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1933 VFL season

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1933 VFL premiership season
Overview
Date29 April—30 September 1933
Teams12
PremiersSouth Melbourne
3rd premiership
Runners-upRichmond
7th runners-up result
Minor premiersRichmond
2nd minor premiership
Brownlow MedallistChicken Smallhorn (Fitzroy)
18 votes
Leading goalkicker medallistBob Pratt (South Melbourne)
102 goals
Attendance
Matches played112
Total attendance1,942,580 (17,344 per match)
Highest (H&A)43,000 (round 11, Carlton v Richmond)
Highest (finals)75,754 (grand final, South Melbourne v Richmond)
← 1932
1934 →

The 1933 VFL season was the 37th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest-level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs and ran from 29 April to 30 September, comprising an 18-match home-and-away season followed by a four-week finals series featuring the top four clubs.

South Melbourne won the premiership, defeating Richmond by 42 points in the 1933 VFL grand final; it was South Melbourne's third VFL premiership. Richmond won the minor premiership by finishing atop the home-and-away ladder with a 15–3 win–loss record. Fitzroy's Chicken Smallhorn won the Brownlow Medal as the league's best and fairest player, and South Melbourne's Bob Pratt won the leading goalkicker medal as the league's leading goalkicker.

Background

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In 1933, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus one substitute player, known as the 19th 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 18 rounds; matches 12 to 18 were the "home-and-way reverse" of matches 1 to 7.

Once the 18 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1933 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the Page–McIntyre system.

Home-and-away season

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Round 1

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Melbourne 9.10 (64) Richmond 14.12 (96) MCG 19,583 29 April 1933
Collingwood 14.15 (99) Geelong 12.17 (89) Victoria Park 15,500 29 April 1933
Carlton 12.15 (87) South Melbourne 11.17 (83) Princes Park 37,000 29 April 1933
St Kilda 10.17 (77) Hawthorn 11.13 (79) Junction Oval 14,000 29 April 1933
North Melbourne 11.13 (79) Fitzroy 11.13 (79) Arden Street Oval 12,000 29 April 1933
Footscray 11.11 (77) Essendon 10.11 (71) Western Oval 19,000 29 April 1933

Round 2

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Geelong 13.12 (90) Melbourne 11.6 (72) Corio Oval 10,000 6 May 1933
Essendon 13.13 (91) St Kilda 12.6 (78) Windy Hill 17,000 6 May 1933
Richmond 24.16 (160) North Melbourne 9.12 (66) Punt Road Oval 19,000 6 May 1933
South Melbourne 18.17 (125) Footscray 14.15 (99) Lake Oval 29,000 6 May 1933
Fitzroy 16.10 (106) Collingwood 11.15 (81) Brunswick Street Oval 22,000 6 May 1933
Hawthorn 10.12 (72) Carlton 11.14 (80) Glenferrie Oval 16,000 6 May 1933

Round 3

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Footscray 6.14 (50) Richmond 4.10 (34) Western Oval 12,500 13 May 1933
Collingwood 10.11 (71) South Melbourne 9.3 (57) Victoria Park 10,000 13 May 1933
Carlton 8.9 (57) Geelong 13.16 (94) Princes Park 14,000 13 May 1933
North Melbourne 10.15 (75) Hawthorn 10.7 (67) Arden Street Oval 5,000 13 May 1933
St Kilda 9.5 (59) Fitzroy 21.17 (143) Junction Oval 9,000 13 May 1933
Melbourne 15.9 (99) Essendon 10.10 (70) MCG 9,479 13 May 1933

Round 4

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Geelong 17.20 (122) North Melbourne 11.12 (78) Corio Oval 9,000 20 May 1933
Fitzroy 11.16 (82) Melbourne 11.13 (79) Brunswick Street Oval 22,000 20 May 1933
South Melbourne 11.14 (80) St Kilda 10.16 (76) Lake Oval 20,000 20 May 1933
Hawthorn 7.15 (57) Footscray 14.10 (94) Glenferrie Oval 12,000 20 May 1933
Richmond 13.15 (93) Collingwood 11.8 (74) Punt Road Oval 28,000 20 May 1933
Essendon 11.10 (76) Carlton 13.18 (96) Windy Hill 20,000 20 May 1933

Round 5

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 7.14 (56) Richmond 9.9 (63) Glenferrie Oval 12,000 27 May 1933
Essendon 12.11 (83) South Melbourne 17.15 (117) Windy Hill 18,000 27 May 1933
St Kilda 13.19 (97) North Melbourne 11.17 (83) Junction Oval 13,000 27 May 1933
Melbourne 10.17 (77) Footscray 14.13 (97) MCG 22,029 27 May 1933
Geelong 18.15 (123) Fitzroy 2.7 (19) Corio Oval 15,000 27 May 1933
Collingwood 14.20 (104) Carlton 14.16 (100) Victoria Park 25,000 27 May 1933

Round 6

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
South Melbourne 10.13 (73) Hawthorn 9.6 (60) Lake Oval 13,000 3 June 1933
Richmond 13.10 (88) Geelong 10.11 (71) Punt Road Oval 30,000 3 June 1933
Fitzroy 19.11 (125) Essendon 14.9 (93) Brunswick Street Oval 14,000 3 June 1933
Footscray 12.11 (83) St Kilda 9.16 (70) Western Oval 20,000 5 June 1933
Carlton 13.13 (91) Melbourne 12.15 (87) Princes Park 32,000 5 June 1933
North Melbourne 17.11 (113) Collingwood 14.13 (97) Arden Street Oval 18,000 5 June 1933

Round 7

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Geelong 17.14 (116) South Melbourne 13.15 (93) Corio Oval 14,000 10 June 1933
Fitzroy 8.17 (65) Richmond 10.13 (73) Brunswick Street Oval 29,500 10 June 1933
Essendon 15.6 (96) Hawthorn 16.9 (105) Windy Hill 9,000 10 June 1933
North Melbourne 11.12 (78) Footscray 8.14 (62) Arden Street Oval 20,000 10 June 1933
Melbourne 13.19 (97) Collingwood 18.18 (126) MCG 18,020 10 June 1933
St Kilda 10.5 (65) Carlton 20.10 (130) Junction Oval 21,000 10 June 1933

Round 8

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Melbourne 9.15 (69) North Melbourne 14.9 (93) MCG 11,647 17 June 1933
Essendon 8.11 (59) Geelong 17.15 (117) Windy Hill 10,000 17 June 1933
Collingwood 14.23 (107) St Kilda 8.15 (63) Victoria Park 11,000 17 June 1933
Carlton 21.13 (139) Footscray 17.14 (116) Princes Park 26,000 17 June 1933
South Melbourne 15.13 (103) Richmond 16.12 (108) Lake Oval 30,000 17 June 1933
Hawthorn 9.14 (68) Fitzroy 11.13 (79) Glenferrie Oval 13,000 17 June 1933

Round 9

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Geelong 18.25 (133) Hawthorn 3.6 (24) Corio Oval 6,000 24 June 1933
Fitzroy 15.7 (97) South Melbourne 11.12 (78) Brunswick Street Oval 20,000 24 June 1933
St Kilda 13.12 (90) Melbourne 3.15 (33) Junction Oval 9,000 24 June 1933
Richmond 16.14 (110) Essendon 8.11 (59) Punt Road Oval 12,000 24 June 1933
Footscray 9.11 (65) Collingwood 7.18 (60) Western Oval 18,000 24 June 1933
North Melbourne 6.17 (53) Carlton 11.14 (80) Arden Street Oval 26,000 24 June 1933

Round 10

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Richmond 16.14 (110) St Kilda 8.8 (56) Punt Road Oval 13,000 1 July 1933
Essendon 9.21 (75) North Melbourne 15.18 (108) Windy Hill 11,000 1 July 1933
South Melbourne 13.10 (88) Melbourne 12.9 (81) Lake Oval 10,000 1 July 1933
Geelong 11.16 (82) Footscray 7.15 (57) Corio Oval 15,000 1 July 1933
Hawthorn 5.14 (44) Collingwood 15.6 (96) Glenferrie Oval 10,000 1 July 1933
Fitzroy 5.19 (49) Carlton 13.14 (92) Brunswick Street Oval 33,000 1 July 1933

Round 11

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 13.12 (90) South Melbourne 15.13 (103) Arden Street Oval 15,000 8 July 1933
Collingwood 20.19 (139) Essendon 14.14 (98) Victoria Park 8,500 8 July 1933
Carlton 10.10 (70) Richmond 9.13 (67) Princes Park 43,000 8 July 1933
Melbourne 21.10 (136) Hawthorn 15.8 (98) MCG 6,877 8 July 1933
St Kilda 11.14 (80) Geelong 7.13 (55) Junction Oval 10,000 8 July 1933
Footscray 15.6 (96) Fitzroy 8.14 (62) Western Oval 18,000 8 July 1933

Round 12

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 7.9 (51) St Kilda 8.15 (63) Glenferrie Oval 10,000 15 July 1933
Fitzroy 17.16 (118) North Melbourne 11.9 (75) Brunswick Street Oval 14,000 15 July 1933
Essendon 14.7 (91) Footscray 15.13 (103) Windy Hill 16,000 15 July 1933
Richmond 20.15 (135) Melbourne 12.13 (85) Punt Road Oval 11,000 15 July 1933
Geelong 13.18 (96) Collingwood 9.7 (61) Corio Oval 12,250 15 July 1933
South Melbourne 15.13 (103) Carlton 9.6 (60) Lake Oval 32,000 15 July 1933

Round 13

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 8.8 (56) Richmond 20.11 (131) Arden Street Oval 12,000 22 July 1933
Footscray 8.11 (59) South Melbourne 19.15 (129) Western Oval 27,000 22 July 1933
Collingwood 7.21 (63) Fitzroy 9.10 (64) Victoria Park 21,000 22 July 1933
Carlton 13.20 (98) Hawthorn 10.14 (74) Princes Park 12,000 22 July 1933
Melbourne 12.16 (88) Geelong 18.15 (123) MCG 10,249 22 July 1933
St Kilda 12.20 (92) Essendon 13.9 (87) Junction Oval 11,000 22 July 1933

Round 14

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 9.8 (62) North Melbourne 10.14 (74) Glenferrie Oval 4,000 29 July 1933
Fitzroy 19.10 (124) St Kilda 6.9 (45) Brunswick Street Oval 14,000 29 July 1933
Essendon 14.7 (91) Melbourne 15.16 (106) Windy Hill 6,000 29 July 1933
Richmond 18.16 (124) Footscray 9.11 (65) Punt Road Oval 18,000 29 July 1933
South Melbourne 13.11 (89) Collingwood 12.11 (83) Lake Oval 24,000 29 July 1933
Geelong 17.15 (117) Carlton 5.14 (44) Corio Oval 14,500 29 July 1933

Round 15

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
St Kilda 8.19 (67) South Melbourne 13.15 (93) Junction Oval 20,000 5 August 1933
Footscray 16.14 (110) Hawthorn 9.18 (72) Western Oval 8,000 5 August 1933
Collingwood 15.16 (106) Richmond 10.8 (68) Victoria Park 15,000 5 August 1933
Carlton 14.22 (106) Essendon 9.9 (63) Princes Park 15,000 5 August 1933
North Melbourne 9.7 (61) Geelong 15.10 (100) Arden Street Oval 8,000 5 August 1933
Melbourne 9.15 (69) Fitzroy 13.8 (86) MCG 14,962 5 August 1933

Round 16

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 15.17 (107) St Kilda 10.12 (72) Arden Street Oval 9,000 19 August 1933
Footscray 19.10 (124) Melbourne 14.10 (94) Western Oval 8,000 19 August 1933
Fitzroy 15.8 (98) Geelong 11.20 (86) Brunswick Street Oval 21,000 19 August 1933
Carlton 14.8 (92) Collingwood 15.11 (101) Princes Park 19,000 19 August 1933
Richmond 11.17 (83) Hawthorn 9.6 (60) Punt Road Oval 9,000 19 August 1933
South Melbourne 11.16 (82) Essendon 6.4 (40) Lake Oval 13,000 19 August 1933

Round 17

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 8.12 (60) South Melbourne 17.11 (113) Glenferrie Oval 12,500 26 August 1933
Geelong 10.10 (70) Richmond 14.10 (94) Corio Oval 22,250 26 August 1933
Essendon 12.13 (85) Fitzroy 10.17 (77) Windy Hill 13,000 26 August 1933
Collingwood 25.15 (165) North Melbourne 17.19 (121) Victoria Park 8,000 26 August 1933
St Kilda 21.11 (137) Footscray 14.21 (105) Junction Oval 9,500 26 August 1933
Melbourne 10.11 (71) Carlton 19.21 (135) MCG 17,327 26 August 1933

Round 18

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Footscray 7.16 (58) North Melbourne 6.17 (53) Western Oval 7,000 2 September 1933
Collingwood 19.13 (127) Melbourne 15.14 (104) Victoria Park 7,000 2 September 1933
Carlton 20.25 (145) St Kilda 14.9 (93) Princes Park 18,000 2 September 1933
South Melbourne 23.17 (155) Geelong 6.10 (46) Lake Oval 30,000 2 September 1933
Richmond 16.13 (109) Fitzroy 9.7 (61) Punt Road Oval 21,000 2 September 1933
Hawthorn 10.9 (69) Essendon 8.16 (64) Glenferrie Oval 4,000 2 September 1933

Ladder

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(P) Premiers
Qualified for finals
# Team P W L D PF PA % Pts
1 Richmond 18 15 3 0 1746 1237 141.1 60
2 South Melbourne (P) 18 13 5 0 1764 1383 127.5 52
3 Carlton 18 13 5 0 1702 1488 114.4 52
4 Geelong 18 12 6 0 1730 1327 130.4 48
5 Fitzroy 18 11 6 1 1534 1453 105.6 46
6 Collingwood 18 11 7 0 1760 1559 112.9 44
7 Footscray 18 11 7 0 1520 1555 97.7 44
8 North Melbourne 18 7 10 1 1463 1717 85.2 30
9 St Kilda 18 6 12 0 1380 1706 80.9 24
10 Melbourne 18 3 15 0 1511 1842 82.0 12
11 Hawthorn 18 3 15 0 1178 1607 73.3 12
12 Essendon 18 2 16 0 1392 1806 77.1 8

Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 86.5
Source: AFL Tables

Finals series

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Semi-finals

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Home team Score Away team Score Venue Crowd Date
Carlton 10.11 (71) Geelong 12.12 (84) MCG 40,225 9 September
Richmond 11.11 (77) South Melbourne 14.11 (95) MCG 49,303 16 September

Preliminary final

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Home team Score Away team Score Venue Crowd Date
Richmond 13.5 (83) Geelong 10.14 (74) MCG 48,125 23 September

Grand final

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Season notes

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  • "Checker" Hughes took over as coach of Melbourne. He renamed the team "The Demons" from "The Fuchsias."
  • In Round 5, St Kilda defeated North Melbourne 13.19 (97) to 11.17 (83), despite having only 15 players left at the end of a brutal match, which was stopped at one stage because a wild brawl, instigated by the North Melbourne players, had erupted in the centre.
    • St Kilda captain Clarrie Hindson had a broken ankle, full-forward Bill Mohr had two broken ribs, forward Jack Anderson had been knocked unconscious, centreman W.C. "Billy" Roberts was felled once, recovered, and then was felled a second time, and rover Roy "Tiger" Bence was also knocked out.
    • The St Kilda President, Gallipoli veteran and naval war hero Commander Fred Arlington-Burke, described St Kilda's 15-man victory as the greatest moral victory in the club's history, and a "Badge of Courage" was struck by the Football Club and was awarded to each of the players that took part in the match.
    • The medallion is silver, coin shaped, with coin-like reeding around its outer perimeter (with no circumferential milling), with a St Kilda Football Club badge affixed to it, and the following inscription: "St KILDA DEFEATED Nth MELBOURNE WITH 15 MEN MAY 27th 1933". (Photograph of Medal at Ross, 1996, p. 140)
  • In Round 8, Essendon experimented with a siren, rather than a bell at Windy Hill.
  • In the dying minutes of the close South MelbourneRichmond match in Round 8, umpire Jack McMurray Sr. awarded a controversial free kick against Richmond full back Maurie Sheahan, judging that he was deliberately wasting time by setting up to kick in with a place kick after a South Melbourne behind – despite the fact that time was off until the kick-in was executed. The resulting goal narrowed South Melbourne's deficit to five points, but the siren sounded almost immediately after the next centre bounce.[1][2]
  • In the 1933 Interstate Carnival, held in Sydney, the Victorian team won all five of its matches.
  • During the 1933 Carnival, the Australian National Football Council considered a proposal from the New South Wales Rugby Football League that the two codes merge and play a single, Australian "national" game. A trial match of this proposed universal football was conducted behind closed doors during the carnival. The ANFC subsequently rejected the proposal.
  • The President of the South Melbourne Football Club, grocery magnate Archie Crofts, had brought so many interstate players to South Melbourne – with the promise of a well-paid regular job in one of the Crofts Grocery chain stores in addition to their receiving maximum playing and training fees allowable under the "Coulter Law" – that the 1933 team was christened "The Foreign Legion". Those comprising the "Foreign Legion" were Bert Beard, John Bowe, Brighton Diggins, Bill Faul, and Joe O'Meara from Western Australia, Ossie Bertram, Wilbur Harris, and Jack Wade from South Australia, and Frank Davies and Laurie Nash from Tasmania. South Melbourne played in four consecutive Grand Finals from 1933 to 1936, but won only the 1933 premiership.
  • North Melbourne's win over Collingwood in Round 6 was the first by one of the three 1925 entrants (Footscray, Hawthorn, North Melbourne) over the Magpies. Prior to that, Collingwood had won the first 37 meetings against the three newest clubs. Footscray's first win over Collingwood came in Round 9 of this year, but Hawthorn would not record its first win over Collingwood until Round 5 of the 1942 VFL season (in the 30th regular-season meeting between the two clubs).

Awards

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "McMurray was right in penalty". The Sporting Globe. 21 June 1933. p. 9.
  2. ^ "Field umpire displayed rare courage". The Record. South Melbourne. 7 August 1954. p. 3.
  3. ^ Onlooker (29 September 1933). "League seconds". The Argus. Melbourne. p. 13.

Sources

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