1897 VFL season

1897 VFL Premiership season
Teams	8
Premiers	Essendon (1st premiership)
Minor premiers	Geelong (1st minor premiership)
Matches played	62
Highest attendance	8,000
Leading Goalkicker Medallist	Eddy James (Geelong) Jack Leith (Melbourne)
← 1896 (VFA) 1898 →

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" (although any of the 20 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their place on the field at any time during the match).^[1]

Each team played each other twice in a home-and-away season of 14 rounds.

Once the 14 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1897 VFL Premiers were determined according to the conditions dictated by the specific format and conventions of the 1897 Finals System, which was used in this season only.

Round 1

	Round 1
Saturday, 8 May	Collingwood 5.11 (41)	def.	St Kilda 2.4 (16)	Victoria Park
Saturday, 8 May	South Melbourne 3.9 (27)	def. by	Melbourne 6.8 (44)	Lake Oval
Saturday, 8 May	Geelong 3.6 (24)	def. by	Essendon 7.5 (47)	Corio Oval
Saturday, 8 May	Fitzroy 6.13 (49)	def.	Carlton 2.4 (16)	Brunswick Street Oval (crowd: 3,000)

Round 2

	Round 2
Saturday, 15 May	Melbourne 9.10 (64)	def.	Geelong 3.1 (19)	Melbourne Cricket Ground
Saturday, 15 May	St Kilda 3.8 (26)	def. by	Fitzroy 10.6 (66)	Junction Oval
Saturday, 15 May	Essendon 4.6 (30)	def. by	Collingwood 8.2 (50)	East Melbourne Cricket Ground
Saturday, 15 May	South Melbourne 6.4 (40)	def.	Carlton 5.6 (36)	Lake Oval

Round 3

	Round 3
Saturday, 22 May	Collingwood 6.5 (41)	def.	Geelong 5.7 (37)	Victoria Park
Saturday, 22 May	Fitzroy 5.9 (39)	def. by	Melbourne 7.8 (50)	Brunswick Street Oval
Monday, 24 May	Essendon 12.6 (78)	def.	Carlton 6.5 (41)	East Melbourne Cricket Ground
Monday, 24 May	South Melbourne 8.11 (59)	def.	St Kilda 0.2 (2)	Lake Oval

Round 4

	Round 4
Saturday, 29 May	Melbourne 11.10 (76)	def.	St Kilda 7.4 (46)	Melbourne Cricket Ground
Saturday, 29 May	Fitzroy 2.8 (20)	def. by	Essendon 6.6 (42)	Brunswick Street Oval
Saturday, 29 May	South Melbourne 5.11 (41)	def.	Collingwood 5.3 (33)	Lake Oval
Saturday, 29 May	Geelong 5.14 (44)	def.	Carlton 3.4 (22)	Corio Oval

Round 5

	Round 5
Saturday, 5 June	Melbourne 15.17 (107)	def.	Carlton 3.8 (26)	Melbourne Cricket Ground
Saturday, 5 June	Collingwood 5.7 (37)	def.	Fitzroy 2.9 (21)	Victoria Park
Saturday, 5 June	St Kilda 3.8 (26)	def. by	Essendon 9.9 (63)	Junction Oval
Saturday, 5 June	Geelong 10.12 (72)	def.	South Melbourne 3.6 (24)	Corio Oval

Round 6

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Geelong	3.13 (31)	Fitzroy	2.2 (14)	Corio Oval	19 June 1897
South Melbourne	2.3 (15)	Essendon	1.13 (19)	Lake Oval	19 June 1897
Melbourne	5.3 (33)	Collingwood	3.8 (26)	MCG	19 June 1897
St Kilda	3.6 (24)	Carlton	5.5 (35)	Junction Oval	19 June 1897

Round 7

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Fitzroy	5.13 (43)	South Melbourne	5.13 (43)	Brunswick Street Oval	22 June 1897
Essendon	8.15 (63)	Melbourne	3.9 (27)	EMCG	22 June 1897
Carlton	5.6 (36)	Collingwood	6.4 (40)	Princes Park	22 June 1897
St Kilda	4.7 (31)	Geelong	16.18 (114)	Junction Oval	22 June 1897

Note: Geelong's 16.18.114 was the highest score in 1897.

Round 8

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Melbourne	3.2 (20)	South Melbourne	11.7 (73)	MCG	26 June 1897
Essendon	5.2 (32)	Geelong	8.9 (57)	EMCG	26 June 1897
Carlton	1.3 (9)	Fitzroy	5.17 (47)	Princes Park	26 June 1897
St Kilda	4.5 (29)	Collingwood	7.11 (53)	Junction Oval	26 June 1897

Round 9

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Geelong	1.9 (15)	Melbourne	0.10 (10)	Corio Oval	3 July 1897
Fitzroy	9.21 (75)	St Kilda	2.6 (18)	Brunswick Street Oval	3 July 1897
Collingwood	5.7 (37)	Essendon	6.10 (46)	Victoria Park	3 July 1897
Carlton	4.4 (28)	South Melbourne	11.8 (74)	Princes Park	3 July 1897

Round 10

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
St Kilda	0.3 (3)	South Melbourne	8.16 (64)	Junction Oval	10 July 1897
Carlton	2.1 (13)	Essendon	5.12 (42)	Princes Park	10 July 1897
Melbourne	8.5 (53)	Fitzroy	3.8 (26)	MCG	10 July 1897
Geelong	7.10 (52)	Collingwood	1.4 (10)	Corio Oval	10 July 1897

Round 11

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Essendon	9.8 (62)	Fitzroy	4.6 (30)	EMCG	17 July 1897
Collingwood	0.8 (8)	South Melbourne	2.15 (27)	Victoria Park	17 July 1897
Carlton	2.4 (16)	Geelong	9.12 (66)	Princes Park	17 July 1897
St Kilda	1.7 (13)	Melbourne	10.11 (71)	Junction Oval	17 July 1897

Round 12

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Essendon	13.16 (94)	St Kilda	0.3 (3)	EMCG	24 July 1897
South Melbourne	5.2 (32)	Geelong	6.8 (44)	Lake Oval	24 July 1897
Fitzroy	4.4 (28)	Collingwood	3.17 (35)	Brunswick Street Oval	24 July 1897
Melbourne	5.16 (46)	Carlton	2.6 (18)	MCG	24 July 1897

Round 13

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Fitzroy	2.9 (21)	Geelong	5.3 (33)	Brunswick Street Oval	31 July 1897
Essendon	8.1 (49)	South Melbourne	6.9 (45)	EMCG	31 July 1897
Collingwood	5.13 (43)	Melbourne	3.10 (28)	Victoria Park	31 July 1897
Carlton	8.11 (59)	St Kilda	3.8 (26)	Princes Park	31 July 1897

Round 14

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Geelong	14.12 (96)	St Kilda	3.0 (18)	Corio Oval	7 August 1897
South Melbourne	3.12 (30)	Fitzroy	4.5 (29)	Lake Oval	7 August 1897
Melbourne	8.8 (56)	Essendon	6.3 (39)	MCG	7 August 1897
Collingwood	7.12 (54)	Carlton	3.4 (22)	Victoria Park	7 August 1897

Ladder

1897 VFL Ladder
	TEAM	P	W	L	D	PF	PA	%	PTS
1	Geelong	14	11	3	0	704	382	184.29	44
2	Essendon (P)	14	11	3	0	706	444	159.01	44
3	Melbourne	14	10	4	0	685	473	144.82	40
4	Collingwood	14	9	5	0	508	446	113.90	36
5	South Melbourne	14	8	5	1	594	430	138.14	34
6	Fitzroy	14	4	9	1	508	485	104.74	18
7	Carlton	14	2	12	0	377	737	51.15	8
8	St Kilda	14	0	14	0	281	996	28.21	0
Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against								view talk edit

Finals

Week 1

	Week 1
Saturday, 21 August	Geelong 3.11 (29)	def. by	Essendon 5.5 (35)	Corio Oval (crowd: 5,000)
Saturday, 21 August	Melbourne 7.5 (47)	def. by	Collingwood 7.9 (51)	MCG (crowd: 7,000)

Week 2

	Week 2
Saturday, 28 August	Essendon 9.16 (70)	def.	Collingwood 4.6 (30)	MCG (crowd: 8,000)
Saturday, 28 August	Geelong 5.16 (46)	def.	Melbourne 5.7 (37)	Brunswick Street Oval (crowd: 4,000)

Week 3

	Week 3
Saturday, 4 September	Essendon 1.8 (14)	def.	Melbourne 0.8 (8)	Lake Oval (crowd: 3,800)
Saturday, 4 September	Geelong 8.4 (52)	def.	Collingwood 6.12 (48)	EMCG (crowd: 3,000)

Finals Ladder

1897 Finals Ladder
	TEAM	P	W	L	D	PF	PA	%	PTS
1	Essendon	3	3	0	0	119	67	177.61	12
2	Geelong	3	2	1	0	127	120	105.83	8
3	Collingwood	3	1	2	0	129	169	76.33	4
4	Melbourne	3	0	3	0	92	111	82.88	0
Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against

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Grand final

See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.

Essendon won the premiership for finishing on top of the round robin finals ladder, meaning that no Grand Final was required.

Awards

• The 1897 VFL Premiership team was Essendon.
• The VFL's leading goalkickers were Eddy James of Geelong and Jack Leith of Melbourne with 22 goals.
• The Argus newspaper's "Player of the Year" was Melbourne's Fred McGinis.
• The 1897 Wooden Spoon went to St Kilda.

Notable events

• George Stuckey, the captain of the Essendon Football Club team that won the VFL's inaugural premiership, also won the 130-yard Stawell Gift in 1897 in 12.2 seconds off a handicap of 12 yards.
• In the first round of 1897, the VFL revoked the VFA's (then prevailing) push-in-the-back rule. The rule was reinstated before the second round's matches on the following Saturday due to complaints from fans, players and officials.
• On 3 July 1897, Fitzroy rover Bill McSpeerin weaved his way and bounced the ball the length of the Brunswick Street Oval to score a goal against St Kilda.
• Carlton's first six matches were all away games due to renovations at Princes Park.
• The first round finals match between Geelong and Essendon was the only finals match to be played in Geelong until 2013.

See also

• Early VFL Final systems

References

• Maplestone, M., Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996, Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN 0-9591740-2-8
• 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

External links

• 1897 Season – AFL Tables

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v t e Essendon Football Club 1897 VFL Premiers Essendon won the finals series with 3 wins and 0 losses Captain: Stuckey Anderson Barry Campbell Cleghorn Cochrane Collins Croft Ferguson Forbes Gavin Groves Hastings Kearney Kinnear Martin Officer O'Loughlin Sykes Vautin Waugh Wright