1899 VFL season

Third season of the Victorian Football League (VFL) December 2017 December 2017 1899 Fitzroy fc 1899.jpg 258px 1899 VFL premiership team 13 May – 16 September 1899 8 2 1 Eddy James () 31 69 white 1898 VFL season 1898 white 1900 VFL season 1900 The 1899 VFL season was the third season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest-level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured eight clubs and ran from 13 May to 16 September, comprising a 14-round home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring all eight clubs. won the premiership, defeating by one point in the 1899 VFL grand final; it was Fitzroy's second (consecutive and overall) VFL premiership. Fitzroy also won the minor premiership by finishing atop the home-and-away ladder with an 11–3 win–loss record. 's Eddy James won his second leading goalkicker medal as the league's leading goalkicker. Background In 1899, the VFL competition consisted of eight teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves" (although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their place on the field at any time during the match). Each team played each other twice in a home-and-away season of 14 rounds. Once the 14 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1899 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the 1898 VFL finals system. Home-and-away season Round 1 Round 1 Saturday, 13 May (3:00 pm) 10.13 (73) H 2.6 (18) Lake Oval Saturday, 13 May (3:00 pm) 8.6 (54) H 3.9 (27) Corio Oval Saturday, 13 May (3:00 pm) 6.11 (47) H 0.9 (9) Brunswick Street Oval Saturday, 13 May (3:00 pm) 16.20 (116) H StK 3.5 (23) Melbourne Cricket Ground Round 2 Round 2 Saturday, 20 May (3:00 pm) 1.5 (11) A 5.6 (36) Princes Park Saturday, 20 May (3:00 pm) 4.3 (27) A 7.12 (54) Victoria Park Saturday, 20 May (3:00 pm) StK 3.2 (20) A 8.18 (66) Junction Oval Saturday, 20 May (3:00 pm) 5.8 (38) A 6.6 (42) Lake Oval Round 3 Round 3 Wednesday, 24 May (11:00 am) 13.9 (87) H StK 2.6 (18) Victoria Park Wednesday, 24 May (3:00 pm) 3.1 (19) A 6.9 (45) Princes Park Wednesday, 24 May (3:00 pm) 1.9 (15) H 0.9 (9) East Melbourne Cricket Ground Wednesday, 24 May (3:00 pm) 0.8 (8) A 4.8 (32) Corio Oval Round 4 Round 4 Saturday, 27 May (3:00 pm) 6.12 (48) H 1.3 (9) East Melbourne Cricket Ground Saturday, 27 May (3:00 pm) 3.4 (22) A 3.11 (29) Lake Oval Saturday, 27 May (3:00 pm) 7.14 (56) H StK 5.3 (33) Brunswick Street Oval Saturday, 27 May (3:00 pm) 4.8 (32) H 4.3 (27) Melbourne Cricket Ground Round 5 Round 5 Saturday, 3 June (3:00 pm) 3.3 (21) A 7.10 (52) Princes Park Saturday, 3 June (3:00 pm) 3.10 (28) H 3.6 (24) Corio Oval Saturday, 3 June (3:00 pm) 4.11 (35) H 3.6 (24) Melbourne Cricket Ground Saturday, 3 June (3:00 pm) StK 4.9 (33) A 10.10 (70) Junction Oval Round 6 Round 6 Saturday, 10 June (3:00 pm) StK 4.5 (29) A 4.7 (31) Junction Oval Saturday, 10 June (3:00 pm) 1.7 (13) A 5.5 (35) Victoria Park Saturday, 10 June (3:00 pm) 4.6 (30) H 1.10 (16) East Melbourne Cricket Ground Saturday, 10 June (3:00 pm) 5.5 (35) H 3.1 (19) Lake Oval Round 7 Round 7 Saturday, 17 June (3:00 pm) 5.15 (45) H 1.7 (13) Brunswick Street Oval Saturday, 17 June (3:00 pm) 6.12 (48) H 4.4 (28) Victoria Park Saturday, 17 June (3:00 pm) StK 3.13 (31) A 12.6 (78) Junction Oval Saturday, 17 June (3:00 pm) 7.8 (50) H 6.7 (43) Melbourne Cricket Ground Round 8 Round 8 Saturday, 24 June (3:00 pm) 3.6 (24) H 0.5 (5) Princes Park Saturday, 24 June (3:00 pm) 2.8 (20) A 9.7 (61) Victoria Park Saturday, 24 June (3:00 pm) 6.15 (51) A 10.3 (63) East Melbourne Cricket Ground Saturday, 24 June (3:00 pm) StK 2.8 (20) A 5.7 (37) Junction Oval Round 9 Round 9 Saturday, 8 July (3:00 pm) 9.9 (63) H 5.3 (33) Corio Oval Saturday, 8 July (3:00 pm) 1.7 (13) A 3.3 (21) Melbourne Cricket Ground Saturday, 8 July (3:00 pm) 11.19 (85) H StK 1.0 (6) East Melbourne Cricket Ground Saturday, 8 July (3:00 pm) 9.8 (62) H 4.5 (29) Brunswick Street Oval Round 10 Round 10 Saturday, 15 July (3:00 pm) 7.12 (54) H 3.4 (22) Melbourne Cricket Ground Saturday, 15 July (3:00 pm) StK 1.5 (11) A 13.16 (94) Junction Oval Saturday, 15 July (3:00 pm) 5.5 (35) A 7.9 (51) Lake Oval Saturday, 15 July (3:00 pm) 3.5 (23) A 8.10 (58) Brunswick Street Oval Round 11 Round 11 Saturday, 22 July (3:00 pm) 3.8 (26) A 8.9 (57) Princes Park Saturday, 22 July (3:00 pm) 5.9 (39) H 5.6 (36) Victoria Park Saturday, 22 July (3:00 pm) StK 4.6 (30) A 12.12 (84) Junction Oval Saturday, 22 July (3:00 pm) 5.6 (36) H 2.10 (22) Corio Oval Round 12 Round 12 Saturday, 29 July (3:00 pm) 5.13 (43) H 4.3 (27) Victoria Park Saturday, 29 July (3:00 pm) 10.7 (67) H 6.7 (43) East Melbourne Cricket Ground Saturday, 29 July (3:00 pm) 6.5 (41) H 4.9 (33) Brunswick Street Oval Saturday, 29 July (3:00 pm) 8.9 (57) H StK 3.6 (24) Lake Oval Round 13 Round 13 Saturday, 5 August (3:00 pm) 6.11 (47) H StK 1.2 (8) Princes Park Saturday, 5 August (3:00 pm) 3.7 (25) A 5.7 (37) Brunswick Street Oval Saturday, 5 August (3:00 pm) 3.7 (25) A 5.8 (38) Melbourne Cricket Ground Saturday, 5 August (3:00 pm) 7.12 (54) H 3.9 (27) Corio Oval Round 14 Round 14 Saturday, 12 August (3:00 pm) 2.4 (16) A 5.9 (39) Princes Park Saturday, 12 August (3:00 pm) 4.7 (31) A 8.5 (53) East Melbourne Cricket Ground Saturday, 12 August (3:00 pm) 16.23 (119) H StK 0.2 (2) Corio Oval Saturday, 12 August (3:00 pm) 6.13 (49) H 6.6 (42) Lake Oval Ladder (P) Premiers Section A Section B |- style=background:#E6E6FA | 1 || align=left | (P) || 14 || 11 || 3 || 0 || 618 || 403 || 153.3 || 44 |- style=background:#FEEAD3 | 2 || align=left | || 14 || 10 || 4 || 0 || 684 || 386 || 177.2 || 40 |- style=background:#E6E6FA | 3 || align=left | || 14 || 10 || 4 || 0 || 590 || 436 || 135.3 || 40 |- style=background:#FEEAD3 | 4 || align=left | || 14 || 9 || 5 || 0 || 600 || 428 || 140.2 || 36 |- style=background:#E6E6FA | 5 || align=left | || 14 || 8 || 6 || 0 || 574 || 420 || 136.7 || 32 |- style=background:#FEEAD3 | 6 || align=left | || 14 || 5 || 9 || 0 || 528 || 502 || 105.2 || 20 |- style=background:#E6E6FA | 7 || align=left | || 14 || 3 || 11 || 0 || 317 || 597 || 53.1 || 12 |- style=background:#FEEAD3 | 8 || align=left | StK || 14 || 0 || 14 || 0 || 288 || 1027 || 28.0 || 0 |} Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points forAverage score: 37.5Source: AFL Tables Progression by round table Points by round y Fitzroy 01 4 / 03 8 / 02 12 / 02 16 / 02 16 / 02 20 / 01 24 / 02 28 / 01 32 / 02 32 / 01 36 / 01 40 / 01 40 / 01 44 Geelong 04 4 / 02 8 / 03 8 / 04 8 / 05 12 / 06 12 / 03 16 / 03 20 / 03 24 / 03 28 / 03 32 / 04 32 / 03 36 / 02 40 Collingwood 05 0 / 06 0 / 06 4 / 05 8 / 04 12 / 05 12 / 05 16 / 05 16 / 05 20 / 05 24 / 05 28 / 05 32 / 04 36 / 03 40 Essendon 08 0 / 05 4 / 04 8 / 03 12 / 03 12 / 03 16 / 04 16 / 04 16 / 04 20 / 04 24 / 04 28 / 03 32 / 02 36 / 04 36 Melbourne 02 4 / 01 8 / 01 12 / 01 16 / 01 20 / 01 20 / 02 24 / 01 28 / 02 28 / 01 32 / 02 32 / 02 32 / 05 32 / 05 32 South Melbourne 03 4 / 04 4 / 05 4 / 06 4 / 06 8 / 04 12 / 06 12 / 06 12 / 06 12 / 06 12 / 06 12 / 06 16 / 06 16 / 06 20 Carlton 06 0 / 07 0 / 07 0 / 08 0 / 08 0 / 07 4 / 07 4 / 07 8 / 07 8 / 07 8 / 07 8 / 07 8 / 07 12 / 07 12 St Kilda 07 0 / 08 0 / 08 0 / 07 0 / 07 0 / 08 0 / 08 0 / 08 0 / 08 0 / 08 0 / 08 0 / 08 0 / 08 0 / 08 0 complete Finals series Sectional rounds Sectional round 1 Sectional round 1 Saturday, 26 August (2:30 pm) 5.11 (41) H 6.4 (40) Brunswick Street Oval Saturday, 26 August (2:30 pm) 3.7 (25) A 6.9 (45) Lake Oval Saturday, 26 August (2:30 pm) 16.24 (120) H StK 3.4 (22) East Melbourne Cricket Ground Saturday, 26 August (2:30 pm) 5.8 (38) A 6.5 (41) Corio Oval Sectional round 2 Sectional round 2 Saturday, 2 September (2:30 pm) 5.8 (38) H 2.5 (17) Victoria Park Saturday, 2 September (2:30 pm) 4.15 (39) A 6.11 (47) East Melbourne Cricket Ground Saturday, 2 September (2:30 pm) 5.10 (40) H 0.2 (2) Brunswick Street Oval Saturday, 2 September (2:30 pm) StK 1.6 (12) A 12.10 (82) Junction Oval Sectional round 3 Sectional round 3 Saturday, 9 September (2:30 pm) 6.5 (41) H 2.4 (16) Princes Park Saturday, 9 September (2:30 pm) 4.7 (31) A 6.9 (45) Victoria Park Saturday, 9 September (2:30 pm) 3.10 (28) H 2.1 (13) Lake Oval Saturday, 9 September (2:30 pm) 23.24 (162) H StK 0.1 (1) Corio Oval *StK's 1 point set and, as of 2026, still holds the record for the lowest score in AFL/VFL history. Section A ladder Qualified for finals |- style=background:#FFFFBB | 1 || align=left | || 3 || 3 || 0 || 0 || 126 || 73 || 172.6 || 12 |- | 2 || align=left | || 3 || 2 || 1 || 0 || 114 || 87 || 131.0 || 8 |- | 3 || align=left | || 3 || 1 || 2 || 0 || 98 || 95 || 103.2 || 4 |- | 4 || align=left | || 3 || 0 || 3 || 0 || 43 || 126 || 34.1 || 0 |} Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points forSource: AFL Tables Section B ladder Qualified for finals |- style=background:#FFFFBB | 1 || align=left | || 3 || 3 || 0 || 0 || 151 || 63 || 239.7 || 12 |- | 2 || align=left | || 3 || 2 || 1 || 0 || 247 || 81 || 304.9 || 8 |- | 3 || align=left | || 3 || 1 || 2 || 0 || 172 || 97 || 177.3 || 4 |- | 4 || align=left | StK || 3 || 0 || 3 || 0 || 35 || 364 || 9.6 || 0 |} Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points forSource: AFL Tables Grand final 1899 VFL grand final 120 80 Grand final 16 September, Junction Oval A1 3.9 (27) B1 3.8 (26) Starting time is local time. Source: AFL Tables Grand final Saturday, 16 September (2:50 pm) 3.9 (27) H 3.8 (26) Junction Oval 4,823 Win–loss table The following table can be sorted from biggest winning margin to biggest losing margin for each round. If two or more matches in a round are decided by the same margin, these margins are sorted by percentage (i.e. the lowest-scoring winning team is ranked highest and the lowest-scoring losing team is ranked lowest). Opponents are listed above the margins and home matches are in bold. 85% yes Team Home-and-away season Home-and-awayladder Home-and-away ladder position and win–loss–draw record Finals series Sectional rounds Sectionalladders Sectional ladder position and win–loss–draw record GF 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 S1 S2 S3 Car 07 SM−55 06 GEE−25 07 MEL−26 08 ESS−39 07 COL−31 04 STK+2 07 FIT−32 02 SM+19 06 GEE−30 06 MEL−32 07 ESS−31 06 COL−16 01 STK+39 07 FIT−23 7(3–11–0) 05 FIT−1 06 COL−21 02 MEL+25 A3(1–2–0) Col 05 GEE−27 07 MEL−27 01 STK+69 03 SM+7 02 CAR+31 08 FIT−22 03 ESS+20 08 GEE−41 04 MEL+8 01 STK+83 04 SM+3 03 CAR+16 04 FIT+12 03 ESS+22 3(10–4–0) 02 MEL+20 03 CAR+21 05 FIT−14 A2(2–1–0) Ess 06 FIT−38 01 STK+46 04 SM+6 01 CAR+39 05 GEE−4 03 MEL+14 06 COL−20 05 FIT−12 01 STK+79 04 SM+16 02 CAR+31 02 GEE+24 03 MEL+13 06 COL−22 4(9–5–0) 01 STK+98 05 GEE−8 06 SM−15 B3(1–2–0) Fit 03 ESS+38 04 SM+4 03 GEE+24 02 STK+23 06 MEL−11 01 COL+22 02 CAR+32 04 ESS+12 02 SM+33 07 GEE−35 01 STK+54 04 MEL+8 05 COL−12 02 CAR+23 1(11–3–0) 04 CAR+1 02 MEL+38 04 COL+14 A1(3–0–0) 02 SM+1 Gee 04 COL+27 03 CAR+25 06 FIT−24 05 MEL−5 04 ESS+4 07 SM−16 01 STK+47 01 COL+41 03 CAR+30 02 FIT+35 03 MEL+14 07 ESS−24 02 SM+27 01 STK+117 2(10–4–0) 06 SM−3 04 ESS+8 01 STK+161 B2(2–1–0) Mel 01 STK+93 02 COL+27 02 CAR+26 04 GEE+5 03 FIT+11 06 ESS−14 04 SM+7 03 STK+17 05 COL−8 03 CAR+32 06 GEE−14 05 FIT−8 06 ESS−13 05 SM−7 5(8–6–0) 07 COL−20 07 FIT−38 07 CAR−25 A4(0–3–0) SM 02 CAR+55 05 FIT−4 05 ESS−6 06 COL−7 01 STK+37 02 GEE+16 05 MEL−7 07 CAR−19 07 FIT−33 05 ESS−16 05 COL−3 01 STK+33 07 GEE−27 04 MEL+7 6(5–9–0) 03 GEE+3 01 STK+70 03 ESS+15 B1(3–0–0) 01 FIT−1 StK 08 MEL−93 08 ESS−46 08 COL−69 07 FIT−23 08 SM−37 05 CAR−2 08 GEE−47 06 MEL−17 08 ESS−79 08 COL−83 08 FIT−54 08 SM−33 08 CAR−39 08 GEE−117 8(0–14–0) 08 ESS−98 08 SM−70 08 GEE−161 B4(0–3–0) Source: AFL Tables Season notes The VFL reduced the size of its teams from 20 to 18 on-the-field players, with no "reserves". In doing this, the number of followers was reduced from five (four rucks and a rover) to three (two rucks and a rover).The Argus Football Reform – seventeen a-side 18 April 1908 12 Melbourne The first seven kicks of the round 14 game between Carlton and Fitzroy were free kicks awarded by the umpire.The Argus 3 Melbourne, VIC 14 August 1899 Fitzroy premiers In the third sectional round, Geelong set records for the highest score in a game, scoring 23.24 (162), and the highest winning margin of 161 points, against St Kilda. These records both stood for twelve years and twenty years respectively. St Kilda's score of 0.1 (1) in the same match set the record for the lowest score in a VFL/AFL game, which has neither been matched nor broken since. Notably, St Kilda's solitary behind was actually the first score of the match. Geelong's Jim McShane kicked 11 goals in the same match against St Kilda, a VFL record that was not equalled until Collingwood's Dick Lee's 11 goals in 1914 and not broken until 1919. At the end of the 1899 season, in the process of naming his own "champion player", the football correspondent for The Argus ("Old Boy"), selected a team of the best players of the 1899 VFL competition:Backs: Maurie Collins (Essendon), Bill Proudfoot (Collingwood), Peter Burns (Geelong); Halfbacks: Pat Hickey (Fitzroy), George Davidson (South Melbourne), Alf Wood (Melbourne); Centres: Fred Leach (Collingwood), Firth McCallum (Geelong), Harry Wright (Essendon); Wings: Charlie Pannam (Collingwood), Eddie Drohan (Fitzroy), Herb Howson (South Melbourne); Forwards: Bill Jackson (Essendon), Eddy James (Geelong), Charlie Colgan (South Melbourne); Ruck: Mick Pleass (South Melbourne), Frank Hailwood (Collingwood), Joe McShane (Geelong); Rovers: Dick Condon (Collingwood), Bill McSpeerin (Fitzroy), Teddy Rankin (Geelong).From those he considered to be the three best players — that is, Condon, Hickey, and Pleass — he selected Pat Hickey as his "champion player" of the season. ('Old Boy', "Football: A Review of the Season", (Monday, 18 September 1899), p.6). Awards The 1899 VFL Premiership team was Fitzroy. The VFL's leading goalkicker was Eddy James of Geelong with 31 goals. The Argus newspaper's "Player of the Year" was Fitzroy's Pat Hickey. References Rogers, S. & Brown, A., Every Game Ever Played: VFL/AFL Results 1897–1997 (Sixth Edition), Viking Books, (Ringwood), 1998. 0-670-90809-6 Ross, J. (ed), 100 Years of Australian Football 1897–1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported, Viking, (Ringwood), 1996. 0-670-86814-0 Sources 1899 VFL season at AFL Tables 1899 VFL season at Australian Football 1899 Category:1899 in Australian men's sport Category:1899 in Australian rules football