| 1967 VFA Premiership season | |
|---|---|
| Division 1 | |
| Teams | 10 |
| Premiers | Dandenong (1st premiership) |
| Minor premiers | Dandenong (2nd minor premiership) |
| Division 2 | |
| Teams | 10 |
| Premiers | Oakleigh (1st D2 premiership) |
| Minor premiers | Oakleigh (1st D2 minor premiership) |
| Matches played | 188 |
| Attendance | 432,000 (2,298 per match) |
The 1967 Victorian Football Association season was the 86th season of the top division of the Australian rules football competition, and the seventh season of second division competition. The Division 1 premiership was won by the Dandenong Football Club, after it defeated Port Melbourne in a controversial Grand Final on 24 September by 25 points; it was Dandenong's first Division 1 premiership. The Division 2 premiership was won by Oakleigh, in its first season after relegation from Division 1.
The Division 1 home-and-home season was played over 18 rounds; the top four then contested the finals under the Page–McIntyre system. The finals were held for the first time at the Punt Road Oval, in Richmond.
| 1967 VFA Division 1 Ladder | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | Pct | PTS | ||
| 1 | Dandenong (P) | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 1743 | 1464 | 118.9 | 56 | |
| 2 | Port Melbourne | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 1671 | 1426 | 117.2 | 52 | |
| 3 | Sandringham | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 1557 | 1494 | 104.2 | 44 | |
| 4 | Preston | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 1700 | 1625 | 104.6 | 40 | |
| 5 | Waverley | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1388 | 1405 | 98.8 | 36 | |
| 6 | Coburg | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1438 | 1470 | 98.1 | 36 | |
| 7 | Yarraville | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1626 | 1550 | 104.9 | 32 | |
| 8 | Brunswick | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1488 | 1602 | 92.9 | 32 | |
| 9 | Prahran | 18 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 1333 | 1665 | 80.1 | 24 | |
| 10 | Williamstown | 18 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 1380 | 1646 | 83.8 | 8 | |
| Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pct = Percentage; (P) = Premiers, PTS = Premiership points | Source [1] | |||||||||
| Semi Finals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 3 September | Sandringham 14.16 (100) | def. | Preston 13.12 (90) | Punt Road Oval (crowd: 9,500) | [2] |
| Sunday, 10 September | Dandenong 9.11 (65) | def. by | Port Melbourne 14.17 (101) | Punt Road Oval (crowd: 11,000) | [3] |
| Preliminary Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 17 September | Dandenong 15.10 (100) | def. | Sandringham 11.15 (81) | Punt Road Oval (crowd: 11,000) | [4] |
Dandenong won the Grand Final, which is best remembered for the controversial events of its second quarter. After seeing a free kick go against a teammate, Port Melbourne full forward John Peck approached and argued with umpire David Jackson. Jackson reported Peck for using abusive language and for disputing his decisions, and Peck repeatedly turned away from Jackson to prevent him from seeing his guernsey number to report him. Port Melbourne was already unhappy with the lopsided free kick count against it; and, after seeing this incident, Port Melbourne captain-coach Brian Buckley assembled his team to walk off the ground and forfeit the match in protest at Jackson's performance; much of the team had already reached the sidelines before Port Melbourne club officials ordered them to return to the ground. The rest of the game was played without incident, and Dandenong went on to win by 25 points.
| 1967 VFA Division 1 Grand Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 24 September | Port Melbourne | def. by | Dandenong | Punt Road Oval (crowd: 25,000) | [5] |
| 3.1 (19) 7.5 (47) 10.11 (71) 12.12 (84) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 4.5 (29) 8.5 (53) 11.9 (75) 16.13 (109) | Umpires: David Jackson | ||
| Teague 4; Peck, Howell, Bedford 2; Brownhill, Ireland | Goals | Morrow 4; McDonald 3; Hill, Townsend, Miller 2; Smith, Melai, Mitchell | |||
| Gary Ireland, for striking Jim McNamara in the first quarter Graeme Taggart, for continued abusive language towards umpire David Jackson in the first quarter John Peck, for abusive language towards and disputing decisions of umpire David Jackson in the second quarter | Reports | Alan Osborne, for kicking Peter Bedford in the first quarter | |||
The Division 2 home-and-home season was played over eighteen rounds; the top four then contested the finals under the Page–McIntyre system. All finals were played on Sundays at Coburg Oval, after having been played at Toorak Park from 1961 until 1966; crowds at Coburg were much lower than they had been at Toorak Park, and finals returned to Toorak Park in 1968.
| 1967 VFA Division 2 Ladder | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | Pct | PTS | ||
| 1 | Oakleigh (P) | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 1729 | 1404 | 126.0 | 56 | |
| 2 | Geelong West | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 1968 | 1425 | 137.8 | 52 | |
| 3 | Frankston | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1715 | 1639 | 104.6 | 48 | |
| 4 | Sunshine | 18 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 1570 | 1388 | 113.1 | 46 | |
| 5 | Northcote | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 1834 | 1577 | 116.3 | 44 | |
| 6 | Werribee | 18 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 1564 | 1665 | 93.5 | 34 | |
| 7 | Mordialloc | 18 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 1612 | 1633 | 98.7 | 28 | |
| 8 | Box Hill | 18 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 1577 | 1815 | 87.3 | 24 | |
| 9 | Caulfield | 18 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 1392 | 1751 | 79.2 | 16 | |
| 10 | Camberwell | 18 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 1465 | 2129 | 68.6 | 12 | |
| Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pct = Percentage; (P) = Premiers, PTS = Premiership points | Source [8] | |||||||||
| Semi Finals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 20 August | Frankston 14.16 (100) | def. | Sunshine 8.14 (62) | Coburg Oval (crowd: 2,000) | [9] |
| Sunday, 27 August | Oakleigh 15.17 (107) | def. | Geelong West 11.4 (70) | Coburg Oval (crowd: 4,000) | [10] |
| Preliminary Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 3 September | Geelong West 17.13 (115) | def. | Frankston 12.20 (92) | Coburg Oval (crowd: 2,500) | [11] |
| 1967 VFA Division 2 Grand Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 10 September | Oakleigh | def. | Geelong West | Coburg Oval (crowd: 4,000) | [3] |
| 3.3 (21) 5.4 (34) 9.10 (64) 12.14 (86) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 3.1 (19) 6.4 (40) 9.5 (59) 11.7 (73) | Umpires: David Jackson | ||
| Lothian 5, Cummins 2, Lyon 2, Haining, Jordan, Tegg | Goals | Nusteling 5, White 2, Bush, Hovey, O'Donnell, Stacey | |||
In early April, shortly before the start of the season, the Association Board on Management agreed by a 25–14 majority to impose a minimum transfer fee of $3,000 for any of its players. The fee was an attempt to stem the flow of young Association players to the Victorian Football League, and also to increase the financial reward to Association clubs for developing League-standard players if they did leave. [14]
There were several problems which made the Association's move impractical. Outside the Association and among many clubs who had voted against the motion, the $3,000 price tag was considered to be outrageously and unrealistically high, considering that most of the players involved were young players being rated solely on their potential. [14] Additionally, while transfer fees were an established practice in British and American football, there was not yet a formal transfer fee system within Australian football. Finally, the Victorian Football League's player payment laws (the "Coulter Laws") specifically prohibited the "buying" of players from other clubs – and therefore any club which paid a transfer fee to the Association would be in breach of League rules. [15]
Shortly after the fee was imposed, the dissenting Association clubs led a campaign to repeal it, fearing reprisal from the League. [14] True to these fears, the League Board of Management voted in late April to end its 1949 reciprocity agreement with the Association, allowing Association players to transfer directly to the League without a clearance; [16] players who did so were suspended from the Association for five years, but the suspension was not recognised in the League. There were few such transfers over the following years, in part because players were reluctant to risk a five-year ban from the Association if they were never able to forge a successful League career. The highest profile move before the 1967 season was that of young Prahran centreman Kevin Sheedy, who went to Richmond without a clearance and without Prahran receiving any of the $5,000 transfer fee which was set for him. [17]
On 5 May, the Association Board of Management agreed by an overwhelming majority to reduce the minimum transfer fee to $500 per player (with a maximum of $5,000), after an earlier motion to rescind the minimum transfer fee entirely failed to gain the two-thirds majority it required. Despite the change, its reciprocity agreement with the League was not reinstated. [18] The transfer fee rule remained in place until April 1969. [19]
Dandenong Football Club was an Australian rules football club which played in the Victorian Football Association (VFA). Based in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong, the Redlegs wore navy blue and red as their club colours.
The 1967 VFA Division 1 Grand Final was an Australian rules football match played between the Dandenong Redlegs and the Port Melbourne Borough. The match was held on Sunday 24 September 1967 at the Punt Road Oval in Jolimont, Melbourne, to decide the Division 1 Premiership for the 1967 Victorian Football Association season.
The 1958 Victorian Football Association season was the 77th season of the Australian rules football competition. The premiership was won by the Williamstown Football Club, after it defeated Moorabbin in the grand final replay on 4 October by 32 points. It was Williamstown's ninth premiership, drawing it level with Footscray for the most premierships won in VFA history, and it was the fourth of five premierships won in six seasons between 1954 and 1959.
The 1961 Victorian Football Association season was the 80th season of the Australian rules football competition. The season saw a significant change in the structure of the Association, with the competition split into two divisions, with promotion and relegation between them, a system which remained in place until 1988.
The 1962 Victorian Football Association season was the 81st season of the top division of the Australian rules football competition, and the second season of its second division. The Division 1 premiership was won by the Sandringham Football Club, after it came from behind to defeat Moorabbin in the Grand Final on 29 September by one point; it was Sandringham's second VFA premiership. The Division 2 premiership was won by Dandenong; it was the club's first premiership in either division.
The 1964 Victorian Football Association season was the 83rd season of the top division of the Australian rules football competition, and the fourth season of its second division. The Division 1 premiership was won by the Port Melbourne Football Club, after it defeated Williamstown in the Grand Final on 26 September by 36 points; it was Port Melbourne's 8th VFA premiership. The Division 2 premiership was won by Geelong West, in only its second season in the VFA.
The 1965 Victorian Football Association season was the 84th season of the top division of the Australian rules football competition, and the fifth season of its second division. The Division 1 premiership was won by the Waverley Football Club, after it defeated Port Melbourne in the Grand Final on 26 September by twelve points; it was the first and only premiership ever won by Waverley in either division in its time in the Association, and it came in only its second season in Division 1. The Division 2 premiership was won by Preston; it was the club's second Division 2 premiership in three years, having competed in and been relegated from Division 1 in the intervening year.
The 1966 Victorian Football Association season was the 85th season of the top division of the Australian rules football competition, and the sixth season of its second division. The Division 1 premiership was won by the Port Melbourne Football Club, after it defeated Waverley in the Grand Final on 25 September by 43 points; it was Port Melbourne's ninth premiership. The Division 2 premiership was won by Prahran.
The 1968 Victorian Football Association season was the 87th season of the top division of the Australian rules football competition, and the eighth season of second division competition. The Division 1 premiership was won by the Preston Football Club, after it defeated Prahran in the Grand Final on 22 September by 14 points; it was Preston's first Division 1 premiership. The Division 2 premiership was won by Geelong West.
The 1969 Victorian Football Association season was the 88th season of the top division of the Australian rules football competition, and the ninth season of second division competition. The Division 1 premiership was won for the second consecutive year by the Preston Football Club, after it defeated Dandenong in the Grand Final on 21 September by 12 points; it was Preston's second Division 1 premiership. The Division 2 premiership was won by Williamstown, in its second season since being relegated from Division 1.
The 1970 Victorian Football Association season was the 89th season of the top division of the Australian rules football competition, and the tenth season of second division competition. The Division 1 premiership was won by the Prahran Football Club, marking the club's third Division 1 premiership; it defeated Williamstown, which qualified for the Grand Final in its first season after promotion to Division 1, on 20 September by 50 points. The Division 2 premiership was won by Coburg, in its second season since being relegated from Division 1.
The 1975 Victorian Football Association season was the 94th season of the top division of the Australian rules football competition, and the 15th season of second division competition. The Division 1 premiership was won by the Geelong West Football Club, after it defeated Dandenong in the Grand Final on 21 September by 28 points; it was the first and only Division 1 premiership won by Geelong West in its time in the Association. The Division 2 premiership was won by Brunswick; it was Brunswick's first premiership in either division since 1938.
The 1980 Victorian Football Association season was the 99th season of the top division of the Australian rules football competition, and the 20th season of second division competition. The Division 1 premiership was won by the Port Melbourne Football Club, after it defeated Coburg in the Grand Final on 21 September by eleven points; it was Port Melbourne's 13th Division 1 premiership, the first of three premierships won in a row between 1980 and 1982, and the fourth of six premierships won in nine seasons from 1974 until 1982. The Division 2 premiership was won by Brunswick; it was the club's second Division 2 premiership, and was won in its first season since relegation from Division 1.
The 1982 Victorian Football Association season was the 101st season of the top division of the Australian rules football competition, and the 22nd season of second division competition. It was the first season of a restructured two-division competition, in which automatic promotion and relegation between the divisions was abandoned.
The 1983 Victorian Football Association season was the 102nd season of the top division of the Australian rules football competition, and the 23rd season of second division competition. The Division 1 premiership was won by the Preston Football Club, after it defeated Geelong West in the Grand Final on 18 September by seven points; it was Preston's third Division 1 premiership. The Division 2 premiership was won by Springvale; it was the club's first Association premiership, won in only its second season of competition.
The 1985 Victorian Football Association season was the 104th season of the top division of the Australian rules football competition, and the 25th season of second division competition. The Division 1 premiership was won by the Sandringham Football Club, after it defeated Williamstown in the Grand Final on 22 September by six points; it was Sandringham's third Division 1 premiership, and its first since 1962. The Division 2 premiership was won by Brunswick; it was the club's third Division 2 premiership, and the last premiership in either division ever won by the club.
The 1987 Victorian Football Association season was the 106th season of the top division of the Australian rules football competition, and the 27th season of second division competition. The Division 1 premiership was won by the Springvale Football Club, after it defeated Port Melbourne in the Grand Final on 20 September by 38 points; it was Springvale's first Division 1 premiership, won in just its fourth season in the first division. The Division 2 premiership was won by Prahran; it was the club's second Division 2 premiership, and the last premiership ever won by the club in either division.
The 1988 Victorian Football Association season was the 107th season of the top division of the Australian rules football competition, and the 28th and final season of second division competition. The Division 1 premiership was won by the Coburg Football Club, after it defeated Williamstown in the Grand Final on 18 September by 27 points; it was Coburg's fifth Division 1 premiership. The final Division 2 premiership was won by Oakleigh; it was the club's second Division 2 premiership, and the last premiership ever won by the club in either division.
The 1989 Victorian Football Association season was the 108th season of the Australian rules football competition. It was the first season since 1960 in which the Association operated as a single-division competition, after having operated as a two-division competition with promotion and relegation between them for the previous 28 years. The premiership was won by the Coburg Football Club, after it defeated Williamstown in the Grand Final on 24 September by 20 points; it was Coburg's second premiership in a row, and its sixth and, as of 2019, last top division premiership overall.