The 1911 VFL season was the 15th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest-level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured ten clubs and ran from 29 April to 23 September, comprising an 18-match home-and-away season followed by a three-week finals series featuring the top four clubs. The season was the beginning of the league's professional era, with clubs permitted for the first time to pay players beyond the reimbursement of expenses.

1911 VFL premiership season
Essendon 1911 VFL premiership team
Date29 April—23 September 1911
Teams10
PremiersEssendon
3rd premiership
Minor premiersEssendon
2nd minor premiership
Leading goalkicker medallistHarry Brereton (Melbourne)
46 goals
Matches played93
← 1910
1912 →

Essendon won the premiership, defeating Collingwood by six points in the 1911 VFL grand final; it was Essendon's third VFL premiership. Essendon also won the minor premiership by finishing atop the home-and-away ladder with a 15–2–1 win–loss–draw record. Melbourne's Harry Brereton won the leading goalkicker medal as the league's leading goalkicker.

Background

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In 1911, 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 1911 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the amended "Argus 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 Date
South Melbourne 14.18 (102) University 5.10 (40) Lake Oval 29 April 1911
Collingwood 14.10 (94) Richmond 9.11 (65) Victoria Park 29 April 1911
St Kilda 10.6 (66) Geelong 7.15 (57) Junction Oval 29 April 1911
Melbourne 10.12 (72) Fitzroy 11.4 (70) MCG 29 April 1911
Essendon 5.15 (45) Carlton 6.9 (45) EMCG 29 April 1911

Round 2

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Geelong 7.12 (54) Melbourne 7.12 (54) Corio Oval 6 May 1911
Carlton 10.6 (66) South Melbourne 10.6 (66) Princes Park 6 May 1911
University 10.9 (69) St Kilda 6.7 (43) MCG 6 May 1911
Richmond 3.11 (29) Essendon 10.16 (76) Punt Road Oval 6 May 1911
Fitzroy 4.10 (34) Collingwood 7.7 (49) Brunswick Street Oval 6 May 1911

Round 3

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
St Kilda 2.5 (17) South Melbourne 10.13 (73) Junction Oval 13 May 1911
Richmond 6.17 (53) University 6.5 (41) Punt Road Oval 13 May 1911
Collingwood 8.17 (65) Geelong 10.8 (68) Victoria Park 13 May 1911
Carlton 6.7 (43) Fitzroy 6.9 (45) Princes Park 13 May 1911
Melbourne 0.9 (9) Essendon 6.11 (47) MCG 13 May 1911

Round 4

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Geelong 8.12 (60) Richmond 6.11 (47) Corio Oval 20 May 1911
Fitzroy 10.24 (84) St Kilda 4.6 (30) Brunswick Street Oval 20 May 1911
South Melbourne 12.13 (85) Melbourne 8.11 (59) Lake Oval 20 May 1911
Essendon 21.12 (138) Collingwood 7.11 (53) EMCG 20 May 1911
University 6.8 (44) Carlton 9.11 (65) MCG 20 May 1911

Round 5

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Melbourne 9.15 (69) St Kilda 4.7 (31) MCG 27 May 1911
Fitzroy 8.17 (65) Geelong 4.8 (32) Brunswick Street Oval 27 May 1911
Essendon 12.14 (86) University 6.6 (42) EMCG 27 May 1911
Carlton 13.11 (89) Richmond 4.15 (39) Princes Park 27 May 1911
South Melbourne 4.10 (34) Collingwood 5.10 (40) Lake Oval 27 May 1911

Round 6

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Richmond 8.14 (62) South Melbourne 7.12 (54) Punt Road Oval 3 June 1911
Collingwood 6.13 (49) Melbourne 5.13 (43) Victoria Park 3 June 1911
University 5.12 (42) Fitzroy 10.16 (76) MCG 3 June 1911
Geelong 6.6 (42) Essendon 8.11 (59) Corio Oval 3 June 1911
St Kilda 5.12 (42) Carlton 6.16 (52) Junction Oval 3 June 1911

Round 7

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Melbourne 6.12 (48) Richmond 9.15 (69) MCG 5 June 1911
Fitzroy 3.5 (23) South Melbourne 10.11 (71) Brunswick Street Oval 5 June 1911
Essendon 9.10 (64) St Kilda 3.6 (24) EMCG 5 June 1911
Collingwood 10.17 (77) University 7.9 (51) Victoria Park 5 June 1911
Geelong 7.7 (49) Carlton 5.8 (38) Corio Oval 5 June 1911

Round 8

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Essendon 8.7 (55) Fitzroy 3.2 (20) EMCG 10 June 1911
Carlton 7.13 (55) Collingwood 2.10 (22) Princes Park 10 June 1911
St Kilda 3.8 (26) Richmond 6.6 (42) Junction Oval 10 June 1911
University 5.9 (39) Melbourne 9.13 (67) MCG 10 June 1911
South Melbourne 7.10 (52) Geelong 5.9 (39) Lake Oval 10 June 1911

Round 9

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Geelong 10.12 (72) University 9.6 (60) Corio Oval 17 June 1911
Collingwood 12.13 (85) St Kilda 4.8 (32) Victoria Park 17 June 1911
Richmond 4.12 (36) Fitzroy 5.8 (38) Punt Road Oval 17 June 1911
South Melbourne 6.8 (44) Essendon 5.11 (41) Lake Oval 17 June 1911
Melbourne 9.2 (56) Carlton 13.11 (89) MCG 17 June 1911

Round 10

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Fitzroy 8.15 (63) Melbourne 5.5 (35) Brunswick Street Oval 22 June 1911
Richmond 4.6 (30) Collingwood 7.8 (50) Punt Road Oval 22 June 1911
Geelong 8.7 (55) St Kilda 6.4 (40) Corio Oval 24 June 1911
Carlton 6.16 (52) Essendon 5.10 (40) Princes Park 24 June 1911
University 4.5 (29) South Melbourne 9.13 (67) MCG 24 June 1911

Round 11

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
St Kilda 15.11 (101) University 6.5 (41) Junction Oval 1 July 1911
Essendon 7.15 (57) Richmond 7.5 (47) EMCG 1 July 1911
Collingwood 9.7 (61) Fitzroy 10.12 (72) Victoria Park 1 July 1911
Melbourne 10.7 (67) Geelong 8.7 (55) MCG 1 July 1911
South Melbourne 12.8 (80) Carlton 9.11 (65) Lake Oval 1 July 1911

Round 12

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Essendon 7.15 (57) Melbourne 6.13 (49) EMCG 8 July 1911
South Melbourne 12.14 (86) St Kilda 6.13 (49) Lake Oval 8 July 1911
University 3.8 (26) Richmond 6.10 (46) MCG 8 July 1911
Geelong 6.7 (43) Collingwood 8.5 (53) Corio Oval 8 July 1911
Fitzroy 5.13 (43) Carlton 6.10 (46) Brunswick Street Oval 8 July 1911

Round 13

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Melbourne 7.7 (49) South Melbourne 9.8 (62) MCG 15 July 1911
Collingwood 2.11 (23) Essendon 3.11 (29) Victoria Park 15 July 1911
Carlton 9.12 (66) University 2.10 (22) Princes Park 15 July 1911
Richmond 11.14 (80) Geelong 8.12 (60) Punt Road Oval 15 July 1911
St Kilda 3.8 (26) Fitzroy 12.12 (84) Junction Oval 15 July 1911

Round 14

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Collingwood 5.6 (36) South Melbourne 5.7 (37) Victoria Park 22 July 1911
St Kilda 5.9 (39) Melbourne 11.11 (77) Junction Oval 22 July 1911
Geelong 10.14 (74) Fitzroy 6.3 (39) Corio Oval 22 July 1911
University 6.6 (42) Essendon 12.8 (80) MCG 22 July 1911
Richmond 6.5 (41) Carlton 11.10 (76) Punt Road Oval 22 July 1911

Round 15

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Fitzroy 12.14 (86) University 7.7 (49) Brunswick Street Oval 29 July 1911
Essendon 9.7 (61) Geelong 4.11 (35) EMCG 29 July 1911
Carlton 18.21 (129) St Kilda 2.3 (15) Princes Park 29 July 1911
South Melbourne 8.25 (73) Richmond 5.7 (37) Lake Oval 29 July 1911
Melbourne 4.6 (30) Collingwood 6.16 (52) MCG 29 July 1911

Round 16

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Carlton 11.5 (71) Geelong 7.9 (51) Princes Park 19 August 1911
Richmond 7.9 (51) Melbourne 9.6 (60) Punt Road Oval 19 August 1911
South Melbourne 5.6 (36) Fitzroy 4.3 (27) Lake Oval 19 August 1911
St Kilda 5.8 (38) Essendon 24.19 (163) Junction Oval 19 August 1911
University 0.9 (9) Collingwood 14.14 (98) MCG 19 August 1911

Round 17

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Richmond 17.21 (123) St Kilda 5.6 (36) Punt Road Oval 26 August 1911
Melbourne 13.13 (91) University 4.5 (29) MCG 26 August 1911
Geelong 10.12 (72) South Melbourne 10.3 (63) Corio Oval 26 August 1911
Fitzroy 3.7 (25) Essendon 6.10 (46) Brunswick Street Oval 26 August 1911
Collingwood 8.8 (56) Carlton 4.17 (41) Victoria Park 26 August 1911

Round 18

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Fitzroy 8.9 (57) Richmond 4.10 (34) Brunswick Street Oval 2 September 1911
Essendon 9.9 (63) South Melbourne 8.10 (58) EMCG 2 September 1911
Carlton 9.8 (62) Melbourne 8.6 (54) Princes Park 2 September 1911
University 7.4 (46) Geelong 15.17 (107) MCG 2 September 1911
St Kilda 6.8 (44) Collingwood 15.11 (101) Junction Oval 2 September 1911

Ladder

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(P) Premiers
Qualified for finals
# Team P W L D PF PA % Pts
1 Essendon (P) 18 15 2 1 1207 677 178.3 62
2 South Melbourne 18 13 4 1 1143 814 140.4 54
3 Carlton 18 12 4 2 1150 810 142.0 52
4 Collingwood 18 12 6 0 1064 855 124.4 48
5 Fitzroy 18 10 8 0 951 837 113.6 40
6 Geelong 18 8 9 1 1025 1026 99.9 34
7 Melbourne 18 7 10 1 989 1003 98.6 30
8 Richmond 18 7 11 0 931 1021 91.2 28
9 St Kilda 18 2 16 0 699 1454 48.1 8
10 University 18 1 17 0 721 1383 52.1 4

Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 54.9
Source: AFL Tables

Finals series

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All of the 1911 finals were played at the MCG so the home team in the semi-finals and Preliminary Final is purely the higher ranked team from the ladder but in the Grand Final the home team was the team that won the Preliminary Final.

Semi-finals

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Home team Score Away team Score Venue Date
Collingwood 11.11 (77) South Melbourne 6.11 (47) MCG 9 September
Essendon 9.15 (69) Carlton 6.12 (48) MCG 16 September

Grand final

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Team 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr Final
Essendon 2.4 3.9 3.11 5.11 (41)
Collingwood 1.1 1.5 3.8 4.11 (35)

Season notes

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Dave Smith captained Essendon to victory
  • In May 1911, after much agitation from the majority of clubs, 16 of the 20 club delegates voted to delete Rule 29 of the VFL constitution, expressly forbidding player payments beyond expenses, which had been added in 1900. It was widely accepted that most clubs had flouted this rule and used creative methods to provide payments. [1] By allowing payments other than reimbursement of expenses to be made to players, this made the competition professional.
    • The four dissenting delegates were from the clubs who remained amateur, Melbourne and University, as both clubs' by-laws at the time stated that any player found to be professional would be immediately expelled.[2]
  • In Round 2, Geelong 7.12 (54) controversially tied Melbourne 7.12 (54) apiece, after Bert Whittington (Geelong) took a free kick after the final bell which was touched through the goal face for a behind. Under the rules at the time, the ball should have been declared dead for no score when it was touched; however, umpire Lardie Tulloch had not heard the bell over the crowd and signalled 'all clear' as if the whole passage of play had occurred before the bell. Melbourne lodged a protest against the result, but it was dismissed under a clause which had been newly added to the Laws of the Game prior to the 1911 season to provide clarity in exactly this type of situation, stating "the field umpire shall be the sole judge as to the first sound of the bell," irrespective of the volume of the bell or conduct of the timekeepers.[3][4]
  • In Round 4, Essendon became the first team to score 100 points against Collingwood, which was the last club remaining to have not yet conceded 100 points in a game. Essendon's score of 21.12 (138) was the highest by any club since Round 17, 1901.
  • On 20 August, the SAFL Interstate team defeated Victoria 11.11 (77) to 5.4 (34) to win the 1911 Adelaide Carnival.[2]
  • In round 9, Fitzroy back-man Bill Marchbanks, a constable with the Victorian Police Force, was refused leave to play for Fitzroy against Richmond and was instead, assigned to the South Melbourne and Essendon match to patrol as a mounted policeman. Near the end of the match, the home crowd roared as South Melbourne suddenly took the lead, causing his horse to rear and throw him against the iron fence. Marchbanks fractured his knee.[2]
  • Essendon player Jim Martin received a 12-match suspension for striking Fitzroy player George Holden (see also [1]) during the round 8 match, despite there being no witnesses who saw Martin throw a punch; it appeared that Holden had thrown himself at Martin, who was stationary and braced himself for the collision.[5] Martin was charged with assault,[6] and was found not guilty on appeal when the case went to the District Court,[7][8][9][10][11] but the tribunal's suspension cost him a place in Essendon's premiership team.[12]
  • From Round 15, St Kilda players went on strike to protest the club committee's barring of former player and captain Joe Hogan and the father of star player Wels Eicke from the club, and the Saints had to use 62 players for the season, the most by any team in the history of the VFL/AFL; due to a series of long-running disputes with the committee, St. Kilda also used 55 players in 1909 and 60 players in 1910.[13] After the strike, the club lost its last four games by an average of 96 points.
  • In Round 15, Vin Gardiner of Carlton became only the second player to kick ten goals in a match; his 21 scoring shots (10.11) also set a new record for a single player in a game.
  • In Round 16, Essendon scored 24.19 (163) against the strike-affected St Kilda, setting a new record for the highest score in a VFL match and breaking the previous record of 23.24 (162) set by Geelong in 1899.
  • In the 1911 finals series, players wore numbers on their backs for the first time in any VFL match played in Melbourne.

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ McConville, Andrew. "Player payments and the great bribery scandal". State Library Victoria. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Ross, John (1996). 100 Years of Australian Football. Ringwood, Australia: Viking Books. p. 382. ISBN 9781854714343.
  3. ^ "Geelong-Melbourne football match". The Geelong Advertiser. Geelong, VIC. 11 May 1911. p. 3.
  4. ^ "Australian Football Conference". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, NSW. 10 November 1910. p. 12.
  5. ^ "Rough football. Fitzroy player struck". The Argus. 15 June 1911. p. 7. Retrieved 19 October 2019 – via Trove.
  6. ^ "Footballer summoned. Service on the ground". The Argus. 26 June 1911. p. 6. Retrieved 19 October 2019 – via Trove.
  7. ^ "Football assault case. Martin fined £5". The Argus. 11 July 1911. p. 9. Retrieved 19 October 2019 – via Trove.
  8. ^ "Footballer in trouble. Fitzroy-Essendon incident". The Age. 11 July 1911. p. 8. Retrieved 19 October 2019 – via Trove.
  9. ^ "Strenuous football. James Martin's case. Appeal against conviction". The Argus. 31 August 1911. p. 9. Retrieved 19 October 2019 – via Trove.
  10. ^ "Strenuous football. James Martin's case conviction quashed". The Argus. 1 September 1911. p. 5. Retrieved 19 October 2019 – via Trove.
  11. ^ "Rough football. Another conviction quashed". The Age. 1 September 1911. p. 9. Retrieved 19 October 2019 – via Trove.
  12. ^ Atkinson, Graeme (1989). 3AW Book of Footy Records. South Melbourne: Magistra Publishing Company Pty Ltd. p. 278. ISBN 1863210091.
  13. ^ Atkinson, p. 46.

Sources

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