1945 VFL season

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1945 VFL Premiership season
Teams 12
Premiers Carlton
(7th premiership)
Minor premiers South Melbourne
(6th minor premiership)
Matches played 124
Highest attendance 62,986
Leading Goalkicker Medallist Fred Fanning (Melbourne)
Brownlow Medallist Not awarded
← 1944
1946 →

Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1945.

Premiership season

In 1945, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus one substitute player, known as the 19th 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 20 rounds; matches 12 to 20 were the "home-and-way reverse" of matches 1 to 9.

The determination of the 1945 season's fixtures were greatly complicated by the fact that both the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Lake Oval were appropriated for military use and, because of this, Melbourne shared the Punt Road Oval with Richmond as their home ground, and South Melbourne shared the Junction Oval with St Kilda as their home ground.

Once the 20 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1945 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the "Page-McIntyre system".

Round 1

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
St Kilda 10.17 (77) South Melbourne 17.16 (118) Junction Oval 17,000 21 April 1945
Essendon 22.18 (150) Hawthorn 12.7 (79) Windy Hill 11,000 21 April 1945
Collingwood 13.13 (91) North Melbourne 10.10 (70) Victoria Park 13,000 21 April 1945
Carlton 13.9 (87) Melbourne 15.18 (108) Princes Park 16,000 21 April 1945
Richmond 14.11 (95) Footscray 16.9 (105) Punt Road Oval 24,000 21 April 1945
Geelong 10.8 (68) Fitzroy 15.16 (106) Kardinia Park 10,000 21 April 1945

Round 2

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 7.18 (60) Richmond 8.17 (65) Arden Street Oval 11,500 28 April 1945
Melbourne 17.16 (118) St Kilda 7.7 (49) Punt Road Oval 8,000 28 April 1945
Footscray 18.9 (117) Geelong 12.9 (81) Western Oval 11,500 28 April 1945
Fitzroy 8.16 (64) Essendon 9.10 (64) Brunswick Street Oval 19,000 28 April 1945
South Melbourne 12.14 (86) Collingwood 11.10 (76) Junction Oval 19,000 28 April 1945
Hawthorn 16.10 (106) Carlton 9.18 (72) Glenferrie Oval 11,000 28 April 1945

Round 3

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Richmond 13.11 (89) South Melbourne 15.19 (109) Punt Road Oval 27,000 5 May 1945
Fitzroy 12.9 (81) Footscray 14.14 (98) Brunswick Street Oval 20,000 5 May 1945
Collingwood 10.21 (81) Melbourne 11.12 (78) Victoria Park 12,000 5 May 1945
St Kilda 15.10 (100) Hawthorn 11.13 (79) Junction Oval 10,000 5 May 1945
North Melbourne 14.15 (99) Geelong 10.15 (75) Arden Street Oval 6,000 5 May 1945
Essendon 22.18 (150) Carlton 7.8 (50) Windy Hill 16,000 5 May 1945

Round 4

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Melbourne 9.11 (65) Richmond 13.7 (85) Punt Road Oval 23,000 12 May 1945
Geelong 9.13 (67) South Melbourne 10.23 (83) Kardinia Park 10,500 12 May 1945
Footscray 11.13 (79) North Melbourne 14.8 (92) Western Oval 15,000 12 May 1945
Collingwood 13.23 (101) Hawthorn 9.9 (63) Victoria Park 11,000 12 May 1945
Carlton 12.12 (84) Fitzroy 11.11 (77) Princes Park 12,000 12 May 1945
St Kilda 14.17 (101) Essendon 23.18 (156) Junction Oval 12,000 12 May 1945

Round 5

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 15.7 (97) Richmond 20.11 (131) Glenferrie Oval 13,000 19 May 1945
Fitzroy 11.10 (76) North Melbourne 13.14 (92) Brunswick Street Oval 14,000 19 May 1945
Carlton 12.18 (90) St Kilda 11.13 (79) Princes Park 11,000 19 May 1945
Melbourne 18.12 (120) Geelong 15.10 (100) Punt Road Oval 7,000 19 May 1945
South Melbourne 15.9 (99) Footscray 12.11 (83) Junction Oval 30,000 19 May 1945
Essendon 12.16 (88) Collingwood 11.21 (87) Windy Hill 17,000 19 May 1945

Round 6

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 9.12 (66) South Melbourne 8.10 (58) Arden Street Oval 25,000 26 May 1945
Geelong 10.16 (76) Hawthorn 10.8 (68) Kardinia Park 10,000 26 May 1945
Footscray 11.16 (82) Melbourne 7.13 (55) Western Oval 13,000 26 May 1945
St Kilda 8.20 (68) Fitzroy 12.21 (93) Junction Oval 10,000 26 May 1945
Richmond 12.11 (83) Essendon 9.17 (71) Punt Road Oval 28,000 26 May 1945
Collingwood 15.18 (108) Carlton 12.11 (83) Victoria Park 18,000 26 May 1945

Round 7

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Melbourne 10.12 (72) North Melbourne 18.11 (119) Punt Road Oval 14,000 2 June 1945
Fitzroy 7.23 (65) South Melbourne 10.15 (75) Brunswick Street Oval 19,000 2 June 1945
Essendon 14.28 (112) Geelong 9.10 (64) Windy Hill 8,000 2 June 1945
Carlton 12.17 (89) Richmond 13.16 (94) Princes Park 21,000 2 June 1945
Hawthorn 11.15 (81) Footscray 17.14 (116) Glenferrie Oval 10,000 2 June 1945
St Kilda 7.12 (54) Collingwood 19.16 (130) Junction Oval 12,000 2 June 1945

Round 8

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Richmond 16.15 (111) St Kilda 13.6 (84) Punt Road Oval 15,000 9 June 1945
South Melbourne 12.16 (88) Melbourne 9.4 (58) Junction Oval 18,000 9 June 1945
North Melbourne 16.10 (106) Hawthorn 10.8 (68) Arden Street Oval 7,000 9 June 1945
Footscray 12.15 (87) Essendon 7.14 (56) Western Oval 23,000 9 June 1945
Fitzroy 23.15 (153) Collingwood 8.10 (58) Brunswick Street Oval 20,000 9 June 1945
Geelong 10.9 (69) Carlton 14.21 (105) Kardinia Park 11,000 9 June 1945

Round 9

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 12.10 (82) South Melbourne 20.10 (130) Glenferrie Oval 13,000 16 June 1945
Essendon 12.20 (92) North Melbourne 18.14 (122) Windy Hill 20,000 16 June 1945
Collingwood 13.12 (90) Richmond 8.13 (61) Victoria Park 20,000 16 June 1945
Carlton 11.11 (77) Footscray 11.20 (86) Princes Park 20,000 16 June 1945
St Kilda 14.17 (101) Geelong 14.12 (96) Junction Oval 7,000 16 June 1945
Melbourne 11.15 (81) Fitzroy 14.17 (101) Punt Road Oval 13,000 16 June 1945

Round 10

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Footscray 16.15 (111) St Kilda 7.6 (48) Western Oval 9,000 23 June 1945
Fitzroy 12.14 (86) Richmond 13.11 (89) Brunswick Street Oval 18,000 23 June 1945
Melbourne 15.14 (104) Hawthorn 12.14 (86) Punt Road Oval 6,000 23 June 1945
South Melbourne 12.15 (87) Essendon 5.11 (41) Junction Oval 22,000 23 June 1945
Geelong 7.5 (47) Collingwood 21.18 (144) Kardinia Park 9,000 23 June 1945
North Melbourne 7.17 (59) Carlton 12.12 (84) Arden Street Oval 15,000 23 June 1945

Round 11

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Essendon 7.12 (54) Melbourne 9.14 (68) Windy Hill 8,000 30 June 1945
Collingwood 9.10 (64) Footscray 10.9 (69) Victoria Park 19,000 30 June 1945
Carlton 8.8 (56) South Melbourne 7.8 (50) Princes Park 25,500 30 June 1945
St Kilda 6.15 (51) North Melbourne 6.21 (57) Junction Oval 7,500 30 June 1945
Richmond 14.28 (112) Geelong 8.8 (56) Punt Road Oval 11,000 30 June 1945
Hawthorn 7.8 (50) Fitzroy 10.15 (75) Glenferrie Oval 7,500 30 June 1945

Round 12

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Footscray 15.12 (102) Richmond 11.8 (74) Western Oval 17,000 7 July 1945
Fitzroy 17.27 (129) Geelong 4.9 (33) Brunswick Street Oval 7,000 7 July 1945
South Melbourne 14.22 (106) St Kilda 6.14 (50) Junction Oval 9,000 7 July 1945
Hawthorn 15.17 (107) Essendon 7.12 (54) Glenferrie Oval 5,500 7 July 1945
North Melbourne 11.11 (77) Collingwood 13.5 (83) Arden Street Oval 14,000 7 July 1945
Melbourne 12.8 (80) Carlton 12.9 (81) Punt Road Oval 16,000 7 July 1945

Round 13

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Essendon 7.14 (56) Fitzroy 11.14 (80) Windy Hill 10,000 14 July 1945
Collingwood 11.14 (80) South Melbourne 7.12 (54) Victoria Park 24,000 14 July 1945
Carlton 13.12 (90) Hawthorn 8.11 (59) Princes Park 10,000 14 July 1945
Richmond 18.10 (118) North Melbourne 15.9 (99) Punt Road Oval 21,000 14 July 1945
St Kilda 9.10 (64) Melbourne 10.23 (83) Junction Oval 6,000 14 July 1945
Geelong 11.14 (80) Footscray 13.19 (97) Kardinia Park 6,000 14 July 1945

Round 14

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 15.15 (105) St Kilda 13.3 (81) Glenferrie Oval 5,000 21 July 1945
Geelong 9.9 (63) North Melbourne 13.19 (97) Kardinia Park 7,500 21 July 1945
Carlton 11.9 (75) Essendon 10.18 (78) Princes Park 14,000 21 July 1945
South Melbourne 14.11 (95) Richmond 10.17 (77) Junction Oval 32,000 21 July 1945
Footscray 9.7 (61) Fitzroy 8.15 (63) Western Oval 19,000 21 July 1945
Melbourne 10.17 (77) Collingwood 16.16 (112) Punt Road Oval 15,000 21 July 1945

Round 15

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Essendon 18.15 (123) St Kilda 3.6 (24) Windy Hill 5,000 28 July 1945
Richmond 13.14 (92) Melbourne 11.13 (79) Punt Road Oval 13,000 28 July 1945
South Melbourne 18.27 (135) Geelong 10.7 (67) Junction Oval 8,000 28 July 1945
North Melbourne 11.7 (73) Footscray 8.6 (54) Arden Street Oval 12,000 28 July 1945
Hawthorn 9.13 (67) Collingwood 15.9 (99) Glenferrie Oval 8,000 28 July 1945
Fitzroy 7.12 (54) Carlton 9.4 (58) Brunswick Street Oval 16,000 28 July 1945

Round 16

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Geelong 7.14 (56) Melbourne 17.13 (115) Kardinia Park 7,000 4 August 1945
Footscray 7.13 (55) South Melbourne 8.8 (56) Western Oval 27,000 4 August 1945
Collingwood 16.8 (104) Essendon 10.15 (75) Victoria Park 19,000 4 August 1945
Richmond 15.15 (105) Hawthorn 19.7 (121) Punt Road Oval 13,000 4 August 1945
North Melbourne 12.6 (78) Fitzroy 4.9 (33) Arden Street Oval 14,000 4 August 1945
St Kilda 7.15 (57) Carlton 11.13 (79) Junction Oval 10,000 4 August 1945

Round 17

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Fitzroy 17.27 (129) St Kilda 8.14 (62) Brunswick Street Oval 5,000 11 August 1945
Essendon 14.22 (106) Richmond 10.13 (73) Windy Hill 12,000 11 August 1945
Carlton 13.11 (89) Collingwood 13.5 (83) Princes Park 25,000 11 August 1945
South Melbourne 21.8 (134) North Melbourne 10.16 (76) Junction Oval 26,000 11 August 1945
Hawthorn 14.21 (105) Geelong 9.13 (67) Glenferrie Oval 5,500 11 August 1945
Melbourne 12.18 (90) Footscray 12.9 (81) Punt Road Oval 12,000 11 August 1945

Round 18

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Footscray 15.15 (105) Hawthorn 13.11 (89) Western Oval 12,000 18 August 1945
Collingwood 17.19 (121) St Kilda 5.12 (42) Victoria Park 8,000 18 August 1945
North Melbourne 11.17 (83) Melbourne 8.10 (58) Arden Street Oval 8,000 18 August 1945
South Melbourne 10.13 (73) Fitzroy 11.16 (82) Junction Oval 20,000 18 August 1945
Geelong 14.7 (91) Essendon 16.13 (109) Kardinia Park 8,500 18 August 1945
Richmond 12.9 (81) Carlton 13.15 (93) Punt Road Oval 38,000 18 August 1945

Round 19

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Melbourne 10.13 (73) South Melbourne 12.20 (92) Punt Road Oval 17,000 25 August 1945
Hawthorn 11.11 (77) North Melbourne 10.10 (70) Glenferrie Oval 12,000 25 August 1945
Essendon 15.17 (107) Footscray 9.13 (67) Windy Hill 20,000 25 August 1945
Collingwood 16.7 (103) Fitzroy 10.17 (77) Victoria Park 24,000 25 August 1945
Carlton 23.23 (161) Geelong 9.13 (67) Princes Park 9,000 25 August 1945
St Kilda 7.6 (48) Richmond 13.22 (100) Junction Oval 8,000 25 August 1945

Round 20

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Geelong 13.14 (92) St Kilda 9.11 (65) Kardinia Park 7,500 1 September 1945
Fitzroy 14.22 (106) Melbourne 15.11 (101) Brunswick Street Oval 5,000 1 September 1945
South Melbourne 16.16 (112) Hawthorn 11.10 (76) Junction Oval 12,000 1 September 1945
North Melbourne 14.17 (101) Essendon 13.17 (95) Arden Street Oval 12,000 1 September 1945
Richmond 8.19 (67) Collingwood 12.15 (87) Punt Road Oval 23,000 1 September 1945
Footscray 8.14 (62) Carlton 16.19 (115) Western Oval 30,000 1 September 1945

Ladder

1945 VFL Ladder
TEAM P W L D PF PA % PTS
1 South Melbourne 20 16 4 0 1840 1396 131.81 64
2 Collingwood 20 15 5 0 1902 1477 128.77 60
3 North Melbourne 20 13 7 0 1696 1526 111.14 52
4 Carlton (P) 20 13 7 0 1718 1607 106.91 52
5 Footscray 20 12 8 0 1717 1576 108.95 48
6 Fitzroy 20 11 8 1 1730 1452 119.15 46
7 Richmond 20 11 9 0 1802 1742 103.44 44
8 Essendon 20 10 9 1 1837 1614 113.82 42
9 Melbourne 20 8 12 0 1683 1699 99.06 32
10 Hawthorn 20 6 14 0 1665 1944 85.65 24
11 Geelong 20 2 18 0 1415 2180 64.91 8
12 St Kilda 20 2 18 0 1305 2097 62.23 8
Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against

Finals

Semi finals

Home team Score Away team Score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 8.20 (68) Carlton 14.10 (94) Princes Park 54,846 8 September
South Melbourne 13.10 (88) Collingwood 11.11 (77) Princes Park 46,224 15 September

Preliminary Final

Home team Score Away team Score Venue Crowd Date
Collingwood 12.8 (80) Carlton 13.12 (90) Princes Park 41,305 22 September

Grand final

Main article: 1945 VFL Grand Final

Carlton defeated South Melbourne 15.13 (103) to 10.15 (75), in front of a crowd of 62,986 people. (For an explanation of scoring see Australian rules football).

Awards

Notable events

  • The home-and-away season was expanded to 20 rounds.
  • South Melbourne's captain and Brownlow Medal winner Herbie Matthews and South Melbourne forward Keith Smith were dropped from the Round 13 match by their club for refusing to play in the positions they were directed to play in.
  • After its Round 14 loss to Essendon, Carlton won its next nine consecutive matches (including the Grand Final).
  • North Melbourne made the Finals for the first time since entering the VFL in 1925. Of the three clubs to enter the league in 1925, only Hawthorn had not yet made the Finals, and would not do so until 1957.
  • Carlton's 1945 premiership win was the first time since the "Page-McIntyre system" had been adopted in 1931 that a team from fourth place on the home-and-away ladder (i.e., a team that had no "double chance") had won the Grand Final; the only other team to have done so prior to Carlton was Fitzroy in 1916.
  • The Grand Final was played at Princes Park -- the last time it would be held there, and away from the Melbourne Cricket Ground until 1991.
  • The Grand Final, played in extremely wet, muddy conditions, is remembered as "the Bloodbath" for its overall continuous violence (on the field and amongst the fans), and its plethora of crude king hits and brawls (many of which were broken up with the assistance of team officials and the police). The Melbourne tabloid newspaper, The Truth, called it "the most repugnant spectacle League football has ever known", with ten players reported for a total of sixteen offences.
  • Tribunal outcomes following the conclusion of the Grand Final were:

--- South Melbourne:

  -- Ted Whitfield was charged with using abusive language to goal umpire Les Whyte, attempting to strike field umpire Frank Spokes, 
     kicking the ball away after a free kick was given against him, and attempting to conceal his guernsey so goal umpire Les Whyte 
     could not report him. He was suspended for 21 matches (all of 1946 and the first two games of 1947).
  -- Jack "Basher" Williams was charged with using abusive language to Carlton's Rod McLean and goal umpire Les Whyte, 
     and adopting a fighting attitude to Whyte when he went to report him. Suspended for 12 matches.
  -- Don Grossman was charged with striking Jim Mooring after Mooring had been awarded a mark. Suspended for 8 matches.
  -- "Gentleman" Jim Cleary was charged with striking Ken Hands (Carlton) after a mark, and attempting to strike Bob Chitty. 
     He was found not guilty on attempted striking charge, but suspended for 8 matches on the striking charge.
  -- Herbie Matthews was charged with throwing the ball away after a mark was given against him, and was severely reprimanded.
  -- Keith Smith was charged with striking Jim Mooring, but was found not guilty.

--- Carlton:

   -- Bob Chitty was charged with elbowing Billy Williams. He was suspended for 8 matches.
   -- Ron Savage was charged with striking Don Grossman in retaliation for Grossman having king-hit
      teammate Jim Mooring, which sparked a final-quarter bench-clearing brawl. Suspended for 8 matches.
   -- Fred Fitzgibbon was charged with one count of melee involvement; despite serving a four-match suspension 
      from the preliminary final for having king-hit Collingwood forward Len Hustler, he ran onto the field 
      during a final-quarter bench-clearing brawl and fought with Ted Whitfield before being ejected from the arena.
      Suspended for an additional four matches.
   -- Ken Hands was charged with charging Ron Clegg, but was found not guilty.

References

  1. ↑ "Footscray's premiership". The Argus (Melbourne, VIC). 24 September 1945. p. 15. 
  2. ↑ "League seconds Grand Final". The Argus (Melbourne, VIC). 21 September 1945. p. 12. 
  • 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

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