1969 VFA season

none December 2017 April 2026 1969 10 Preston 2 Preston 2 10 Williamstown 1 Sunshine 2 white 1968 VFA season 1968 white 1970 VFA season 1970 The 1969 Victorian Football Association season was the 88th season of the top division of the Australian rules football competition, and the ninth season of second division competition. The Division 1 premiership was won for the second consecutive year by the Preston Football Club, after it defeated Dandenong in the Grand Final on 21 September by 12 points; it was Preston's second Division 1 premiership. The Division 2 premiership was won by Williamstown, in its second season since being relegated from Division 1. Clearance disputes There had been open conflict on clearances between the Association and the Victorian Football League since the Association introduced transfer fees on its players in April 1967. League clubs were forbidden from paying transfer fees by the League's player payment rules (the "Coulter Laws"),The Sun News-Pictorial 67–68 Ron Barassi Melbourne 'Laughable' price fixing 17 April 1968 and so the League terminated the 1949 clearance reciprocity agreement with the Association, allowing Association players to transfer directly to the League without a clearance, and vice versa,The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne 64 April 1967 'Open go' now on transfers and it also had a ban on approving clearances to the Association in place during much of the dispute. Despite the opportunity to transfer without a clearance, only three players had made this move to the League between 1967 and 1969: Terry Alexander, and future Hall of Fame players Kevin Sheedy and Peter Bedford – in no case was the transfer fee paid. All were suspended from the Association for five years, and the severity of this suspension is thought to have deterred others – particularly those who were not guaranteed to win a regular senior place in the League – from risking the move.The Sun News-Pictorial 67–68 Rex Pullen $2000 paid for North star 9 April 1969 Melbourne The only player whose transfer fee was officially paid was 1967 Liston Trophy winner Jim Sullivan, who in 1968 attracted a $1,000 transfer fee to move to Claremont in the West Australian National Football League, a league which did not have the same payment restrictions as the VFL.The Sun News-Pictorial 46 Noel Pascoe His price: $1000 19 April 1968 Melbourne On the other hand, more than sixty players from the VFL, mostly reserves and fringe senior players, made the cross to the Association without a clearance in the same time.The Sun News-Pictorial 53 Noel Pascoe No problems for VFA teams 11 May 1968 Melbourne In November 1968, the Australian National Football Council intervened in an attempt to end the clearance dispute, by mandating that the two competitions were required to recognise the other's clearances;The Sun News-Pictorial 63 Scot Palmer 7 May 1969 ANFC president hits back Melbourne the ANFC had long-standing rules requiring reciprocal recognition of clearances between interstate competitions, but a loophole meant that these rules had not applied to two competitions within the same state.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne 55 Kevin Hogan 18 June 1966 Transfer rule averts "war" In April 1969, the disagreement played out in the controversial case of Geoff Bryant. The Association approved the clearance of Bryant from Box Hill to the VFL's North Melbourne, and had set a transfer fee of $2,000 for Bryant's clearance. It was initially reported that the clearance had been approved without the transfer fee being paid, which could have occurred only if the Association had broken its own rules requiring the transfer fee. Association secretary Fred Hill responded to the press that this was not the case: that North Melbourne had indeed paid the transfer fee, and had done so secretly in defiance of the VFL's rules.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne 67–68 9 April 1969 Rex Pullen $2000 paid for North star Box Hill president Reg Shineberg described to the press the clandestine circumstances under which he had allegedly received the fee – in $10 and $20 notes, under cover of darkness outside VFA House, from a man he did not know.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne 52 19 April 1969 Kevin Hogan North, secretary to face charges The VFL arbitrators investigated North Melbourne over the alleged breach of its payment rules, but the charges were dropped after the Association did not provide any written corroborating evidence to the investigation. Whether or not the illegal transfer fee was actually paid was never proven.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne 55–56 29 April 1969 Bob Crimeen Joseph, club get all clear On 11 April 1969, while the Bryant case was ongoing, the Association Board of Management agreed by a 41–2 majority to drop its transfer fee rule; but, it did not reinstate a clearance reciprocity agreement, and in Round 1, two League players were permitted to play in the Association without a clearance: John Ibrahim (from , fielded by Sunshine) and Alan White (from StK, fielded by Caulfield).The Sun News-Pictorial 56 Noel Pascoe Transfer fee rule dropped 12 April 1969 Melbourne The ANFC issued an ultimatum to the Association reinstate a clearance agreement with the League, but the Association refused, and yet more players crossed without a clearance (including Fred Cook, who went on to become the Association's all-time leading goalkicker); as a result, the Association was excluded from sending a team to the 1969 Interstate Carnival, which was held in Adelaide in June,The Sun News-Pictorial 66 4 June 1969 VFA takes out a writ Melbourne and was then finally expelled altogether from the ANFC in March 1970The Sun News-Pictorial 62 Scot Palmer 17 March 1970 Permits: VFA is expelled Melbourne – ending its twenty-year affiliation with the national body which had started in August 1949. Division 1 The Division 1 home-and-home season was played over 18 rounds; the top four then contested the finals under the Page–McIntyre system. The finals were held at the Punt Road Oval, in Richmond. Ladder main WDL Q 1969 VFA Division 1 ladder true points y 4 2 PRE Preston DAN Dandenong SAN Sandringham PMB Port Melbourne YAR Yarraville PRA Prahran WAV Waverley GLW Geelong West OAK Oakleigh BRU Brunswick 17 1 0 2158 1407 P 14 4 0 2085 1784 13 5 0 1851 1684 11 7 0 1808 1526 9 9 0 1882 1760 9 9 0 1793 1743 6 12 0 1582 1743 5 13 0 1402 1907 3 15 0 1395 1886 3 15 0 1357 1971 12 #CCFFCC A A A A Premiers #FFCCCC R 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. complete The Sun News-Pictorial 25 August 1969 Preston scores, but only just 53 Melbourne Noel Pascoe Finals Semi-finals Sunday, 31 August Sandringham 14.20 (104) A Port Melbourne 16.18 (114) Punt Road Oval 10,000 The Age Melbourne 23 Mike Smith 1 September 1969 Tenacious Port earns 10-point VFA semi win Sunday, 7 September Preston 10.18 (78) H Dandenong 11.9 (75) Punt Road Oval 8,000 The Age Melbourne 21 Mike Smith 8 September 1969 Preston gets in by 3 points Preliminary Final Sunday, 14 September Dandenong 15.16 (106) H Port Melbourne 13.15 (93) Punt Road Oval 6,000 The Age Melbourne 21 Mike Smith 15 September 1969 Dandenong wins after great game by Morrow 1969 VFA Division 1 Grand Final Sunday, 21 September Preston 5.5 (35) 7.9 (51) 9.11 (65) 12.11 (83) Joyce 3, Reid 2, Clark, Dalton, Dea, Heard, Leslie, McLean, Telford H Dandenong 3.0 (18) 5.4 (34) 7.8 (50) 10.11 (71) Miller 7, Guinane, Sheehan, Stedwell Punt Road Oval 10,000 The Age Melbourne 29 Mike Smith 22 September 1969 Preston wins final for second year Brewer Awards The leading goalkicker for the second consecutive season was Jim Miller (Dandenong), who kicked 91 goals in the home-and-away season and 106 overall. The J. J. Liston Trophy was won by Laurie Hill (Preston), who polled 33 votes. Hill finished ahead of team-mate Bruce Reid, who finished second with 30 votes; Errol Hutchesson was third with 21 votes.The Sun News-Pictorial 28 August 1969 Hill takes Liston in a photo-finish 64 Melbourne Noel Pascoe Sandringham won the seconds premiership. Sandringham 22.9 (141) defeated Waverley 16.13 (109) in the Grand Final, played as a stand-alone match on Saturday 20 September at Skinner Reserve. Division 2 The Division 2 home-and-home season was played over eighteen rounds; the top four then contested the finals under the Page–McIntyre system. Ladder main WDL Q 1969 VFA Division 2 ladder true points y 4 2 SUN Sunshine COB Coburg WIL Williamstown BOX Box Hill NOR Northcote CAU Caulfield WER Werribee FRA Frankston MOR Mordialloc CAM Camberwell 17 1 0 2362 1423 16 2 0 2344 1445 15 3 0 2017 1259 P 9 9 0 1667 1869 8 9 1 1438 1633 8 10 0 1787 1830 7 11 0 1702 1686 5 13 0 1767 2055 3 15 0 1425 2017 1 16 1 1178 2460 Premiers #CCFFCC A A A A 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. complete The Sun News-Pictorial 48 Noel Pascoe See-saw game goes to Sandy 18 August 1969 Melbourne Finals Semi-finals Sunday, 24 August Williamstown 26.17 (173) H Box Hill 7.11 (53) Toorak Park 6,000 The Age 25 August 1969 Record score in VFA 21 Melbourne Mike Smith Sunday, 31 August Sunshine 19.17 (131) H Coburg 18.13 (121) Toorak Park 4,000 The Age Melbourne 23 Mike Smith 1 September 1969 Sunshine has third win over Coburg Preliminary Final Sunday, 7 September Coburg 8.5 (53) A Williamstown 14.12 (96) Toorak Park 4,200 The Age Melbourne 21 Mike Smith 8 September 1969 Seagulls too good 1969 VFA Division 2 Grand Final Sunday, 14 September Sunshine 4.3 (27) 7.5 (47) 11.12 (78) 12.12 (84) Allen 4, Ibrahim 2, Bean, Dean, Goold, Kennedy, Greg Rosser, Russell Darul, for striking Smith in the second quarter A Williamstown 2.2 (14) 8.8 (56) 10.9 (69) 15.14 (104) Jackman 4, Papley 3, Smith 3, Hayward, Lane, Mulligan, Page, Patterson Toorak Park 6,000 The Age Melbourne 21 Mike Smith 15 September 1969 Seagulls back in top Div McMaster Awards The leading goalkicker for Division 2 was George Allen (Sunshine), who kicked 89 goals in the home-and-away season, and 99 goals overall. The Division 2 Best and Fairest, which was now known as the J. Field Medal, was won by Jim Sullivan (Coburg), who polled 44 votes. Sullivan had won the Liston Trophy two years earlier, and was also a former winner of the Thirds Best & Fairest, making this Sullivan's third Association Best and Fairest award.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne 59 Noel Pascoe 21 August 1969 Sullivan top in three divisions Williamstown won the Seconds premiership. Williamstown 16.8 (104) defeated Sunshine 11.13 (79) in the Grand Final, held as a stand-alone match on Saturday 6 September at Skinner Reserve. Williamstown also won the Thirds premiership to become the first club to win the premiership in all three grades in one season.Fiddian, Marc (2004); The VFA; A History of the Victorian Football Association 1877–1995; pp. 300-302 Notable events In the week leading up to the Division 2 Grand Final, Williamstown captain-coach Max Papley and team-mates Dallas Patterson and Bert Johnson were involved in a car accident. Papley suffered bruised ribs and Patterson suffered head lacerations, but both played in the Grand Final victory against Sunshine.Seagulls over Williamstown Fiddian Marc 2003 Williamstown Football Club Williamstown, VIC 121–122 See also List of VFA/VFL premiers References 2 Category:Victorian Football League seasons VFL