1973 VFL season

Last updated

1973 VFL premiership season
Teams12
Premiers Richmond
8th premiership
Minor premiers Collingwood
16th minor premiership
Brownlow Medallist Keith Greig (North Melbourne)
Coleman Medallist Peter McKenna (Collingwood)
Attendance
Matches played138
Total attendance3,338,648 (24,193 per match)
Highest116,956
←  1972
1974  →

The 1973 VFL season was the 77th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 7 April until 29 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs.

Contents

The premiership was won by the Richmond Football Club for the eighth time, after it defeated Carlton by 30 points in the 1973 VFL Grand Final.

Background

One of the most significant innovations that came into force in 1973 was the implementation of a painted centre diamond area with 45-metre long sides, with a maximum of four players from each team permitted to stand within the diamond at centre bounces. [1] Following a long period of lobbying by the VFL to the Australian Football Council for its introduction, the centre diamond was initially subject to a 12-month trial period. The purpose of this innovation was to try and solve the problem of congestion at centre bounces, as well as giving skilled players more space to benefit their teams. [2]

The home-and-away season consisted of 22 rounds, with teams facing each other twice; matches 12 to 22 were the "home-and-away reverse" of matches 1 to 11. At the conclusion of the home-and-away fixtures, the 1973 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the "McIntyre final five system".

Home-and-away season

Round 1

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Melbourne 9.12 (66) St Kilda 14.14 (98) MCG 44,7377 April 1973
Fitzroy 20.17 (137) Footscray 12.15 (87) Junction Oval 14,9887 April 1973
Essendon 19.13 (127) Richmond 19.15 (129) Windy Hill 27,9597 April 1973
Collingwood 17.22 (124) South Melbourne 6.12 (48) Victoria Park 23,4127 April 1973
North Melbourne 14.14 (98) Hawthorn 9.16 (70) Arden Street Oval 15,9347 April 1973
Geelong 10.8 (68) Carlton 18.16 (124) Kardinia Park 26,1307 April 1973

Round 2

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Hawthorn 14.14 (98) Melbourne 13.22 (100) Glenferrie Oval 13,12814 April 1973
Carlton 18.15 (123) North Melbourne 14.12 (96) Princes Park 29,18514 April 1973
Richmond 18.19 (127) Geelong 16.14 (110) MCG 29,66514 April 1973
St Kilda 20.8 (128) Fitzroy 10.11 (71) Moorabbin Oval 23,66214 April 1973
South Melbourne 15.19 (109) Essendon 21.20 (146) Lake Oval 16,26014 April 1973
Footscray 11.16 (82) Collingwood 14.18 (102) Western Oval 24,79414 April 1973

Round 3

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Collingwood 21.23 (149) Geelong 11.13 (79) Victoria Park 24,04221 April 1973
St Kilda 12.9 (81) Richmond 17.8 (110) Moorabbin Oval 33,02221 April 1973
North Melbourne 11.18 (84) Fitzroy 10.18 (78) Arden Street Oval 18,70421 April 1973
South Melbourne 17.16 (118) Footscray 20.15 (135) Lake Oval 13,19923 April 1973
Melbourne 11.9 (75) Carlton 11.16 (82) MCG 49,43923 April 1973
Hawthorn 27.8 (170) Essendon 15.12 (102) VFL Park 32,04523 April 1973

Round 4

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Richmond 11.18 (84) North Melbourne 14.20 (104) MCG 48,92325 April 1973
St Kilda 8.12 (60) Collingwood 19.16 (130) VFL Park 49,55225 April 1973
Geelong 17.16 (118) South Melbourne 12.14 (86) Kardinia Park 14,73928 April 1973
Fitzroy 13.9 (87) Melbourne 13.16 (94) Junction Oval 16,10128 April 1973
Carlton 14.11 (95) Hawthorn 12.11 (83) Princes Park 27,91328 April 1973
Footscray 8.19 (67) Essendon 17.13 (115) Western Oval 25,31428 April 1973

Round 5

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Melbourne 13.13 (91) Richmond 16.14 (110) MCG 37,6675 May 1973
Essendon 16.26 (122) Geelong 15.16 (106) Windy Hill 19,0075 May 1973
South Melbourne 6.12 (48) St Kilda 10.16 (76) Lake Oval 13,5135 May 1973
Hawthorn 18.16 (124) Footscray 16.12 (108) Glenferrie Oval 11,4025 May 1973
North Melbourne 13.20 (98) Collingwood 15.19 (109) Arden Street Oval 27,0485 May 1973
Carlton 15.15 (105) Fitzroy 10.8 (68) VFL Park 19,6545 May 1973

Round 6

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Fitzroy 15.17 (107) Hawthorn 12.13 (85) Junction Oval 10,70612 May 1973
Collingwood 15.10 (100) Melbourne 10.16 (76) Victoria Park 21,36012 May 1973
Geelong 11.14 (80) Footscray 14.14 (98) Kardinia Park 15,30512 May 1973
St Kilda 18.13 (121) Essendon 21.14 (140) Moorabbin Oval 23,12012 May 1973
Richmond 18.20 (128) Carlton 15.12 (102) MCG 54,13912 May 1973
North Melbourne 18.16 (124) South Melbourne 11.14 (80) VFL Park 10,02012 May 1973

Round 7

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Melbourne 17.10 (112) South Melbourne 12.11 (83) MCG 16,07519 May 1973
Footscray 14.9 (93) St Kilda 13.12 (90) Western Oval 14,95319 May 1973
Essendon 20.24 (144) North Melbourne 11.8 (74) Windy Hill 26,90719 May 1973
Carlton 16.23 (119) Collingwood 8.12 (60) Princes Park 43,53119 May 1973
Hawthorn 19.15 (129) Geelong 9.14 (68) Glenferrie Oval 11,62119 May 1973
Fitzroy 12.8 (80) Richmond 16.21 (117) VFL Park 19,53919 May 1973

Round 8

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Collingwood 15.13 (103) Fitzroy 10.8 (68) Victoria Park 20,82226 May 1973
Richmond 10.22 (82) Hawthorn 16.23 (119) MCG 32,61326 May 1973
St Kilda 16.10 (106) Geelong 8.12 (60) Moorabbin Oval 15,11426 May 1973
North Melbourne 8.8 (56) Footscray 8.8 (56) Arden Street Oval 16,14826 May 1973
South Melbourne 7.9 (51) Carlton 19.16 (130) Lake Oval 14,65926 May 1973
Melbourne 10.11 (71) Essendon 12.9 (81) VFL Park 25,60326 May 1973

Round 9

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Geelong 14.6 (90) North Melbourne 18.13 (121) Kardinia Park 18,8684 June 1973
Footscray 9.14 (68) Melbourne 10.14 (74) Western Oval 17,9734 June 1973
Fitzroy 16.8 (104) South Melbourne 7.15 (57) Junction Oval 10,1194 June 1973
Carlton 19.19 (133) Essendon 13.14 (92) Princes Park 39,6464 June 1973
St Kilda 11.12 (78) Hawthorn 8.16 (64) Moorabbin Oval 22,5214 June 1973
Richmond 10.6 (66) Collingwood 15.15 (105) VFL Park 55,8274 June 1973

Round 10

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
North Melbourne 11.14 (80) St Kilda 7.12 (54) Arden Street Oval 16,3879 June 1973
Essendon 15.17 (107) Fitzroy 14.13 (97) Windy Hill 16,6329 June 1973
South Melbourne 9.8 (62) Richmond 13.14 (92) Lake Oval 10,7269 June 1973
Melbourne 20.19 (139) Geelong 11.15 (81) MCG 19,9009 June 1973
Hawthorn 14.11 (95) Collingwood 15.18 (108) Glenferrie Oval 19,9639 June 1973
Carlton 13.13 (91) Footscray 9.11 (65) VFL Park 18,2059 June 1973

Round 11

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Melbourne 13.12 (90) North Melbourne 12.9 (81) MCG 32,95716 June 1973
Footscray 7.16 (58) Richmond 17.7 (109) Western Oval 16,73316 June 1973
Collingwood 23.16 (154) Essendon 16.16 (112) Victoria Park 31,75416 June 1973
Geelong 16.8 (104) Fitzroy 11.15 (81) Kardinia Park 12,78616 June 1973
St Kilda 13.13 (91) Carlton 9.13 (67) Moorabbin Oval 25,08116 June 1973
South Melbourne 11.10 (76) Hawthorn 17.17 (119) VFL Park 9,43616 June 1973

Round 12

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Hawthorn 12.13 (85) North Melbourne 10.10 (70) Glenferrie Oval 12,38023 June 1973
Carlton 17.12 (114) Geelong 9.13 (67) Princes Park 14,20223 June 1973
St Kilda 11.14 (80) Melbourne 6.18 (54) Moorabbin Oval 24,26223 June 1973
Richmond 15.21 (111) Essendon 13.17 (95) MCG 43,89223 June 1973
South Melbourne 12.5 (77) Collingwood 15.9 (99) Lake Oval 12,48423 June 1973
Footscray 10.15 (75) Fitzroy 13.11 (89) VFL Park 7,01623 June 1973

Round 13

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Fitzroy 10.11 (71) St Kilda 20.11 (131) Junction Oval 14,77630 June 1973
Essendon 20.19 (139) South Melbourne 16.14 (110) Windy Hill 13,04230 June 1973
Collingwood 13.17 (95) Footscray 14.6 (90) Victoria Park 18,25330 June 1973
Melbourne 15.15 (105) Hawthorn 15.22 (112) MCG 25,78730 June 1973
North Melbourne 16.19 (115) Carlton 16.11 (107) Arden Street Oval 19,35530 June 1973
Geelong 13.11 (89) Richmond 21.7 (133) VFL Park 13,21930 June 1973

Round 14

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
North Melbourne 11.12 (78) Richmond 17.15 (117) Arden Street Oval 19,1147 July 1973
Collingwood 15.13 (103) St Kilda 12.10 (82) Victoria Park 25,3127 July 1973
South Melbourne 18.15 (123) Geelong 12.6 (78) Lake Oval 9,6817 July 1973
Melbourne 19.20 (134) Fitzroy 14.13 (97) MCG 13,1057 July 1973
Hawthorn 14.24 (108) Carlton 12.14 (86) Glenferrie Oval 18,3167 July 1973
Essendon 21.6 (132) Footscray 13.19 (97) VFL Park 12,4177 July 1973

Round 15

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Footscray 12.7 (79) South Melbourne 20.21 (141) Western Oval 11,11514 July 1973
Fitzroy 16.12 (108) North Melbourne 13.18 (96) Junction Oval 9,88614 July 1973
Essendon 23.13 (151) Hawthorn 18.8 (116) Windy Hill 22,43714 July 1973
Carlton 18.14 (122) Melbourne 12.9 (81) Princes Park 22,28314 July 1973
Geelong 13.10 (88) Collingwood 13.18 (96) Kardinia Park 15,89214 July 1973
Richmond 13.12 (90) St Kilda 11.11 (77) VFL Park 31,50214 July 1973

Round 16

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
St Kilda 14.16 (100) South Melbourne 13.15 (93) Moorabbin Oval 17,45421 July 1973
Footscray 6.9 (45) Hawthorn 9.11 (65) Western Oval 10,98721 July 1973
Richmond 16.14 (110) Melbourne 9.19 (73) MCG 30,49221 July 1973
Geelong 12.10 (82) Essendon 11.15 (81) Kardinia Park 16,74621 July 1973
Fitzroy 12.19 (91) Carlton 11.14 (80) Junction Oval 14,80021 July 1973
Collingwood 10.11 (71) North Melbourne 11.10 (76) VFL Park 25,65021 July 1973

Round 17

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Essendon 15.12 (102) St Kilda 10.19 (79) Windy Hill 21,46928 July 1973
Carlton 15.17 (107) Richmond 10.21 (81) Princes Park 28,59228 July 1973
South Melbourne 19.16 (130) North Melbourne 14.7 (91) Lake Oval 13,63728 July 1973
Hawthorn 15.10 (100) Fitzroy 9.9 (63) Glenferrie Oval 12,38628 July 1973
Melbourne 12.15 (87) Collingwood 17.24 (126) MCG 37,83828 July 1973
Footscray 21.15 (141) Geelong 13.14 (92) VFL Park 13,54628 July 1973

Round 18

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Geelong 14.11 (95) Hawthorn 14.10 (94) Kardinia Park 13,5464 August 1973
St Kilda 15.20 (110) Footscray 12.14 (86) Moorabbin Oval 15,2174 August 1973
Richmond 15.14 (104) Fitzroy 13.14 (92) MCG 20,5784 August 1973
North Melbourne 13.13 (91) Essendon 14.10 (94) Arden Street Oval 21,0714 August 1973
Collingwood 19.7 (121) Carlton 15.16 (106) Victoria Park 37,6604 August 1973
South Melbourne 12.14 (86) Melbourne 11.12 (78) VFL Park 15,2554 August 1973

Round 19

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Hawthorn 11.11 (77) Richmond 12.10 (82) Glenferrie Oval 20,23611 August 1973
Footscray 10.8 (68) North Melbourne 10.14 (74) Western Oval 13,58111 August 1973
Essendon 17.13 (115) Melbourne 15.11 (101) Windy Hill 18,00811 August 1973
Carlton 20.17 (137) South Melbourne 11.14 (80) Princes Park 22,18111 August 1973
Fitzroy 10.19 (79) Collingwood 19.10 (124) Junction Oval 19,10311 August 1973
Geelong 13.8 (86) St Kilda 11.17 (83) VFL Park 19,47711 August 1973

Round 20

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Hawthorn 11.11 (77) St Kilda 15.8 (98) Glenferrie Oval 16,95218 August 1973
Collingwood 8.11 (59) Richmond 14.16 (100) Victoria Park 28,28618 August 1973
North Melbourne 9.10 (64) Geelong 7.6 (48) Arden Street Oval 11,12118 August 1973
Melbourne 10.13 (73) Footscray 17.8 (110) MCG 12,56318 August 1973
South Melbourne 15.11 (101) Fitzroy 14.21 (105) Lake Oval 8,58418 August 1973
Essendon 10.7 (67) Carlton 17.9 (111) VFL Park 36,16018 August 1973

Round 21

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Richmond 22.11 (143) South Melbourne 13.16 (94) MCG 24,30725 August 1973
Geelong 17.11 (113) Melbourne 14.14 (98) Kardinia Park 15,48925 August 1973
St Kilda 16.18 (114) North Melbourne 14.12 (96) Moorabbin Oval 29,25725 August 1973
Fitzroy 13.22 (100) Essendon 9.23 (77) Junction Oval 14,87525 August 1973
Footscray 10.15 (75) Carlton 9.12 (66) Western Oval 18,98825 August 1973
Collingwood 16.10 (106) Hawthorn 13.10 (88) VFL Park 48,05925 August 1973

Round 22

Round 22
Saturday, 1 September (2:10 pm) Carlton 20.15 (135)def. St Kilda 13.9 (87) Princes Park (crowd: 22,824) Report
Saturday, 1 September (2:10 pm) Essendon 16.6 (102)def. by Collingwood 17.10 (112) Windy Hill (crowd: 28,049) Report
Saturday, 1 September (2:10 pm) Fitzroy 17.15 (117)def. Geelong 14.17 (101) Junction Oval (crowd: 9,172) Report
Saturday, 1 September (2:10 pm) Richmond 10.16 (76)def. by Footscray 11.11 (77) MCG (crowd: 24,671) Report
Saturday, 1 September (2:10 pm) Hawthorn 16.20 (116)def. South Melbourne 11.13 (79) Glenferrie Oval (crowd: 9,932) Report
Saturday, 1 September (2:10 pm) North Melbourne 11.5 (71)def. Melbourne 9.12 (66) VFL Park (crowd: 9,411) Report
  • Footscray ended its otherwise disappointing season on a high note with a third consecutive victory, this time the eventual premiers Richmond. After scores were level at three-quarter time, ruckman Gary Dempsey was moved to full-forward where he kicked two key goals. Former Carlton rover Adrian Gallagher (with 31 kicks) and Bernie Quinlan were outstanding for the Bulldogs, while Kevin Bartlett was by far the Tigers' best. [3]
  • Hawthorn snapped its four-game losing streak and farewelled Glenferrie Oval in style with a hard-fought win over a plucky South Melbourne side. Leading by only five points at the main break, the Hawks kicked clear in the second half to win by 37 points. Leigh Matthews was easily best-on-ground with 36 touches and 3 goals, while Michael Moncrieff chimed in with six goals.

Ladder

(P)Premiers
Qualified for finals
#TeamPWLDPFPA %Pts
1 Collingwood 22193023561878125.576
2 Richmond (P)22175023011957117.668
3 Carlton 22157023421850126.660
4 Essendon 22139024432341104.452
5 St Kilda 221210020241922105.348
6 North Melbourne 22111011938198697.646
7 Hawthorn 221111021942002109.644
8 Fitzroy 2291301990219490.736
9 Footscray 2271411860210988.230
10 Melbourne 2271501938211191.828
11 Geelong 2261601903242678.424
12 South Melbourne 2241801932244579.016

Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 95.5
Source: AFL Tables

Finals series

Finals week 1

Qualifying final
Saturday, 8 September (2:30 pm) Richmond 10.11 (71)def. by Carlton 13.13 (91) MCG (crowd: 86,386) Report
Elimination final
Saturday, 8 September (2:30 pm) Essendon 13.13 (91)def. by St Kilda 24.14 (158) VFL Park (crowd: 53,405) Report

Finals week 2

Semi-finals
SF1: Saturday, 15 September (2:30 pm) Richmond 15.18 (108)def. St Kilda 9.14 (68) MCG (crowd: 86,483) Report
SF2: Saturday, 15 September (2:30 pm) Collingwood 12.15 (87)def. by Carlton 15.17 (107) VFL Park (crowd: 60,072) Report

Preliminary final

Preliminary final
Saturday, 22 September (2:30 pm) Collingwood 14.14 (98)def. by Richmond 15.15 (105) MCG (crowd: 98,652) Report
  • Collingwood became the first team under the McIntyre final five system to exit in straight sets

Grand final

Grand final
Saturday, 29 September (2:30 pm) Carlton 12.14 (86)def. by Richmond 16.20 (116) MCG (crowd: 116,956) Report
  • This was the second consecutive VFL Grand final meeting between Richmond and Carlton

Season notes

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1924 VFL season</span> 28th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL)

The 1924 VFL season was the 28th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest-level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured nine clubs and ran from 26 April to 27 September, comprising a 16-match home-and-away season followed by a three-week finals series featuring the top four clubs.

The 1929 VFL season was the 33rd season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest-level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs and ran from 27 April to 28 September, comprising an 18-match home-and-away season followed by a four-week finals series featuring the top four clubs.

The 1960 VFL season was the 64th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 16 April until 24 September, and comprised an 18-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.

The 1961 VFL season was the 65th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 15 April until 23 September, and comprised an 18-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.

The 1962 VFL season was the 66th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 21 April until 29 September, and comprised an 18-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.

The 1964 VFL season was the 68th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 18 April until 19 September, and comprised an 18-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1935 VFL season</span> 39th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL)

The 1935 VFL season was the 39th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 27 April until 5 October, and comprised an 18-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1936 VFL season</span> 40th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL)

The 1936 VFL season was the 40th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 2 May until 3 October, and comprised an 18-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.

The 1938 VFL season was the 42nd season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 23 April until 24 September, and comprised an 18-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.

The 1941 VFL season was the 45th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 26 April until 27 September, and comprised an 18-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1942 VFL season</span> 46th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL)

The 1942 VFL season was the 46th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1943 VFL season</span> 47th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL)

The 1943 VFL season was the 47th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria.

The 1968 VFL season was the 72nd season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 15 April until 28 September, and comprised a 20-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.

The 1969 VFL season was the 73rd season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 5 April until 27 September, and comprised a 20-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1948 VFL season</span> 52nd season of the Victorian Football League (VFL)

The 1948 VFL season was the 52nd season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 17 April until 9 October, and comprised a 19-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.

The 1972 VFL season was the 76th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 1 April until 7 October, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs – an increase from the four clubs which had contested the finals in previous years.

The 1974 VFL season was the 78th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 6 April until 28 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs.

The 1975 VFL season was the 79th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 5 April until 27 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs.

The 1976 VFL season was the 80th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 3 April until 25 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs.

The AFL Australian Football League is the top professional Australian rules football league in the world. The league consists of eighteen teams: nine based in the city of Melbourne, one from regional Victoria, and eight based in other Australian states. The reason for this unbalanced geographic distribution lies in the history of the league, which was based solely within Victoria from the time it was established in 1897, until the time the league expanded through the addition of clubs from interstate to the existing teams starting in the 1980s; until this expansion, the league was known as the VFL (Victorian Football League).

References

  1. ↑ afl.com.au
  2. ↑ "Centre Square now part of game". The Football Record . Vol. 62. 7 April 1973. p. 6.
  3. ↑ Trevellyan, Graham (3 September 1973). "Tigers upstaged by underDogs". The Age . p. 30.
  4. ↑ Percy Beams (1 October 1973). "Tom's grand design". The Age. Melbourne. p. 28.
  5. ↑ "Wesley gets into the Barrot act". The Age. Melbourne. 1 October 1973. p. 27.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.