1972 VFL season
Encyclopedia
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League
season of 1972.
Teams played each other in a home-and-away season of 22 rounds; matches 12 to 22 were the "home-and-way reverse" of matches 1 to 11.
Once the 22 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1972 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the McIntyre "Final Five" system.
defeated Richmond
28.9 (177) to 22.18 (150), in front of a crowd of 112393 people. (For an explanation of scoring see Australian rules football
).
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 1972.
Premiership season
In 1972, 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 22 rounds; matches 12 to 22 were the "home-and-way reverse" of matches 1 to 11.
Once the 22 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1972 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the McIntyre "Final Five" system.
Grand final
CarltonCarlton 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...
defeated Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
28.9 (177) to 22.18 (150), in front of a crowd of 112393 people. (For an explanation of scoring see Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
).
Awards
- The 1972 VFL Premiership team was CarltonCarlton Football ClubThe 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...
. - 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 Peter McKennaPeter McKennaPeter McKenna is a former Australian rules footballer, who played 180 games and kicked 838 goals with the Collingwood Football Club between 1965 and 1975, where he spent the majority of his career...
of CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
who kicked 130 goals. - The winner of the 1972 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 Len ThompsonLen ThompsonLen Thompson was an Australian rules footballer, who played for most of his career at Collingwood.-Collingwood:...
of CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
with 25 votes. - North MelbourneNorth Melbourne Football ClubThe North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
took the "wooden spoonWooden spoon (award)A wooden spoon is a mock or real award, usually given to an individual or team which has come last in a competition, but sometimes also to runners-up. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous events...
" in 1972.
Notable events
- The Page-McIntyre SystemMcIntyre SystemThe McIntyre System, or systems because there have been five of them, is a playoff system that gives an advantage to teams or competitors qualifying higher...
for determining the VFL premiership team, that had been centred on a "Final Four", and had operated from 1931 to 1971, was replaced by the McIntyre "Final Five" system in 1972 (the new finals system operated from 1972 until the 1991 AFL season1991 AFL seasonResults and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1991.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:...
, when it was replaced by the First McIntyre "Final Six" system). - In round 1, 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...
full-forward Peter HudsonPeter HudsonPeter John Hudson AM is a former Australian Rules Football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history....
kicks 8 goals before he sustains a knee injury that keeps him out until round 21 of the following season. - In round 10, the VFL changes a tradition: field umpires, rather than team captains, will now toss the coin at the start of the match, in order to reduce "gamesmanship".
- 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...
half-forward John GreeningJohn GreeningJohn Greening is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood in the VFL.Tasmanian born, Greening moved to Victoria in 1967 aged 16, and attended Northcote High School, after being recruited by Collingwood Football Club...
is felled by St Kilda back-man Jim O'DeaJim O'DeaJim O'Dea is a former Australian rules footballer who played 167 games with St Kilda in the VFL from 1967 until 1980.O'Dea was a defender who usually played across half back. He is known for an infamous incident which took place at the Moorabbin Oval during Round 14 of the 1972 season when he...
some 70 metres behind play. John GreeningJohn GreeningJohn Greening is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood in the VFL.Tasmanian born, Greening moved to Victoria in 1967 aged 16, and attended Northcote High School, after being recruited by Collingwood Football Club...
was comatose for some time and was extremely lucky not to have died. Many were unhappy that O'Dea only received a 10 week suspension. - In the second quarter of Carlton'sCarlton Football ClubThe 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...
round 16 match against EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
, Alex JesaulenkoAlex JesaulenkoAlex 'Jezza' Jesaulenko MBE is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is regarded as one of the game's greatest-ever players and is an official Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame...
kicks six goals in eleven minutes. Carlton kicked 11 goals straight in that second quarter. - In August, the VFL announces that it will now grant a free transfer to any player who has played 10 years with a single club.
- In September, North Melbourne Football ClubNorth Melbourne Football ClubThe North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
appoint Ron BarassiRon BarassiRonald Dale Barassi, Jr AM is a former Australian rules football player and coach. During a long and decorated career, Barassi has been one of the most important figures in the history of Australian football. His father, Ron Barassi, Sr., was the first Australian footballer killed at Tobruk during...
as their 1973 coach. - In Round 20, Geelong's Ken Newland kicks a point after the sirenAfter the siren kicks in Australian rules footballIn Australian rules football, if a player takes a mark or is awarded a free kick before or as the siren sounds, the player is allowed to take the kick...
to win the match against Collingwood. - In the round 21 match between 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...
and EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
at the Junction OvalJunction OvalThe Junction Oval is an historic sports ground in the suburb of St Kilda in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its location near the St Kilda Junction gave rise to its nickname...
, bespectacled Essendon full-forward Geoff BlethynGeoff BlethynGeoff Blethyn was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the VFL.A full-forward, Blethyn had a slim frame and was easy to spot on the field because he wore glasses. He kicked 4 goals in their 1968 Grand Final loss to Carlton and had his most prolific game up forward when he...
kicked his 100th goal. A mounted policeman galloped out to protect Blethyn from spectators, and Blethyn was temporarily rendered sightless when the policeman's horse slobbers all over his glasses. - The 16 September First Semi-Final between RichmondRichmond Football ClubThe Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
and CarltonCarlton Football ClubThe 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...
is tied at 8.13 (61) each. Angry fans invaded the Melbourne Cricket GroundMelbourne 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...
immediately the siren went and field umpire Ian Coates was assaulted. Richmond thrashed Carlton in the replay: 15.20 (110) to 9.15 (69). - The Grand Final between CarltonCarlton Football ClubThe 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...
and RichmondRichmond Football ClubThe Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
featured an aggregate score of 50.27 (327), setting the record for the highest aggregate score in any game, final or otherwise. The previous record of 48.25 (313) had stood since 19421942 VFL seasonResults and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1942.-Influence of World War II:World War II had many negative effects on AFL in Australia:*Geelong were unable to compete in the competition because of wartime travel restrictions...
, and the record would last until 19781978 VFL seasonResults and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1978.-Grand final:Hawthorn defeated North Melbourne 18.13 to 15.13 , in front of a crowd of 101704 people...
.