1979 AFC ESCORT CHAMPIONSHIPS

In June 1978 the VFL announced their plans to form a new company (Australian Football Championships) to oversee a night series that would be broadcast nationally and include teams from South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT, plus the Victorian Country champions.

Crucially, the series would be bankrolled by W.D. & H.O. Wills who until that time had been sponsoring the NFL's rival competition.

VFL President, Allen Aylett stated "no doubt the VFL is in a better position to run a night competition than the NFL" but he denied the new company would be an opponent of the NFL series, describing it instead as an "alternative". Aylett added that people would have the choice whether to come into the structure. [Canberra Times, 28 & 29-6-1978]

Never a dull moment at VFL Park!

And join the new structure they did. Australian Football Championships Pty. Ltd. was incorporated on July 28, 1978 and by October the WAFL, TANFL, NSWAFL and ACTAFL had all accepted a shareholding in the AFC and transferred from the NFL series to the AFC's VFL-dominated competition. This left the NFL with only the support of the SANFL, QAFL and the VFA, and no guarantees from W.D. & H.O. Wills of future sponsorship beyond the 1979 series.

The NFL pushed on with a reduced series that consisted of the 10 SANFL teams plus the VFA and QAFL Grand Finalists. However, the battle had been lost and in late-April 1979 ATV-0 announced they would no longer broadcast NFL matches into Melbourne due to plunging ratings.

In May 1979 the NFL, the SANFL and the AFC held a summit which resulted in the NFL agreeing to end their series and the SANFL formally announcing they would move to the AFC competition in 1980. The QAFL soon followed suit but the VFA were not welcome in the new VFL-dominated competition and were once again forced off the national stage.

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TOURNAMENT FORMAT

The competition expanded from 13 to 23 teams in 1979 (all 12 VFL clubs, all 8 WAFL clubs + Tasmania, N.S.W. and the A.C.T.) so a qualifying round was added to the draw. Clubs were ranked based on their ladder position in their respective competitions the previous year.

ROUND 1 (QUALIFYING)

Winning teams (indicated below in bold) advanced to the main draw, losing teams were eliminated.

VFL
Teams that finished 6th-12th in 1978 - St Kilda (6th) / Richmond (7th) / Sth Melb. (8th) / Fitzroy (9th) / Essendon (10th) / Footscray (11th) / Melbourne (12th)
WAFL
Teams that finished 4th-8th in 1978 - West Perth (4th) / Claremont (5th) / East Fremantle (6th) / Subiaco (7th) / Swan Districts (8th)
STATE TEAMS
States ranked 2nd and 3rd - Tasmania / New South Wales

ROUND 2 (MAIN DRAW)

The top VFL and WAFL teams were joined by the top state side, plus the surviving teams from qualifying.
Winning teams (indicated below in bold) advanced to the quarter finals, losing teams were eliminated.

VFL
Teams that finished 1st-5th in 1978 - Hawthorn (1st) / North Melbourne (2nd) / Collingwood (3rd) / Carlton (4th) / Geelong (5th)
+ five qualifiers - Richmond (7th) / South Melbourne (8th) / Fitzroy (9th) / Essendon (10th) / Footscray (11th)

WAFL
Teams that finished 1st-3rd in 1978 - East Perth (1st) / Perth (2nd) / South Fremantle (3rd)
+ two qualifiers - Claremont (5th) / East Fremantle (6th)

STATE TEAMS
The top-ranked State - A.C.T.

QUARTER FINALS / SEMI FINALS / GRAND FINAL

Straight knockout format: all winners advanced and losing teams were eliminated.
East Perth, the reigning WAFL premiers, became the first non-VFL team to reach the semi-finals.

Hawthorn captain Don Scott in action during the 1979 Escort Championships final (AFL Photos)

ROUND 1 (QUALIFYING)
DATE	TEAMS	1/4	1/2	3/4	FINAL	MARGIN	VENUE	DAY/TIME	CROWD
Mar-02	South Melbourne	3.4 (22)	6.7 (43)	10.11 (71)	13.16 (94)	39	VFL Park, Waverley	Fri (8:40pm)	6,815
	West Perth	1.4 (10)	2.4 (16)	5.10 (40)	7.13 (55)
Mar-04	Essendon	3.0 (18)	4.6 (30)	15.11 (101)	21.14 (140)	18	Perth Oval	Sun (D)	-
	Swan Districts	4.3 (27)	9.7 (61)	14.9 (93)	18.14 (122)
Mar-09	Richmond	2.3 (15)	8.4 (52)	16.8 (104)	22.18 (150)	84	VFL Park, Waverley	Fri (8:40pm)	5,808
	Subiaco	3.4 (22)	5.5 (35)	6.8 (44)	9.12 (66)
Mar-11	Fitzroy	2.2 (14)	6.3 (39)	14.5 (89)	20.13 (133)	56	Sydney Showground	Sun (D)	-
	New South Wales	5.1 (31)	8.2 (50)	9.7 (61)	11.11 (77)
Mar-16	East Fremantle	1.3 (9)	2.8 (20)	7.14 (56)	16.18 (114)	32	VFL Park, Waverley	Fri (8:40pm)	4,894
	St Kilda	1.2 (8)	3.5 (23)	10.7 (67)	12.10 (82)
Mar-18	Footscray	2.4 (16)	8.4 (52)	12.7 (79)	19.11 (125)	65	North Hobart Oval	Sun (D)	7,243
	Tasmania	1.2 (8)	3.3 (21)	7.4 (46)	9.6 (60)
Mar-25	Claremont	6.3 (39)	9.5 (59)	13.6 (84)	17.9 (111)	15	Leederville Oval, Perth	Sun (D)	-
	Melbourne	3.0 (18)	5.0 (30)	11.5 (71)	15.6 (96)
ROUND 2 (MAIN DRAW)
DATE	TEAMS	1/4	1/2	3/4	FINAL	MARGIN	VENUE	DAY/TIME	CROWD
Mar-23	South Melbourne	3.4 (22)	4.5 (29)	9.10 (64)	16.13 (109)	48	VFL Park, Waverley	Fri (8:40pm)	3,000
	South Fremantle	2.2 (14)	2.8 (20)	5.9 (39)	8.13 (61)
Mar-25	North Melbourne	5.8 (38)	9.13 (67)	18.18 (126)	24.18 (162)	110	Phillip Oval, Canberra	Sun (D)	8,300
	A.C.T.	1.2 (8)	3.2 (20)	3.4 (22)	7.10 (52)
Mar-27	Collingwood	1.2 (8)	4.9 (33)	9.10 (64)	12.17 (89)	42	VFL Park, Waverley	Tue (8:40pm)	8,813
	Essendon	1.3 (9)	1.3 (9)	5.8 (38)	6.11 (47)
Apr-03	Geelong	2.4 (16)	4.6 (30)	8.11 (59)	10.17 (77)	26	VFL Park, Waverley	Tue (8:40pm)	4,885
	Richmond	2.3 (15)	3.4 (22)	5.11 (41)	6.15 (51)
Apr-10	Fitzroy	4.0 (24)	6.2 (38)	10.7 (67)	12.18 (90)	12	VFL Park, Waverley	Tue (8:40pm)	5,160
	Carlton	3.2 (20)	6.5 (41)	7.8 (50)	11.12 (78)
Apr-24	East Perth	3.3 (21)	4.4 (28)	7.7 (49)	9.9 (63)	4	VFL Park, Waverley	Tue (8:40pm)	4,338
	Footscray	1.2 (8)	6.6 (42)	8.8 (56)	8.11 (59)
May-01	Perth	2.2 (14)	2.4 (16)	7.7 (49)	13.11 (89)	14	Subiaco Oval, Perth	Tue (D)	3,000
	East Fremantle	1.2 (8)	5.3 (33)	7.5 (47)	11.9 (75)
May-01	Hawthorn	1.4 (10)	7.6 (48)	11.13 (79)	16.18 (114)	21	VFL Park, Waverley	Tue (8:40pm)	3,730
	Claremont	3.3 (21)	5.4 (34)	10.6 (66)	14.9 (93)
QUARTER FINALS
DATE	TEAMS	1/4	1/2	3/4	FINAL	MARGIN	VENUE	DAY/TIME	CROWD
May-08	Collingwood	0.4 (4)	5.5 (35)	10.8 (68)	15.12 (102)	51	VFL Park, Waverley	Tue (8:40pm)	6,796
	South Melbourne	2.3 (15)	3.5 (23)	4.8 (32)	7.9 (51)
May-15	Fitzroy	2.3 (15)	5.4 (34)	6.4 (40)	9.6 (60)	5	VFL Park, Waverley	Tue (8:40pm)	7,119
	Geelong	4.1 (25)	5.3 (33)	6.8 (44)	7.13 (55)
May-22	East Perth	1.2 (8)	5.2 (32)	8.6 (54)	13.9 (87)	20	VFL Park, Waverley	Tue (8:40pm)	2,583
	Perth	2.0 (12)	4.0 (24)	7.1 (43)	11.1 (67)
May-29	Hawthorn	2.1 (13)	4.4 (28)	4.7 (31)	7.10 (52)	2	VFL Park, Waverley	Tue (8:40pm)	7,456
	North Melbourne	2.1 (13)	2.3 (15)	4.9 (33)	6.14 (50)
SEMI FINALS
DATE	TEAMS	1/4	1/2	3/4	FINAL	MARGIN	VENUE	DAY/TIME	CROWD
Jun-05	Collingwood	4.1 (25)	10.6 (66)	12.9 (81)	17.14 (116)	67	VFL Park, Waverley	Tue (8:40pm)	12,389
	Fitzroy	1.4 (10)	1.7 (13)	3.14 (32)	5.19 (49)
Jun-19	Hawthorn	1.3 (9)	4.4 (28)	7.7 (49)	9.13 (67)	36	VFL Park, Waverley	Tue (8:40pm)	4,073
	East Perth	1.1 (7)	3.3 (21)	3.4 (22)	4.7 (31)
GRAND FINAL
DATE	TEAMS	1/4	1/2	3/4	FINAL	MARGIN	VENUE	DAY/TIME	CROWD
Jul-03	Collingwood	2.1 (13)	5.1 (31)	9.7 (61)	12.8 (80)	28	VFL Park, Waverley	Tue (8:40pm)	37,753
	Hawthorn	3.4 (22)	4.7 (31)	6.8 (44)	7.10 (52)
FIXTURE NOTES
Apr-17	No night series match due to the Easter split-round in the VFL premiership competition
Jun-12	2SF moved to 19th because Hawthorn played a premiership match Sunday, June 10 - two days before their scheduled night match
Jun-19	Originally a week-off in the Night Series due to the Queen's Birthday split-round of the VFL premiership
Jun-26	Original date for the Grand Final (played on July 3rd instead due to the 2nd semi-final postponement)

 

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NOTABLE EVENTS

The VFL Park sprinklers come to Hawthorn's rescue in their second round match against Claremont (AFL Record 1995 pre-season edition)

*Swans coachless - due to a bizarre series of events South Melbourne started the day of their opening match in the 1979 night series without a senior coach. Ian Stewart had led the Swans in 1976-77 then moved to Carlton on a deal that "promised South a favour". He later quit the Blues after three games of the 1978 season and spent the year in exile. Des Tuddenham had replaced Stewart as the Swans' senior coach in 1978, signing a three-year contract, but was dumped at season's end after an unsuccessful first year in charge.

During the off-season South Melbourne announced that Stewart would return as their senior coach in 1979 but Tuddenham refused to accept his dismissal and attended most of the Swans' summer training sessions... all run by Stewart! Adding to the mess, Stewart still remained tied contractually to Carlton. South Melbourne finally called in the 'favour' owed to them by Carlton and the Blues cleared Stewart back to South on the day of the match for a minor transfer fee. [The Age 2-3-1979]


*Road warriors - travelling interstate to play is a weekly occurrence in today's AFL national competition, but in 1979 this was a foreign concept for Australia's elite football teams. Five VFL clubs hit the road during the 1979 series: Essendon and Melbourne travelled to Perth, Fitzroy to Sydney, Footscray to Hobart and North Melbourne to Canberra; with Melbourne the only one to suffer defeat.

Seven WAFL clubs made the long trek to Waverley (East Perth actually travelled to Melbourne three times during the series!) and two were successful: East Fremantle surprising St Kilda by 32 points and East Perth escaping with a 4-point win over Footscray. In a bizarre twist, two Western Australian teams also faced-off at Waverley during the 1979 series (see below).


*On neutral ground - the WAFL requested that the East Perth vs Perth quarter final be transferred to Western Australia but the game could not be moved due to television and sponsor commitments. The match went ahead at Waverley Park in front of just 2,583 spectators and was the first Night Series/Pre-Season Cup match to be played in neutral territory.


*Bombers win a scorcher - the Swan Districts-Essendon match at Perth Oval on March 4th was played in sweltering heat; the temperature at opening bounce was 37 degrees and reached 38 degrees during the last quarter. Essendon survived the 39-goal shootout by 18 points then headed back to Melbourne to cool down.


*Bulldogs ahead of the trend - Footscray became the first team in VFL-AFL history to wear a special night series/pre-season jumper (see image below left). They followed-up in 1980 with another new design but it was not until 1995 that this became a trend, with Footscray again leading the way; this time joined by Fitzroy, Hawthorn and North Melbourne in unveiling new pre-season uniforms.


*Morrison's big day out - Ian Morrison had never been known as a goalkicker, with the Footscray ruck-rover averaging less than a goal a game since debuting in 1973. However, in the Bulldogs' opening round match of the 1979 series he had a day to remember, bagging 8 goals against Tasmania. Morrison never repeated this effort at VFL-level but later became a reliable goalkicker in the VFA. Sandringham played him at full-forward and in their 1985 premiership season he was the VFA's leading goalkicker with 108 goals.


*AFC clash jumper makes an early debut - due to many VFL and WAFL clubs wearing similar jumpers the AFC realised that a clash jumper would be required at some stage in their national competition. Previously, such clashes had been confined to just two matches between Richmond (VFL) and Glenelg (SANFL) who both wore black jumpers with a gold sash. At the 1973 Champions of Australia tournament Glenelg had been forced to wear a gold jumper and in the 1976 NFL Wills Cup Richmond lost the coin-toss and donned a gold jumper with red stripes. 

It did not take long for the AFC's new clash jumper to appear. The second round of the 1979 Night Series saw South Melbourne (VFL) scheduled to play South Fremantle (WAFL). Both teams wore identical jumpers - white with a red V - so a coin-toss was held and South Melbourne lost the toss, taking to the field in the AFC's clash uniform of orange jumpers and socks (see image below right).


*Ebert doesn't miss a beat - for over a decade South Australian champion Russell Ebert had resisted overtures from VFL clubs to head east. In 1979 the then 29-year-old gun made the move, transferring to North Melbourne for a season. In North's opening match of the 1979 night series against the A.C.T., Ebert racked-up 20 kicks and 16 handballs in his first official outing for his new VFL club. He would go on to play 25 games for the Kangaroos that season before heading back to Port Adelaide for another six highly-successful seasons, which included the 1980 Magarey Medal and premierships in 1980-81.


*North Melbourne's record win - the Kangaroos' series-opener against the A.C.T. was notable for more than Russell Ebert's VFL debut; North's 110-point victory smashed the record for the greatest winning margin in Night Series/Pre-Season Cup history, surpassing Fitzroy's 85-point win over Richmond in the 1959 series.


*The sprinkler game - one of the most infamous moments in night series history occurred during the Hawthorn-Claremont match on May 1st. After a tight first half, Hawthorn had gained the upper-hand in the third quarter and built a comfortable lead. Claremont stormed back to within 2 points of the Hawks in the final quarter and had all the momentum when VFL Park's pop-up sprinkler system activated, bringing the match to a sudden halt. When play resumed the Hawks regained their composure, pulling away for a 21-point win with Hawthorn coach David Parkin later admitting the sprinklers had come to his side's rescue. [The Age 2-5-1979]


*Magpies break their drought - the 1979 Escort Championships title was the Magpies' first senior flag since winning the 1958 VFL Grand Final and during that 21 season period they had lost five grand finals. At the time of the 1979 night final Collingwood were 5th and Hawthorn 7th on the VFL ladder; Collingwood would later fall 5 points short of winning the night and day double, losing the VFL Grand Final in a thriller, while Hawthorn missed the finals for the first time since 1973.


*Leading goalkicker of the series - Collingwood's Craig Davis led all scorers with 11 goals from 4 games.


*Crowd record broken - the 1979 night Grand Final set a new record for the largest crowd to attend a night series match. The attendance of 37,753 fans just surpassed the old mark set in 1965 when 37,750 people jammed into Lake Oval for the final between North Melbourne and Carlton.

Footscray's new Night Series jumper worn throughout the 1979 series (left) and the AFC clash jumper worn by South Melbourne against South Fremantle (right) - images supplied by Rob Meredith/www.footyjumpers.com

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MATCH REPORTS

Listed below are match reports for all 22 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 Age and The Sun News Pictorial newspapers.

ROUND 1

Match 1 - Friday, March 2

SOUTH MELBOURNE

3.4 (22)

6.7 (43)

10.11 (71)

13.16 (94)

WEST PERTH

1.4 (10)

2.4 (16)

5.10 (40)

7.13 (55)

BEST PLAYERS:

South Melbourne

Teasdale, Round, Quade, McLeish, Hounsell, Fields

West Perth

Fong, Ellen, Moir, Menaglio, Washfold, Taylor

GOALKICKERS:

South Melbourne

Murphy 2, Quade 2, Fields 2, Thompson, Hounsell, Evans, Teasdale, Carter, Smith, Morrison

West Perth

Fong 2, McEvoy, Hendriks, Watling, Trunster, Bewick

UMPIRES:

Rees, Bulluss

CROWD:

6,815

SOURCE:

AGE/AFL statistical records/Every Game Ever Played

NOTES:

Official AFL stats and the Every Game Ever Played book have South's final score as 13.16 (94)

The Age match report (3-3-1979) has 13.15 (93)

Match 2 - Sunday, March 4

ESSENDON

3.0 (18)

4.6 (30)

15.11 (101)

21.14 (140)

SWAN DISTRICTS

4.3 (27)

9.7 (61)

14.9 (93)

18.14 (122)

BEST PLAYERS:

Essendon

Crow, Madden, Bennett, Day, Reid, Mansfield

Swan Districts

Parker, Chidlow, Nowotny, Richardson, Narkle, Boucher

GOALKICKERS:

Essendon

T. Daniher 4, Day 4, Mansfield 4, Madden 2, Davis 2, Heard 2, Primmer, Van der Haar, Foulds

Swan Districts

Parker 3, Beasley 3, Richardson 3, P. Narkle 2, Fitzgerald 2, Chidlow, Frost, Casey, Nowotny, Olsen

UMPIRES:

Buckley, Phillips

CROWD:

unknown

SOURCE:

West Australian

NOTES:

The temperature at opening bounce was 37 degrees and reached 38 degrees during the last quarter.

Match 3 - Friday, March 9

RICHMOND

2.3 (15)

8.4 (52)

16.8 (104)

22.18 (150)

SUBIACO

3.4 (22)

5.5 (35)

6.8 (44)

9.12 (66)

BEST PLAYERS:

Richmond

Raines, Roach, Cloke, Monteath, Tempany, Lee, Dunne

Subiaco

Marshall, Dobson, Hamilton, Randall, Douge, Brown

GOALKICKERS:

Richmond

Roach 4, Dunne 3, Bartlett 3, Cloke 3, Raines 3, Wiley 2, Berry, Monteath, Lee, Freame

Subiaco

Marshall 5, Dobson 2, Hamilton, Randall

UMPIRES:

Deller, Nash

CROWD:

5,808

SOURCE:

AGE

NOTES:

-

Match 4 - Sunday. March 11

FITZROY

2.2 (14)

6.3 (39)

14.5 (89)

20.13 (133)

NEW SOUTH WALES

5.1 (31)

8.2 (50)

9.7 (61)

11.11 (77)

BEST PLAYERS:

Fitzroy

Beecroft, McMahon, Alexander

New South Wales

Pendrick, Newton, Quade

GOALKICKERS:

Fitzroy

Beecroft 6, Wilson 3, McMahon 2, Walls 2, Irwin 2, Quinlan 2, Richardson, Conlan, Allan

New South Wales

Pendrick 6, O’Connor, Pesper, Coburn, Quade, Anderson

UMPIRES:

K. Smith (VFL), Phil Hayes (NSWAFL)

CROWD:

unknown

SOURCE:

AGE/SMH

NOTES:

The majority of NSW’s team were selected from the Riverina FL rather than the Sydney-based NSWAFL.

Match 5 - Friday, March 16

EAST FREMANTLE

1.3 (9)

2.8 (20)

7.14 (56)

16.18 (114)

ST KILDA

1.2 (8)

3.5 (23)

10.7 (67)

12.10 (82)

BEST PLAYERS:

East Fremantle

Peake, Sewell, Buhagiar, Sims, Cormack, Carter

St Kilda

Williams, Cunningham, Lofts, McDonald, Duperouzel

GOALKICKERS:

East Fremantle

Peake 3, Cormack 3, Carter 2, Sewell 2, Taylor, LeCras, Lester-Smith, Buhagiar, Smith, Purser

St Kilda

Williams 3, McDonald 3, O’Keefe 3, Lofts 2, Duperouzel

UMPIRES:

James, K. Smith

CROWD:

4,894

SOURCE:

AGE

NOTES:

-

Match 6 - Sunday, March 18

FOOTSCRAY

2.4 (16)

8.4 (52)

12.7 (79)

19.11 (125)

TASMANIA

1.2 (8)

3.3 (21)

7.4 (46)

9.6 (60)

BEST PLAYERS:

Footscray

Morrison, Jennings, Foreman, Low, Hampshire, Edmond, Loveless

Tasmania

Williams, Bremner, Robertson, Theodore, Lee, Thompson, Dykes

GOALKICKERS:

Footscray

Morrison 8, Foreman 3, Jennings 3, Loveless 2, Stoneham, Dunstan, Low

Tasmania

Hudson 4, Theodore 3, Robertson, Dickson

UMPIRES:

Manson (TFL), Deller (VFL)

CROWD:

7,243

SOURCE:

Mercury

NOTES:

Footscray unveiled an alternative jumper which they wore throughout the 1979 Night Series.

Match 9 - Sunday, March 25

CLAREMONT

6.3 (39)

9.5 (59)

13.6 (84)

17.9 (111)

MELBOURNE

3.0 (18)

5.0 (30)

11.5 (71)

15.6 (96)

BEST PLAYERS:

Claremont

J. Krakouer, Trew, Hunter, Ditchburn, Uncle, Rawlinson

Melbourne

Wells, Flower, Wingate, Gaunt, Byrne, Ditterich

GOALKICKERS:

Claremont

Uncle 6, Ditchburn 3, J. Krakouer 3, P. Krakouer 2, Morton, Annear, Craig

Melbourne

Wells 5, Biffin 3, Byrne 2, Wingate 2, Durnan, Coles, Ditterich

UMPIRES:

Capes, Powell

CROWD:

unknown

SOURCE:

West Australian

NOTES:

-

ROUND 2

Match 7 - Friday, March 23

SOUTH MELBOURNE

3.4 (22)

4.5 (29)

9.10 (64)

16.13 (109)

SOUTH FREMANTLE

2.2 (14)

2.8 (20)

5.9 (39)

8.13 (61)

BEST PLAYERS:

South Melbourne

Browning, Jackson, Teasdale, James, O’Neill

South Fremantle

Outhwaite, Peoples, Rioli, Vigona, Carter, Moylan

GOALKICKERS:

South Melbourne

Morwood 3, James 3, Browning 3, Round 2, Cumming, Wright, Fields, Evans, Thompson

South Fremantle

Carter 2, Jackson 2, Vigona, Bauskis, Mountain, Barrett

UMPIRES:

Marcy, Chapman

CROWD:

3000

SOURCE:

AGE

NOTES:

Due to near-identical jumpers a coin toss was held. South Melbourne lost the toss and wore an orange clash jumper and black shorts

Match 8 - Sunday, March 25

NORTH MELBOURNE

5.8 (38)

9.13 (67)

18.18 (126)

24.18 (162)

A.C.T.

1.2 (8)

3.2 (20)

3.4 (22)

7.10 (52)

BEST PLAYERS:

North Melbourne

Byrne, Ebert, Blight, Melrose, Cassin, Bryant

A.C.T.

Widera, A. Smith, K. Miller, J. Miller, Blackaby

GOALKICKERS:

North Melbourne

Blight 5, Dempsey 3, Crosswell 3, Cassin 2, Sutton 2, Briedis 2, Huppatz 2, Melrose 2, Byrne 2, Ebert

A.C.T.

Grandin 3, Widera 2, K. Miller, Taylor

UMPIRES:

unknown

CROWD:

8,300

SOURCE:

AGE

NOTES:

South Australian champion Russell Ebert, aged 29, had 20 kicks and 16 handballs in his VFL debut.

North Melbourne's 110-point victory was a new record winning margin in Night Series/Pre-Season Cup matches.

Match 10, Tuesday, March 27

COLLINGWOOD

1.2 (8)

4.9 (33)

9.10 (64)

12.17 (89)

ESSENDON

1.3 (9)

1.3 (9)

5.8 (38)

6.11 (47)

BEST PLAYERS:

Collingwood

R. Shaw, Carlson, Wearmouth, Anderson, Picken, Morris, Ireland

Essendon

Davis, T. Daniher, Keenan, Madden, Bennett

GOALKICKERS:

Collingwood

Oborne 3, Valli 2, Austen 2, Carlson 2, Roach, Davis, Anderson

Essendon

Davis 3, T. Daniher 2, Bennett

UMPIRES:

Sutcliffe, Sawers

CROWD:

8,813

SOURCE:

AGE

NOTES:

-

Match 11, Tuesday, April 3

GEELONG

2.4 (16)

4.6 (30)

8.11 (59)

10.17 (77)

RICHMOND

2.3 (15)

3.4 (22)

5.11 (41)

6.15 (51)

BEST PLAYERS:

Geelong

Sarah, Jeffreys, Turner, Neal, Preston, Middlemiss

Richmond

Jess, Monteath, Cloke, Mount, Lee

GOALKICKERS:

Geelong

Sarah 4, Donohue 2, Bright 2, Middlemiss, Blake

Richmond

Mount 3, Cloke, Davidson, Dunne

UMPIRES:

Morgan, Quinn

CROWD:

4,885

SOURCE:

AGE

NOTES:

-

Match 12, Tuesday, April 10

FITZROY

4.0 (24)

6.2 (38)

10.7 (67)

12.18 (90)

CARLTON

3.2 (20)

6.5 (41)

7.8 (50)

11.12 (78)

BEST PLAYERS:

Fitzroy

McCarthy, Irwin, Alexander, Poynton, Conlan, McMahon

Carlton

Sheldon, Collins, Heath, Harmes, Southby

GOALKICKERS:

Fitzroy

Conlan 3, Johnston 3, Alexander 2, Richardson, P. Brown, McCarthy, Poynton

Carlton

Doull 3, W. Jones 2, Sheldon 2, Armstrong 2, Keogh, Francis

UMPIRES:

Moss, Polites

CROWD:

5,160

SOURCE:

AGE

NOTES:

-

Match 13, Tuesday, April 24

EAST PERTH

3.3 (21)

4.4 (28)

7.7 (49)

9.9 (63)

FOOTSCRAY

1.2 (8)

6.6 (42)

8.8 (56)

8.11 (59)

BEST PLAYERS:

East Perth

Spencer, Cable, Robertson, Earnshaw, Otway, Miller

Footscray

Cowton, Hampshire, Wilson, Power, Wheeler, Hoffman

GOALKICKERS:

East Perth

Spencer 3, Cable 2, Miller, Robertson, Jamieson, Webster

Footscray

Cowton 2, Hampshire, Hawkins, Wheeler, Hoffman, Wilson, Templeton

UMPIRES:

James, Marcy

CROWD:

4,338

SOURCE:

AGE

NOTES:

Footscray led by 26 points early in the third quarter before being overrun.

Match 14, Tuesday, May 1

PERTH

2.2 (14)

2.4 (16)

7.7 (49)

13.11 (89)

EAST FREMANTLE

1.2 (8)

5.3 (33)

7.5 (47)

11.9 (75)

BEST PLAYERS:

Perth

Kimberley, W. Simms, Hargrave, Turner, Fotheringham, Cook

East Fremantle

Buhagiar, Needle, D. Green, S. Green, Brenton, Miller

GOALKICKERS:

Perth

Couper 4, Bosustow 3, W. Simms 3, Kimberley, Hargrave, Coleman

East Fremantle

Buhagiar 3, Taylor 2, Judge 2, Purser, Simms, Green, Sewell

UMPIRES:

unknown

CROWD:

3000

SOURCE:

West Australian/Westside Football

NOTES:

-

Match 15, Tuesday, May 1

HAWTHORN

1.4 (10)

7.6 (48)

11.13 (79)

16.18 (114)

CLAREMONT

3.3 (21)

5.4 (34)

10.6 (66)

14.9 (93)

BEST PLAYERS:

Hawthorn

Murnane, Matthews, O’Halloran, Tuck, Eade

Claremont

J. Krakouer, Moss, Ditchburn, Vickers-Willis

GOALKICKERS:

Hawthorn

Matthews 3, Hendrie 3, Murnane 2, Paton 2, O’Halloran 2, Eade, Scott, Goad, Tuck

Claremont

Ditchburn 4, J. Krakouer 4, Moss 2, Vickers-Willis 2, P. Krakouer, Craig

UMPIRES:

Dye, Nash

CROWD:

3,730

SOURCE:

AGE

NOTES:

Claremont had stormed back to within 2 points of Hawthorn when the oval’s automatic sprinkler system activated during play.

When the match eventually resumed Hawthorn pulled away to win by 21 points.

QUARTER-FINALS

Match 16, Tuesday, May 8

COLLINGWOOD

0.4 (4)

5.5 (35)

10.8 (68)

15.12 (102)

SOUTH MELBOURNE

2.3 (15)

3.5 (23)

4.8 (32)

7.9 (51)

BEST PLAYERS:

Collingwood

Carlson, R. Shaw, Moore, Daicos, Kink, Woolnough

South Melbourne

Round, M. Wright, Zantuck, Morrison, Hummel

GOALKICKERS:

Collingwood

R. Shaw 4, Davis 3, Carlson 2, Kink 2, Valli, Oborne, Woolnough, Ohlsen

South Melbourne

Hummel 3, Evans 2, Thompson, Zantuck

UMPIRES:

Norris, Robinson

CROWD:

6,796

SOURCE:

AGE

NOTES:

-