NON-PREMIERSHIP MATCHES

1959 VFL NIGHT PREMIERSHIP

RESULTS
ABOUT
TEAMS / FORMAT
EVENTS
MATCH REPORTS
RESULTS

SUMMARY OF RESULTS

Date

Teams

1/4

1/2

3/4

Final

Margin

Venue

Day/Time

Crowd

ROUND 1

Sep-03

South Melbourne (9)

5.2 (32)

8.5 (53)

14.6 (90)

17.10 (112)

20

Lake Oval,

Thu

15,800

North Melbourne (6)

4.1 (25)

4.5 (29)

9.11 (65)

13.14 (92)

South Melbourne

(8:00pm)

Sep-07

St Kilda (8)

2.1 (13)

3.3 (21)

4.6 (30)

4.7 (31)

52

Lake Oval,

Mon

12,400

Hawthorn (7)

5.5 (35)

5.8 (38)

8.13 (61)

11.17 (83)

South Melbourne

(8:00pm)

Sep-10

Geelong (10)

2.2 (14)

6.9 (45)

7.13 (55)

9.16 (70)

5

Lake Oval,

Thu

12,000

Footscray (12)

3.5 (23)

4.6 (30)

5.10 (40)

9.11 (65)

South Melbourne

(8:00pm)

Sep-14

Richmond (11)

1.0 (6)

2.6 (18)

4.9 (33)

6.11 (47)

85

Lake Oval,

Mon

2,600

Fitzroy (5)

3.5 (23)

9.7 (61)

15.11 (101)

19.18 (132)

South Melbourne

(8:00pm)

SEMI FINALS

Sep-17

South Melbourne (9)

5.3 (33)

8.5 (53)

11.9 (75)

13.10 (88)

4

Lake Oval,

Thu

16,100

Hawthorn (7)

4.2 (26)

9.8 (62)

10.11 (71)

13.14 (92)

South Melbourne

(8:00pm)

Sep-21

Geelong vs Fitzroy moved to Sept.22 due to torrential rain

Mon

-

Sep-22

Geelong (10)

0.3 (3)

3.8 (26)

4.11 (35)

6.14 (50)

26

Lake Oval,

Tue

8,100

Fitzroy (5)

1.4 (10)

2.7 (19)

6.11 (47)

10.16 (76)

South Melbourne

(8:00pm)

GRAND FINAL

Sep-28

Hawthorn (7)

0.1 (1)

1.7 (13)

2.9 (21)

4.16 (40)

30

Lake Oval,

Mon

9,300

Fitzroy (5)

6.1 (37)

7.5 (47)

9.10 (64)

10.10 (70)

South Melbourne

(8:00pm)

 

ABOUT

ABOUT THE 1959 SERIES

*Fitzroy's drought-breakers - the 'Roys broke through for their first flag at senior level since winning the 1944 VFL premiership. It was a brief moment of joy for Fitzroy fans who would not taste premiership success again until the 1978 Night Series.

Picture
The Age announces Fitzroy's first senior premiership since the 1944 VFL Grand Final [29-9-1959]

*Dividend sharing - in 1958 all 12 league clubs had received a share of gate receipts from both the Night Series and the VFL Finals, with the clubs playing the most games in each of the respective series receiving the most revenue.

A new dividend-sharing scheme was introduced in 1959 that saw only the competing clubs receive a share of Night Series gate receipts. To offset this (and avoid a repeat of 1956 when the top four received less than the bottom eight), the league also set aside £1000 to be divided equally between the four clubs competing in the VFL finals. [Football Record 3-9-1959]


*Prizemoney - increased from £400 to £500 for the winning team, and from £200 to £250 for the runner-up.
TEAMS / FORMAT

PARTICIPATING TEAMS

The series featured the eight teams that missed the VFL finals series:
5th - Fitzroy
6th - North Melbourne
7th - Hawthorn
8th - St Kilda
9th - South Melbourne
10th - Geelong
11th - Richmond
12th - Footscray
They competed for the K.G. Luke Trophy (valued at £75 and donated by VFL President Kenneth Luke) with the winning team receiving a £500 cash prize (increased from £400), and the runner-up receiving £250 (increased from £200).

SERIES FORMAT

The teams were randomly drawn in the opening round (5 vs 11 / 6 vs 9 / 7 vs 8 / 10 vs 12) with winning teams advancing to the next stage, and losing teams eliminated from the series.

EVENTS

NOTABLE EVENTS

*Stormy weather - the 1959 series was plagued by rain and heavy winds which kept fans away in droves:

  • the Round 1 Fitzroy-Richmond match was played in atrocious weather, drawing a record-low Night Series crowd for this era of just 2,600 people.
  • the Grand Final was played in similar conditions, drawing a crowd of only 9,300 fans; a total that still stands as the lowest-ever Night Series/Pre-Season Grand Final crowd (the second lowest was 15,650 in 1968). 
  • the 1959 series crowds totalled 76,200, down from 107,750 in 1958. This remains the second-lowest total in series history (only surpassed by the 1970 series which attracted 72,732 fans).


*Records Broken - in the midst of such a low scoring era in Australian football, the 1959 series produced Night Series records for the biggest winning margin and for most goals in a match:

  • Fitzroy's 85-point victory in the first round set a record that remained unsurpassed until 1979;
  • North Melbourne's Peter Schofield kicked 10 goals in the series-opener against the Swans (a record for most goals in a Night Series match that would stand until New Year's Eve 1999 when Carlton's Brendan Fevola kicked 12 goals).
MATCH REPORTS

MATCH REPORTS

Listed below are match reports for all 7 games played during the series. This is the first time these reports have been collated and published online or in print. Unless otherwise noted the information was sourced from The Football Record and The Age newspaper.

ROUND 1
SEMI FINALS
G.F. TEAMS
GRAND FINAL
ROUND 1

Match 1 - Thursday, September 3

SOUTH MELBOURNE

5.2 (32)

8.5 (53)

14.6 (90)

17.10 (112)

NORTH MELBOURNE

4.1 (25)

4.5 (29)

9.11 (65)

13.14 (92)

BEST PLAYERS:

South Melbourne

McCormack, Boyd, Landorf, Svenson, McGowan, Skilton

North Melbourne

Schofield, Cooke, K. Dean, O’Brien, Taggart, Poole

GOALKICKERS:

South Melbourne

Skilton 5, McGowan 3, Oaten 3, Power 2, Burke 2, McCormack, Munn

North Melbourne

Schofield 10, Taggert 2, Jenkins

REPLACEMENTS:

South Melbourne

unknown

North Melbourne

unknown

UMPIRE:

Mance

CROWD:

15,800*

SOURCE:

AGE/SUN/Football Record

*CROWD DISCREPANCY:

The Football Record (7-9-1959) has a crowd of 15,000, The Age (4-9-1959) has 15,800.

Series attendance totals published in later editions of the Football Record are based on a crowd of 15,800 for this match.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Match 2 - Monday, September 7

ST KILDA

2.1 (13)

3.3 (21)

4.6 (30)

4.7 (31)

HAWTHORN

5.5 (35)

5.8 (38)

8.13 (61)

11.17 (83)

BEST PLAYERS:

St Kilda

Howell, Guy, W. Stephenson, Jeans, Synman, Morrow

Hawthorn

Hughes, Arthur, Peck, Nalder, Youren, Yeoman

GOALKICKERS:

St Kilda

W. Stephenson 3, Burgess

Hawthorn

Arthur 4, Peck 3, Voigt 2, Nisbett, O’Mahony

REPLACEMENTS:

St Kilda

unknown

Hawthorn

unknown

UMPIRE:

Nash

CROWD:

12,400

SOURCE:

AGE/SUN/Football Record

NOTES:

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Match 3 - Thursday, September 10

GEELONG

2.2 (14)

6.9 (45)

7.13 (55)

9.16 (70)

FOOTSCRAY

3.5 (23)

4.6 (30)

5.10 (40)

9.11 (65)

BEST PLAYERS:

Geelong

Tresize, Long, Goodland, Rice, W. Goggin, McGrath

Footscray

Gardiner, Baxter, Lee, Ion, Spargo, A. Edwards

GOALKICKERS:

Geelong

Long 4, Tresize 2, Goodland, Webb, Yeates

Footscray

Gardiner 3, Baxter 3, Westacott, Devery, Prior

REPLACEMENTS:

Geelong

(none)

Footscray

Westacott replaced Whitten (selected side)

Howard replaced Maloney (third quarter)

UMPIRE:

Woolfe

CROWD:

12,000

SOURCE:

AGE/SUN/Football Record

SCORE DISCREPANCY:

Footscray's 1/2 time score in The Football Record = 4.6 (The Age has 4.8).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Match 4 - Monday, September 14

RICHMOND

1.0 (6)

2.6 (18)

4.9 (33)

6.11 (47)

FITZROY

3.5 (23)

9.7 (61)

15.11 (101)

19.18 (132)

BEST PLAYERS:

Richmond

Dean, Patterson, Rees, O’Toole, Cuzens, Branton

Fitzroy

Aston, Henderson, Furness, Barclay, Slocum, Abrahams

GOALKICKERS:

Richmond

O’Toole 2, Wilson, Allsopp, Langridge, Gardner

Fitzroy

Gotch 5, Slocum 3, Barclay 2, Abrahams 2, Wright 2, Clark 2, Aston 2, Wiegard

REPLACEMENTS:

Richmond

Jacobs replaced Williams (quarter unknown)

Holt replaced Langridge (quarter unknown)

Fitzroy

(none)

UMPIRE:

Barbour

CROWD:

2,600

SOURCE:

AGE/SUN/Football Record

NOTES:

Low crowd due to the match being played on an extremely cold and wet night.

Kevin Murray (Fitzroy) was reported for charging. He was later found guilty but given a reprimand by the tribunal.

 

SEMI FINALS

Match 5 - Thursday, September 17

SOUTH MELBOURNE

5.3 (33)

8.5 (53)

11.9 (75)

13.10 (88)

HAWTHORN

4.2 (26)

9.8 (62)

10.11 (71)

13.14 (92)

BEST PLAYERS:

South Melbourne

Skilton, Heriot, McGowan, Gunn, McCormack, Oaten

Hawthorn

Edwards, Arthur, Peck, Woodley, Wilson, O’Mahony

GOALKICKERS:

South Melbourne

Skilton 4, McGowan 3, Oaten 3, Gunn 2, Taube

Hawthorn

Voigt 4, Peck 3, O’Mahony 3, Arthur 2, Edwards

REPLACEMENTS:

South Melbourne

Bourke replaced Kelton (last quarter)

Dunn replaced Gunn (last quarter)

Hawthorn

(none)

UMPIRE:

Irving

CROWD:

16,100

SOURCE:

AGE/SUN/Football Record

NOTES:

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Match 6 - Tuesday, September 22

GEELONG

0.3 (3)

3.8 (26)

4.11 (35)

6.14 (50)

FITZROY

1.4 (10)

2.7 (19)

6.11 (47)

10.16 (76)

BEST PLAYERS:

Geelong

Long, Tresize, Rice, Yeates, Helmer, Vinar

Fitzroy

Henderson, Gotch, Murray, Furness, Wright, Mackenzie

GOALKICKERS:

Geelong

Helmer 2, Yeates, Webb, Borack, Long

Fitzroy

Gotch 4, Wright 4, Clark, Campbell

REPLACEMENTS:

Geelong

O’Connell replaced Yeates (last quarter)

Fitzroy

Zorzi replaced Pert (selected team)

Pigot replaced Barclay (second quarter)

UMPIRE:

Schwab

CROWD:

8,100

SOURCE:

AGE/SUN/Football Record

NOTES:

Originally scheduled for Sept.21 but postponed due to torrential rain.

 

G.F. TEAMS

HAWTHORN

COACH

Jack Hale

 

BACKS

McVilly

Hughes

Kennedy (C)

HALF-BACKS

Nalder

Kaine

S. Hay

CENTRES

Youren

Edwards

Yeoman

HALF-FORWARDS

Simmonds

McArthur*

O’Mahony

FORWARDS

Peck

Voigt

Wilson

FOLLOWERS

Woodley

Cooper

ROVER

Arthur

 

RESERVES

Fisher

Howells*

EMERGENCIES

P. Hay*, Shelton, M. Young, Nisbett, Northcote

*Howells replaced McArthur in the selected side

(P. Hay was promoted from emergency to reserve)

FITZROY LIONS

COACH

Len Smith

 

BACKS

MacKenzie

Henderson

Ross

HALF-BACKS

Hughson*

Ongarello

Murray

CENTRES

Williams

Furness

Aston

HALF-FORWARDS

Abrahams

Barclay

Campbell

FORWARDS

Clark

Gotch

Wright

FOLLOWERS

Gale (C)

Harvey

ROVER

Slocum

 

RESERVES

Powell*

Bromage

EMERGENCIES

Webb, Zoral, McMaster, Smith, Laver

*Powell replaced Hughson in the starting eighteen

(Hughson was demoted to 19th man and took the field in the final quarter)

 

GRAND FINAL

1959 VFL NIGHT PREMIERSHIP - GRAND FINAL

Match 7 - Monday, September 28

HAWTHORN

0.1 (1)

1.7 (13)

2.9 (21)

4.16 (40)

FITZROY

6.1 (37)

7.5 (47)

9.10 (64)

10.10 (70)

BEST PLAYERS:

Hawthorn

Nalder, Howells, Youren, Arthur, Woodley, McVilly

Fitzroy

Wright, Clark, Aston, Furness, Murray, Ross

GOALKICKERS:

Hawthorn

Fisher, Edwards, McVilly, Youren

Fitzroy

Wright 4, Campbell 2, Slocum 2, Clark, Abrahams

REPLACEMENTS:

Hawthorn

Howells replaced McArthur (selected side) - P.Hay promoted from emergency to 20th man

Fisher replaced ??? (it's unknown when he entered the game as 19th man or who he replaced)

Fitzroy

Powell was promoted into the starting line-up, Hughson was demoted to 19th man

Hughson replaced Slocum (last quarter)

Bromage replaced Gotch (last quarter)

UMPIRE:

Nash

CROWD:

9,300*

SOURCE:

AGE/SUN/Football Record

NOTES:

Like most of the 1959 series the crowd was low due to bad weather. The final was played on what The Age described as a "bitterly cold and wet night".

These teams played a rematch under lights on Oct.10 at Shepparton; Hawthorn winning by 23 points (10.13 to 7.8) in front of 12,000 local fans.

*CROWD DISCREPANCY:

Media reports of the day (and current AFL records) have the crowd for this match as 9,200.
Later editions of the Football Record (1-9-1960 / 26-9-1960 / 2-9-1965 / 25-9-1967 / 4-9-1968 / 28-9-1970) confirm it was actually 9,300

 

Written and researched by David Eastman
First published 15/2/2017
Last updated 11/7/2021