1971 VFL season

Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1971.

Premiership season

In 1971, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus two substitute players, known as the 19th man and the 20th man. A player could be substituted for any reason; however, once substituted, a player could not return to the field of play under any circumstances.

Teams played each other in a home-and-away season of 22 rounds; matches 12 to 22 were the "home-and-way reverse" of matches 1 to 11.

Once the 22 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1971 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the "Page-McIntyre system".

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Round 11

Round 12

Round 13

Round 14

Round 15

Round 16

Round 17

Round 18

Round 19

Round 20

Round 21

Round 22

Ladder

Consolation Night Series Competition

The consolation night series were held under the floodlights at Lake Oval, South Melbourne, for the teams (5th to 12th on ladder) out of the finals at the end of the home and away rounds.

Final: Melbourne 12.7 (79) defeated Fitzroy 9.9 (63).

Premiership Finals

First Semi-Final

Second Semi-Final

Preliminary Final

Grand final

Awards

• The 1971 VFL Premiership team was Hawthorn.
• The VFL's leading goalkicker was Peter Hudson of Hawthorn who kicked 150 goals (including 10 goals in the finals).
• The winner of the 1971 Brownlow Medal was Ian Stewart of Richmond with 21 votes.
• South Melbourne took the "wooden spoon" in 1971.

Notable events

• Fitzroy winger Trevor McGregor wins the 1971, 130-yard Stawell Gift in 11.7 seconds, off a handicap of 7¼ yards.
• Bill Barrot of Richmond and Ian Stewart of St Kilda swap clubs before the start of the 1971 season.
  • Stewart goes on to win his third Brownlow Medal at Richmond; whilst Barrott is so dis-satisfied at St Kilda's demands that he play in defence that he requests, and is given, a clearance to Carlton (he played 12 games with Carlton in 1971 and then retired).
• The VFL sells Harrison House and moves to 84 Jolimont Street.
• In the Grand Final, Peter Hudson would have broken Bob Pratt's season record of 150 goals except for three incidents:
  • He kicked what would have otherwise been an easy goal into the man on the mark (Barry Lawrence).
  • He kicked a goal on the run that was disallowed because the end of the quarter siren had gone before the ball hit his boot.
  • He ran into an open goal and kicked the ball out of bounds.
• The Committees of the Carlton Football Club and Collingwood decide not to renew the contracts of their respective coaches, Ron Barassi and Bob Rose.

References

• Maplestone, M., Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872-1996, Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN 0-9591740-2-8
• Rogers, S. & Brown, A., Every Game Ever Played: VFL/AFL Results 1897-1997 (Sixth Edition), Viking Books, (Ringwood), 1998. ISBN 0-670-90809-6
• Ross, J. (ed), 100 Years of Australian Football 1897-1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported, Viking, (Ringwood), 1996. ISBN 0-670-86814-0

External links

• 1971 Season - AFL Tables