1940 VFL Premiership season Melbourne FC, premiers
Teams 12 Premiers Melbourne (4th premiership)Minor premiers Melbourne (2nd minor premiership)Matches played 112 Highest attendance 70,330 Leading Goalkicker Medallist Jack Titus (Richmond ) Brownlow Medallist Des Fothergill (Collingwood ) Herbie Matthews (South Melbourne )
The 1940 Victorian Football League season was the 44th season of the elite Australian rules football competition.
Premiership season [ ]
In 1940, 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 1940 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the Page–McIntyre system .
Round 1 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Hawthorn
25.11 (161)
North Melbourne
13.11 (89)
Glenferrie Oval
14,000
27 April 1940
Fitzroy
13.13 (91)
St Kilda
10.20 (80)
Brunswick Street Oval
20,000
27 April 1940
Essendon
18.17 (125)
Melbourne
16.12 (108)
Windy Hill
23,000
27 April 1940
Richmond
14.19 (103)
Footscray
17.13 (115)
Punt Road Oval
24,000
27 April 1940
South Melbourne
11.14 (80)
Collingwood
13.14 (92)
Lake Oval
18,000
27 April 1940
Geelong
9.18 (72)
Carlton
12.27 (99)
Corio Oval
12,000
27 April 1940
Round 2 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Melbourne
18.14 (122)
Richmond
14.15 (99)
MCG
20,044
4 May 1940
Collingwood
11.13 (79)
Geelong
14.10 (94)
Victoria Park
11,000
4 May 1940
Carlton
15.19 (109)
South Melbourne
12.5 (77)
Princes Park
19,000
4 May 1940
St Kilda
12.25 (97)
Hawthorn
7.13 (55)
Junction Oval
17,000
4 May 1940
North Melbourne
15.16 (106)
Fitzroy
7.9 (51)
Arden Street Oval
11,000
4 May 1940
Footscray
17.9 (111)
Essendon
9.12 (66)
Western Oval
25,000
4 May 1940
Round 3 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Hawthorn
15.12 (102)
Richmond
19.15 (129)
Glenferrie Oval
16,000
11 May 1940
Essendon
12.14 (86)
South Melbourne
10.15 (75)
Windy Hill
16,000
11 May 1940
St Kilda
12.12 (84)
North Melbourne
9.11 (65)
Junction Oval
15,500
11 May 1940
Melbourne
20.21 (141)
Footscray
15.12 (102)
MCG
30,867
11 May 1940
Geelong
16.19 (115)
Fitzroy
13.8 (86)
Corio Oval
8,500
11 May 1940
Collingwood
18.19 (127)
Carlton
12.18 (90)
Victoria Park
23,000
11 May 1940
Round 4 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Footscray
9.16 (70)
St Kilda
13.14 (92)
Western Oval
16,000
18 May 1940
Carlton
13.12 (90)
Melbourne
16.20 (116)
Princes Park
18,000
18 May 1940
South Melbourne
22.13 (145)
Hawthorn
16.10 (106)
Lake Oval
9,000
18 May 1940
Richmond
17.15 (117)
Geelong
11.6 (72)
Punt Road Oval
13,000
18 May 1940
Fitzroy
12.15 (87)
Essendon
10.16 (76)
Brunswick Street Oval
13,000
18 May 1940
North Melbourne
14.15 (99)
Collingwood
10.15 (75)
Arden Street Oval
11,000
18 May 1940
Round 5 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Geelong
12.21 (93)
South Melbourne
10.12 (72)
Corio Oval
5,000
25 May 1940
Fitzroy
8.14 (62)
Richmond
12.11 (83)
Brunswick Street Oval
14,000
25 May 1940
Essendon
12.18 (90)
Hawthorn
9.19 (73)
Windy Hill
12,000
25 May 1940
North Melbourne
7.11 (53)
Footscray
9.12 (66)
Arden Street Oval
13,000
25 May 1940
Melbourne
17.12 (114)
Collingwood
13.20 (98)
MCG
20,043
25 May 1940
St Kilda
6.18 (54)
Carlton
11.19 (85)
Junction Oval
21,000
25 May 1940
Round 6 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Richmond
17.10 (112)
St Kilda
11.10 (76)
Punt Road Oval
20,000
1 June 1940
Hawthorn
12.15 (87)
Melbourne
11.15 (81)
Glenferrie Oval
8,000
1 June 1940
Footscray
10.6 (66)
Geelong
10.14 (74)
Western Oval
12,000
1 June 1940
Collingwood
12.13 (85)
Essendon
11.17 (83)
Victoria Park
11,000
1 June 1940
Carlton
10.16 (76)
Fitzroy
8.14 (62)
Princes Park
16,000
1 June 1940
South Melbourne
16.9 (105)
North Melbourne
16.8 (104)
Lake Oval
9,000
1 June 1940
Round 7 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Richmond
13.16 (94)
South Melbourne
12.13 (85)
Punt Road Oval
10,000
8 June 1940
Fitzroy
17.11 (113)
Hawthorn
12.14 (86)
Brunswick Street Oval
7,000
8 June 1940
North Melbourne
8.1 (49)
Melbourne
12.34 (106)
Arden Street Oval
5,000
8 June 1940
Geelong
9.13 (67)
Essendon
10.22 (82)
Corio Oval
5,000
8 June 1940
St Kilda
10.12 (72)
Collingwood
13.14 (92)
Junction Oval
13,000
8 June 1940
Footscray
12.18 (90)
Carlton
12.8 (80)
Western Oval
13,000
8 June 1940
Round 8 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Collingwood
6.13 (49)
Richmond
10.15 (75)
Victoria Park
20,000
15 June 1940
South Melbourne
12.9 (81)
St Kilda
10.16 (76)
Lake Oval
12,000
15 June 1940
North Melbourne
8.15 (63)
Geelong
13.20 (98)
Arden Street Oval
5,000
15 June 1940
Hawthorn
8.17 (65)
Footscray
15.20 (110)
Glenferrie Oval
10,000
15 June 1940
Essendon
12.14 (86)
Carlton
8.15 (63)
Windy Hill
16,000
15 June 1940
Melbourne
12.15 (87)
Fitzroy
12.13 (85)
MCG
19,737
17 June 1940
Round 9 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Geelong
12.18 (90)
Hawthorn
6.10 (46)
Corio Oval
4,000
22 June 1940
Fitzroy
10.30 (90)
South Melbourne
10.17 (77)
Brunswick Street Oval
12,000
22 June 1940
Carlton
16.20 (116)
North Melbourne
18.12 (120)
Princes Park
13,000
22 June 1940
St Kilda
16.16 (112)
Melbourne
17.21 (123)
Junction Oval
13,000
22 June 1940
Richmond
12.5 (77)
Essendon
12.10 (82)
Punt Road Oval
19,000
22 June 1940
Footscray
15.10 (100)
Collingwood
12.12 (84)
Western Oval
15,000
22 June 1940
Round 10 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
North Melbourne
13.11 (89)
Richmond
17.16 (118)
Arden Street Oval
11,000
29 June 1940
Footscray
15.15 (105)
South Melbourne
6.10 (46)
Western Oval
14,000
29 June 1940
Collingwood
12.17 (89)
Fitzroy
15.13 (103)
Victoria Park
14,000
29 June 1940
Carlton
13.11 (89)
Hawthorn
13.18 (96)
Princes Park
10,000
29 June 1940
Melbourne
22.19 (151)
Geelong
24.10 (154)
MCG
15,265
29 June 1940
St Kilda
14.18 (102)
Essendon
15.14 (104)
Junction Oval
15,000
29 June 1940
Round 11 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Geelong
12.22 (94)
St Kilda
11.10 (76)
Corio Oval
6,500
6 July 1940
Fitzroy
17.8 (110)
Footscray
14.13 (97)
Brunswick Street Oval
18,000
6 July 1940
Essendon
19.14 (128)
North Melbourne
16.9 (105)
Windy Hill
11,000
6 July 1940
South Melbourne
10.18 (78)
Melbourne
19.16 (130)
Lake Oval
10,000
6 July 1940
Hawthorn
10.17 (77)
Collingwood
14.17 (101)
Glenferrie Oval
10,000
6 July 1940
Richmond
9.11 (65)
Carlton
9.22 (76)
Punt Road Oval
18,000
6 July 1940
Round 12 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Footscray
12.10 (82)
Richmond
15.10 (100)
Western Oval
11,000
13 July 1940
Collingwood
19.14 (128)
South Melbourne
4.18 (42)
Victoria Park
6,500
13 July 1940
Carlton
11.24 (90)
Geelong
12.19 (91)
Princes Park
9,000
13 July 1940
North Melbourne
11.11 (77)
Hawthorn
9.16 (70)
Arden Street Oval
3,000
13 July 1940
St Kilda
8.11 (59)
Fitzroy
6.12 (48)
Junction Oval
10,000
13 July 1940
Melbourne
17.20 (122)
Essendon
7.12 (54)
MCG
18,640
13 July 1940
Round 13 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Hawthorn
17.17 (119)
St Kilda
8.15 (63)
Glenferrie Oval
8,000
20 July 1940
Fitzroy
16.17 (113)
North Melbourne
9.13 (67)
Brunswick Street Oval
10,000
20 July 1940
Essendon
13.17 (95)
Footscray
13.13 (91)
Windy Hill
17,000
20 July 1940
Richmond
13.9 (87)
Melbourne
13.16 (94)
Punt Road Oval
21,000
20 July 1940
Geelong
23.18 (156)
Collingwood
12.19 (91)
Corio Oval
8,500
20 July 1940
South Melbourne
17.11 (113)
Carlton
14.14 (98)
Lake Oval
8,000
20 July 1940
Round 14 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
North Melbourne
6.11 (47)
St Kilda
13.6 (84)
Arden Street Oval
4,500
27 July 1940
Footscray
12.19 (91)
Melbourne
15.20 (110)
Western Oval
12,000
27 July 1940
Fitzroy
10.27 (87)
Geelong
8.12 (60)
Brunswick Street Oval
17,000
27 July 1940
Carlton
14.18 (102)
Collingwood
13.9 (87)
Princes Park
9,000
27 July 1940
Richmond
11.13 (79)
Hawthorn
12.15 (87)
Punt Road Oval
9,000
27 July 1940
South Melbourne
9.6 (60)
Essendon
7.16 (58)
Lake Oval
10,000
27 July 1940
Round 15 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Hawthorn
10.19 (79)
South Melbourne
10.13 (73)
Glenferrie Oval
8,000
10 August 1940
Geelong
12.15 (87)
Richmond
16.11 (107)
Corio Oval
10,000
10 August 1940
Essendon
10.12 (72)
Fitzroy
10.15 (75)
Windy Hill
18,000
10 August 1940
Collingwood
12.21 (93)
North Melbourne
6.17 (53)
Victoria Park
6,500
10 August 1940
St Kilda
13.9 (87)
Footscray
15.22 (112)
Junction Oval
13,000
10 August 1940
Melbourne
14.12 (96)
Carlton
20.13 (133)
MCG
16,500
10 August 1940
Round 16 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Footscray
17.22 (124)
North Melbourne
8.13 (61)
Western Oval
8,000
17 August 1940
Collingwood
12.18 (90)
Melbourne
16.8 (104)
Victoria Park
8,000
17 August 1940
Carlton
13.14 (92)
St Kilda
6.16 (52)
Princes Park
6,000
17 August 1940
South Melbourne
12.19 (91)
Geelong
13.9 (87)
Lake Oval
7,000
17 August 1940
Richmond
14.15 (99)
Fitzroy
10.11 (71)
Punt Road Oval
22,000
17 August 1940
Hawthorn
11.18 (84)
Essendon
18.12 (120)
Glenferrie Oval
9,000
17 August 1940
Round 17 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
North Melbourne
8.5 (53)
South Melbourne
16.23 (119)
Arden Street Oval
5,000
24 August 1940
St Kilda
10.17 (77)
Richmond
20.15 (135)
Junction Oval
14,000
24 August 1940
Melbourne
26.20 (176)
Hawthorn
8.14 (62)
MCG
8,722
24 August 1940
Geelong
12.17 (89)
Footscray
11.18 (84)
Corio Oval
10,000
24 August 1940
Essendon
12.20 (92)
Collingwood
6.16 (52)
Windy Hill
13,000
24 August 1940
Fitzroy
10.11 (71)
Carlton
21.14 (140)
Brunswick Street Oval
20,000
24 August 1940
Round 18 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Melbourne
18.21 (129)
North Melbourne
11.15 (81)
MCG
5,500
31 August 1940
Essendon
16.16 (112)
Geelong
7.10 (52)
Windy Hill
13,000
31 August 1940
Collingwood
15.19 (109)
St Kilda
10.15 (75)
Victoria Park
6,000
31 August 1940
Carlton
15.12 (102)
Footscray
11.14 (80)
Princes Park
9,000
31 August 1940
South Melbourne
8.13 (61)
Richmond
16.12 (108)
Lake Oval
17,000
31 August 1940
Hawthorn
13.16 (94)
Fitzroy
5.8 (38)
Glenferrie Oval
5,500
31 August 1940
Ladder [ ]
1940 VFL ladder
Pos
Team
Pld
W
L
D
PF
PA
PP
Pts
1
Melbourne (P)
18
14
4
0
2110
1677
125.8
56
Finals
2
Richmond
18
12
6
0
1787
1489
120.0
48
3
Essendon
18
12
6
0
1611
1489
108.2
48
4
Geelong
18
11
7
0
1645
1599
102.9
44
5
Carlton
18
10
8
0
1730
1555
111.3
40
6
Footscray
18
9
9
0
1696
1558
108.9
36
7
Fitzroy
18
9
9
0
1443
1563
92.3
36
8
Collingwood
18
8
10
0
1621
1611
100.6
32
9
Hawthorn
18
7
11
0
1549
1760
88.0
28
10
South Melbourne
18
7
11
0
1480
1696
87.3
28
11
St Kilda
18
5
13
0
1418
1634
86.8
20
12
North Melbourne
18
4
14
0
1381
1840
75.1
16
Source:
VFL Ladder Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers
Finals [ ]
Semi finals [ ]
Home team
Score
Away team
Score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Essendon
13.14 (92)
Geelong
10.14 (74)
MCG
44,187
7 September
Melbourne
14.17 (101)
Richmond
16.11 (107)
MCG
54,763
14 September
Preliminary Final [ ]
Home team
Score
Away team
Score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Melbourne
12.18 (90)
Essendon
12.13 (85)
MCG
47,348
21 September
Grand final [ ]
Melbourne defeated Richmond 15.17 (107) to 10.8 (68), in front of a crowd of 69,061 people. (For an explanation of scoring see Australian rules football ).
Awards [ ]
The 1940 VFL Premiership team was Melbourne .
The VFL's leading goalkicker was Jack "Skinny" Titus of Richmond with 92 goals (100 after finals).
The joint winners of the 1940 Brownlow Medal were Herbie Matthews of South Melbourne and Des Fothergill of Collingwood with 32 votes each.
The rules of the award stated that there was only one medal to be awarded in any one season. A count-back revealed that each had the same number of 3, 2, and 1 votes; and, although the controversy associated with such a criterion being applied in the case of Stan Judkins in 1930 meant that it was never used again, having played the whole 18 home-and-away matches each, they could not have been separated on the basis of the number of matches played anyway.
The VFL announced the tied result and neither player received a medallion, but as a consequence of its 1981 decision to change its rules relating to tied Brownlow Medal contests, the AFL awarded retrospective medals to Matthews and Fothergill in 1989.
North Melbourne took the "wooden spoon" in 1940.
The seconds premiership was won by Collingwood . Collingwood 6.16 (52) defeated Carlton 3.12 (30) in the Grand Final, played as a curtain-raiser to the seniors Grand Final on Saturday 28 September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[1]
Notable events [ ]
In April 1940, Essendon adopted the nickname The Bombers .[2]
In Round 7, Melbourne set a new record for most behinds in a match, kicking 34 behinds in a score of 12.34 (106). This record stood until 1977.[3]
The Round 10 match between Melbourne and Geelong produced an aggregate score of 46.29 (305). It was the first VFL match ever to see an aggregate of more than 300 points scored.
The VFL suspended its round 15 matches and conducted a one-day lightning carnival , known as the Patriotic Premiership , at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday 3 August 1940 to raise money for the war effort. Each match was played over a single twenty-minute period without time-on.[4] St Kilda 4.2 (26) defeated Richmond 0.2 (2) in the final. The carnival raised almost £3,000 for the war effort.
The ANFC decided to cancel the 1940 Interstate Carnival, which was scheduled to have been held in Hobart, because of the war.
In one of the most rugged seasons ever, 47 players were reported to the VFL Tribunal.[5]
In the last quarter of the Grand Final, Jack Titus scored a goal with his last kick, bringing his season's total to 100 goals.
[ ]
^ "Collingwood Wins League Seconds' Final". The Argus . Melbourne. 30 September 1940. p. 9.
^ Bombing to Victory, The Argus , (Wednesday, 10 April 1940), p. 17.
^ Australian Football League: Most Behinds
^ Taylor, Percy (2 August 1940), "Unique competition", The Argus , Melbourne, p. 14
^ VFL Tribunal 1940 , Boyles Football Photos
References [ ]
Hogan, P., The Tigers of Old , The Richmond Football Club, (Richmond), 1996. ISBN 0-646-18748-1
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 [ ]
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