1901 VFL season

1901 VFL Premiership season
1901 VFL Premiership season
Teams	8
Premiers	Essendon; (2nd premiership)
Minor premiers	Geelong; (2nd minor premiership)
Matches played	71
Highest attendance	30,000
Leading Goalkicker Medallist	Fred Hiskins (Essendon)
	← 1900 1902 →

The 1901 Victorian Football League season was the fifth season of the elite Australian rules football competition.

Premiership season

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.

Once the 14 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1901 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the original Argus system.

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

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Essendon	7.8 (50)	Melbourne	3.6 (24)	EMCG	25 May 1901
Carlton	5.10 (40)	St Kilda	2.8 (20)	Princes Park	25 May 1901
South Melbourne	3.7 (25)	Fitzroy	6.5 (41)	Lake Oval	25 May 1901
Geelong	3.6 (24)	Collingwood	4.8 (32)	Corio Oval	25 May 1901

Round 6

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Collingwood	7.13 (55)	Fitzroy	6.9 (45)	Victoria Park	1 June 1901
St Kilda	2.5 (17)	Geelong	11.12 (78)	Junction Oval	1 June 1901
South Melbourne	5.5 (35)	Essendon	3.23 (41)	Lake Oval	1 June 1901
Melbourne	7.7 (49)	Carlton	5.4 (34)	MCG	1 June 1901

Round 7

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Geelong	9.11 (65)	South Melbourne	3.4 (22)	Corio Oval	3 June 1901
Fitzroy	5.6 (36)	Melbourne	5.6 (36)	Brunswick Street Oval	3 June 1901
St Kilda	3.1 (19)	Collingwood	7.11 (53)	Junction Oval	3 June 1901
Essendon	15.15 (105)	Carlton	3.7 (25)	EMCG	3 June 1901

Round 8

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Collingwood	7.7 (49)	Essendon	7.6 (48)	Victoria Park	8 June 1901
Carlton	5.7 (37)	Fitzroy	6.8 (44)	Princes Park	8 June 1901
South Melbourne	7.14 (56)	St Kilda	1.1 (7)	Lake Oval	8 June 1901
Melbourne	7.4 (46)	Geelong	9.5 (59)	MCG	8 June 1901

Round 9

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Essendon	19.22 (136)	St Kilda	4.5 (29)	EMCG	22 June 1901
Carlton	6.6 (42)	Collingwood	9.9 (63)	Princes Park	22 June 1901
South Melbourne	6.9 (45)	Melbourne	9.7 (61)	Lake Oval	22 June 1901
Geelong	6.16 (52)	Fitzroy	8.3 (51)	Corio Oval	22 June 1901

Round 10

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Collingwood	5.1 (31)	South Melbourne	7.9 (51)	Victoria Park	29 June 1901
St Kilda	4.4 (28)	Melbourne	4.14 (38)	Junction Oval	29 June 1901
Fitzroy	6.8 (44)	Essendon	14.8 (92)	Brunswick Street Oval	29 June 1901
Geelong	8.15 (63)	Carlton	4.7 (31)	Corio Oval	29 June 1901

Round 11

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Essendon	6.13 (49)	Geelong	2.12 (24)	EMCG	6 July 1901
St Kilda	4.10 (34)	Fitzroy	11.7 (73)	Junction Oval	6 July 1901
Melbourne	5.6 (36)	Collingwood	4.11 (35)	MCG	6 July 1901
South Melbourne	10.10 (70)	Carlton	3.2 (20)	Lake Oval	6 July 1901

Round 12

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Fitzroy	9.11 (65)	South Melbourne	12.7 (79)	Brunswick Street Oval	13 July 1901
Collingwood	6.5 (41)	Geelong	12.11 (83)	Victoria Park	13 July 1901
Melbourne	6.6 (42)	Essendon	4.9 (33)	MCG	13 July 1901
St Kilda	7.8 (50)	Carlton	4.8 (32)	Junction Oval	13 July 1901

Round 13

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Geelong	8.7 (55)	St Kilda	4.5 (29)	Corio Oval	20 July 1901
Essendon	6.16 (52)	South Melbourne	8.3 (51)	EMCG	20 July 1901
Carlton	5.6 (36)	Melbourne	6.6 (42)	Princes Park	20 July 1901
Fitzroy	2.7 (19)	Collingwood	3.6 (24)	Brunswick Street Oval	20 July 1901

Round 14

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Collingwood	10.20 (80)	St Kilda	1.7 (13)	Victoria Park	27 July 1901
Carlton	3.2 (20)	Essendon	11.13 (79)	Princes Park	27 July 1901
South Melbourne	6.9 (45)	Geelong	6.13 (49)	Lake Oval	27 July 1901
Melbourne	4.5 (29)	Fitzroy	2.11 (23)	MCG	27 July 1901

Sectional Rounds

Sectional Round 1 (Round 15)

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Collingwood	6.8 (44)	Melbourne	3.10 (28)	Victoria Park	3 August 1901
Carlton	3.5 (25)	Geelong	6.18 (54)	Princes Park	3 August 1901
South Melbourne	1.3 (9)	Essendon	10.9 (69)	Lake Oval	3 August 1901
St Kilda	4.3 (27)	Fitzroy	14.15 (99)	Junction Oval	3 August 1901

Sectional Round 2 (Round 16)

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Geelong	7.12 (54)	South Melbourne	4.6 (30)	Corio Oval	10 August 1901
Essendon	14.18 (102)	Carlton	5.3 (33)	EMCG	10 August 1901
Melbourne	19.10 (124)	St Kilda	3.4 (22)	Lake Oval	10 August 1901
Fitzroy	7.6 (48)	Collingwood	2.6 (18)	Brunswick Street Oval	10 August 1901

Sectional Round 3 (Round 17)

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Collingwood	20.23 (143)	St Kilda	2.3 (15)	Victoria Park	17 August 1901
Carlton	3.6 (24)	South Melbourne	4.13 (37)	Princes Park	17 August 1901
Geelong	5.3 (33)	Essendon	9.12 (66)	Corio Oval	17 August 1901
Fitzroy	4.13 (37)	Melbourne	3.6 (24)	Brunswick Street Oval	17 August 1901

Ladder

1901 VFL Ladder

TEAM

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

%

PTS

1

Geelong

17

14

3

0

853

597

142.88

56

2

Essendon (P)

17

12

5

0

1085

582

186.43

48

3

Collingwood

17

12

5

0

917

579

158.38

48

4

Fitzroy

17

9

7

1

877

666

131.68

38

5

Melbourne

17

9

7

1

716

610

117.38

38

6

South Melbourne

17

8

9

0

727

730

99.59

32

7

Carlton

17

2

15

0

476

1013

46.99

8

St Kilda

17

1

16

0

414

1288

32.14

4

Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, PF = Points for, PA = Points against

Semi finals

1st Semi Final

Team	1 Qtr	2 Qtr	3 Qtr	Final
Collingwood	2.3	3.5	5.8	6.9 (45)
Geelong	0.2	1.3	3.4	3.6 (24)

Crowd: 10,000 at EMCG, 31 August 1901

2nd Semi Final

Team	1 Qtr	2 Qtr	3 Qtr	Final
Essendon	0.1	3.2	5.7	6.10 (46)
Fitzroy	2.4	2.6	3.8	6.9 (45)

Crowd: 15,000 at Victoria Park, 31 August 1901

Grand final

Essendon defeated Collingwood 6.7 (43) to 2.4 (16). (For an explanation of scoring see Australian rules football).

Team	1 Qtr	2 Qtr	3 Qtr	Final
Essendon	3.0	5.2	5.4	6.7 (43)
Collingwood	0.1	0.3	2.3	2.4 (16)

Crowd: 30,000 at Lake Oval, 7 September 1901

Awards

The 1901 VFL Premiership team was Essendon.
The VFL's leading goalkicker was Fred Hiskins of Essendon with 34 goals.
St. Kilda took the "wooden spoon" in 1901.

Notable events

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;^[1] 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.^[2]
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 experiments with clearly calling out his decisions.
In Essendon's "Grand Final" victory against Collingwood, Albert Thurgood kicks 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 institutes the original Argus system to determine the season's premiers.

References

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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

1901 Season - AFL Tables

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