Your source for hard-to-find Australian football history...
AFL NIGHT SERIES & PRE-SEASON CUP (1956-1987)
The many eras of the Night Series and Pre-Season Cup (montage by David Eastman)
For today’s football fans the pre-season is a time to take in some sun while watching their club’s draftees try to make an early impression. Not so long ago it was a very different story when fans braved the rains and icy winds of Waverley Park in mid-season for the Night Series competition.
The competition played an important role in the development of today's game with the 1956-71 series allowing then-cellar dwellers Fitzroy, Footscray, Hawthorn, North Melbourne, South Melbourne and St Kilda to finally claim some silverware and creating a springboard for premiership success.
In 1977 the series was re-born under the bright lights of Waverley Park and from 1979 to 1986 was run by Australian Football Championships Pty Ltd. This AFC series was Australia’s first truly national football competition and provided the VFL with a blueprint for expansion, leading to the birth of today’s AFL.
There is scant information on these matches to be found online or in print – especially for the AFC era – and what little exists is often riddled with factual errors.
HardBallGet.net is proud to finally restore this missing link in our great game's history, beginning with an in-depth season-by-season review of the Night Series for seasons 1956-71 and 1977-87.
Each season review includes a summary of every match (quarter-by-quarter scores, best players, goalkickers, umpires and crowds). Also included are detailed statistics, grand final records and facts & figures for the entire series (1956 to 2013).
The competition played an important role in the development of today's game with the 1956-71 series allowing then-cellar dwellers Fitzroy, Footscray, Hawthorn, North Melbourne, South Melbourne and St Kilda to finally claim some silverware and creating a springboard for premiership success.
In 1977 the series was re-born under the bright lights of Waverley Park and from 1979 to 1986 was run by Australian Football Championships Pty Ltd. This AFC series was Australia’s first truly national football competition and provided the VFL with a blueprint for expansion, leading to the birth of today’s AFL.
There is scant information on these matches to be found online or in print – especially for the AFC era – and what little exists is often riddled with factual errors.
HardBallGet.net is proud to finally restore this missing link in our great game's history, beginning with an in-depth season-by-season review of the Night Series for seasons 1956-71 and 1977-87.
Each season review includes a summary of every match (quarter-by-quarter scores, best players, goalkickers, umpires and crowds). Also included are detailed statistics, grand final records and facts & figures for the entire series (1956 to 2013).
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN STATE UNIFORMS (1904-today)
The inaugural Western Australian State jumper in 1904 featured a black swan, a symbol synonymous with the State as far back as its first colonial flag in the 1800s. In well-over a century of representative football since, there have been just twelve seasons when the Western Australians took the field without a swan on their jumper.
Ironically, that 1977 to 1988 State of Origin era marked the most successful period in the State's history, beginning with a 94-point humbling of Victoria in October, 1977 and culminating with national titles in 1979, 1983, 1984 and 1986.
Various designs have come and gone including green jumpers (1904-34) and black jumpers (1958-63 / 1994-99) but the classic Western Australian gold jumper with a black swan - first introduced in 1935 - is still worn proudly today.
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN STATE UNIFORMS (1879-today)
Trial and error sums up South Australia's long road to the classic double V design that we associate with them today.
In 1907-08 football led a push for a uniform set of colours to be adopted by South Australian representative teams. This resulted in a number of chocolate brown and turquoise blue uniforms over the next twenty years.
A second push by the SANFL in 1929-30 for uniform State colours was far more successful and resulted in all South Australian sporting bodies adopting red, navy blue and gold. However, the SANFL could not find the right design to make these colours work, wearing six different designs in seven seasons during the 1930s.
It wasn't until 1936 that the first double V was worn and after much searching, the South Australians had finally found a uniform to build from.
QUEENSLAND STATE UNIFORMS (1884-today)
For Queensland representative football it has always been, and will always be about the Q. Ever since the first Q appeared on the State jumper in 1908 there have been near annual changes in the size, shape and font.
Season 1975 saw a bold, new look that coincided with Queensland football's first season as reigning Section 2 national champions. A second national championship was added in 1979 before Queensland adopted the white jumper with maroon sash that has become synonymous with the State.
On July 16, 1991 the maroons pulled-off the greatest victory in their storied history, defeating Victoria by 44 points at the Gabba. This match also marked the debut of the Port Adelaide-style maroon jumper with white stripes.
The State team bounced between the sash and the stripes throughout the early 2000s before settling on an all-new design in 2014 that returns the focus to the Q, once again positioned prominently front and centre on the Queensland jumper.
WELCOME ABOARD,
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YOUTUBE'S BEST FOOTY CHANNELS
Gibbsy kicks things off with a feast of footy.
This YouTube greatest hits collection includes:
So much footy... so little time!
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VFA-VFL REPRESENTATIVE UNIFORMS (1879-today)
The Victorian Football Association (VFA) has had a long and varied role in representative football and served as Victoria's official representative team during the 1879-1896 intercolonial era.
In October 1896 their eight strongest teams broke away to form the VFL (now AFL). After the split there were relatively brief periods (1950-69/1987-89) when the VFA regained official interstate status; and many years when they found themselves exiled from top-level interstate football, settling for representative matches against lower-level leagues instead.
The VFA's representative uniforms are remarkably varied, with many classic designs that most of today's football fans have never seen... until now! Click the link below to discover more.
AFL INTER-CLUB TROPHIES & MEDALS
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For nearly a century the premiership title was the sole focus of VFL-AFL clubs. Fast forward to today and the football landscape is littered with awards; some honour past greats, some are for a good cause, and others, frankly, seem to be awards for the sake of having an award (the Fila Cup, anyone?).
During the 2015 season there are over fifty trophies, shields, medals, cups (and even a plate) on offer. So when did this flood of silverware begin? Click the link for the full story, including the history of each award and a club-by-club list... |
Peter Mann and John Worsfold with the original Western Derby trophy
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A HISTORY OF STATE FOOTBALL UNIFORMS
A History of Interstate Football Uniforms is a joint project by David Eastman (www.hardballget.net) and Rob Meredith (www.footyjumpers.com).
David has spent the past few years researching all the representative, interstate and State of Origin uniforms worn by Australian football's State leagues, now Rob's powering through the artwork.
The first State to be featured is Victoria. Prepare to be surprised, there are some classic designs to be revealed...
VFA PROMOTION & RELEGATION
Northcote's 1982 premiership team - denied promotion after a 24 year wait
(source: Alan Webb/VFA Footy: the Halcyon Days)
Whilst promotion and relegation is commonplace in soccer, in Australian football such a system remains a rarity. In 1961 the VFA made the monumental decision to split their competition into two divisions, adopting a "one-up, one-down" system.
A handful of modern clubs such as Box Hill, Coburg, and Williamstown successfully survived their time in the lower tier. However, for many traditional VFA clubs such as Northcote and Yarraville, relegation proved to be a one-way ticket to oblivion. This new article from HardBallGet.net explores the reasons for the VFA dividing their teams, provides a year-by-year history of promotion and relegation, and looks at the aftermath of divisional football when the competition was finally unified again for the 1989 season. NFL NIGHT SERIES (1976-79)
1976 - South Fremantle v Carlton
The NFL Night Series era was one of the most tumultuous periods in the history of Australian football, yet the political struggles of that time have been largely forgotten. Over four seasons the National Football League (NFL) and the Victorian Football League (VFL) battled for control of the game.
The NFL, as football's governing body, planned to create the first national competition but the VFL, as football's biggest State League, had their own national expansion plans they were determined to follow. Click below for full details of the four NFL Night Series played (known as the Wills Cup, Ardath Cup and Escort Cup) - including match reports - featuring teams from the VFL, SANFL, WAFL, VFA, QAFL, Tasmania, New South Wales and the ACT. FOOTY HISTORY IN THE NEWS
The mysterious Con Molan
Growth of women's football has been a 100-year revolution (The Conversation 2-2-2017) An exploration of the rich history of women's football that goes far beyond the AFL's hype surrounding the inaugural AFLW match. The Cat of Two Names (www.geelongcats.com.au 27-3-2015) The mysterious tale of early 1900s Geelong footballer, Con Molan - a Cat with two names. The Drought Breakers: 1961 Champions (The West Australian 26-10-2014) Western Australia's 1961 national carnival-winning team officially recognised as the state's best. Moorabbin FC - VFA Premiers in 1963, Dead in 1964 (Moorabbin-Kingston Leader 18-6-2013) A look at the incredible story of the Moorabbin Kangaroos: premiers of the VFA in 1963 then suspended from the competition the following pre-season. Within months the reigning premiers ceased to exist. DISCOVERIES
To launch the AFL's Centenary season, a Lightning Premiership was played at Waverley Park over three days; the first such event to be held by the VFL-AFL since the 1953 season. In true "Arctic Park" style, the competition was plagued by gale force winds and icy rain.
A one-off Lightning Premiership Sprint was also held. Heats were run before the semi-final matches and the final took place prior to the Lightning Premiership Grand Final. No mention of the sprint appeared in the official matchday programme or Melbourne's daily papers in the lead up to the event. FEEDBACK?
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VFA RECORDS
Bill Swan - VFA games record holder
This new section of HardBallGet.net reveals the VFA-VFL record holders for: GAMES - Most games played/coached GOALS - Most in a Career - Most in a Season - Most in a Match - Most in a VFA-VFL Grand Final - Most in a Representative Match HIGHEST & LOWEST SCORES (1897-) Includes those cricket scores run-up in the 1980s such as Williamstown's 55.17 (347) against Camberwell who kicked a mere 4.8 (32) - a winning margin of 315 points! IMAGES OF THE PAST
Former Claremont and Carlton champion, Ken Hunter in action during his WAFL career
VFA NON-PREMIERSHIP MATCHES
1924 "Championship of Victoria" - Footscray (VFA) vs Essendon (VFL)
VFA clubs have played many official and unofficial games outside of the standard premiership matches scheduled each season.
These have ranged from the inter-colonial tours of the late-1800s to the modern-day Foxtel Cup matches between the best of the State League teams. This new section of HardBallGet.net features a huge array of these contests: EXHIBITION MATCHES OF NOTE Everything from Williamstown vs New South Wales in 1886 to Williamstown vs North Melbourne in 1992. VFA vs VFL (1897-) The rivalry continues! Includes the long-forgotten practice games of 1898-1906. PROMOTION PLAYOFFS (1961-62) A second shot at promotion for the Second Division runners-up. + LIGHTNING PREMIERSHIPS (1896/1946/1972-79) + CENTENARY CUP (1977) + VFA vs SANFL (1977-78) + VSFL PREMIER'S CUP (1992) + PRE-SEASON CUP (1993-95) + VFL-TFL CHALLENGE CUP (1997-99) REPRESENTATIVE FOOTBALL
The narrow focus on Interstate and State of Origin football has seen many important matches, captaincy honours and memorable goalkicking feats involving the representative teams of the VFL, SANFL, WAFL and other state leagues omitted from official lists.
HardBallGet.net aims to widen the focus to all representative matches. Click the link below to find out more... MISSING INFO
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VFA vs VFL NON-PREMIERSHIP MATCHES -
Thanks to Rhett Bartlett, missing scores from 2 games added: 1903 Richmond vs Fitzroy and 1906 Richmond vs Melbourne.
GRAND FINAL SPRINT -
Thanks to Jeff Lawton, Essendon's Shane Heard has been identified as the 3rd-place finisher in the 1979 Grand Final Sprint.
VFA-VFL LISTON TROPHY -
Sam Mitchell's retrospective 2012 Bownlow Medal means he joins Barry Round and Des Fothergill as the only players to win a Brownlow and the VFA-VFL best & fairest.
MISSING INFO -
Thanks to Rob Harris and Andrew Jenkins, the VFA's leading goalkicker of 1881 finally has a first name! Eddy Brookes... come on down.
MYTHS & ERRORS -
Details of how a typo in The Age has now become Port Melbourne's official final score for the 1947 VFA Grand Final.
FOOTY HISTORY IN THE NEWS -
Two new articles added: The Cat of Two Names and The Drought Breakers: 1961 Champions
VFA CENTENARY CUP -
Missing match report for the 1977 2nd semi-final added and venue confirmed as Lake Oval (some online sources stated the match was played at Toorak Park, Prahran) - my thanks to Andrew Robinson for this information.
AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL'S FORGOTTEN PAST
What is HardBallGet.net all about?
INTERSTATE AND REPRESENTATIVE FOOTBALL
This was the biggest stage for champions like Skilton, Murray and Flower whose clubs rarely played finals football, yet today the growth of the AFL has seen this part of the game turned into an afterthought. It's time to remember these contests before they disappear from our collective memory.
THE STATE LEAGUES - SANFL, WAFL, VFA, etc.
An in-depth look at the historical records of the various State Leagues that were arch-rivals of the VFL before the formation of the AFL turned them into development competitions for the national league.
VFL-AFL HISTORY
Exploring all those little known facts that are not covered in the AFL's annual statistical guide - but should be.
MYTHBUSTING
Identifying and correcting the errors and myths that have quietly developed into football "fact".
BUT WHY DOES ALL OF THIS MATTER?
The focus in Australian football, understandably, is on today and tomorrow. Players, coaches, recruiters - none of them can rest on what they have achieved in the past. When a season ends the classic matches, the "unforgettable" marks and goals, the champion players who retire are all consigned to the past as we look to the future.
Some players and their deeds will live on via stories and images, others - like the Victorian team of 1902 shown at the top of this page - will fade from view.
Unfortunately, this obsession with new action has meant that many significant achievements in Australian football have been recorded inaccurately or completely overlooked. Mistakes went unchecked; memories and vague recollections were allowed to become historical facts.
As a result, much of the information found today in print and online is fragmented, twisted or missing key details to the point where anyone seeking a complete picture of what happened over the past 150-plus years is often left with a jigsaw that seemingly cannot be solved.
John Devaney's former website (fullpointsfooty) made massive in-roads into righting this wrong; focusing heavily on player biographies, club histories and the non-first class leagues of Australia.
www.HardBallGet.net aims to continue that work by providing the history and statistics you won't find anywhere else - complete, correct and all in one place - so we have a reference point to work from as we look to the future.
INTERSTATE AND REPRESENTATIVE FOOTBALL
This was the biggest stage for champions like Skilton, Murray and Flower whose clubs rarely played finals football, yet today the growth of the AFL has seen this part of the game turned into an afterthought. It's time to remember these contests before they disappear from our collective memory.
THE STATE LEAGUES - SANFL, WAFL, VFA, etc.
An in-depth look at the historical records of the various State Leagues that were arch-rivals of the VFL before the formation of the AFL turned them into development competitions for the national league.
VFL-AFL HISTORY
Exploring all those little known facts that are not covered in the AFL's annual statistical guide - but should be.
MYTHBUSTING
Identifying and correcting the errors and myths that have quietly developed into football "fact".
BUT WHY DOES ALL OF THIS MATTER?
The focus in Australian football, understandably, is on today and tomorrow. Players, coaches, recruiters - none of them can rest on what they have achieved in the past. When a season ends the classic matches, the "unforgettable" marks and goals, the champion players who retire are all consigned to the past as we look to the future.
Some players and their deeds will live on via stories and images, others - like the Victorian team of 1902 shown at the top of this page - will fade from view.
Unfortunately, this obsession with new action has meant that many significant achievements in Australian football have been recorded inaccurately or completely overlooked. Mistakes went unchecked; memories and vague recollections were allowed to become historical facts.
As a result, much of the information found today in print and online is fragmented, twisted or missing key details to the point where anyone seeking a complete picture of what happened over the past 150-plus years is often left with a jigsaw that seemingly cannot be solved.
John Devaney's former website (fullpointsfooty) made massive in-roads into righting this wrong; focusing heavily on player biographies, club histories and the non-first class leagues of Australia.
www.HardBallGet.net aims to continue that work by providing the history and statistics you won't find anywhere else - complete, correct and all in one place - so we have a reference point to work from as we look to the future.
