1949 VFA season

68th season of the Victorian Football Association December 2017 December 2017 1949 16 April – 1 October 19491949 VFA Premiership Season https://australianfootball.com/seasons/season/vfa/193/premiership%2Bseason/8/8/1949/advanced Australian Football 16 June 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250616130713/https://australianfootball.com/seasons/season/vfa/193/premiership%2Bseason/8/8/1949/advanced 16 June 2025 Williamstown1949 cropped.png 260px Williamstown – 1949 VFA premiers 12 5 1 4 130 524,650 40,000 (Grand Final, vs ) white 1948 VFA season 1948 white 1950 VFA season 1950 The 1949 VFA season was the 68th season of the Victorian Football Association (VFA), an Australian rules football competition played in the state of Victoria. won the premiership for the fifth time, after defeating by three points in the 1949 VFA Grand Final. During the season, the VFA agreed to join the Australian National Football Council (effective from the 1950 season), ending a decade of division in Victorian football. Consequently, it was the final season in which the throw-pass was legal in the VFA. Background Australian rules football schism (1938–1949) During the 1940s, unity of football control within Victoria had been a topic of regular discussion. The two football bodies in Victoria had been divided since 1938, when the VFA broke away from Australian National Football Council (ANFC). In the following decade, the Association had introduced a number of rule changes, most notably legalising throwing of the football in general play, while the ANFC-affiliated Victorian Football League was bound by the national rules; and, there was no player transfer agreement between the two bodies, allowing players to switch codes without a clearance.The Argus 16 April 1938 Crowds will be attracted by new rules 22 Melbourne RoverThe Argus 16 February 1938 Football experiments 24 Melbourne Percy Taylor By standing alone, the Association's throw-pass innovation and aggressive recruiting of League stars substantially boosted its attendances during the 1940s. However, the schism was problematic for Australian rules football as a whole: the poaching of players from one body by the other was undermining public opinion, giving other sports the opportunity to attract disenchanted fans; and, the lack of a consistent code of rules made it more difficult to spread the game to other parts of the country.The Argus 7 December 1948 VFA asked to forgo "throw pass" 16 Melbourne The VFL, VFA and ANFC all believed that the sport would benefit from unified control in Victoria, and there were regular discussions between the VFA and VFL during the early 1940s seeking amalgamation; none were successful.The Argus Melbourne One football control body – VFA again to approach VFL 16 June 1945 7 In the late 1940s, the VFA began looking at obtaining a seat on the ANFC as a means of unifying football control while maintaining its independence. Player transfer reciprocity agreement No arrangement for affiliation to the ANFC was reached for the 1949 season, but in March the VFA and VFL reached a separate bilateral agreement to recognise the validity of each other's clearances, effective from the start of the 1949 season. The new agreement meant that League players were not legally permitted to play in the Association without a clearance from their League clubs, or vice versa; prior to the agreement, players who switched competitions without a clearance received a suspension which was binding only in his former competition.The Argus 30 March 1949 VFL–VFA clearances reciprocal 23 Melbourne By the end of the season, both the League and the Association had agreed to lift any active suspensions which players had received for switching codes without a clearance.The Argus 9 August 1949 Association joins ANFC 20 Melbourne ANFC affiliation The Association formally agreed to affiliate with the ANFC in August 1949. Under the terms of the affiliation:The Argus 28 June 1949 Privileges but not voting power 16 Melbourne The Association was to play under the ANFC's standard code of rules. This meant that it was forced to abandon the throw-pass and other rule changes it had introduced since 1938. The Association received a seat on the council, which had full rights except that it could not vote on council matters. According to the ANFC constitution, there could be only one voting delegate on the council from each state; Victoria's voting delegate was from the VFL, precluding the VFA from receiving a vote. However, the Association delegate had full rights to raise motions and put forward its views relating to other motions – a privilege not enjoyed by any other affiliated non-voting member of the ANFC. The lack of a vote had been the Association's major sticking point against affiliation in the past, and was the reason why an offer to affiliate in 1948 was rejected.The Argus 17 February 1949 ANFC-VFA negotiations will continue 20 Melbourne The Association could send a representative team to play interstate matches or national carnivals. The Association could share the benefits of programs such as advertising, development programs, etc. The Association was not required to pay a levy to the ANFC. The motion to affiliate was passed on 8 August 1949 by a majority of 18–7. Delegates representing Oakleigh, Williamstown and Yarraville voted against the motion. The Association remained affiliated with the ANFC until it was expelled in March 1970 for playing League players without an endorsed clearance.http://www.hardballget.net/1970-1989-post-anfc-era.html Hard Ball Get David Eastman 2013 27 February 2014 VFA – 1970 -1989: the post-ANFC era dead https://web.archive.org/web/20140303091848/http://www.hardballget.net/1970-1989-post-anfc-era.html 3 March 2014 Home-and-away season The home-and-away season was played over 21 matches, before the top four clubs contested a finals series under the Page–McIntyre system to determine the premiers for the season. Ladder main WDL Q true points y 4 2 WIL Williamstown OAK Oakleigh BRI Brighton COB Coburg BRU Brunswick CAM Camberwell PMB Port Melbourne PRA Prahran NBU Preston NOR Northcote SAN Sandringham YAR Yarraville 16 5 0 2037 1664 P 15 6 0 2320 1703 15 6 0 2116 1920 13 7 1 2003 1894 12 8 1 1972 1708 12 9 0 1871 1892 11 10 0 1866 1780 8 13 0 2111 2076 8 13 0 1904 2128 6 14 1 1683 1948 6 14 1 1747 2225 2 19 0 1840 2532 Premiers #CCFFCC A A A A 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. complete The Sun News-Pictorial 5 September 1949 Brighton, Coburg will be stronger for semi-final 24 Melbourne Jack Oates Finals Semi-finals Semi-finals Saturday, 10 September Brighton 14.15 (99) H Coburg 11.8 (74) St Kilda Cricket Ground 14,000 The Sun News-Pictorial 12 September 1949 Brighton crushes Coburg but needs to improve 24 Melbourne Jack Oates Saturday, 17 September Williamstown 14.13 (97) H Oakleigh 13.14 (92) St Kilda Cricket Ground 23,000 The Sun News-Pictorial 19 September 1949 Williamstown, with 16 men, in great "time-on" win 24 Melbourne Jack Oates Preliminary final Preliminary final Saturday, 24 September Oakleigh 14.16 (100) H Brighton 12.13 (85) St Kilda Cricket Ground 22,000 The Sun News-Pictorial 26 September 1949 Oakleigh needs to improve for Grand Final 24 Melbourne Jack Oates Grand Final 1949 VFA Grand Final Saturday, 1 October Williamstown 1.2 (8) 2.2 (14) 7.3 (45) 10.5 (65) Todd 5, Walker 3, Abberton, Bernard, Molyneux Simpson (ankle), Walker (cramp) H Oakleigh 2.3 (15) 5.9 (39) 6.12 (48) 8.14 (62) Smeaton 2, Watson 2, Edward, Finn, Scott, Wenn Baxter (thigh), Rawlings (thigh) St Kilda Cricket Ground 40,000 The Sun News-Pictorial 3 October 1949 Williamstown's lucky win in see-saw finish 24 Melbourne Jack OatesThe Argus 3 October 1949 Accuracy, stamina won for W'town (sic) 15 Melbourne Geoff Clancy Wright Awards The leading goalkicker for the season was Keith Warburton (Brighton), who kicked 90 goals in the home-and-home season and 101 goals overall. The J. J. Liston Trophy was won by Jack Blackman (Preston), who polled 58 votes. He narrowly beat Roy Harper (Sandringham), who was second with 56 votes.The Sun News-Pictorial 7 September 1949 Jack Blackman wins Liston Trophy 28 Melbourne Jack Oates Port Melbourne won the seconds premiership, after defeating Williamstown in the Grand Final Replay. In the Grand Final, played as a curtain raiser to the firsts Grand Final, Williamstown 9.15 (69) had led Port Melbourne 4.8 (32) at three-quarter time, before Port Melbourne came back to draw the game at 9.17 (71) apiece. Port Melbourne 12.25 (97) defeated Williamstown 11.8 (74) in the Replay on 8 October at Olympic Park.The Argus 10 October 1949 Port takes seconds' Grand Final 15 Melbourne Geoff Clancy Notable events Squire Reid, who had been president of the Association since 1947,Williamstown Chronicle Williamstown, VIC 5 August 1949 8 Town's brilliant win over Coburg died from illness on 29 July.The Argus Melbourne 30 July 1949 5 Obituary: Mr S. H. Reid Former Camberwell player and president Dr Frank Hartnett was elected president of the Association in his place in August;The Argus Melbourne 30 August 1949 20 Dr F. Hartnett is new VFA president Hartnett served as president until February 1951.The Argus 20 February 1951 Dr. Hartnett votes his V.F.A. office away Jack Dunn Melbourne In the final round of home-and-away matches, 8.11 (59) trailed Camberwell 16.14 (110) by 51 points at three-quarter time, before kicking nine goals to zero to win the game by seven points, 17.17 (119) d. 16.16 (112).https://australianfootball.com/seasons/season/vfa/193/premiership%2Bseason/8/8/1949 1949 VFA Premiership Season 6 June 2022 AustralianFootball.comhttps://www.afl.com.au/news/758021/vfl-rd7-dolphins-produce-a-saturday-night-stunner VFL Rd7: Dolphins produce a Saturday night stunner 8 May 2022 6 June 2022 Australian Football League Brendan Rhodes References Category:Victorian Football League seasons VFA