1957 VFA season

none December 2017 December 2017 VFA Premiership season 1957 VFA 14 Moorabbin 1 Williamstown 6 1956 1958 The 1957 Victorian Football Association season was the 76th season of the Australian rules football competition. The premiership was won by the Moorabbin Football Club, after it defeated Port Melbourne in the Grand Final on 5 October by forty points. It was Moorabbin's first VFA premiership, won in its seventh season of competition. For Port Melbourne, it was the last of eight consecutive Grand Final appearances between 1950 and 1957, of which only the 1953 premiership was won. Minor premiers Williamstown went through the home-and-home season undefeated, but lost both finals to finish third;Fiddian Marc Boilovers, Thrillers and Grand Eras in League and Association Football 1994 Pakenham Gazette Pakenham, Victoria 1875475087 93 it was the only premiership which the club did not win between 1954 and 1959. Premiership The home-and-home season was played over twenty 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 1957 VFA ladder true points y 4 2 WIL Williamstown MOO Moorabbin PMB Port Melbourne PRE Preston BRU Brunswick COB Coburg BOX Box Hill SAN Sandringham CAM Camberwell YAR Yarraville PRA Prahran OAK Oakleigh NOR Northcote BRI Brighton 20 0 0 1784 969 15 5 0 1876 1314 P 14 6 0 1918 1372 13 7 0 1784 1460 13 7 0 1468 1292 12 8 0 1699 1408 11 9 0 1654 1516 8 11 1 1362 1528 8 12 0 1529 1790 7 12 1 1504 1521 6 13 1 1438 1998 5 15 0 1291 1738 4 16 0 1157 1926 2 17 1 1414 2046 Premiers #CCFFCC A A A A 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. complete The Sun News-Pictorial 9 September 1957 Preston threat to Port in first semi 35 Melbourne Noel Carrick Finals Semifinals Saturday, 14 September Port Melbourne 19.13 (127) H Preston 7.9 (51) St Kilda Cricket Ground 18,500 The Sun News-Pictorial 16 September 1957 Half-backs and skipper win semi for Port 37 Melbourne Noel Carrick Saturday, 21 September Williamstown 10.8 (68) A Moorabbin 9.16 (70) St Kilda Cricket Ground 8,000 The Age 23 September 1957 Williamstown falls to Moorabbin 16 Melbourne Michael Meeking Preliminary Final Saturday, 28 September Williamstown 6.12 (48) A Port Melbourne 18.12 (120) St Kilda Cricket Ground 22,000 The Age 30 September 1957 Port is fancied for V.F.A. pennant 16 Melbourne Michael Meeking 1957 VFA Grand Final Saturday, 5 October Moorabbin 4.4 (28) 7.6 (48) 10.10 (70) 15.12 (102) Bull 3, Renwick 3, Green 2, Maine 2, Murphy 2, Bulmer, McGaw, Murray Peck (shin) H Port Melbourne 1.7 (13) 4.14 (38) 5.17 (47) 7.20 (62) Evans 2, Bonnett, Monks, Oldfield, Sykes, Withers Bonnett (concussion) St Kilda Cricket Ground 26,000 The Sun News-Pictorial 7 October 1957 Fast Moorabbin teams well to win pennant 38 Melbourne Noel Carrick Jack Irving Awards The leading goalkicker for the home-and-home season for the second consecutive season was Bob Bonnett (Port Melbourne), who kicked 88 goals. The J. J. Liston Trophy was won by Ken Ross (Camberwell), who polled 32 votes. Keith White (Box Hill) was second with 27 votes, and Gerry Collins (Coburg) was third with 26 votes.The Sun News-Pictorial 12 September 1957 Ken Ross wins Liston award 44 Melbourne Noel Carrick Preston won the seconds premiership. Preston 11.12 (78) defeated Moorabbin 5.12 (42) in the Grand Final, played as a curtain raiser to the firsts Grand Final on 5 October.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne 7 October 1957 Runaway win in seconds 37 Notable events Night football The Association experimented with playing premiership matches at night during the 1957 season. Electric floodlighting had recently been installed at the South Melbourne Cricket Ground, and the Victorian Football League had run a successful post-season night premiership in 1956, so the Association secured the venue for its night premiership matches. Under the arrangement, the premier match of each round, as determined by the Association a couple of weeks in advance, was played at South Melbourne at 8pm on the Wednesday night prior to the main round. Thirteen of the fourteen clubs agreed to the arrangement, with only Preston dissenting.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne 2 April 1957 Lone V.F.A. club's 'no' to night football 47 The first such match was held on 17 April, with Williamstown 12.10 (82) defeating Moorabbin 9.12 (66),The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne 18 April 1957 Hard-hitting 'Town was too strong 31 and a large crowd of 14,000 saw Williamstown defeat Port Melbourne the following week.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne 25 April 1957 'Town gets up by two points 21 Inclement weather was the primary concern with the night matches, and there was a contingency to shift the match back to the Saturday if made necessary by conditions, which first occurred on 22 May;The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne 23 May 1957 Night game postponed 36 recognising that the weather would likely deteriorate further during winter, the Association opted to cancel night matches for June and July, and eventually for the rest of the season – with the exception of an already scheduled interstate match against South Australia in July. In addition to the weather, the disruption of training schedules and the uncertainty surrounding scheduling social events (which represented a large financial penalty when matches were postponed) were problems that some clubs raised after seeing the system in practice.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne 4 June 1957 V.F.A. cuts out night games 35 Wednesday night premiership football returned in 1958, but was again limited to the autumn months before the weather interfered;The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne 8 May 1958 V.F.A. to end night matches 51 it did not return in 1959. Interstate matches The Association played three interstate matches during 1957: two against South Australia, and one against a combined team representing the two greater northern Tasmanian leagues (the Northern Tasmanian Football Association and the North West Football Union). Wally Carter (Williamstown) was the coach of the Association team.Seagulls over Williamstown Fiddian Marc 2003 Williamstown Football Club Williamstown, VIC 96 VFA interstate matches in 1957 Saturday, 13 July N.T.F.A.–N.W.F.U. 12.11 (83) A V.F.A. 18.8 (116) York Park, Launceston 8,000 The Examiner 15 July 1957 Big win over combined team boosts V.F.A. prestige 13 Launceston, Tasmania Half-Back Tuesday, 23 July (night) V.F.A. 6.8 (44) A South Australia 11.12 (78) South Melbourne Cricket Ground 3,500 The Sun News-Pictorial 24 July 1957 Burst by S.A. crushes V.F.A. 45 Melbourne Noel Carrick Tuesday, 20 August (night) South Australia 20.17 (137) H V.F.A. 8.8 (56) Norwood Oval, Adelaide 9,000 The Advertiser 21 August 1957 Crushing 81-point win to S.A. 14 Adelaide, SA Gordon Schwartz Other notable events On 4 May, Yarraville defeated Port Melbourne for the first time in 19 years.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne 6 May 1957 Yarraville waited 19 years for this win 51 Noel Carrick On 25 May, the second half of the match between Oakleigh and Preston was broadcast live on Channel 2, becoming the first Australian rules football game to be broadcast live on television.Marc Fiddian 2004 The VFA: a history of the Victorian Football Association, 1877–1995 7 After reading the umpires' reports sheet following a rough match between Preston and Brighton on 22 June, 66-year-old Preston club delegate Mr Les Whitting struck goal umpire Colin Webster on the jaw; Whitting was banned from serving as a club delegate for life, and from holding office at any Association-affiliated club for five years.The Sun News-Pictorial Melbourne 2 July 1957 V.F.A. man gets ban for life 32 Williamstown was the first team to go undefeated through the home-and-home season since Coburg in 1945; like that Coburg team, Williamstown lost both of its finals to finish third. See also List of VFA/VFL premiers References Category:Victorian Football League seasons VFL