1985 VFA season

none December 2017 December 2017 1985 VFA Premiership Season Teams 22 Division 1 Teams 12 Premiers Sandringham(3rd premiership) Minor premiers Sandringham(2nd minor premiership) Division 2 Teams 10 Premiers Brunswick(3rd D2 premiership) Minor premiers Oakleigh(3rd D2 minor premiership) left ← 1984 right 1986 → The 1985 Victorian Football Association season was the 104th season of the top division of the Australian rules football competition, and the 25th season of second division competition. The Division 1 premiership was won by the Sandringham Football Club, after it defeated Williamstown in the Grand Final on 22 September by six points; it was Sandringham's third Division 1 premiership, and its first since 1962. The Division 2 premiership was won by Brunswick; it was the club's third Division 2 premiership, and the last premiership in either division ever won by the club. Association membership During the off-season, the Association's second division contracted from eleven to ten clubs, with Kilsyth leaving the Association. Northcote also temporarily left the Association, but returned prior to the start of the season. Northcote On 28 November 1984, the Northcote Football Club, one of the Association's longest-serving clubs, announced that it was withdrawing from the Association due to financial pressures. Northcote estimated its annual expenses to compete in Division 2 had increased to $85,000, including $16,000 affiliation costs. The club saw that increasing administrative costs, and upward pressure on player payments which had flowed on from a similar trend in the increasingly professional Victorian Football League had increased its expenses, but that the small and increasingly apathetic population of Northcote was no longer able to finance the club. Despite its departure, the club described its financial position as no worse than many other Association clubs, and predicted that other clubs would soon leave the Association for the same reason.The Age Melbourne Garry Linnell 29 November 1984 34 Broke 'Cotes quit the VFA Two weeks later, the club joined the Diamond Valley Football League, which it estimated had half of the operating costs of the Association.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Rohan Connolly 13 December 1984 78 'Exile' club in DVFL Over the following two months, five past players keen to keep the club in the Association – Arthur Dearing, Ken Harvey, Chris Kozaris, Tom Martin and Dennis Viney – were voted to the Northcote executive committee. The new committee secured readmission to the Association on 12 February 1985. The new committee worked to cover the club's $18,000 debt by seeking new sponsors and attempting to form a coterie group. Additionally, the club gained some revenue from the League's Fitzroy Football Club, which had arranged a deal to train at Northcote Park (while playing home games at Victoria Park, Abbotsford), after having been evicted from the Junction Oval during the summer.Northcote Leader Northcote, VIC Barbara Sharp 13 February 1985 3 Northcote back in VFAThe Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Rohan Connolly 14 February 1985 91 Northcote back in VFA Kilsyth The Kilsyth Football Club, which had competed in Division 2 for the previous three years with very little success, withdrew from the Association shortly before the season.http://australianfootball.com/clubs/info/Kilsyth/2386 Kilsyth Australian Football John Devaney 12 June 2014 As had been the case for Northcote, the club struggled with low revenue and high operating costs, and the club had considered leaving prior to the 1984 season for the same reason.The Age Melbourne Marc Fiddian 14 April 1984 33 Hard start for Springvale As late as February, the club still intended to contest the 1985 season and had been included in the fixture, and it tried hard to attract strong local players from the Eastern District Football League to compile a competitive playing list;The Croydon Mail Melbourne 61 Bruce Tobin 20 February 1985 Kilsyth seeks new players for 1985 62 7 but it did not succeed, and withdrew from the competition before the season began. It returned to the EDFL in 1985https://victoriancollections.net.au/media/collectors/4f729f6497f83e03086016dd/items/645ef7edeb357b0ce18f2fb2/item-media/645ef957eb357b0ce18f8962/original.pdf Eastern Districts Football League 1985 Annual Report and Financial Statement 9 December 1985 27 April 2025 Eastern Districts Football League and remains there as of 2025. Association structure Four years after expanding the size of Division 1 to twelve teams, the Association decided during the season that the top division would be contracted back to ten teams from the 1986 season. As a consequence, it was determined that the 1985 Division 2 premiers would still earn promotion to Division 1, and that the bottom three from Division 1 would all be relegated.The Age Melbourne Dennis Jose 11 May 1985 39 Relegation to kill off crowds 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. Ladder main WDL 5 Q 1985 VFA Division 1 Ladder true points y 4 2 SAN Sandringham COB Coburg NBU Preston WIL Williamstown PMB Port Melbourne GLW Geelong West FRA Frankston CAM Camberwell SPR Springvale PRA Prahran BOX Box Hill WER Werribee 16 2 0 2558 1578 P 16 2 0 2403 1668 14 4 0 2452 1799 12 6 0 2236 1662 12 6 0 2251 1712 10 8 0 1766 1749 8 10 0 1969 1821 6 12 0 1878 2450 5 13 0 1532 2185 3 14 1 1792 2525 3 14 1 1616 2566 2 16 0 1761 2499 #CCFFCC QF QF QF QF Premiers #FFCCCC R R R 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. complete The Age Melbourne Dennis Jose 26 August 1985 30 Slaughtered Port out of finals Finals Semi-finals Sunday, 1 September (2:10pm) Preston 13.15 (93) A Williamstown 16.8 (104) Junction Oval 6,713 The Age 32 Dennis Jose West boys swoop to victory 2 September 1985 Melbourne Sunday, 8 September (2:10pm) Sandringham 32.16 (208) H Coburg 19.14 (128) Junction Oval 9,014 The Age 30 Dennis Jose 9 September 1985 Zebras' win says it all for Keddie Melbourne Preliminary Final Sunday, 15 September (2:10pm) Coburg 17.16 (118) A Williamstown 18.13 (121) Junction Oval 6,243 The Age 35 Dennis Jose Gallant 'Gulls in Grand Final 16 September 1985 Melbourne 1985 VFA Division 1 Grand Final Sunday, 22 September (2:10pm) Sandringham 4.3 (27) 8.6 (54) 11.13 (79) 14.16 (100) Eaves 5, Brian Said 3, Mannix 2, Brewer, Gallagher, Kristensen, Morrison H Williamstown 4.4 (28) 8.6 (54) 10.10 (70) 13.16 (94) Fotheringham 5, Rickman 3, Brierty 2, Davidson, Muschialli, Sait Junction Oval 22,341 Sandringham takes flag in cliffhanger Dennis Jose 23 September 1985 The Age 38 Melbourne Fitzpatrick, Phillips Norm Goss Memorial Medal Mark Eaves (Sandringham) Awards The leading goalkicker for the season was Ian Morrison (Sandringham), who kicked 105 goals during the home-and-away season, and 108 goals overall. The J. J. Liston Trophy was won by Neil MacLeod (Sandringham), who polled 22 votes. MacLeod finished ahead of Ross Gallagher (Sandringham) who polled 16 votes, and Brett Chadband (Port Melbourne), who polled 14 votes.The Age Melbourne Brendan Moloney 29 August 1985 29 MacLeod romps away with Liston Preston won the seconds premiership for the third consecutive season. Preston 21.17 (143) defeated Coburg 14.14 (98) in the Grand Final, held on Sunday 22 September at North Port Oval. 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. Ladder main WDL Q 5 1985 VFA Division 2 Ladder true points y 4 2 OAK Oakleigh BRU Brunswick SUN Sunshine CAU Caulfield MOO Moorabbin DAN Dandenong WAV Waverley NOR Northcote BER Berwick MOR Mordialloc 16 2 0 2443 1595 14 4 0 2224 1712 P 12 6 0 2041 1533 11 7 0 2000 1672 11 7 0 1858 1682 7 11 0 2063 2002 7 11 0 1825 1858 5 13 0 1287 2217 4 14 0 1412 1954 3 15 0 1570 2498 Premiers #CCFFCC QF QF QF QF 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. complete Finals Semi-finals Sunday, 1 September (11:10am) Sunshine 15.11 (101) H Caulfield 10.17 (77) Junction Oval 6,713 (C-R) Sunday, 8 September (11:10am) Oakleigh 16.12 (108) A Brunswick 25.18 (168) Junction Oval 9,014 (C-R) Preliminary Final Sunday, 15 September (11:10am) Oakleigh 17.16 (118) H Sunshine 17.6 (108) Junction Oval 6,243 (C-R) The Age Melbourne Dennis Jose 16 September 1985 35 Fighting final gives Devils a shot at promotion 1985 VFA Division 2 Grand Final Sunday, 22 September (11:10am) Brunswick 8.6 (54) 13.8 (86) 23.13 (149) 25.18 (168) Flower 5, Gibson 5, Smythe 4, Judge 3, Thornton 2, West 2, Callander, Lawson, McDonald, Parsons H Oakleigh 3.3 (21) 9.5 (59) 11.10 (76) 22.12 (144) Pretto 12, Aldridge 4, Owen 2, Foott, Johnson, M. Roach, Todd Aldridge, for striking Gibson in the third quarter Junction Oval 22,341 (C-R) Graeme Marcy, Walker Brunswick led by as much as 82 points in the third quarter before Oakleigh narrowed the final margin to 24 points. Rino Pretto (Oakleigh) kicked seven goals in the final quarter. Awards The leading goalkicker for Division 2 was Rino Pretto (Oakleigh), who kicked 149 goals in the home-and-away season, and 170 goals overall. Pretto's total was the highest in a season by any player since Ron Todd kicked 188 goals in 1945 during the throw-pass era; it set and, as of 2019, holds the record for most goals in a season outside the throw-pass era. The J. Field Medal was won by Darren Hall (Dandenong). Hall finished ahead of Greg Packham (Caulfield), who was second, and Glenn Scanlan (Sunshine), who was third. Brunswick won the seconds premiership for the third consecutive season. Brunswick 17.17 (119) defeated Waverley 14.11 (95) in the Grand Final, played as a curtain-raiser to the Division 1 Seconds Grand Final on 22 September at North Port Oval. Notable events Interleague matches The Association played one interleague match during the season, against the Victorian Amateur Football Association. Gary Brice (who had returned Port Melbourne after a season at League club ) continued as Association coach;The Age Melbourne Dennis Jose 1 June 1985 39 Brice has 100 reasons to win a flag David Brine (Preston) was captain.The Age Melbourne Dennis Jose 7 June 1985 29 VFA, VAFA teams The Association no longer fielded a separate Division 2 representative team. 1985 Interleague Matches Sunday, 9 June V.F.A. 14.13 (97) H V.A.F.A. 13.10 (88) Preston City Oval 5,000 The Age Melbourne Dennis Jose 10 June 1985 26 VFA steals amateur glory Other notable events In December 1984, Alan Wickes, who had served as Association president since March 1981, declined to stand for re-election. Former Brunswick president and Brunswick and Camberwell player Brook Andersen was elected to the office in his place.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Darren Joyce 8 December 1985 55 VFA names new chief The Association's order-off rule, which had been introduced in 1980, was amended in 1985. Under the original rule, the team played one short during the period that a player was ordered off the ground; but under the amended rule, the ordered off player could be replaced, meaning that the teams continued to play sixteen-a-side during the penalty.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne Michael Reid 13 April 1985 53 New-look VFA shapes up Berwick moved its home ground from Arch Brown Reserve to the Manuka Road Oval in 1985, following a clubhouse fire during the summer.http://scoreboardpressure.com/2014/05/05/berwick-vfa-and-ccfnl-victoria/ Berwick (VFA and CCNFL, Victoria) Meike Ruotsalainen Scoreboard Pressure 5 May 2014 23 May 2014 Moorabbin moved from the McKinnon Recreation Reserve to the Bentleigh Recreation Reserve, its third home ground in three years.Santo Caruso Marc Fiddian Jim Main Football Grounds of Melbourne Pennon Publishing 2002 Essendon North, VIC 96 Camberwell endured significant financial hardship during the season. Despite having already asked its players to take a pay cut at the start of the season, the club remained unable to make its payments; in mid-June, led by one-time Association leading goalkicker Peter Stevenson and other key senior players Mark Turner and Robert Wilkinson, players began to walk out on the club.The Age Melbourne Dennis Jose 22 June 1985 39 Star Cobra trip quits Within a year, more than forty players had walked out on the club,The Age Melbourne Hugo Kelly 10 May 1986 37 Spithill and Cobras plan revival against the odds resulting in the club – which had played finals in 1984The Age 27 August 1984 Frankston pushes out Sandringham 25 Melbourne Dennis Jose – falling to a winless season in 1986.The Age 25 August 1986 The Hills are alive after last-gasp win 32 Melbourne Hugo Kelly Oakleigh also endured financial difficulties during the year, and, with their consent, did not pay its players during the season.The Age Melbourne Dennis Jose 17 August 1985 39 Bottom pay, but top play On 23 June, Williamstown 17.11 (113) defeated Preston 15.14 (104), ending Preston's club-record 23-match winning streak which dated back to 1984. It was also, quite remarkably, the first time Preston ruckman Neil Jordan had lost a game for the club in any grade across his 84-game career; he had previously played 34 matches for the thirds, 24 matches for the seconds, and 25 matches for the firsts without suffering a defeat.The Age Melbourne Dennis Jose 24 June 1985 30 Brave Seagulls stop Preston On 26 July, Oakleigh trailed Sunshine by 43 points early in the final quarter, before coming back to win by one point; Oakleigh 16.13 (109) d. Sunshine 15.18 (108) As in 1984, Network Ten televised one match in each of the final two weeks of the home-and-away season, followed by all of the Division 1 finals. Because of this, the Association made a decision to swap the Division 1 fixtures of Rounds 15 and 17, because ladder positions at the time indicated that there would be no interesting matches to televise in Round 17;The Age Melbourne Dennis Jose 27 July 1985 39 Coburg to star – on TV this proved to be a wise move, as the top five teams won their originally scheduled Round 17 matches by an average of 105 points.The Age Melbourne Dennis Jose 5 August 1985 29 Top five prove awesome Port Melbourne missed the finals in dramatic circumstances after a terrible performance in the final round of the home-and-away season. After Round 17, Port Melbourne sat fourth with a record of 12–5 with a percentage of 140.8, which was a substantial advantage over fifth-placed Williamstown with a record of 11–6 and a percentage of 133.1.The Age Melbourne Dennis Jose 19 August 1985 32 Lions trounce Preston by 61 points In Round 18, Port Melbourne lost more than nine percentage points in a heavy televised loss against second-placed Coburg, Coburg 21.15 (141) d. Port Melbourne 5.9 (39); this allowed Williamstown to qualify with a comfortable win against sixth-placed Geelong West, Williamstown 14.16 (100) d. Geelong West 8.10 (58). Starting from this year, the Association played the Division 1 and Division 2 finals on the same days as double-headers at the Junction Oval, with the Division 2 matches serving as curtain-raisers to the Division 1 matches; this ended the long-standing practice of playing the Division 2 finals at a different venue (usually Toorak Park) and a week or two earlier than the corresponding Division 1 finals. The Seconds finals for both divisions, which had previously served as curtain-raisers to the firsts finals, were played as double-headers at North Port Oval. Under this arrangement, Network Ten televised the final quarter of the Division 2 final before broadcasting the entire Division 1 match.The Age Melbourne Dennis Jose 13 July 1985 39 New life in Port, Seagull battles In the Division 1 Grand Final, Williamstown selected fourteen-year-old Ron James to play his first senior game. See also List of VFA/VFL premiers References Category:Victorian Football League seasons VFL