1908 VFL season
Encyclopedia
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League
season of 1908.
Both Richmond Football Club
and University Football Club
were admitted to the VFL competition (University left the competition at the end of the 1914 season).
Each team played each other twice in a home-and-away season of 18 rounds.
Once the 18 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1908 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the amended "Argus system".
defeated Essendon
5.5 (35) to 3.8 (26). (For an explanation of scoring see Australian rules football
).
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
season of 1908.
Both Richmond Football Club
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
and University Football Club
Melbourne University Football Club
Melbourne University Football Club, often known simply as University is an Australian rules football club.The club achieved prominence by being a member of the game's most elite competition in the early 20th century, the Victorian Football League between 1908 and 1914.Although there are no records...
were admitted to the VFL competition (University left the competition at the end of the 1914 season).
Premiership season
In 1908, the VFL competition consisted of ten teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their place on the field at any time during the match.Each team played each other twice in a home-and-away season of 18 rounds.
Once the 18 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1908 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the amended "Argus system".
Grand final
CarltonCarlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
defeated Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
5.5 (35) to 3.8 (26). (For an explanation of scoring see Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
).
| Team | 1 Qtr | 2 Qtr | 3 Qtr | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlton Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897... |
2.3 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 5.5 (35) |
| Essendon Essendon Football Club The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... |
1.1 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 3.8 (26) |
Awards
- The 1908 VFL Premiership team was CarltonCarlton Football ClubThe Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
. - The VFL's leading goalkickerColeman MedalThe Coleman Medal is awarded yearly to the Australian Football League player who kicks the most goals in regular-season matches in that year...
was Dick LeeDick Lee (footballer)Walter Henry "Dick" Lee was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League ....
of CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
with 54 goals. - GeelongGeelong Football ClubThe Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
took the "wooden spoonWooden spoon (award)A wooden spoon is a mock or real award, usually given to an individual or team which has come last in a competition, but sometimes also to runners-up. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous events...
" in 1908.
Notable events
- Richmond Football ClubRichmond Football ClubThe Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
and University Football ClubMelbourne University Football ClubMelbourne University Football Club, often known simply as University is an Australian rules football club.The club achieved prominence by being a member of the game's most elite competition in the early 20th century, the Victorian Football League between 1908 and 1914.Although there are no records...
admitted to the VFL competition. - With fiery former Collingwood coach Dick CondonDick CondonRichard 'Dick' Condon was a highly controversial, exceptionally brilliant champion Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football Association and the Victorian Football League from 1894 to 1909....
as both player and coach, and former Collingwood champion Charlie PannamCharlie H. PannamCharles 'Charlie' Pannam was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football Association between 1894 and 1896 then in the Victorian Football League between 1897 and 1906. He then played for the Richmond Football Club in the VFA in 1907 then...
as captain, RichmondRichmond Football ClubThe Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
win their first VFl match with a first round victory against MelbourneMelbourne Football ClubThe Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
, 8.14 (62) to 7.9 (51). - University Football ClubMelbourne University Football ClubMelbourne University Football Club, often known simply as University is an Australian rules football club.The club achieved prominence by being a member of the game's most elite competition in the early 20th century, the Victorian Football League between 1908 and 1914.Although there are no records...
have their first VFL victory in the second round of the season, beating RichmondRichmond Football ClubThe Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
14.10 (94) to 12.4 (76). - In the first round match between FitzroyFitzroy Football ClubThe Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
and South MelbourneSydney SwansThe Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
at the Brunswick Street OvalBrunswick Street OvalThe Brunswick Street Oval, currently known as WT Peterson Community Oval, also known as the Fitzroy Cricket Ground is a cricket and Australian rules football ground located in Edinburgh Gardens in Fitzroy North, Victoria...
an umpire was hit by a stone thrown by a spectator. - The sixth round match between FitzroyFitzroy Football ClubThe Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
and EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
, also at the Brunswick Street OvalBrunswick Street OvalThe Brunswick Street Oval, currently known as WT Peterson Community Oval, also known as the Fitzroy Cricket Ground is a cricket and Australian rules football ground located in Edinburgh Gardens in Fitzroy North, Victoria...
, was a fiery affair that resulted in a number of suspensions. A horde of Fitzroy supporters invaded the ground immediately the final bell had rung, kicking, punching and otherwise assaulting Essendon players as they tried to leave the playing field. Essendon fans also jumped the fence, in order to protect their players. A riot ensued. - A ten-day Carnival, the "Jubilee of Australasian Football1908 Melbourne CarnivalThe 1908 Melbourne Carnival was the inaugural Australian National Football Carnival, an Australian rules football interstate competition. It was known at the time as the Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival as it commemorated 50 years of Australian rules football.-Teams:The Victorian team was...
(1858-1908)" was held in Melbourne in August 1908, involving teams from New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, . - At an official Carnival function, when proposing a toast to "The Australasian Game" the Prime Minister of AustraliaPrime Minister of AustraliaThe Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
, the Ballarat-born Alfred DeakinAlfred DeakinAlfred Deakin , Australian politician, was a leader of the movement for Australian federation and later the second Prime Minister of Australia. In the last quarter of the 19th century, Deakin was a major contributor to the establishment of liberal reforms in the colony of Victoria, including the...
(1856–1919) spoke of his youthful experiences of playing a rudimentary form of Australian football.