1987 VFA season

106th season of the Victorian Football Association December 2017 December 2017 1987 Logo of the 1987 VFA season.png 260px 12 April – 20 September 1987 22 10 1 14 Ben Weatherald( – 73 goals) Barry Round( – 19 votes) 12 2 1 Rino Pretto( – 96 goals) Peter Rogerson( – 19 votes) 186 (D1: 91; D2: 95) 19,620 (D1 Grand Final, vs ) white 1986 VFA season 1986 white 1988 VFA season 1988 The 1987 VFA season was the 106th season of the top division of the Victorian Football Association (VFA), and the 27th season of second division competition. The Division 1 premiership was won by the Springvale Football Club, after it defeated in the Grand Final on 20 September by 38 points; it was Springvale's first Division 1 premiership, won in just its fourth season in the first division. The Division 2 premiership was won by Prahran; it was the club's second Division 2 premiership, and the last premiership ever won by the club in either division. The 1987 season was tumultuous on and off the field, with three separate clubs – Moorabbin, Geelong West and Caulfield – suspended from the Association at different times during the year. FORT review In mid-1986, the Association organised the Football Organisation Review Team (FORT), which was tasked with reviewing the medium and long term structure of the Association and how it would fit within the wider Victorian football landscape.The Age Melbourne Hugo Kelly 35 28 June 1986 Council changes would force club mergers The FORT comprised: Association president and former Brunswick president Brook Andersen; former Association and Brunswick president Alex Gillon; CEO and former National Football League consultant John Adams; with consultation from state minister for sports and recreation and former player Neil Trezise.The Age Melbourne Len Johnson 39 6 December 1986 Radical plan to cut VFA to 12 teams The FORT was given carte blanche to review how best to structure the Association into the future. Context The Association, particularly its weakest clubs, had been in decline for about a decade, struggling with the Victorian Football League (VFL) entering the Sunday football market, rising costs, loss of television coverage, reduced access to former League players, and demographic shifts in former heartland municipalities.The Age Melbourne 32 Marc Fiddian 18 June 1981 Association drifts as options run outThe Age Melbourne Marc Fiddian 38 6 February 1982 Channel 10 axes VFA The Association had been working since 1980 to improve its overall viability, having discussed various affiliation models with the League in 1980,The Age Melbourne 24 12 June 1980 League nearer Sunday games and undergone restructures of the divisional system in both 1982The Age Melbourne Corrie Parkin 40 30 May 1981 VFA to admit extra clubs and 1984, but about half of the Association's clubs were still struggling and long-term viability was a concern to the Association executive. The VFL was also going through dramatic changes which were altering the wider football landscape in Victoria. In October 1986, the League admitted newly established clubs based in Perth (the West Coast Eagles) and south-eastern Queensland (the Brisbane Bears).The Age Melbourne Ron Carter 38 2 October 1986 Perth, Brisbane join League At the same time, as many as half of the League's eleven Victorian-based clubs were in severe or impending financial trouble: had moved to Sydney in 1982 due to its financial troubles,The Age Melbourne VFL 'no' sends South to Sydney Mike Coward 15 October 1981 32 had fielded offers from Brisbane- and Canberra-based consortiums for a potential relocation in 1987,The Age Melbourne 2 October 1986 Survival the object in Lions' year of trial Martin Flanagan 36 and StK, and were all struggling off the field – in some cases, the clubs were solvent only because of the dividend they received from the multimillion-dollar licence fees charged to the new clubs, and from the proceeds earned when the Sydney Swans club was sold to Dr Geoffrey Edelsten in 1985. Thereafter followed wide speculation about further national expansion of the VFL, with expressions of interest from private consortiums, leagues and clubs in Adelaide, Canberra, Fremantle and Tasmania, and speculation that the struggling Victorian clubs would relocate, merge or fold.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Peter Simunovich 78 27 July 1987 Top WAFL clubs eye VFL spot As such, the future composition of the League was very uncertain at the time, but it was considered realistic that within only a few years, the League could have expanded to a fully national competition, with a reduction in the number of Victorian-based clubs competing. FORT recommendations Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 534 right Map of clubs at the time of the FORT review. Teams shown with blue dots or arrows were included in the FORT's new Division 1; teams shown with red dots were excluded.Note: the backdrop of this map is greater Melbourne ca. 2011; it includes roads and local government boundaries which did not exist until well after 1987 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 37 55 15 S 145 2 35 E left Moorabbin 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 37 52 17 S 144 54 13 E left Blue pog.svg Williamstown 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 37 49 51 S 144 56 32 E left Blue pog.svg Pt Melb. 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 37 45 50 S 144 57 5 E left Brunswick 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 37 44 38 S 144 58 6 E left Blue pog.svg Coburg 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 37 44 29 S 145 0 5 E right Blue pog.svg Preston 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 37 46 58 S 145 0 17 E right Northcote 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 37 51 10 S 145 0 46 E right Blue pog.svg Prahran 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 37 53 37 S 145 1 30 E left Caulfield 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 37 56 42 S 145 0 1 E bottom Blue pog.svg Sandringham 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 37 50 16 S 145 3 46 E right Camberwell 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 37 53 46 S 145 5 20 E bottom Blue pog.svg Oakleigh 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 37 49 7 S 145 8 16 E right Blue pog.svg Box Hill 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 37 47 14 S 144 51 19 E right Sunshine 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 37 54 17 S 144 39 11 E left Werribee 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 38 2 17 S 144 27 4 E right Arrow Blue Left 001.svg Geelong West(15km SW) 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 37 53 31 S 145 9 44 E right Waverley 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 38 0 13 S 145 5 33 E right Mordialloc 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 37 59 45 S 145 13 18 E right Blue pog.svg Dandenong 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 38 8 51 S 145 7 13 E right Blue pog.svg Frankston 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 38 1 44 S 145 21 54 E right Berwick 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 37 56 37 S 145 8 51 E right Springvale 65 Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne 37 49 25 S 145 13 59 E right Blue pog.svg Ringwood 65 The FORT concluded that with the potential rapid nationalisation of the League, the Association would be well placed to take the position as the top state-based competition in Victoria, sitting underneath the League and serving as a development ground and reserves competition for its Victorian clubs – similar to how the West Australian Football League was organised underneath the West Coast Eagles. To do this effectively, the Association would be best structured as a single division of twelve strong, viable clubs, with promotion and relegation abandoned permanently. The FORT named its twelve clubs, based upon a number of off-field criteria including tradition, location, quality of facilities, and level of support from locals, councils and sponsors. The twelve clubs named were: from Division 1, Box Hill, Coburg, Frankston, Geelong West, Port Melbourne, Preston, Sandringham and Williamstown; from Division 2, Dandenong, Oakleigh and Prahran; and a new club based in Ringwood. Under the proposal, the second division would continue, but it would now be a suburban league operating under the auspices of the Victorian Metropolitan Football League, with no prospects of promotion to Division 1. The eleven clubs who were excluded from the FORT's vision were: Division 1 clubs Brunswick and Springvale; and Division 2 clubs Berwick, Camberwell, Caulfield, Moorabbin, Mordialloc, Northcote, Sunshine, Waverley and Werribee. The FORT sought to implement this change by 1988, but needed a three-quarters majority from a vote of the Board of Management to achieve a formal mandate, which would have required several of the excluded clubs to vote in favour of their own exclusion.The Age Melbourne Hugo Kelly 26 18 December 1986 Clubs rally to fight plans for elite VFA Springvale, which was undergoing a strong recruiting campaign which ultimately delivered it the 1987 premiership, and Sunshine, which had enjoyed a resurgence in recent years and was in the process of securing $350,000 from the council to upgrade Skinner Reserve, were both worried that the uncertainty generated by the FORT recommendations might jeopardise those ventures, so those clubs led the public campaign against the changes;The Age Melbourne Hugo Kelly 57 9 December 1986 Anger mounts over VFA report within a fortnight, they claimed to have thirteen clubs onside to oppose the changes. By April 1987, Andersen recognised that he did not have enough support to get the changes through, and it was never formally put to the vote.The Age Melbourne 56 7 April 1987 Eagles reject call for new WA club The FORT also recommended that the Association's Board of Management, which was the primary decision-making body within the Association, be restructured. Since the Association's foundation, the Board had been formed from club delegates, the consequence being that the Association could pass changes only if a majority of clubs voted for them. The FORT recommended an independent board comprising five delegates: three elected by Division 1 clubs, one elected by Division 2 clubs, and one from the VFL Commission. This would allow the Board to make more difficult decisions in the interest of the Association as a whole, rather than rely on clubs who could vote down changes on self-interest. The motion for an independent board was put to the vote on 5 May 1987, and fell one vote short of the three-quarters majority it required, with 17–7 in favour.The Age Melbourne 36 6 May 1987 Cooper clear, but Vernon out one week A second vote was held in July, with the size of the proposed board expanded to six, but it this time it was comfortably voted down by a 10–14 margin.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 69 14 July 1987 VFA clubs reject independent board The independent board of management was eventually approved in March 1988.The Age Melbourne Toby Darvall Fiona Athersmith 36 25 August 1988 Preston ruling threat to VFA Aftermath Although the FORT's structural recommendations were never formally mandated, eight clubs left or were forced out of the Association within only 2½ years of the review, with most of those clubs placing part of the blame on the fall-out from the FORT review. Andersen and the rest of the Association executive made it clear that they were still strategically in favour of the FORT's vision, which created uncertainty about whether the second division had a future: Berwick and Mordialloc both saw this uncertainty as reason to withdraw from the Association and return to suburban football;The Age Melbourne 32 13 November 1987 Berwick votes to quit VFAThe Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Linda Pearce 82 VFA Bloods on the ropes 4 May 1988 and players and sponsors saw this uncertainty as a reason to abandon weaker clubs, severely affecting clubs like Caulfield.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 83 11 September 1987 VFA Bears running on numbers Many clubs also expressed bitterness upon their departures that they felt that the Association executive became more willing to allow weaker clubs to decline and fail without intervening, in order to allow the Association to progress naturally towards the FORT's vision.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Daryl Timms 78 6 November 1987 Caulfield will battle on – president Within only six years, the Association had contracted to the point where it almost matched the FORT's vision. The second division was abandoned at the start of 1989, and by 1991 there were only twelve teams remaining in the Association: ten were among the twelve clubs named by the FORT, with excluded clubs Springvale and Werribee surviving in place of Geelong West and the proposed Ringwood club. However, the VFL's national expansion and rationalisation of its Victorian clubs did not progress as far or as quickly as FORT had speculated: by 1994, all eleven Victorian clubs were still competing in the League, and only one new interstate club, the Adelaide Crows, had joined; and even as late as 2010 there were still ten Victorian clubs and only six interstate clubs. The Association ended up becoming the top Victorian state-level competition following an administrative change in 1995, but it was not until 2000, a full thirteen years after the review, that the Association finally fulfilled the FORT's vision of merging with the League reserves.https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/afl-2015-a-standalone-reserves-league-is-being-considered-by-the-afl-to-improve-talent-pathway/news-story/22bf76adddcf2fff56ff2e54615f7c8b AFL 2015: A stand-alone reserves league is being considered by the AFL to improve talent pathway Herald Sun Olle Sarah December 3, 2015 March 17, 2020 Club suspensions Three clubs were suspended from the Association at different stages during the year: Moorabbin, Geelong West and Caulfield. Moorabbin On Thursday 23 April, three days before Round 3, Moorabbin coach Graham Stewart resigned from the club over a number of disagreements with the board. The exact nature of the disagreements was not widely publicised, but they covered a range of areas in the management of the club and team, including player payments.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 76 25 April 1987 Players out after coach quits Ten senior players immediately walked out in support of Stewart.The Age Melbourne Cathy Gowdie 39 25 April 1987 VFA issues ultimatum to Moorabbin Lacking players willing to play, the club forfeited its Round 3 games against Oakleigh in all three grades.The Age Melbourne Sam Prenesti 35 27 April 1987 Preston's fans groan as Springvale coasts home The Association issued an ultimatum to Moorabbin that if it could not field a team in all three grades, it would be suspended from the competition. Former Oakleigh premiership player Tom Quinn was appointed coach on 29 April,The Age Melbourne Sam Prenesti 30 30 April 1987 Moorabbin decides to keep battling on but the club was unable to coax enough players back, and it forfeited its Round 4 matches against Sunshine.The Age Melbourne Sam Prenesti 27 1 May 1987 VFA club forfeits again As such, on 6 May, the Association executive committee suspended Moorabbin from the firsts and Seconds competitions for the remainder of the season; the rest of Moorabbin's games were treated as forfeitures.The Age Melbourne Sam Prenesti 30 7 May 1987 Moorabbin suspended for remainder of the season The club ultimately never sought readmission to the competition in 1988, and folded, bringing to an end a brief tenure of just over four seasons in the Association. Geelong West Although it was identified as one of the future Division 1 clubs under the FORT's proposal, Geelong West had been in decline throughout the 1980s. By 1987, the three local Corio District football leagues – the GFL, GDFL and BFL – were held in higher regard within Geelong than the Association was, meaning that local clubs attracted larger crowds and better sponsorship and could offer higher player payments than Geelong West. Additionally, many Geelong-based players preferred to play a Saturday afternoon game locally, rather than play a Sunday afternoon game and be required to travel to Melbourne every second week. Geelong West's minor grades had been suffering the consequences of this for many years – the thirds in particular had been routinely thrashed by more than 300 points since the early 1980s – but by 1987 the senior team was also suffering.The Age Melbourne Sam Prenesti 26 16 April 1987 Juniors the hope for club on the outer After six weeks, the club was sitting winless in last place, was struggling to draw crowds and was in a poor financial position. On Friday 29 May, the Geelong West playing group forfeited its Round 7 games in all three grades, seeking to make a highly public gesture to call attention to the club's ailing viability and lack of players. It was also speculated and reported that the players were striking over $15,000 in match payments collectively owed to the group at the time; it was confirmed that this money was owing, but the players denied this was the motivation for the forfeiture.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 91 1 June 1987 West future doubt The players had reportedly been planning the boycott for about a month before enacting it. The following week, a public appeal began to raise money for and encourage local players to play for the club, using the club's position as one of the city's most historically successful local clubs over a period of more than 100 years to gain support.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 78 2 June 1987 Historic club fights back On 10 June, the Association intervened: it gave the club until 30 June to prove that it was financially viable and could reliably field teams in all three grades, or it would face suspension for the rest of the year; and, the club was provisionally suspended until it could prove those two things.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 95 11 June 1987 Roosters out – but not gone The club's public appeal was successful in raising funds, and players including former Geelong West champions Joe Radojevic, Warwick Yates and Sylvester Kranjc were willing to play with the club to help it survive, even if it meant playing games on consecutive days: for their local clubs on Saturday and for Geelong West on Sunday. The final impediment was that a special transfer agreement needed to be signed between the Association and the local leagues to enable those players to make the weekly transfer between clubs beyond the normal transfer deadline of 30 June; this was agreed to, Geelong West's suspension was lifted, and the club returned to competition in Round 10.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 70 25 June 1987 Battle becomes Rooster revivalThe Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 76 26 June 1987 Roosters are back Geelong West drew with second-placed Frankston in its first game back to gain its first points for the year,The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 89 29 June 1987 Gutsy Roosters draw but it went on to win only one more game and was relegated at the end of the year. The club lasted one more season in the Association, before withdrawing after the 1988 season. Caulfield In the final round of the home-and-away season, Sunshine was scheduled to play Caulfield in the Association's first ever Friday night game at the newly upgraded Skinner Reserve. At the same time, as a result of its financial difficulties, Caulfield had fallen behind on its affiliation levies, owing the Association $8,125 (including fines) after missing payments in July and August; the club had no cash reserves with which to pay, and the Association indicated in the week leading up to the match that the club faced suspension as a result.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 70 18 August 1987 Caulfield faces ban over levy The Association Board of Management determined that the Friday night match would go ahead, and that it would meet the following week to determine whether or not to suspend Caulfield; but, that it would reserve the right to apply a suspension retroactively, potentially stripping Caulfield of any points it might earn against Sunshine.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 84 19 August 1987 Miracle we have survived, says VFA Bears boss Caulfield responded that it would not play the game unless the Association guaranteed that it would not apply a retroactive suspension; the Association did not give this assurance, so Caulfield forfeited the game, and was fined $1,500 as a result. Sunshine, which was angry with Caulfield after having invested money promoting the game, staged a match between the firsts and Seconds on the Friday night instead.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 81 22 August 1987 PM lends Coburg his support Caulfield never played another Association game, as it was later suspended for the 1988 season, which ultimately ended the club's time in the Association.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Linda Pearce 78 6 November 1987 Two clubs expelled from VFA next year Division 1 The Division 1 home-and-away season was played over eighteen rounds; the top four then contested the finals under the Page–McIntyre system. The finals were played at the Junction Oval. Home-and-away season Round 1 Round 1 Sunday, 12 April (2:10pm) 16.20 (116) H 15.21 (111) Preston City Oval Sunday, 12 April (2:10pm) 15.14 (104) A 20.23 (143) Box Hill City Oval Sunday, 12 April (2:10pm) 11.11 (77) A 22.21 (153) Beach Road Oval Sunday, 12 April (2:10pm) 9.17 (71) A 21.19 (145) West Oval Sunday, 12 April (2:10pm) 13.21 (99) A 16.17 (113) Williamstown Cricket Ground Round 2 Round 2 Sunday, 19 April (2:10pm) 14.17 (101) H 8.9 (57) Coburg City Oval Sunday, 19 April (2:10pm) 10.15 (75) H 8.14 (62) Frankston Park Sunday, 19 April (2:10pm) 20.14 (134) H 4.6 (30) Springvale Reserve Sunday, 19 April (2:10pm) 20.14 (134) H 11.14 (80) North Port Oval Sunday, 19 April (2:10pm) 14.12 (96) H 5.18 (48) Gillon Oval Round 3 Round 3 Sunday, 26 April (2:10pm) 15.13 (103) A 24.13 (157) Preston City Oval Sunday, 26 April (2:10pm) 6.20 (56) A 23.21 (159) West Oval Sunday, 26 April (2:10pm) 10.10 (70) A 17.17 (119) Box Hill City Oval Sunday, 26 April (2:10pm) 18.15 (123) H 18.14 (122) Beach Road Oval Sunday, 26 April (2:10pm) 26.28 (184) H 15.17 (107) Frankston Park Round 4 Round 4 Sunday, 3 May (2:10pm) 21.16 (142) H 10.10 (70) Williamstown Cricket Ground Sunday, 3 May (2:10pm) 12.17 (89) A 21.16 (142) Springvale Reserve Sunday, 3 May (2:10pm) 18.14 (122) H 11.23 (89) North Port Oval Sunday, 3 May (2:10pm) 24.13 (157) H 13.12 (90) Coburg City Oval Sunday, 3 May (2:10pm) 15.16 (106) H 10.15 (75) Gillon Oval Round 5 Round 5 Sunday, 17 May (2:10pm) 14.10 (94) H 8.21 (69) Preston City Oval Sunday, 17 May (2:10pm) 23.24 (162) H 9.12 (66) Frankston Park Sunday, 17 May (2:10pm) 17.17 (119) H 12.17 (89) Beach Road Oval Sunday, 17 May (2:10pm) 12.7 (79) A 27.18 (180) West Oval Sunday, 17 May (2:10pm) 15.7 (97) H 12.18 (90) Gillon Oval Ladder Clubs who won on forfeit were awarded a win and four premiership points, credited with the round's average winning score as 'points for', and debited the round's average losing score as 'points against'. The ladder as it is shown here distinguishes wins by forfeiture from wins in completed matches, but not all sources make this distinction. main WDL OT 5 Q true points y 4 2 PMB Port Melbourne SPR Springvale WIL Williamstown FRA Frankston COB Coburg BRU Brunswick SAN Sandringham NBU Preston BOX Box Hill GLW Geelong West WF Wins by forfeit 4 n 14 4 0 0 2414 1854 12 6 0 0 2024 1511 P 11 7 0 0 2141 1833 10 7 1 0 2033 1810 10 8 0 0 2183 1852 8 9 0 1 1894 2041 8 9 0 1 1875 2047 7 9 1 1 1878 2065 4 13 1 0 1672 1968 1 13 1 – 1547 2529 #CCFFCC Finals series QF QF QF QF Premiers #FFCCCC Relegated to Division 2 R 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. complete The Age Melbourne 40 24 August 1987 VFA details1987 VFA Premiership Season - Division 1 https://australianfootball.com/seasons/season/vfa/193/premiership%2Bseason/8/8/1987/advanced Australian Football 8 April 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250408061553/https://australianfootball.com/seasons/season/vfa/193/premiership%2Bseason/8/8/1987/advanced 8 April 2025 Finals Semi-finals Semi-finals Sunday, 30 August (2:10pm) Williamstown 19.15 (129) H Frankston 14.14 (98) Junction Oval 7,814 The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 76 31 August 1987 Seagulls swoop Sunday, 6 September (2:10pm) Port Melbourne 12.9 (81) A Springvale 15.12 (102) Junction Oval 6,310 The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 78 7 September 1987 Vales win fierce struggle Preliminary final Preliminary final Sunday, 13 September (2:10pm) Port Melbourne 16.20 (116) H Williamstown 14.12 (96) Junction Oval 9,282 The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 74 14 September 1987 Historic rivals produce classic performance Grand Final 1987 VFA Division 1 Grand Final Sunday, 20 September (2:10pm) Springvale 3.3 (21) 9.8 (62) 10.10 (70) 14.16 (100) Dudley 3, Vernon 3, Mende 2, Nicol 2, Prosser 2, Anderson, Dunne Vernon, for striking Coottee in the first quarter (ordered off)Mende, for striking McCormack in the second quarter H Port Melbourne 2.5 (17) 4.8 (32) 7.15 (57) 7.20 (62) Hicks 2, Sneddon 2, Cooper, Harkins, Multimer Coottee, for striking Prosser in the third quarterHarkins, for striking Anderson in the third quarter Junction Oval 19,620 The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 90 21 September 1987 Springvale grabs historic first flag Casey, Morrow Norm Goss Memorial Medal Daryl Vernon (Springvale) Awards The leading goalkicker for the season was Ben Weatherald (Coburg), who kicked 73 goals during the home-and-away season and did not participate in finals. The J. J. Liston Trophy was won by Barry Round (Williamstown), who polled 19 votes; Round became the first player to win both a Brownlow Medal and a Liston Trophy since Des Fothergill in 1940 and 1941 respectively. Round finished ahead of: Mick Jennings (Port Melbourne), who was second with 17 votes; Mark Whitzell (Port Melbourne), who also polled 17 votes but was ineligible;The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 85 3 September 1987 Talented Jennings the toast of Port and John Favier (Frankston), who was third with 16 votes.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 87–88 27 August 1987 Triumph second time Round Preston won the seconds premiership. Preston 14.19 (103) defeated Brunswick 8.11 (59) in the Grand Final, held on Sunday 20 September. Division 2 The Division 2 home-and-away season was played over eighteen rounds; the top four then contested the finals under the Page–McIntyre system. The finals were played at Junction Oval. Home-and-away season Round 1 Round 1 Sunday, 12 April (2:10pm) 16.11 (107) A 19.18 (132) Camberwell Sports Ground Sunday, 12 April (2:10pm) 29.20 (194) H 9.13 (67) Central Reserve Sunday, 12 April (2:10pm) 20.25 (145) A 22.14 (146) Princes Park Sunday, 12 April (2:10pm) 22.11 (143) H 16.8 (104) Skinner Reserve Sunday, 12 April (2:10pm) 16.14 (110) H 11.19 (85) Warrawee Park Sunday, 12 April (2:10pm) 17.6 (108) A 25.22 (172) Bentleigh Reserve Round 2 Round 2 Sunday, 19 April (2:10pm) 17.9 (111) H 9.13 (67) Shepley Oval Sunday, 19 April (2:10pm) 7.14 (56) A 13.12 (90) Toorak Park Sunday, 19 April (2:10pm) 13.18 (96) H 4.16 (40) Northcote Park Sunday, 19 April (2:10pm) 6.2 (38) A 17.21 (123) Ben Kavanagh Reserve Sunday, 19 April (2:10pm) 17.7 (109) A 22.11 (143) Berwick Reserve Sunday, 19 April (2:10pm) 17.14 (116) H 5.11 (41) Chirnside Park Round 3 Round 3 Sunday, 26 April (2:10pm) 13.11 (89) A 39.10 (244) Princes Park Sunday, 26 April (2:10pm) 20.16 (136) H 14.19 (103) Skinner Reserve Sunday, 26 April (2:10pm) 10.13 (73) A 25.22 (172) Berwick Reserve Sunday, 26 April (2:10pm) 37.23 (245) H 7.15 (57) Camberwell Sports Ground Sunday, 26 April (2:10pm) 32.23 (215) H 13.9 (87) Central Reserve Sunday, 26 April (walkover) H Round 4 Round 4 Sunday, 3 May (2:10pm) 22.30 (162) H 3.4 (22) Shepley Oval Sunday, 3 May (2:10pm) 13.16 (94) A 27.19 (181) Northcote Park Sunday, 10 May (2:10pm) 18.12 (120) A 20.13 (133) Toorak Park Sunday, 10 May (2:10pm) 18.17 (125) H 18.10 (118) Chirnside Park Sunday, 10 May (2:10pm) 25.10 (160) A 25.11 (161) Ben Kavanagh Reserve Sunday, 10 May (walkover) H Round 5 Round 5 Saturday, 16 May (2:10pm) 9.14 (68) A 18.20 (128) Ben Kavanagh Reserve Sunday, 17 May (2:10pm) 15.10 (100) A 16.17 (113) Camberwell Sports Ground Sunday, 17 May (2:10pm) 9.17 (71) A 19.18 (132) Central Reserve Sunday, 17 May (2:10pm) 13.16 (94) H 13.10 (88) Skinner Reserve Sunday, 17 May (2:10pm) 11.13 (79) A 14.10 (94) Berwick Reserve Sunday, 17 May (walkover) H Ladder Clubs who won on forfeit were awarded a win and four premiership points, credited with the round's average winning score as 'points for', and debited the round's average losing score as 'points against'. The ladder as it is shown here distinguishes wins by forfeiture from wins in completed matches, but not all sources make this distinction. main WDL OT Q 5 true points y 4 2 WER Werribee WAV Waverley PRA Prahran SUN Sunshine OAK Oakleigh DAN Dandenong CAM Camberwell BER Berwick CAU Caulfield MOR Mordialloc NOR Northcote MOO Moorabbin WF Wins by forfeit 4 n 14 3 0 1 2351 1513 12 4 0 2 2380 1464 13 4 0 1 2510 1556 P 11 4 0 3 2430 1690 10 6 0 2 2369 1497 11 6 0 1 2486 1688 9 7 0 2 2550 2073 4 13 0 1 1672 2556 2 13 0 2 1531 2524 3 14 0 1 1582 2889 2 15 0 1 1578 2666 0 2 0 – 149 288 – Premiers #CCFFCC Finals series QF QF QF QF 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. #CCCCCC Club suspended WD complete 1987 VFA Premiership Season - Division 2 https://australianfootball.com/seasons/season/vfa/193/premiership%2Bseason/8/14/1987/advanced Australian Football 8 April 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250408062243/https://australianfootball.com/seasons/season/vfa/193/premiership%2Bseason/8/14/1987/advanced 8 April 2025 Finals Semi-finals Semi-finals Sunday, 30 August (11:10am) Prahran 19.18 (132) H Sunshine 15.14 (104) Junction Oval 7,814 (C-R) Sunday, 6 September (11:10am) Werribee 16.12 (108) A Waverley 19.11 (125) Junction Oval 6,310 (C-R) Preliminary final Preliminary final Sunday, 13 September (11:10am) Werribee 14.10 (94) A Prahran 19.11 (125) Junction Oval 9,282 (C-R) Grand Final 1987 VFA Division 2 Grand Final Sunday, 20 September (11:10am) Waverley 2.0 (12) 7.4 (46) 9.7 (61) 14.14 (98) Brewer 3, Brookes 3, Castillo 3, Burns, Hunt, Pearson, Rogerson, Vear A Prahran 7.5 (47) 8.6 (54) 15.8 (98) 18.9 (117) Giles 3, Bingham 2, Cutler 2, Hutchison 2, Reynolds 2, Soulos 2, Ellett, Hamilton, Tapping, Taylor, Walder Junction Oval 19,620 (C-R) Marshall, Vergona ANA Best Player Award Dale Tapping (Prahran) Awards The leading goalkicker for Division 2 was Rino Pretto (Oakleigh), who kicked 96 goals in the home-and-away season and did not participate in finals. The J. Field Medal was won by Peter Rogerson (Waverley), who polled 19 votes. Rogerson finished ahead of Luke Soulos (Prahran), who polled 16 votes. Votes won in the matches played against Moorabbin were excluded from the count.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 84 26 August 1987 Round favourite for Liston Trophy Werribee won the seconds premiership. Werribee 17.14 (116) defeated Dandenong 13.11 (89) in the Grand Final, played on Sunday 20 September. Notable events Interleague matches In 1987, the Association competed in and won the NFL Shield, the NFL's interstate competition among the minor states. It was the first time the Association had contested an NFL-sanctioned interstate event since its expulsion from the ANFC/NFL in 1970;The Age Melbourne Sam Prenesti 33 11 May 1987 Association win encouraging the Association held a competition membership, but not a full membership, of the NFL at this time.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Linda Pearce 68 10 June 1988 VFA-VFL link move Terry Wheeler (Williamstown) was coach of the team; Jeff Sarau (Frankston) was the captain, with Barry Round (Williamstown) stepping up in Sarau's absence against Queensland.The Age Melbourne Sam Prenesti 31 25 May 1987 Queensland runs into Association brick wall The Grand final against Tasmania was delayed for 35 minutes, because heavy fog prevented the Tasmanian team's flight from landing in Melbourne. 1987 NFL Shield Sunday, 10 May A.C.T. 12.14 (86) A V.F.A. 13.16 (94) Football Park, A.C.T. Wednesday, 13 May (night) N.S.W. 10.12 (72) H V.F.A. 8.5 (53) Lavington Sports Ground 700 The Age Melbourne 32 14 May 1987 VFA loses by 19 points to inexperienced NSW Sunday, 24 May Queensland 14.14 (98) A V.F.A. 25.16 (166) Caloundra 1987 NFL Shield Grand Final Saturday, 6 June V.F.A. 19.18 (132) H Tasmania 16.7 (103) Junction Oval 1,500 The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 68 8 June 1987 VFA in Shield triumph over gallant Tasmania Other notable events Mitsubishi Motors withdrew as the major sponsor of the Association at the beginning of the year, and was replaced by ANA Friendly Society.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 95 9 July 1987 VFA plots its survival Network Ten permanently ended its coverage of Association football at the end of the previous season. The ABC signed a deal to televise the Division 1 second semi-final, preliminary final and Grand Final in 1987.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 82 13 August 1987 ABC to cover VFA finals games By 1987, the VFL was staging Sunday matches in Victoria on an increasingly regular basis, and some smaller Association clubs had suffered over previous years by losing fans to local Saturday competitions. As a result, Association clubs were given the option of playing games on Saturdays instead of Sundays from 1987: Berwick and Werribee both experimented with Saturday games during the season. This heralded the beginning of the end of the Association's time as a dedicated Sunday competition.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Paul Cunningham 79 31 October 1987 VFA draw rethink See also List of VFA/VFL premiers References Category:Victorian Football League seasons VFL