1901 VFL season

1901 VFL premiership season
Essendon team, premiers
Teams8
PremiersEssendon
2nd premiership
Minor premiersGeelong
2nd minor premiership
Leading Goalkicker MedallistFred Hiskins (Essendon)
Matches played71
Highest30,000
← 1900
1902 →

The 1901 VFL season was the fifth season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured eight clubs, ran from 4 May until 7 September, and comprised a 17-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.

The premiership was won by the Essendon Football Club for the second time, after it defeated Collingwood by 27 points in the 1901 VFL Grand Final.

Background

In 1901, the VFL competition consisted of eight 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 14 rounds. Then, based on ladder positions after those 14 rounds, three further 'sectional rounds' were played, with the teams ranked 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th playing in one section and the teams ranked 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th playing in the other.

Once the 17 rounds of the home-and-away season had finished, the 1901 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the original Argus system.

Home-and-away season

Round 1

Round 1
Saturday, 4 May (3:00 pm) Fitzroy 8.13 (61) def. Carlton 2.7 (19) Brunswick Street Oval
Saturday, 4 May (3:00 pm) Essendon 1.15 (21) def. by Collingwood 9.10 (64) East Melbourne Cricket Ground
Saturday, 4 May (3:00 pm) Geelong 2.11 (23) def. Melbourne 3.3 (21) Corio Oval
Saturday, 4 May (3:00 pm) St Kilda 6.5 (41) def. by South Melbourne 6.13 (49) Junction Oval

Round 2

Round 2
Thursday, 9 May (3:00 pm) Collingwood 13.16 (94) def. Carlton 0.7 (7) Victoria Park
Thursday, 9 May (3:00 pm) St Kilda 3.1 (19) def. by Essendon 9.14 (68) Junction Oval
Thursday, 9 May (3:00 pm) Fitzroy 5.8 (38) def. by Geelong 6.12 (48) Brunswick Street Oval
Thursday, 9 May (3:00 pm) Melbourne 5.6 (36) def. by South Melbourne 5.10 (40) Melbourne Cricket Ground

Round 3

Round 3
Saturday, 11 May (3:00 pm) Carlton 3.8 (26) def. by Geelong 7.13 (55) Princes Park
Saturday, 11 May (3:00 pm) South Melbourne 9.4 (58) def. Collingwood 6.11 (47) Lake Oval
Saturday, 11 May (3:00 pm) Essendon 6.8 (44) def. by Fitzroy 7.5 (47) East Melbourne Cricket Ground
Saturday, 11 May (3:00 pm) Melbourne 7.16 (58) def. St Kilda 3.3 (21) Melbourne Cricket Ground

Round 4

Round 4
Saturday, 18 May (3:00 pm) Carlton 4.3 (27) def. South Melbourne 3.7 (25) Princes Park
Saturday, 18 May (3:00 pm) Collingwood 6.8 (44) def. Melbourne 3.4 (22) Victoria Park
Saturday, 18 May (3:00 pm) Geelong 4.10 (34) def. Essendon 4.6 (30) Corio Oval
Saturday, 18 May (3:00 pm) Fitzroy 15.16 (106) def. St Kilda 3.5 (23) Brunswick Street Oval

Round 5

Round 5
Saturday, 25 May (3:00 pm) Essendon 7.8 (50) def. Melbourne 3.6 (24) EMCG
Saturday, 25 May (3:00 pm) Carlton 5.10 (40) def. St Kilda 2.8 (20) Princes Park
Saturday, 25 May (3:00 pm) South Melbourne 3.7 (25) def. by Fitzroy 6.5 (41) Lake Oval
Saturday, 25 May (3:00 pm) Geelong 3.6 (24) def. by Collingwood 4.8 (32) Corio Oval

Round 6

Round 6
Saturday, 1 June (3:00 pm) Collingwood 7.13 (55) def. Fitzroy 6.9 (45) Victoria Park
Saturday, 1 June (3:00 pm) St Kilda 2.5 (17) def. by Geelong 11.12 (78) Junction Oval
Saturday, 1 June (3:00 pm) South Melbourne 5.5 (35) def. by Essendon 3.23 (41) Lake Oval
Saturday, 1 June (3:00 pm) Melbourne 7.7 (49) def. Carlton 5.4 (34) MCG

Round 7

Round 7
Monday, 3 June (3:00 pm) Geelong 9.11 (65) def. South Melbourne 3.4 (22) Corio Oval
Monday, 3 June (3:00 pm) Fitzroy 5.6 (36) drew with Melbourne 5.6 (36) Brunswick Street Oval
Monday, 3 June (3:00 pm) St Kilda 3.1 (19) def. by Collingwood 7.11 (53) Junction Oval
Monday, 3 June (3:00 pm) Essendon 15.15 (105) def. Carlton 3.7 (25) EMCG

Round 8

Round 8
Saturday, 8 June (3:00 pm) Collingwood 7.7 (49) def. Essendon 7.6 (48) Victoria Park
Saturday, 8 June (3:00 pm) Carlton 5.7 (37) def. by Fitzroy 6.8 (44) Princes Park
Saturday, 8 June (3:00 pm) South Melbourne 7.14 (56) def. St Kilda 1.1 (7) Lake Oval
Saturday, 8 June (3:00 pm) Melbourne 7.4 (46) def. by Geelong 9.5 (59) MCG

Round 9

Round 9
Saturday, 22 June (3:00 pm) Essendon 19.22 (136) def. St Kilda 4.5 (29) EMCG
Saturday, 22 June (3:00 pm) Carlton 6.6 (42) def. by Collingwood 9.9 (63) Princes Park
Saturday, 22 June (3:00 pm) South Melbourne 6.9 (45) def. by Melbourne 9.7 (61) Lake Oval
Saturday, 22 June (3:00 pm) Geelong 6.16 (52) def. Fitzroy 8.3 (51) Corio Oval

Round 10

Round 10
Saturday, 29 June (3:00 pm) Collingwood 5.1 (31) def. by South Melbourne 7.9 (51) Victoria Park
Saturday, 29 June (3:00 pm) St Kilda 4.4 (28) def. by Melbourne 4.14 (38) Junction Oval
Saturday, 29 June (3:00 pm) Fitzroy 6.8 (44) def. by Essendon 14.8 (92) Brunswick Street Oval
Saturday, 29 June (3:00 pm) Geelong 8.15 (63) def. Carlton 4.7 (31) Corio Oval

Round 11

Round 11
Saturday, 6 July (3:00 pm) Essendon 6.13 (49) def. Geelong 2.12 (24) EMCG
Saturday, 6 July (3:00 pm) St Kilda 4.10 (34) def. by Fitzroy 11.7 (73) Junction Oval
Saturday, 6 July (3:00 pm) Melbourne 5.6 (36) def. Collingwood 4.11 (35) MCG
Saturday, 6 July (3:00 pm) South Melbourne 10.10 (70) def. Carlton 3.2 (20) Lake Oval

Round 12

Round 12
Saturday, 13 July (3:00 pm) Fitzroy 9.11 (65) def. by South Melbourne 12.7 (79) Brunswick Street Oval
Saturday, 13 July (3:00 pm) Collingwood 6.5 (41) def. by Geelong 12.11 (83) Victoria Park
Saturday, 13 July (3:00 pm) Melbourne 6.6 (42) def. Essendon 4.9 (33) MCG
Saturday, 13 July (3:00 pm) St Kilda 7.8 (50) def. Carlton 4.8 (32) Junction Oval

Round 13

Round 13
Saturday, 20 July (3:00 pm) Geelong 8.7 (55) def. St Kilda 4.5 (29) Corio Oval
Saturday, 20 July (3:00 pm) Essendon 6.16 (52) def. South Melbourne 8.3 (51) EMCG
Saturday, 20 July (3:00 pm) Carlton 5.6 (36) def. by Melbourne 6.6 (42) Princes Park
Saturday, 20 July (3:00 pm) Fitzroy 2.7 (19) def. by Collingwood 3.6 (24) Brunswick Street Oval

Round 14

Round 14
Saturday, 27 July (3:00 pm) Collingwood 10.20 (80) def. St Kilda 1.7 (13) Victoria Park
Saturday, 27 July (3:00 pm) Carlton 3.2 (20) def. by Essendon 11.13 (79) Princes Park
Saturday, 27 July (3:00 pm) South Melbourne 6.9 (45) def. by Geelong 6.13 (49) Lake Oval
Saturday, 27 July (3:00 pm) Melbourne 4.5 (29) def. Fitzroy 2.11 (23) MCG

Ladder

Section A
Section B
# Team P W L D PF PA % Pts
1 Geelong 14 12 2 0 712 478 149.0 48
2 Collingwood 14 10 4 0 712 488 145.9 40
3 Essendon 14 9 5 0 848 507 167.3 36
4 Melbourne 14 8 5 1 540 507 106.5 34
5 South Melbourne 14 7 7 0 651 583 111.7 28
6 Fitzroy 14 6 7 1 693 597 116.1 26
7 Carlton 14 2 12 0 396 820 48.3 8
8 St Kilda 14 1 13 0 350 922 38.0 4

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

Sectional rounds

Round 15 (Sectional round 1)

Round 15 (Sectional round 1)
Saturday, 3 August (3:00 pm) Collingwood 6.8 (44) def. Melbourne 3.10 (28) Victoria Park
Saturday, 3 August (3:00 pm) Carlton 3.5 (25) def. by Geelong 6.18 (54) Princes Park
Saturday, 3 August (3:00 pm) South Melbourne 1.3 (9) def. by Essendon 10.9 (69) Lake Oval
Saturday, 3 August (3:00 pm) St Kilda 4.3 (27) def. by Fitzroy 14.15 (99) Junction Oval

Round 16 (Sectional round 2)

Round 16 (Sectional round 2)
Saturday, 10 August (3:00 pm) Geelong 7.12 (54) def. South Melbourne 4.6 (30) Corio Oval
Saturday, 10 August (3:00 pm) Essendon 14.18 (102) def. Carlton 5.3 (33) EMCG
Saturday, 10 August (3:00 pm) Melbourne 19.10 (124) def. St Kilda 3.4 (22) Lake Oval
Saturday, 10 August (3:00 pm) Fitzroy 7.6 (48) def. Collingwood 2.6 (18) Brunswick Street Oval

Round 17 (Sectional round 3)

Round 17 (Sectional round 3)
Saturday, 17 August (3:00 pm) Collingwood 20.23 (143) def. St Kilda 2.3 (15) Victoria Park
Saturday, 17 August (3:00 pm) Carlton 3.6 (24) def. by South Melbourne 4.13 (37) Princes Park
Saturday, 17 August (3:00 pm) Geelong 5.3 (33) def. by Essendon 9.12 (66) Corio Oval
Saturday, 17 August (3:00 pm) Fitzroy 4.13 (37) def. Melbourne 3.6 (24) Brunswick Street Oval

Final ladder

(P) Premiers
Qualified for finals
# Team P W L D PF PA % Pts
1 Geelong 17 14 3 0 853 597 142.9 56
2 Essendon (P) 17 12 5 0 1085 582 186.4 48
3 Collingwood 17 12 5 0 917 579 158.4 48
4 Fitzroy 17 9 7 1 877 666 131.7 38
5 Melbourne 17 9 7 1 716 610 117.4 38
6 South Melbourne 17 8 9 0 727 730 99.6 32
7 Carlton 17 2 15 0 476 1013 47.0 8
8 St Kilda 17 1 16 0 414 1288 32.1 4

Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 44.6
Source: AFL Tables

Finals series

Semi-finals

1st Semi Final
Saturday, 31 August 1901 Collingwood def. Geelong EMCG (crowd: 10,000) Report
2.3 (15)
3.5 (23)
5.8 (38)
 6.9 (45)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
0.2 (2)
1.3 (9)
3.4 (22)
 3.6 (24)
Umpires: Gibson
Smith 2, Bryce, Morgan, Rowell, Tulloch Goals Bennion, Rankin, Woods


2nd Semi Final
Saturday, 31 August 1901 Essendon def. Fitzroy Victoria Park (crowd: 15,000) Report
0.1 (1)
3.2 (20)
5.7 (37)
 6.10 (46)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
2.4 (16)
2.6 (18)
3.8 (26)
 6.9 (45)
Umpires: Henry "Ivo" Crapp
Thurgood 5, Larkin Goals Brosnan 2, Sharp 2, Sharpe 2

Grand Final

Grand Final
Saturday, 7 September 1901 Essendon def. Collingwood Lake Oval (crowd: 30,031) Report
3.0 (18)
5.2 (32)
5.4 (34)
 6.7 (43)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
0.1 (1)
0.3 (3)
2.3 (15)
 2.4 (16)
Umpires: Henry "Ivo" Crapp
Thurgood 3, Kinnear, Martin, McKenzie Goals Bryce 2

Season notes

  • Fitzroy lodged an official protest against the result of the Second Semi-Final, which it lost against Essendon by one point, alleging that the goal umpire had erred in awarding Essendon's first goal because the ball had hit the post. Later in the week, Fitzroy withdrew its protest against the result, and the scheduling of the Final was not affected; an inquiry later in September found that the goal umpire had made a mistake, but no change was made to the score after the finding.
  • Against South Melbourne in Round 6, Essendon kicked 17 behinds between its first and second goals. Only Geelong against St Kilda in 1919 and St Kilda against Fitzroy in 1921 have beaten this unwanted record. Fred Hiskins kicked ten behinds.
  • In the last home-and-away match between South Melbourne and Geelong, field umpire Henry "Ivo" Crapp experimented with clearly calling out his decisions.
  • In Essendon's "Grand Final" victory against Collingwood, Albert Thurgood kicked three of Essendon's six goals. One of his goals was scored with an 86-yard (79 m.) drop-kick, and another (measured immediately after the match) was scored with a 93-yard (85 m.) place-kick into a strong head wind.
  • VFL instituted the original Argus system to determine the season's premiers.

Awards


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