1879 SAFA season

Last updated

1879 SAFA premiership season
Norwood 1879.jpg
Norwood premiership team
Teams7
Premiers Norwood
2nd premiership
Leading goalkicker William Dedman
Norwood (7 Goals)
Matches played34
Highest3,000 (Round 11, Norwood vs. Port Adelaide)
←  1878
1880  →

The 1879 South Australian Football Association season was the 3rd season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia.

Contents

The Norwood Football Club went on to record its 2nd consecutive premiership, going through the season undefeated.

The Kensington Football Club received its second consecutive wooden spoon, failing to win a game, and extending its winless streak to 27.

Several disputes between South Adelaide and the other clubs arose during the season. This was principally due to rough play. The Association officially sanctioned that any Club not wanting to play against South Adelaide that a forfeit would not be recorded. [1]

An official programme was also organised for the second twenties for all the clubs with South Adelaide winning the Premiership. Second Twenty games were also advertised and scheduled for a 3pm start, the same time as the First Twenty, but were programmed at the Home ground of the visiting First Twenty team.

West Torrens application to join the SAFA rejected

West Torrens Football Club submitted an application to the join the SAFA but at the Association's Annual General Meeting held on 1 April 1879 the club's application was rejected by 12 votes to 19 against as a number of delegates felt there was already too many weak teams in the Association. [2] . The club would be admitted in 1887 when it renamed to West Adelaide but folded after one season.

SAFA Senior Clubs 1879 Season

ClubColoursHome GroundCaptainComments
Adelaide   Black,   RedOld Adelaide Ground, North Adelaide W.Hughes (retired)
Wyatt		102 Members
Kensington   Scarlet   White Kensington Oval, Kensington A.T. Harrison
Norwood   Navy blue   Red East Park Lands, Adelaide J.R.Osborne
Port Adelaide   Magneta Glanville Hall Estate W. Fletcher
South Adelaide   Navy Blue   White South Terrace, Adelaide S.A. Wallace
South Park   Light Blue   White South Park Lands, Adelaide A.M.Pettinger 104 Members
3 x Twenty Teams
Victorian   Orange   Black Montefiore Hill, North Adelaide Warren

Pre season

South Australians vs. Allcomers
Day, 10 May (3:30 pm)South Australians 0drew withAllcomers 0 Adelaide Oval (crowd: 1,200) [3]

Premiership season

Round 1

Round 1
Saturday, 17 May (3:00 pm) Norwood 1def. South Adelaide 0East Park Lands (crowd: 2,000) [4]
Saturday, 17 May (3:00 pm)Kensington 3def. by Adelaide 5 Kensington Oval [4]
Saturday, 17 May (3:00 pm)South Park 0def. by Port Adelaide 2 Adelaide Oval [5]
Bye
Victorian
  • During the Norwood vs. South Adelaide game when A. Terrell kicked Norwood's second goal much disagreement and disorder ensued.

Round 2

Round 2 [6]
Saturday, 24 May (3:00 pm) Norwood 1def. Victorian 0 Adelaide Oval (crowd: 1,500) [7]

Only 1st Twenty fixture. Second Twenties Victorian vs Norwood on North Park Ground

Round 3

Round 3 [8]
Saturday, 31 May (3:30 pm) South Adelaide 1drew with Port Adelaide 1South Terrace (crowd: 1,500) [9]
Saturday, 31 May (3:15 pm) Adelaide 0drew with Victorian 0Old Adelaide Ground (crowd: 550) [9]
Saturday, 31 May (3:00 pm)Kensington 0def. bySouth Park 1 Kensington Oval [9]
Bye
Norwood

Round 4

Round 4 [10]
Saturday, 7 June (3:01 pm) Adelaide 0def. by Norwood 4 Adelaide Oval (crowd: 500) [11]
Saturday, 7 June (3:30 pm) South Adelaide 1def.South Park 0South Terrace, Adelaide [12]
Saturday, 7 June (3:20 pm) Port Adelaide 1def. Victorian 0 Glanville Estate [13]
Bye
Kensington

Round 5

Round 5 [14]
Saturday, 14 June (3:15 pm) Port Adelaide 1def. by Norwood 3Glanville Estate (crowd: 1,000) [15]
Saturday, 14 June (3:00 pm) Victorian 0drew withSouth Park 0 Montefiore Hill (crowd: 500) [15]
Saturday, 14 June South Adelaide  ?def. Kensington  ? Adelaide Oval
Bye
Adelaide

South Adelaide vs Kensington was advertised for Adelaide Oval. No Match report located. But table published on Monday 16th June has result included as a win for South Adelaide. [16] Ironically a match report is available for South vs Kensington Second Twenties Match played on the Kensington Oval. [17]

Round 6

Round 6
Saturday, 21 June (3:30 pm) Adelaide 1drew with Port Adelaide 1 Adelaide Oval [18]
Saturday, 21 June (3:00 pm) Victorian 3def.Kensington 0 Montefiore Hill [19]

BYE ROUND - Saturday 28 June

SAFA representative First Twenty Team on interstate visit to Melbourne, Victoria to play the VFA. No 1st Twenty games were advertised by the SAFA. There were 3 second matches scheduled. [20]

Non Association Match on 28 June at 3.30pm - West Torrens defeated South Adelaide 2-0 (Played On Victorian Ground with a fair attendance) [21]

Round 7

Round 7 [22]
Saturday, 12 July (3:15 pm)South Park 1drew with Adelaide 1South Park Lands (crowd: 300) [23]

Non Association Match on 12 July - Victorian defeated West Torrens 3-0 (Crowd 500) [24]
Saturday afternoon, July 12 - Port Adelaide - First v. Second Twenty
Port Adelaide footballers played a special match on the Queen and Albert Cricketing Oval (Alberton Oval) for the benefit of the Oval fund. The attendance was not large, the uncertainty of the weather doubtless being the cause. The match was between twenty of the first twenty against twenty eight of the second, and resulted in a victory for the twenty by three goals to nil. This was the first time a football match had been played on the Oval, and the ground, according to the expressed opinion of the players, was exceedingly good for the game. Alberton Oval would become Port Adelaide's home ground in 1880. [25]

BYE ROUND (Saturday 19 July)

A series of special matches were played against Geelong the Premier Football Club from the Victoria Football Association.
July 19—Geelong v. Victorian. Won by Geelong by four goals to nil.
July 21—Geelong v. Port. Geelong won by eight goals to nil.
July 22—Geelong v. Norwood. Geelong won by three goals to nil.
July 24—Geelong v. S.A. Association. Geelong won by four goals to one.

Round 8

Round 8 [26]
Saturday, 26 July (3:30 pm)Kensington 0def. by Norwood 7 Kensington Oval [27]
Saturday, 26 JulySouth Park 1drew with South Adelaide 0South Park Lands [28]
Saturday, 26 July Port Adelaide 2def. Adelaide 0Glanville Estate [29]
Bye
Victorian

Football Association and South Adelaide

The Football Association decided at its meeting on Tuesday 29 July 1879 that in the event of any of the other clubs objecting to meet the South Adelaides they would not forfeit the matches by so doing, but the games would be simply struck out of the list of those arranged for the season.

The decision had been arrived at on account of the alleged disgraceful way in which some of the South Adelaide players conducted themselves in their recent game with the South Parks. [30]

Round 9

Round 9 [31] [32]
Saturday, 2 August (3:00 pm) Port Adelaide 2def.South Park 0Glanville Estate [33]
Saturday, 2 August (Time pm)Kensington 0def. by Victorian 6 Kensington Oval [33]
Bye
Norwood

Saturday 2 August - Norwood played a Novel Football Match in Fancy Custom against Theatricals (Theature Royal Troupe) on Exhibition grounds.

Round 10

Round 10 [34]
Saturday, 9 August (3:15 pm) Norwood 4.15 (4)def. Adelaide 0.1 (0)East Park Lands (crowd: 400) [35]
Saturday, 9 August Victorian 0.2 (2)def. by Port Adelaide 1.2 (1) Montefiore Hill (crowd: 750) [35]
Bye
South Adelaide

Advertised game - South Park vs Kensington postponed until Saturday, 20 September

Round 11

Round 11 [36]
Saturday, 16 August (3:20 pm) Norwood 2.18 (2)drew withSouth Park 2.2 (2)East Park Lands [37]
Saturday, 16 August (3:30 pm) Victorian 1def. Adelaide 0 Montefiore Hill (crowd: 300) [37]
Saturday, 16 August (3:40 pm)Kensington 0.6 (0)def. by South Adelaide 1.7 (1) Kensington Oval [38]
Bye
Port Adelaide

Round 12

Round 12 [39]
Saturday, 23 August (3:15 pm) Norwood 1.7 (1)def. Port Adelaide 0East Park Lands (crowd: 3,000) [40]
Saturday, 23 August (3:00 pm) South Adelaide 2def. Victorian 0South Park Lands [40]
Saturday, 23 August Adelaide 2?def. Kensington 0?Old Adelaide GroundSee notes
Bye
South Park

Advertised by SAFA - 1st Twenties - Adelaide vs Kensington on Adelaide Ground and 2nd Twenties Kensington v. Adelaide, on Kensington Oval. Matches to start at 3pm. [41] No Match report found but the result deduced as a win for Adelaide based on published end of season table. The number of goals scored in the game for and against Adelaide also deduced from the table. (Kensington had also lost all games for the season except for a draw in the last round)

Round 13

Round 13 [42]
Saturday, 30 August (3:20 pm) Victorian 0.3 (0)def. by Norwood 3.4 (3) Montefiore Hill [43] [44]
Saturday, 30 August (3:20 pm) Adelaide 0.4 (0)def. bySouth Park 4.8 (4)Old Adelaide Ground [45]
Bye
Kensington
  • A game scheduled at Glanville Estate on Saturday, 30 August between Port Adelaide and South Adelaide was abandoned due to disagreement regarding the umpires selected. [45]

Round 14

Round 14 [46]
Saturday, 6 September (3:15 pm)South Park 0.2 (2)def. by Victorian 1.4 (1)South Park Lands (crowd: 550) [47]
Bye
Norwood, Adelaide, South Adelaide
  • A game scheduled at Glanville Estate on Saturday, 6 September between Port Adelaide and Kensington was postponed due to illness amongst the Kensington players and the fact it was mail day. [48]
  • On Sat 6 September starting at 3.30pm Norwood played a match against 25 juniors on the Norwood Ground. (Crowd 200) Norwood scored 4 goals and 25 behinds to the Juniors 2 behinds. The Junior team was made up of players from the North Park, Prince Alfred College and Woodville Clubs. [49]

Eight players from St. Peter's College were selected to take part in the match, but they were ordered by the Head Master not to play. Mr C. W. Hughes from the Adelaide Club acted as the umpire. [50]

Round 15

Round 15 [51]
Saturday, 13 September (3:00 pm)South Park 0.0 (0)def. by Norwood 3.13 (3)South Park Lands (crowd: 2,000) [52] [53]
  • The rescheduled advertised match between Port Adelaide and Kensington at Kensington Oval for Saturday, 13 September was forfeited in the priors favour due to the latter club unable to field a team. [52]

Round 9 (Postponed Game)

Round 9
Saturday, 20 SeptemberSouth Park 0.17 (0)drew withKensington 0.1 (0)South Park Lands [54]

Ladder

1879 SAFA Ladder
TEAMPWLDGFGAPtsAdj Pts
1 Norwood (P)109013031922.80
2 Port Adelaide 95221161216.00
3 South Adelaide 742164915.42
4 Victorian 114521181010.91
5 South Park 123548111010.00
6 Adelaide 1025392078.40
7 Kensington 908142711.33
Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points, Adj Pts = Points adjusted for match ratio, (P) = Premiers [55]

Notes:

Ladder - Second Twenty

1879 SAFA Ladder -
Second Twenty
TEAMPWLDGFGAPtsAdj Pts
1 South Adelaide (P)9603??1520
=2 South Park 127231521717
=2 Port Adelaide 12723631717
4 Norwood 833297812
5 Victorian 114438111112
6 Adelaide 5122??49.6
7 Kensington 1019052922.4
Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points, Adj Pts = Points adjusted for match ratio, (P) = Premiers [56]

Second Twenty Notes:
South Adelaide did not met Norwood or Adelaide two matches;
Norwood and Victorian each forfeited a game to Port Adelaide ;
Adelaide forfeited five matches and Kensington two.

Intercolonial matches

During July 1879, a team representing the South Australian Football Association toured Victoria, and played two intercolonial matches against a Victorian Association representative team; the first on a public holiday Tuesday, and the other on the following Saturday. The games were the first ever intercolonial matches between colony representative teams.

At an Association meeting held on 5 June 1879, the following players were selected for the first ever representative South Australian Team.
Adelaide — C. W. Hughes; Kensington— A. Harrison; Norwood — W. H. J. Dedman, A. McMichael, G.Giffen, J. Traynor, L. Suhard, E. Colbey, T. W. Green; Port—T. Smith; South Adelaide— A. Mehrtens, E. Absalom, K. Kennedy, M. Considine; South Park—A. M. Pettinger; Victorian— W. Knill, W. Osborn, C.E. Warren, W. Davis, G. E. Downs.
Emergency— W. Bracken (Norwood), S. M. Turner (Adelaide).

The South Australian side wore an all-blue uniform with SAFA in white on the cap. [57] [58] Due to commitments there was four replacements to the team, as Knill, Dedman, Waldron, and A. Mehrtens had to withdraw, that sailed for Melbourne on Wednesday 25 June 1879. Alfred McMichael from the Norwood Club, and formerly from Victoria, was selected as Captain. [59]

1879 Intercolonial Matches
Tuesday, 1 July Victoria 7def. South Australia 0 East Melbourne Cricket Ground (crowd: 10,000) [60]
Saturday, 5 July Victoria 4def. South Australia 1 East Melbourne Cricket Ground (crowd: 6,000) [61]

References

  1. ↑ 18 Oct 1879 - football. - Trove PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  2. ↑ "South Australian Football Association". South Australian Advertiser. 2 April 1879.
  3. ↑ "FOOTBALL". The South Australian Advertiser . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 12 May 1879. p. 6. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  4. 1 2 "football". South Australian Chronicle and Weekly Mail . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 24 May 1879. p. 18. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  5. ↑ "football". South Australian Chronicle and Weekly Mail . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 24 May 1879. p. 18. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  6. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/42976995
  7. ↑ "FOOTBALL". The South Australian Advertiser . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 26 May 1879. p. 7. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  8. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204440895
  9. 1 2 3 "FOOTBALL". The South Australian Advertiser . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 2 June 1879. p. 6. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  10. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/29371776
  11. ↑ "FOOTBALL". The South Australian Advertiser . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 9 June 1879. p. 6. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  12. ↑ "FOOTBALL". The South Australian Advertiser . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 9 June 1879. p. 6. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  13. ↑ "FOOTBALL". The South Australian Advertiser . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 10 June 1879. p. 6. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  14. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/42971483
  15. 1 2 "FOOTBALL". South Australian Register . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 16 June 1879. p. 4 Supplement: Supplement to the South Australian Register. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  16. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/42969008
  17. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/73440403
  18. ↑ "FOOTBALL". The South Australian Advertiser . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 24 June 1879. p. 7. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  19. ↑ "FOOTBALL". South Australian Register . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 24 June 1879. p. 7. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  20. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/29372392
  21. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/207653123
  22. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/197727762
  23. ↑ "FOOTBALL". South Australian Register . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 15 July 1879. p. 7. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  24. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/207653549
  25. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/43095766
  26. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/207653909
  27. ↑ "FOOTBALL". South Australian Register . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 28 July 1879. p. 7. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  28. ↑ "FOOTBALL". The South Australian Advertiser . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 28 July 1879. p. 6. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  29. ↑ "FOOTBALL". The South Australian Advertiser . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 29 July 1879. p. 6. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  30. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/197728507
  31. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/43088397
  32. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/207654115
  33. 1 2 "FOOTBALL". The South Australian Advertiser . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 4 August 1879. p. 7. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  34. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/43094040
  35. 1 2 "FOOTBALL". The South Australian Advertiser . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 11 August 1879. p. 7. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  36. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/43095481
  37. 1 2 "FOOTBALL". The South Australian Advertiser . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 18 August 1879. p. 6. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  38. ↑ "FOOTBALL". The South Australian Advertiser . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 26 August 1879. p. 6. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  39. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/197729337
  40. 1 2 "FOOTBALL". The South Australian Advertiser . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 25 August 1879. p. 6. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  41. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/197729337
  42. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/197729692
  43. ↑ "FOOTBALL". The South Australian Advertiser . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 1 September 1879. p. 6. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  44. ↑ "FOOTBALL". South Australian Register . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 3 September 1879. p. 7. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  45. 1 2 "FOOTBALL". South Australian Register . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 1 September 1879. p. 7. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  46. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/73439864
  47. ↑ "FOOTBALL". The South Australian Advertiser . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 8 September 1879. p. 7. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  48. ↑ "FOOTBALL". South Australian Register . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 8 September 1879. p. 6. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  49. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/94749621
  50. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/43086444
  51. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/197730262
  52. 1 2 "FOOTBALL". South Australian Register . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 15 September 1879. p. 6. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  53. ↑ "FOOTBALL". The South Australian Advertiser . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 15 September 1879. p. 6. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  54. ↑ "FOOTBALL". The South Australian Advertiser . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 22 September 1879. p. 6. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  55. ↑ "Football: Review of the Season 1879". Adelaide Observer . National Library of Australia. 18 October 1879. p. 10. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  56. ↑ "Football: Review of the Season 1879". Adelaide Observer . National Library of Australia. 18 October 1879. p. 10. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  57. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/160121387
  58. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/29372218
  59. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/160122063
  60. ↑ "Intercolonial Football Match". The Argus. Melbourne. 2 July 1879. p. 5.
  61. ↑ "Intercolonial Football Match". The Argus. Melbourne. 7 July 1879. p. 6.
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