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1919 VFL season

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1919 VFL premiership season
Date3 May—11 October 1919
Teams9
PremiersCollingwood
5th premiership
Minor premiersCollingwood
6th minor premiership
Leading goalkicker medallistDick Lee (Collingwood)
47 goals
Matches played76
← 1918
1920 →

The 1919 VFL season was the 23rd season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest-level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. For the first time since the peak of World War I, all nine clubs featured, with Melbourne returning after being in recess the previous three seasons. The season ran from 3 May to 11 October, comprising a 16-match home-and-away season followed by a four-week finals series featuring the top four clubs.

Collingwood won the premiership, defeating Richmond by 25 points in the 1919 VFL grand final; it was Collingwood's fifth VFL premiership. Collingwood also won the minor premiership by finishing atop the home-and-away ladder with a 13–3 win–loss record. Collingwood's Dick Lee won his seventh leading goalkicker medal as the league's leading goalkicker, which remains a league record to this day.

Background

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In 1919, the VFL competition consisted of nine teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 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 18 rounds (i.e., 16 matches and 2 byes).

Once the 18 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1919 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the amended "Argus system".

Home-and-away season

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Round 1

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Carlton 14.14 (98) Fitzroy 8.7 (55) Princes Park 3 May 1919
St Kilda 12.14 (86) Melbourne 9.4 (58) Junction Oval 3 May 1919
Richmond 12.19 (91) Essendon 10.11 (71) Punt Road Oval 3 May 1919
South Melbourne 6.13 (49) Collingwood 9.8 (62) Lake Oval 3 May 1919

Round 2

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Melbourne 3.10 (28) South Melbourne 10.19 (79) MCG 10 May 1919
Geelong 7.9 (51) Richmond 10.6 (66) Corio Oval 10 May 1919
Collingwood 5.15 (45) St Kilda 5.18 (48) Victoria Park 10 May 1919
Essendon 9.11 (65) Carlton 7.11 (53) EMCG 10 May 1919

Round 3

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
St Kilda 4.7 (31) South Melbourne 9.13 (67) Junction Oval 17 May 1919
Melbourne 7.7 (49) Richmond 11.14 (80) MCG 17 May 1919
Fitzroy 18.10 (118) Essendon 5.12 (42) Brunswick Street Oval 17 May 1919
Geelong 5.2 (32) Collingwood 5.19 (49) Corio Oval 17 May 1919

Round 4

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Essendon 4.9 (33) St Kilda 7.6 (48) EMCG 24 May 1919
Carlton 13.21 (99) Geelong 3.4 (22) Princes Park 24 May 1919
South Melbourne 4.15 (39) Fitzroy 4.12 (36) Lake Oval 24 May 1919
Richmond 8.6 (54) Collingwood 11.8 (74) Punt Road Oval 24 May 1919

Round 5

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Geelong 0.18 (18) St Kilda 6.10 (46) Corio Oval 31 May 1919
Fitzroy 10.14 (74) Richmond 7.6 (48) Brunswick Street Oval 31 May 1919
Essendon 7.8 (50) South Melbourne 9.16 (70) EMCG 31 May 1919
Carlton 18.15 (123) Melbourne 5.4 (34) Princes Park 31 May 1919

Round 6

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Richmond 7.20 (62) South Melbourne 11.16 (82) Punt Road Oval 7 June 1919
Collingwood 16.20 (116) Melbourne 8.7 (55) Victoria Park 7 June 1919
Fitzroy 7.18 (60) Geelong 4.4 (28) Brunswick Street Oval 9 June 1919
St Kilda 7.11 (53) Carlton 11.9 (75) Junction Oval 9 June 1919

Round 7

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Carlton 9.16 (70) Collingwood 8.11 (59) Princes Park 14 June 1919
St Kilda 5.12 (42) Richmond 7.9 (51) Junction Oval 14 June 1919
Melbourne 6.6 (42) Fitzroy 11.12 (78) MCG 14 June 1919
Geelong 6.8 (44) Essendon 8.8 (56) Corio Oval 14 June 1919

Round 8

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Fitzroy 13.14 (92) St Kilda 7.5 (47) Brunswick Street Oval 21 June 1919
Melbourne 7.10 (52) Geelong 10.12 (72) MCG 21 June 1919
Essendon 6.8 (44) Collingwood 10.10 (70) EMCG 21 June 1919
South Melbourne 6.13 (49) Carlton 6.8 (44) Lake Oval 21 June 1919

Round 9

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Essendon 16.17 (113) Melbourne 6.8 (44) EMCG 28 June 1919
Collingwood 9.14 (68) Fitzroy 10.11 (71) Victoria Park 28 June 1919
Carlton 9.15 (69) Richmond 14.11 (95) Princes Park 28 June 1919
South Melbourne 5.22 (52) Geelong 5.4 (34) Lake Oval 28 June 1919

Round 10

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Melbourne 5.7 (37) St Kilda 6.11 (47) MCG 12 July 1919
Essendon 6.10 (46) Richmond 6.15 (51) EMCG 12 July 1919
Collingwood 8.11 (59) South Melbourne 3.18 (36) Victoria Park 12 July 1919
Fitzroy 5.11 (41) Carlton 5.9 (39) Brunswick Street Oval 12 July 1919

Round 11

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Carlton 7.8 (50) Essendon 9.11 (65) Princes Park 19 July 1919
South Melbourne 13.16 (94) Melbourne 2.15 (27) Lake Oval 19 July 1919
Richmond 16.15 (111) Geelong 7.14 (56) Punt Road Oval 19 July 1919
St Kilda 5.9 (39) Collingwood 13.13 (91) Junction Oval 19 July 1919

Round 12

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Essendon 9.13 (67) Fitzroy 8.8 (56) EMCG 26 July 1919
Collingwood 12.11 (83) Geelong 4.7 (31) Victoria Park 26 July 1919
South Melbourne 29.15 (189) St Kilda 2.6 (18) Lake Oval 26 July 1919
Richmond 9.18 (72) Melbourne 7.6 (48) Punt Road Oval 26 July 1919

Round 13

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Fitzroy 7.5 (47) South Melbourne 14.10 (94) Brunswick Street Oval 9 August 1919
Collingwood 11.12 (78) Richmond 9.11 (65) Victoria Park 9 August 1919
St Kilda 6.10 (46) Essendon 4.10 (34) Junction Oval 9 August 1919
Geelong 8.11 (59) Carlton 12.22 (94) Corio Oval 9 August 1919

Round 14

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
St Kilda 12.18 (90) Geelong 10.17 (77) Junction Oval 16 August 1919
Richmond 6.21 (57) Fitzroy 3.13 (31) Punt Road Oval 16 August 1919
South Melbourne 12.15 (87) Essendon 8.7 (55) Lake Oval 16 August 1919
Melbourne 5.6 (36) Carlton 13.18 (96) MCG 16 August 1919

Round 15

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Carlton 10.14 (74) St Kilda 9.4 (58) Princes Park 23 August 1919
South Melbourne 6.7 (43) Richmond 4.14 (38) Lake Oval 23 August 1919
Geelong 11.9 (75) Fitzroy 11.9 (75) Corio Oval 23 August 1919
Melbourne 5.6 (36) Collingwood 20.25 (145) MCG 23 August 1919

Round 16

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Richmond 14.16 (100) St Kilda 5.11 (41) Punt Road Oval 30 August 1919
Fitzroy 21.16 (142) Melbourne 2.5 (17) Brunswick Street Oval 30 August 1919
Essendon 9.18 (72) Geelong 6.13 (49) EMCG 30 August 1919
Collingwood 17.11 (113) Carlton 5.16 (46) Victoria Park 30 August 1919

Round 17

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Geelong 14.12 (96) Melbourne 6.15 (51) Corio Oval 6 September 1919
Collingwood 9.13 (67) Essendon 5.14 (44) Victoria Park 6 September 1919
Carlton 8.11 (59) South Melbourne 8.7 (55) Princes Park 6 September 1919
St Kilda 3.14 (32) Fitzroy 7.10 (52) Junction Oval 6 September 1919

Round 18

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Geelong 6.14 (50) South Melbourne 3.8 (26) Corio Oval 13 September 1919
Melbourne 4.9 (33) Essendon 10.7 (67) MCG 13 September 1919
Fitzroy 6.10 (46) Collingwood 9.10 (64) Brunswick Street Oval 13 September 1919
Richmond 5.12 (42) Carlton 7.19 (61) Punt Road Oval 13 September 1919

Ladder

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(P) Premiers
Qualified for finals
# Team P W L D PF PA % Pts
1 Collingwood (P) 16 13 3 0 1243 766 162.3 52
2 South Melbourne 16 12 4 0 1111 700 158.7 48
3 Carlton 16 10 6 0 1150 901 127.6 40
4 Richmond 16 10 6 0 1083 916 118.2 40
5 Fitzroy 16 9 6 1 1074 857 125.3 38
6 Essendon 16 7 9 0 924 977 94.6 28
7 St Kilda 16 7 9 0 772 1093 70.6 28
8 Geelong 16 3 12 1 794 1082 73.4 14
9 Melbourne 16 0 16 0 647 1506 43.0 0

Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 61.1
Source: AFL Tables

Finals series

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All of the 1919 finals were played at the MCG so the home team in the semi-finals and Preliminary Final is purely the higher ranked team from the ladder but in the Grand Final the home team was the team that won the Preliminary Final.

Semi-finals

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Home team Score Away team Score Venue Date
Richmond 10.13 (73) South Melbourne 9.5 (59) MCG 20 September
Collingwood 9.10 (64) Carlton 6.10 (46) MCG 27 September

Preliminary final

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Home team Score Away team Score Venue Date
Richmond 10.14 (74) Collingwood 6.9 (45) MCG 4 October

Grand final

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Team 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr Final
Collingwood 1.5 5.5 8.8 11.12 (78)
Richmond 1.2 4.7 5.10 7.11 (53)

Season notes

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  • Melbourne returned to the VFL competition, and also changed its constitution so that direct payments (i.e., other than reimbursement of expenses) could be made to players, thus making the team professional, eight years after the VFL had officially done so.
  • Since the nine-team competition required one bye each week, the VFL sought expressions of interest from clubs wishing to join the VFL. Whilst there was talk of an Ex-Servicemen's Club and a Public Servants' Club, an application was actually lodged on behalf of a combined Ballarat Football League team, as well as on behalf of the VFA clubs Brunswick, Footscray, Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Port Melbourne, and Prahran.[1]
  • The VFL introduced a Second Eighteen competition between its constituent clubs, known as the Victorian Junior Football League.[1]
  • At the start of the 1919 season, the VFL had already donated £9,436-0-0 to the Patriotic Fund since the start of the war.[1]
  • In its Round 12 match against St Kilda, South Melbourne set the record for highest score in a quarter, kicking 17.4 (106) in the last quarter of the match. This remains the record, and is a full two goals better than any other team has managed, as of 2023.[1] South's record score was helped by St Kilda only having 15 fit players at the start of the quarter, followed up by several Saints players walking off in the course of the last quarter.[1]
    • Other records which have since been broken were set in that same match: South Melbourne full-forward Harold Robertson kicked 14 goals in the match (a record until 1929); South Melbourne kicked a match score of 29.15 (189) (a record until 1931), and a winning margin of 171 points (a record until 1979).[1]
  • In Round 16, Collingwood defeated Carlton 17.11 (113) to 5.16 (46). No team had scored 100 points against Carlton since round 1, 1904, a streak of 292 consecutive matches, which remains a VFL/AFL record as of 2023.[2]
  • St Kilda's win at Collingwood in Round 2 was its first ever win over Collingwood on the road after a winless streak of 24 matches at Victoria Park (20 in the VFL and four in the VFA).[1]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Ross, John (1996). 100 Years of Australian Football. Ringwood, Australia: Viking Books. p. 382. ISBN 9781854714343.
  2. ^ "Streaks". AFL Tables. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Junior League Final". The Argus. Melbourne. 13 October 1919. p. 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

Sources

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