1915 VFL season

1915 VFL Premiership season
Teams 9
Premiers Carlton
(5th premiership)
Minor premiers Collingwood
(4th minor premiership)
Matches played 76
Highest attendance 39,343
Leading Goalkicker Medallist Jimmy Freake (Fitzroy)
1914
1916

The 1915 Victorian Football League season was the 19th season of the elite Australian rules football competition.

Withdrawal of University

Shortly after the 1914 season, the University Football Club withdrew from the VFL. University had become very uncompetitive, having finished last four years in a row and having lost its last 51 games; this was in large part because its players' primary focus was on their studies rather than football, particularly during mid-year examinations;[1] and, because in the seven years since University's admission in 1908, player payments in the VFL had become common and accepted, but the University club had by choice remained strictly amateur.[2] The club recognised that it could never again be competitive or viable in an increasingly professional VFL if it wished to remain as an amateur club drawing solely from university students, so it chose to withdraw from the VFL and to continue to play amateur football in the Metropolitan Association. Although the two events coincided, the onset of World War I – which at this stage had started only two months earlier and was not yet expected to escalate to the extent it did – was not given as a contributing factor in University's decision.[1]

University players who wished to continue playing in the VFL were all cleared to Melbourne, through an informal arrangement beneficial to both clubs; University wished to see its best players playing together in the same VFL club to retain the strength of its own team for intervarsity competition;[1] and Melbourne, which had struggled for a number of years with its lack of a natural recruiting district (formal zoning was not introduced until the following year), now had exclusive access to a valuable recruiting avenue.[2]

As a consequence of University's withdrawal, the VFL was reduced from ten to nine clubs; this introduced a bye into the weekly fixture for the first time.

Premiership season

In 1915, 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 1915 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the amended "Argus system".

Round 1

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
St Kilda 8.16 (64) South Melbourne 4.13 (37) Junction Oval 24 April 1915
Melbourne 12.10 (82) Richmond 11.7 (73) MCG 24 April 1915
Collingwood 7.10 (52) Essendon 3.8 (26) Victoria Park 24 April 1915
Carlton 5.11 (41) Fitzroy 6.5 (41) Princes Park 24 April 1915

Round 2

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Geelong 7.14 (56) St Kilda 6.18 (54) Corio Oval 1 May 1915
Fitzroy 14.17 (101) Melbourne 9.2 (56) Brunswick Street Oval 1 May 1915
Richmond 4.6 (30) Collingwood 12.11 (83) Punt Road Oval 1 May 1915
South Melbourne 6.11 (47) Carlton 8.12 (60) Lake Oval 1 May 1915

Round 3

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Richmond 9.15 (69) South Melbourne 8.19 (67) Punt Road Oval 8 May 1915
Essendon 4.10 (34) Fitzroy 16.6 (102) EMCG 8 May 1915
Melbourne 15.12 (102) Geelong 12.11 (83) MCG 8 May 1915
St Kilda 7.14 (56) Collingwood 10.16 (76) Junction Oval 8 May 1915

Round 4

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Geelong 4.10 (34) Richmond 10.11 (71) Corio Oval 15 May 1915
Fitzroy 5.19 (49) St Kilda 2.6 (18) Brunswick Street Oval 15 May 1915
Collingwood 9.13 (67) Melbourne 5.9 (39) Victoria Park 15 May 1915
Carlton 3.13 (31) Essendon 8.8 (56) Princes Park 15 May 1915

Round 5

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Essendon 7.10 (52) St Kilda 6.4 (40) EMCG 22 May 1915
Collingwood 8.14 (62) Geelong 3.12 (30) Victoria Park 22 May 1915
South Melbourne 8.8 (56) Fitzroy 6.4 (40) Lake Oval 22 May 1915
Melbourne 8.3 (51) Carlton 10.12 (72) MCG 22 May 1915

Round 6

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Essendon 8.7 (55) South Melbourne 8.16 (64) EMCG 29 May 1915
St Kilda 9.11 (65) Melbourne 13.11 (89) Junction Oval 29 May 1915
Richmond 7.12 (54) Fitzroy 8.12 (60) Punt Road Oval 29 May 1915
Geelong 5.10 (40) Carlton 9.13 (67) Corio Oval 29 May 1915

Round 7

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Essendon 12.6 (78) Geelong 12.8 (80) EMCG 5 June 1915
Carlton 11.9 (75) Collingwood 10.13 (73) Princes Park 5 June 1915
Richmond 7.6 (48) St Kilda 5.20 (50) Punt Road Oval 7 June 1915
South Melbourne 7.5 (47) Melbourne 10.8 (68) Lake Oval 7 June 1915

Round 8

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Carlton 15.17 (107) Richmond 8.5 (53) Princes Park 12 June 1915
South Melbourne 14.17 (101) Geelong 13.5 (83) Lake Oval 12 June 1915
Melbourne 10.12 (72) Essendon 6.17 (53) MCG 12 June 1915
Fitzroy 6.14 (50) Collingwood 11.8 (74) Brunswick Street Oval 12 June 1915

Round 9

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Essendon 5.6 (36) Richmond 5.8 (38) EMCG 19 June 1915
Collingwood 5.13 (43) South Melbourne 3.10 (28) Victoria Park 19 June 1915
Geelong 4.12 (36) Fitzroy 10.12 (72) Corio Oval 19 June 1915
St Kilda 1.1 (7) Carlton 5.15 (45) Junction Oval 19 June 1915

Round 10

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
South Melbourne 9.11 (65) St Kilda 7.5 (47) Lake Oval 26 June 1915
Richmond 8.12 (60) Melbourne 10.11 (71) Punt Road Oval 26 June 1915
Essendon 5.12 (42) Collingwood 11.12 (78) EMCG 26 June 1915
Fitzroy 7.8 (50) Carlton 5.8 (38) Brunswick Street Oval 26 June 1915

Round 11

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Collingwood 10.20 (80) Richmond 6.7 (43) Victoria Park 3 July 1915
Carlton 7.15 (57) South Melbourne 7.5 (47) Princes Park 3 July 1915
St Kilda 12.17 (89) Geelong 8.7 (55) Junction Oval 3 July 1915
Melbourne 12.13 (85) Fitzroy 10.13 (73) MCG 3 July 1915

Round 12

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Geelong 5.9 (39) Melbourne 11.13 (79) Corio Oval 10 July 1915
Collingwood 17.20 (122) St Kilda 3.6 (24) Victoria Park 10 July 1915
South Melbourne 10.12 (72) Richmond 7.11 (53) Lake Oval 10 July 1915
Fitzroy 6.12 (48) Essendon 5.5 (35) Brunswick Street Oval 10 July 1915

Round 13

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Richmond 12.15 (87) Geelong 12.7 (79) Punt Road Oval 17 July 1915
St Kilda 7.7 (49) Fitzroy 14.14 (98) Junction Oval 17 July 1915
Melbourne 8.6 (54) Collingwood 12.21 (93) MCG 17 July 1915
Essendon 5.15 (45) Carlton 12.15 (87) EMCG 17 July 1915

Round 14

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Fitzroy 8.6 (54) South Melbourne 7.6 (48) Brunswick Street Oval 24 July 1915
Carlton 11.8 (74) Melbourne 5.15 (45) Princes Park 24 July 1915
St Kilda 10.10 (70) Essendon 3.13 (31) Junction Oval 24 July 1915
Geelong 7.9 (51) Collingwood 13.13 (91) Corio Oval 24 July 1915

Round 15

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Melbourne 9.19 (73) St Kilda 7.6 (48) MCG 31 July 1915
Fitzroy 18.17 (125) Richmond 7.7 (49) Brunswick Street Oval 31 July 1915
Carlton 9.20 (74) Geelong 8.12 (60) Princes Park 31 July 1915
South Melbourne 13.19 (97) Essendon 6.4 (40) Lake Oval 31 July 1915

Round 16

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Melbourne 4.12 (36) South Melbourne 5.13 (43) MCG 7 August 1915
St Kilda 6.18 (54) Richmond 4.6 (30) Junction Oval 7 August 1915
Geelong 7.11 (53) Essendon 6.9 (45) Corio Oval 7 August 1915
Collingwood 9.8 (62) Carlton 9.9 (63) Victoria Park 7 August 1915

Round 17

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Geelong 7.10 (52) South Melbourne 10.14 (74) Corio Oval 14 August 1915
Essendon 10.15 (75) Melbourne 7.14 (56) EMCG 14 August 1915
Collingwood 8.13 (61) Fitzroy 8.11 (59) Victoria Park 14 August 1915
Richmond 7.7 (49) Carlton 17.15 (117) Punt Road Oval 14 August 1915

Round 18

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Fitzroy 18.13 (121) Geelong 4.7 (31) Brunswick Street Oval 21 August 1915
Carlton 14.16 (100) St Kilda 6.8 (44) Princes Park 21 August 1915
Richmond 14.15 (99) Essendon 6.11 (47) Punt Road Oval 21 August 1915
South Melbourne 4.9 (33) Collingwood 7.9 (51) Lake Oval 21 August 1915

Ladder

1915 VFL Ladder
TEAM P W L D PF PA % PTS
1 Collingwood 16 14 2 0 1168 703 166.15 56
2 Carlton (P) 16 13 2 1 1108 770 143.90 54
3 Fitzroy 16 11 4 1 1143 765 149.41 46
4 Melbourne 16 9 7 0 1058 1066 99.25 36
5 South Melbourne 16 8 8 0 926 872 106.19 32
6 Richmond 16 5 11 0 906 1164 77.84 20
7 St Kilda 16 5 11 0 779 1026 75.93 20
8 Essendon 16 3 13 0 750 1067 70.29 12
9 Geelong 16 3 13 0 862 1267 68.03 12
Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, PF = Points for, PA = Points against

Finals

All of the 1915 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

Home team Score Away team Score Venue Date
Carlton 11.12 (78) Melbourne 10.7 (67) MCG 28 August
Fitzroy 9.16 (70) Collingwood 4.12 (36) MCG 4 September

Preliminary Final

Home team Score Away team Score Venue Date
Carlton 6.18 (54) Fitzroy 5.8 (38) MCG 11 September

Grand final

Main article: 1915 VFL Grand Final

Carlton defeated Collingwood 11.12 (78) to 6.9 (45), in front of a crowd of 39,343 people. (For an explanation of scoring see Australian rules football).

Awards

Notable events

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 "Exit University – Football League Retirement". The Argus. Melbourne, VIC. 17 October 1914. p. 20.
  2. 1 2 "The University Team". The Argus. Melbourne, VIC. 18 September 1914. p. 4.
  3. "Australian rules game". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, NSW. 17 April 1915. p. 20.
  4. "Football reform". The Register. Adelaide, SA. 23 January 1915. p. 7.
  5. "Australian Football Council". The Age. Melbourne, VIC. 30 December 1919. p. 7.
  6. 1 2 3 Ross, John (1996). 100 Years of Australian Football. Ringwood, Australia: Viking Books. p. 382. ISBN 9781854714343.
  7. Goodwood, "Notes and Chat", The Argus, (Saturday, 29 May 1915), p.22, col.A.
  8. Saturday’s Matches: Some Close Finishes: Notes by Observer, The Argus, (Monday, 31 May 1915), p.6. col.A.
  9. Champion Tobacco "Sportettes", The Canberra Times, (Friday, 23 July 1954), p.8, col.A.

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/3/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.