NON-PREMIERSHIP MATCHES
1959 VFL NIGHT PREMIERSHIP
SUMMARY OF RESULTS
Date |
Teams |
1/4 |
1/2 |
3/4 |
Final |
Margin |
Venue |
Day/Time |
Crowd |
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ROUND 1 |
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Sep-03 |
South Melbourne (9) |
5.2 (32) |
8.5 (53) |
14.6 (90) |
17.10 (112) |
20 |
Lake Oval, |
Thu |
15,800 |
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North Melbourne (6) |
4.1 (25) |
4.5 (29) |
9.11 (65) |
13.14 (92) |
South Melbourne |
(8:00pm) |
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Sep-07 |
St Kilda (8) |
2.1 (13) |
3.3 (21) |
4.6 (30) |
4.7 (31) |
52 |
Lake Oval, |
Mon |
12,400 |
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Hawthorn (7) |
5.5 (35) |
5.8 (38) |
8.13 (61) |
11.17 (83) |
South Melbourne |
(8:00pm) |
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Sep-10 |
Geelong (10) |
2.2 (14) |
6.9 (45) |
7.13 (55) |
9.16 (70) |
5 |
Lake Oval, |
Thu |
12,000 |
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Footscray (12) |
3.5 (23) |
4.6 (30) |
5.10 (40) |
9.11 (65) |
South Melbourne |
(8:00pm) |
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Sep-14 |
Richmond (11) |
1.0 (6) |
2.6 (18) |
4.9 (33) |
6.11 (47) |
85 |
Lake Oval, |
Mon |
2,600 |
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Fitzroy (5) |
3.5 (23) |
9.7 (61) |
15.11 (101) |
19.18 (132) |
South Melbourne |
(8:00pm) |
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SEMI FINALS |
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Sep-17 |
South Melbourne (9) |
5.3 (33) |
8.5 (53) |
11.9 (75) |
13.10 (88) |
4 |
Lake Oval, |
Thu |
16,100 |
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Hawthorn (7) |
4.2 (26) |
9.8 (62) |
10.11 (71) |
13.14 (92) |
South Melbourne |
(8:00pm) |
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Sep-21 |
Geelong vs Fitzroy moved to Sept.22
due to torrential rain |
Mon |
- |
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Sep-22 |
Geelong (10) |
0.3 (3) |
3.8 (26) |
4.11 (35) |
6.14 (50) |
26 |
Lake Oval, |
Tue |
8,100 |
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Fitzroy (5) |
1.4 (10) |
2.7 (19) |
6.11 (47) |
10.16 (76) |
South Melbourne |
(8:00pm) |
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GRAND FINAL |
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Sep-28 |
Hawthorn (7) |
0.1 (1) |
1.7 (13) |
2.9 (21) |
4.16 (40) |
30 |
Lake Oval, |
Mon |
9,300 |
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Fitzroy (5) |
6.1 (37) |
7.5 (47) |
9.10 (64) |
10.10 (70) |
South Melbourne |
(8:00pm) |
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ABOUT THE 1959 SERIES
*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.
PARTICIPATING TEAMS
5th - Fitzroy
6th - North Melbourne 7th - Hawthorn 8th - St Kilda 9th - South Melbourne 10th - Geelong 11th - Richmond 12th - Footscray |
SERIES FORMAT
NOTABLE EVENTS
- 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 1 - Thursday, September 3 |
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SOUTH MELBOURNE |
5.2 (32) |
8.5 (53) |
14.6 (90) |
17.10 (112) |
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NORTH MELBOURNE |
4.1 (25) |
4.5 (29) |
9.11 (65) |
13.14 (92) |
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BEST PLAYERS: |
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South Melbourne |
McCormack, Boyd, Landorf, Svenson, McGowan,
Skilton |
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North Melbourne |
Schofield, Cooke, K. Dean, O’Brien, Taggart,
Poole |
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GOALKICKERS: |
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South Melbourne |
Skilton 5, McGowan 3, Oaten 3, Power 2, Burke 2,
McCormack, Munn |
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North Melbourne |
Schofield 10, Taggert 2, Jenkins |
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REPLACEMENTS: |
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South Melbourne |
unknown |
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North Melbourne |
unknown |
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UMPIRE: |
Mance |
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CROWD: |
15,800* |
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SOURCE: |
AGE/SUN/Football Record |
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*CROWD DISCREPANCY: |
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The Football Record (7-9-1959) has a crowd
of 15,000, The Age (4-9-1959) has 15,800. |
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Series attendance totals published in later
editions of the Football Record are based on a crowd of 15,800 for
this match. |
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Match 2 - Monday, September 7 |
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ST KILDA |
2.1 (13) |
3.3 (21) |
4.6 (30) |
4.7 (31) |
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HAWTHORN |
5.5 (35) |
5.8 (38) |
8.13 (61) |
11.17 (83) |
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BEST PLAYERS: |
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St Kilda |
Howell, Guy, W. Stephenson, Jeans, Synman, Morrow |
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Hawthorn |
Hughes, Arthur, Peck, Nalder, Youren,
Yeoman |
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GOALKICKERS: |
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St Kilda |
W. Stephenson 3, Burgess |
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Hawthorn |
Arthur 4, Peck 3, Voigt 2, Nisbett, O’Mahony |
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REPLACEMENTS: |
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St Kilda |
unknown |
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Hawthorn |
unknown |
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UMPIRE: |
Nash |
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CROWD: |
12,400 |
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SOURCE: |
AGE/SUN/Football Record |
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NOTES: |
- |
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Match 3 - Thursday, September 10 |
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GEELONG |
2.2 (14) |
6.9 (45) |
7.13 (55) |
9.16 (70) |
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FOOTSCRAY |
3.5 (23) |
4.6 (30) |
5.10 (40) |
9.11 (65) |
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BEST PLAYERS: |
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Geelong |
Tresize, Long, Goodland, Rice, W. Goggin, McGrath |
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Footscray |
Gardiner, Baxter, Lee, Ion, Spargo, A. Edwards |
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GOALKICKERS: |
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Geelong |
Long 4, Tresize 2,
Goodland, Webb, Yeates |
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Footscray |
Gardiner 3, Baxter 3, Westacott,
Devery, Prior |
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REPLACEMENTS: |
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Geelong |
(none) |
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Footscray |
Westacott replaced Whitten (selected side) |
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Howard replaced Maloney (third quarter) |
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UMPIRE: |
Woolfe |
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CROWD: |
12,000 |
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SOURCE: |
AGE/SUN/Football Record |
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SCORE DISCREPANCY: |
Footscray's 1/2 time score in The
Football Record = 4.6 (The Age has 4.8). |
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Match 4 - Monday, September 14 |
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RICHMOND |
1.0 (6) |
2.6 (18) |
4.9 (33) |
6.11 (47) |
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FITZROY |
3.5 (23) |
9.7 (61) |
15.11 (101) |
19.18 (132) |
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BEST PLAYERS: |
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Richmond |
Dean, Patterson, Rees, O’Toole, Cuzens, Branton |
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Fitzroy |
Aston, Henderson, Furness, Barclay, Slocum,
Abrahams |
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GOALKICKERS: |
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Richmond |
O’Toole 2, Wilson, Allsopp, Langridge, Gardner |
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Fitzroy |
Gotch 5, Slocum 3, Barclay 2, Abrahams 2, Wright
2, Clark 2, Aston 2, Wiegard |
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REPLACEMENTS: |
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Richmond |
Jacobs replaced Williams (quarter unknown) |
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Holt replaced Langridge (quarter unknown) |
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Fitzroy |
(none) |
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UMPIRE: |
Barbour |
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CROWD: |
2,600 |
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SOURCE: |
AGE/SUN/Football Record |
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NOTES: |
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Low crowd due to the match being played on an
extremely cold and wet night. |
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Kevin Murray (Fitzroy) was reported for charging.
He was later found guilty but given a reprimand by the tribunal. |
Match 5 - Thursday, September 17 |
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SOUTH MELBOURNE |
5.3 (33) |
8.5 (53) |
11.9 (75) |
13.10 (88) |
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HAWTHORN |
4.2 (26) |
9.8 (62) |
10.11 (71) |
13.14 (92) |
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BEST PLAYERS: |
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South Melbourne |
Skilton, Heriot, McGowan, Gunn, McCormack, Oaten |
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Hawthorn |
Edwards, Arthur, Peck, Woodley, Wilson, O’Mahony |
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GOALKICKERS: |
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South Melbourne |
Skilton 4, McGowan 3, Oaten 3, Gunn 2, Taube |
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Hawthorn |
Voigt 4, Peck 3, O’Mahony 3, Arthur 2, Edwards |
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REPLACEMENTS: |
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South Melbourne |
Bourke replaced Kelton (last quarter) |
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Dunn replaced Gunn (last quarter) |
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Hawthorn |
(none) |
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UMPIRE: |
Irving |
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CROWD: |
16,100 |
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SOURCE: |
AGE/SUN/Football Record |
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NOTES: |
- |
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Match 6 - Tuesday, September 22 |
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GEELONG |
0.3 (3) |
3.8 (26) |
4.11 (35) |
6.14 (50) |
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FITZROY |
1.4 (10) |
2.7 (19) |
6.11 (47) |
10.16 (76) |
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BEST PLAYERS: |
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Geelong |
Long, Tresize, Rice,
Yeates, Helmer, Vinar |
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Fitzroy |
Henderson, Gotch, Murray, Furness, Wright,
Mackenzie |
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GOALKICKERS: |
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Geelong |
Helmer 2, Yeates, Webb, Borack, Long |
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Fitzroy |
Gotch 4, Wright 4, Clark, Campbell |
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REPLACEMENTS: |
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Geelong |
O’Connell replaced Yeates (last quarter) |
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Fitzroy |
Zorzi replaced Pert (selected team) |
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Pigot replaced Barclay (second quarter) |
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UMPIRE: |
Schwab |
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CROWD: |
8,100 |
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SOURCE: |
AGE/SUN/Football Record |
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NOTES: |
Originally scheduled for Sept.21 but postponed
due to torrential rain. |
HAWTHORN |
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COACH |
Jack Hale |
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BACKS |
McVilly |
Hughes |
Kennedy (C) |
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HALF-BACKS |
Nalder |
Kaine |
S. Hay |
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CENTRES |
Youren |
Edwards |
Yeoman |
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HALF-FORWARDS |
Simmonds |
McArthur* |
O’Mahony |
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FORWARDS |
Peck |
Voigt |
Wilson |
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FOLLOWERS |
Woodley |
Cooper |
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ROVER |
Arthur |
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RESERVES |
Fisher |
Howells* |
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EMERGENCIES |
P. Hay*, Shelton, M. Young, Nisbett, Northcote |
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*Howells replaced McArthur in the selected side |
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(P. Hay was promoted from emergency to reserve) |
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FITZROY LIONS |
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COACH |
Len Smith |
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BACKS |
MacKenzie |
Henderson |
Ross |
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HALF-BACKS |
Hughson* |
Ongarello |
Murray |
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CENTRES |
Williams |
Furness |
Aston |
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HALF-FORWARDS |
Abrahams |
Barclay |
Campbell |
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FORWARDS |
Clark |
Gotch |
Wright |
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FOLLOWERS |
Gale (C) |
Harvey |
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ROVER |
Slocum |
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RESERVES |
Powell* |
Bromage |
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EMERGENCIES |
Webb, Zoral,
McMaster, Smith, Laver |
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*Powell replaced Hughson in the starting eighteen |
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(Hughson was demoted to 19th man and took the field in the final
quarter) |
1959 VFL NIGHT PREMIERSHIP - GRAND FINAL
Match 7 - Monday, September 28 |
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HAWTHORN |
0.1 (1) |
1.7 (13) |
2.9 (21) |
4.16 (40) |
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FITZROY |
6.1 (37) |
7.5 (47) |
9.10 (64) |
10.10 (70) |
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BEST PLAYERS: |
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Hawthorn |
Nalder, Howells, Youren,
Arthur, Woodley, McVilly |
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Fitzroy |
Wright, Clark, Aston, Furness, Murray, Ross |
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GOALKICKERS: |
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Hawthorn |
Fisher, Edwards, McVilly,
Youren |
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Fitzroy |
Wright 4, Campbell 2, Slocum 2, Clark, Abrahams |
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REPLACEMENTS: |
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Hawthorn |
Howells replaced McArthur (selected side) - P.Hay promoted from emergency to
20th man |
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Fisher replaced ??? (it's unknown when he entered the game as
19th man or who he replaced) |
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Fitzroy |
Powell was promoted into the starting line-up, Hughson was demoted to 19th man |
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Hughson replaced Slocum (last quarter) |
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Bromage replaced Gotch (last quarter) |
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UMPIRE: |
Nash |
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CROWD: |
9,300* |
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SOURCE: |
AGE/SUN/Football Record |
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NOTES: |
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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". |
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*CROWD DISCREPANCY: |
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Media reports of the day (and current AFL
records) have the crowd for this match as 9,200. |
Written and researched by David Eastman
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First published 15/2/2017
Last updated 11/7/2021 |