1953 VFL season
Encyclopedia
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League
season of 1953.
Teams played each other in a home-and-away season of 18 rounds; matches 12 to 18 were the "home-and-way reverse" of matches 1 to 7.
Once the 18 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1953 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the "Page-McIntyre system".
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
season of 1953.
Premiership season
In 1953, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus two substitute players, known as the 19th man and the 20th man. A player could be substituted for any reason; however, once substituted, a player could not return to the field of play under any circumstances.Teams played each other in a home-and-away season of 18 rounds; matches 12 to 18 were the "home-and-way reverse" of matches 1 to 7.
Once the 18 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1953 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the "Page-McIntyre system".
First Semi-Final
| Team | 1 Qtr | 2 Qtr | 3 Qtr | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Footscray | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.11 | 6.13 (49) |
| Essendon Essendon Football Club The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... |
1.0 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 5.11(41) |
| Attendance: 68,533 | ||||
Second Semi-Final
| Team | 1 Qtr | 2 Qtr | 3 Qtr | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
3.1 | 6.4 | 7.12 | 8.12 (60) |
| Collingwood Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... |
2.3 | 5.7 | 7.8 | 13.12 (90) |
| Attendance: 70,292 | ||||
Preliminary Final
| Team | 1 Qtr | 2 Qtr | 3 Qtr | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
0.6 | 2.7 | 6.10 | 8.15 (63) |
| Footscray | 2.1 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 5.7 (37) |
| Attendance: 58,615 | ||||
Grand final
| Team | 1 Qtr | 2 Qtr | 3 Qtr | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collingwood Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... |
2.4 | 5.6 | 10.10 | 11.11 (77) |
| 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... |
2.2 | 3.9 | 5.11 | 8.17 (65) |
| Attendance: 89,060 | ||||
Awards
- The 1953 VFL Premiership team was CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
. - The VFL's leading goalkickerColeman MedalThe Coleman Medal is awarded yearly to the Australian Football League player who kicks the most goals in regular-season matches in that year...
was John Coleman of EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
who kicked 97 goals (including one goal in the finals). - The winner of the 1953 Brownlow MedalBrownlow MedalThe Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
was Bill Hutchison of EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
with 26 votes. - HawthornHawthorn Football ClubThe Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
took the "wooden spoon" in 1953.
Notable events
- Because ANZAC DayANZAC DayAnzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who fought at Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all...
fell on a Saturday, there was a fortnight between rounds 1 and 2. On the evening of Friday 24 April a night-time "exhibition match" is held between CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
and FitzroyFitzroy Football ClubThe 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...
, under lights, at the Royal Melbourne ShowgroundsRoyal Melbourne ShowgroundsThe Melbourne Showgrounds is located in the inner north-western suburb of Ascot Vale, Victoria, Australia, next door to Flemington Racecourse. Is the home of the annual Royal Melbourne Show, as well as major exhibitions, trade shows, and music concerts....
. Collingwood win 12.12 (84) to Fitzroy's 5.8 (38). - In round 2, John Coleman kicks 11 of Essendon'sEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
13 goals. - In a very wet game in Round 5, FitzroyFitzroy Football ClubThe 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...
came close to becoming the first VFL team to be held scoreless. Allan RuthvenAllan RuthvenAllan Ruthven was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League. He played his entire 222 game career with Fitzroy. In 1950, Ruthven won the prestigious Brownlow medal.- Playing career :...
managed their only scoring shot, a goal, with ten minutes remaining in the game. - The low scoring of the year in comparison to the previous three decades can also be seen in that:
- Footscray's 959 points "Against" remains the lowest average points conceded per game since 1919
- The season's highest score of 21.10 (136) was the lowest since 1924
- For the first time since 1927 there was no match where both teams scored a century. This has since occurred only in 1955, 1961 and 1963.
- In round 14, CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
defeats 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...
at Kardinia Park 10.15 (75) to 7.13 (55). Prior to this defeat, Geelong had won 23 consecutive matches (still a VFL/AFL record), and had played 26 consecutive matches without a loss (also still a VFL/AFL record). - In round 17, Keith BromageKeith BromageKeith Bromage is a former Australian rules footballer. He played with Collingwood and Fitzroy in his Victorian Football League career....
plays his first senior match for CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
at 15 years and 287 days (still a VFL/AFL record). - The CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
Grand Final team contained three sets of brothers:- Lou RichardsLou RichardsLewis Thomas Charles "Lou" Richards is a retired Australian rules footballer, who played 250 games with the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1941 and 1955...
and Ron Richards. - Bob RoseBob Rose (footballer)Robert "Bob" Rose was an Australian rules footballer and coach in the VFL. He is widely regarded as the greatest player ever to play for Collingwood.-Playing career:...
and Bill RoseBill Rose (footballer)William 'Bill' Rose was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood in the Victorian Football League during the early 1950s....
. - Bill Twomey, Jr., Pat TwomeyPat TwomeyPat Twomey was an Australian rules footballer, who played in the Victorian Football League, .Pat Twomey joined Collingwood in 1947, he had two stints with the Magpies, punctured by a spell with country club Warragul. Pat mainly played across the centreline or on a flank and started as a winger...
, and Mick TwomeyMick TwomeyMichael Twomey is a former Australian rules footballer, who played in the Victorian Football League, .At in height, Collingwood's Mick Twomey was taller than his brothers Bill and Pat, and played most of his 157 VFL games between 1951 and 1961 as a ruckman.Over the course of his 10 year career...
.
- Lou Richards
- Collingwood supporter and controversial businessman John WrenJohn WrenJohn Wren was an Australian businessman. He has become a legendary figure thanks mainly to a fictionalised account of his life in Frank Hardy's novel Power Without Glory, which was also made into a television series...
suffered a heart attack at the 1953 Grand Final and died one month later.