-captain appear first.
Geelong
The players listed below are in no particular order, however the captain appears first.
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
's 1897 finals series determined the top four final positions of the 1897 VFL season
1897 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1897, the inaugural season of the VFL.-Premiership season:In 1897, the VFL competition consisted of eight teams of 20 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves" Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of...
. It began on the weekend of August 21, 1897 and ended on the weekend of September 3, 1897. Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
were crowned the 1897 VFL premiers, finishing the finals series on top of the mini-ladder.
Final ladder
| Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | For | Against | % | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geelong Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also... |
14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 704 | 382 | 184.3 | 44 |
| 2 | Essendon Essendon Football Club The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... |
14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 706 | 444 | 159.0 | 44 |
| 3 | Melbourne Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria.... |
14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 685 | 473 | 144.8 | 40 |
| 4 | Collingwood Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... |
14 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 508 | 446 | 113.9 | 36 |
| 5 | South Melbourne Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney... |
14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 594 | 430 | 138.1 | 34 |
| 6 | Fitzroy Fitzroy Football Club The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897... |
14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 508 | 485 | 104.7 | 18 |
| 7 | Carlton Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897... |
14 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 377 | 737 | 51.2 | 8 |
| 8 | St Kilda | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 281 | 966 | 29.1 | 0 |
Finals system
- At the end of the home-and-away season (i.e., after 14 matches for each team), the top four teams to play off against each other in a round-robin series.
- There would be three rounds, of two matches each, to be played at the same time at two different venues on three consecutive Saturday afternoons:
- 1 v 2 and 3 v 4; 1 v 3 and 2 v 4; 1 v 4 and 2 v 3.
- There would be three rounds, of two matches each, to be played at the same time at two different venues on three consecutive Saturday afternoons:
- The winner of the round-robin series to be declared the premier. The winner was determined by the team that won the most matches (or, more precisely, had the most premiership points, with four points awarded for a win and two for a draw).
- If two teams had finished with the same record, those teams would have contested a Grand Final to decide the premiership; percentage was not used as a tie-breaker.
Week One
First Round Final (EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
vs GeelongGeelong Football ClubThe Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
)
First Round Final (CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
vs MelbourneMelbourne Football ClubThe Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
)
Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
narrowly defeated Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
in probably the finest game of the season. Collingwood's formed had vastly improved, although the Melbourne side was sadly depleted through injuries.
Second Round Final (EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
vs CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
)
Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
played brilliantly to account for Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
, kicking five goals five to three points in the final term. Essendon had become the only unbeaten team after round two, and even if they had lost the final game their percentage would have been enough to win them the premiership.
Second Round Final (GeelongGeelong Football ClubThe Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
vs MelbourneMelbourne Football ClubThe Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
)
GeelongGeelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
finished the stronger to down Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
; a goal by James near the end winning the game for them.
Third Round Final (EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
vs MelbourneMelbourne Football ClubThe Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
)
In an interesting game, Melbourne hit the post three times and a goal by Essendon player Waugh was disallowed after the bell. Edgar Croft scored the winning goal by marking a skewed kick in the forward pocket.
Third Round Final (GeelongGeelong Football ClubThe Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
vs CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
)
In a "dead rubber" match, Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
's brilliant first-quarter burst meant Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
's chances of making it back into the match were near impossible. However in a thrilling match, Geelong ran out winners by less than a goal.
Finals series ladder
| Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | For | Against | % | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essendon Essendon Football Club The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 119 | 67 | 177.6 | 12 |
| 2 | Geelong Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also... |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 127 | 120 | 105.8 | 8 |
| 3 | Collingwood Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 129 | 169 | 76.3 | 4 |
| 4 | Melbourne Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria.... |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 92 | 111 | 82.9 | 0 |
Premiership Finals teams
These are the finals teams for the top two teams in the round robin series; and, rather than being "Grand Finalists" (because there was no Grand Finale match in 1897), they played to decide the premiership. The players that are listed are players used in any one of the three round robin finals played. EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
The players listed below are in no particular order, however the captain and vice-captain appear first.
| Essendon | ||
|---|---|---|
| George Stuckey George Stuckey George Stuckey was an Australian rules footballer who played with and captained Essendon in the Victorian Football League .... (c) |
Jim Anderson Jim Anderson (footballer) Jim Anderson was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the Victorian Football League .Anderson, a defender, played in three successive premiership teams during his time with Essendon in the Victorian Football Association. He was a member of two VFL premierships, the first in... (vc) |
Gus Kearney Gus Kearney August D. "Gus" Kearney was an Australian rules footballer that played for the Essendon Football Club, and was a part of the Bombers' 1897 premiership team.... |
| Ned Officer | Tod Collins Tod Collins George "Tod" Collins was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League . Although his given name was George he was known as Tod Collins.... |
Hugh Gavin Hugh Gavin Lodovic Hugh Gavin was an Australian rules footballer who played 108 games with Essendon in the years following the formation of the Victorian Football League .... |
| Colin Campbell Colin Campbell (Australian footballer) Dr Colin Mansfield Campbell was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the Victorian Football League and a first-class cricketer, representing Tasmania.... |
George Cochrane | Harry Wright Harry Wright (Australian footballer) Harry Lovegrove Wright was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon during the years following the formation of the Victorian Football League .... |
| Arthur Cleghorn | George Vautin George Vautin George James Phillips Vautin was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League . He was born at Orielton, Tasmania and died at West Preston, Victoria.... |
Ted Kinnear Ted Kinnear Edward 'Ted' Kinnear was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the Victorian Football League .... |
| Charlie Forbes Charlie Forbes Charlie 'Tracker' Forbes was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the VFL.Forbes was a successful player for Essendon in the years leading up to the formation of the VFL in the 1890s... |
Norman Waugh | Edgar Croft Edgar Croft Edgar Croft was an Australian rules football player for the Essendon Football Club. He played in three seasons for the Bombers, playing 15 matches and scoring 12 goals... |
| Pat O'Loughlin | Son Barry Son Barry Edward 'Son' Barry was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the Victorian Football League .Although his first name was Edward, Barry was known during his career by the nickname 'Son'. He joined Essendon from Albert Park and was a rover in their 1897 premiership team... |
George Martin George Martin (Australian footballer) George Martin was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the VFL.A ruckman, Martin was a dual premiership player at Essendon, playing in the inaugural VFL premiership side in 1897 and again in 1901... |
| Archie Sykes Archie Sykes Archie J. Sykes was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club, and was involved in the club's 1897 premiership win.... |
Joe Groves Joe Groves Joe Groves was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon. A smart winger whose tact overpowered other players, he played in Essendon's first premiership side in 1897... |
George Hastings George Hastings (footballer) George Hastings was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the early years of the VFL.Hastings usually played on the wing but was also a centreman at times. A member of Essendon's inaugural premiership team in 1897 and again in 1901, Hasting also played in losing Grand Final... |
| Dave Ferguson | - | - |
GeelongGeelong Football ClubThe Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
| Geelong | ||
|---|---|---|
| Jack Conway Jack Conway (footballer) Jack Conway was an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Victorian Football league . He was Geelong's first captain in the VFL, captaining the club for its first three seasons in the new competition before retiring at the end of the 1899 season... (c) |
Peter Burns Peter Burns Peter Burns was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football Association and Victorian Football League .Burns was a tall ruckman and full-back... |
Charles Coles |
| Jim Flynn Jim Flynn (footballer) Jim Flynn was an Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong and Carlton in the VFL.A ruckman, Flynn started his career in 1897 where he was part of Geelong's inaugural VFL side... |
Teddy Holligan | Eddy James Eddy James Edwin 'Eddy' James was an Australian rules footballer who played for Geelong in the years following the formation of the VFL.... |
| Jim McShane Jim McShane Jim McShane was a player for the Geelong Football Club. McShane was the first player in the VFL/AFL competition to kick ten goals or more in a match when he scored eleven goals against St Kilda in 1899.... |
Joe McShane Joe McShane Joe McShane was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League.McShane started his career at Geelong before moving to Carlton for the 1902 season. He left the Blues following the 1904 Grand Final against Fitzroy.-External links:* at... |
Jack Parkin |
| Alfred Pontin | Jack Quinn | Teddy Rankin Teddy Rankin Edward 'Teddy' Rankin was an Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong in the VFL. His sons Cliff and Bert both also had successful careers with the club.... |
| Arch Thompson | Fred Wright | Henry Young |
| Samuel Brockwell | Edward Greeves, Sr. | Firth McCallum |
| Henry McShane | Thomas Maguire | Arthur Pincott |
Series records
- Highest team score: EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
(2nd rd vs Coll.) - 9.16 (70) - Lowest team score: MelbourneMelbourne Football ClubThe Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
(3rd rd vs Ess.) - 0.8 (8) - Highest score in one quarter: EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
(4th qtr, 2nd rd vs Coll.) - 5.5 (35) - Lowest score in one quarter: EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
(3rd qtr, 1st rd vs Geel.) - 0.0 (0) - Highest winning margin: EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
(2nd rd vs Coll.) - 40 pts - Highest aggregate score: EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
vs CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
(2nd rd), GeelongGeelong Football ClubThe Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
vs CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
(3rd rd) - 100 pts - Most goals kicked by a player in a game: Jack LeithJack LeithJohn G. 'Jack' Leith was an Australian rules footballer who played for Melbourne in the early years of the Victorian Football League ....
(Melb.) (1st rd vs Coll.), Norman Waugh (Ess.) (2nd rd vs Coll.) - 4 goals - Most goals kicked by a player for the series: Eddy JamesEddy JamesEdwin 'Eddy' James was an Australian rules footballer who played for Geelong in the years following the formation of the VFL....
(Geel.) (1, 2, 2) - 5 goals - Highest attendance for one match: EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
vs CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
(MCGMelbourne Cricket GroundThe Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
, 2nd rd) - 8,000 - Highest gate taking for one match: CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
vs MelbourneMelbourne Football ClubThe Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
(MCGMelbourne Cricket GroundThe Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
, 1st rd) - ₤174