1953 VFL Premiership season Teams 12 Premiers Collingwood (12th premiership)Minor premiers Geelong (8th minor premiership)Matches played 112 Highest attendance 89,149 Leading Goalkicker Medallist John Coleman (Essendon ) Brownlow Medallist Bill Hutchison (Essendon )
The 1953 Victorian Football League season was the 57th season of the elite Australian rules football competition.
Premiership season [ ]
In 1953, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus two substitute players, known as the 19th man and the 20th 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 1953 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
Geelong
12.15 (87)
Hawthorn
5.8 (38)
Kardinia Park
19,877
18 April 1953
Essendon
17.9 (111)
Fitzroy
12.16 (88)
Windy Hill
23,100
18 April 1953
Collingwood
17.16 (118)
South Melbourne
11.11 (77)
Victoria Park
29,678
18 April 1953
Carlton
7.18 (60)
Footscray
9.11 (65)
Princes Park
27,198
18 April 1953
St Kilda
8.9 (57)
North Melbourne
14.21 (105)
Junction Oval
14,000
18 April 1953
Richmond
11.7 (73)
Melbourne
9.13 (67)
Punt Road Oval
18,000
18 April 1953
Round 2 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Hawthorn
8.9 (57)
St Kilda
13.14 (92)
Glenferrie Oval
12,000
2 May 1953
Footscray
8.13 (61)
Geelong
15.12 (102)
Western Oval
28,500
2 May 1953
Fitzroy
12.9 (81)
Richmond
11.14 (80)
Brunswick Street Oval
21,000
2 May 1953
South Melbourne
13.21 (99)
Essendon
13.11 (89)
Lake Oval
29,231
2 May 1953
North Melbourne
18.10 (118)
Collingwood
11.9 (75)
Arden Street Oval
21,377
2 May 1953
Melbourne
8.11 (59)
Carlton
13.12 (90)
MCG
29,204
2 May 1953
Round 3 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Footscray
16.15 (111)
Hawthorn
6.6 (42)
Western Oval
15,000
9 May 1953
Essendon
17.20 (122)
St Kilda
7.16 (58)
Windy Hill
18,000
9 May 1953
Collingwood
9.19 (73)
Geelong
14.14 (98)
Victoria Park
33,000
9 May 1953
North Melbourne
12.12 (84)
Melbourne
11.17 (83)
Arden Street Oval
12,000
9 May 1953
South Melbourne
10.15 (75)
Fitzroy
12.14 (86)
Lake Oval
24,000
9 May 1953
Richmond
15.8 (98)
Carlton
16.8 (104)
Punt Road Oval
31,000
9 May 1953
Round 4 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Hawthorn
7.11 (53)
South Melbourne
9.9 (63)
Glenferrie Oval
12,000
16 May 1953
Fitzroy
12.14 (86)
North Melbourne
10.15 (75)
Brunswick Street Oval
20,500
16 May 1953
Carlton
14.11 (95)
Collingwood
14.19 (103)
Princes Park
37,500
16 May 1953
St Kilda
11.17 (83)
Richmond
8.17 (65)
Junction Oval
16,500
16 May 1953
Melbourne
4.6 (30)
Footscray
9.21 (75)
MCG
23,727
16 May 1953
Geelong
12.7 (79)
Essendon
9.11 (65)
Kardinia Park
35,000
16 May 1953
Round 5 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Essendon
6.10 (46)
Melbourne
9.3 (57)
Windy Hill
9,500
23 May 1953
Collingwood
13.18 (96)
Hawthorn
3.8 (26)
Victoria Park
9,627
23 May 1953
Carlton
7.10 (52)
St Kilda
6.7 (43)
Princes Park
9,150
23 May 1953
South Melbourne
8.10 (58)
North Melbourne
9.8 (62)
Lake Oval
11,000
23 May 1953
Richmond
6.16 (52)
Geelong
15.16 (106)
Punt Road Oval
10,000
23 May 1953
Footscray
10.6 (66)
Fitzroy
1.0 (6)
Western Oval
14,087
23 May 1953
Round 6 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Geelong
14.16 (100)
South Melbourne
7.5 (47)
Kardinia Park
24,832
30 May 1953
Collingwood
9.8 (62)
Richmond
5.9 (39)
Victoria Park
23,036
30 May 1953
St Kilda
10.9 (69)
Footscray
14.9 (93)
Junction Oval
19,000
30 May 1953
Melbourne
10.11 (71)
Fitzroy
12.9 (81)
MCG
21,205
30 May 1953
North Melbourne
7.9 (51)
Essendon
9.14 (68)
Arden Street Oval
25,000
30 May 1953
Hawthorn
10.7 (67)
Carlton
6.11 (47)
Glenferrie Oval
12,000
30 May 1953
Round 7 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
St Kilda
7.11 (53)
South Melbourne
18.16 (124)
Junction Oval
21,000
6 June 1953
Fitzroy
8.12 (60)
Hawthorn
5.14 (44)
Brunswick Street Oval
9,500
6 June 1953
Essendon
11.18 (84)
Richmond
7.6 (48)
Windy Hill
21,000
6 June 1953
Carlton
14.16 (100)
North Melbourne
7.6 (48)
Princes Park
22,219
6 June 1953
Melbourne
8.10 (58)
Geelong
11.16 (82)
MCG
26,254
6 June 1953
Footscray
7.9 (51)
Collingwood
7.10 (52)
Western Oval
32,114
6 June 1953
Round 8 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Hawthorn
8.14 (62)
North Melbourne
12.8 (80)
Glenferrie Oval
7,000
13 June 1953
Collingwood
19.17 (131)
St Kilda
8.8 (56)
Victoria Park
16,200
13 June 1953
South Melbourne
11.11 (77)
Melbourne
9.17 (71)
Lake Oval
22,565
13 June 1953
Richmond
8.11 (59)
Footscray
9.14 (68)
Punt Road Oval
16,000
13 June 1953
Geelong
21.10 (136)
Fitzroy
7.8 (50)
Kardinia Park
21,489
13 June 1953
Essendon
14.14 (98)
Carlton
7.11 (53)
Windy Hill
30,300
13 June 1953
Round 9 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
North Melbourne
6.9 (45)
Richmond
5.12 (42)
Arden Street Oval
9,000
20 June 1953
Footscray
5.13 (43)
South Melbourne
11.6 (72)
Western Oval
21,105
20 June 1953
St Kilda
6.8 (44)
Geelong
9.6 (60)
Junction Oval
9,500
20 June 1953
Hawthorn
9.10 (64)
Essendon
12.15 (87)
Glenferrie Oval
8,000
20 June 1953
Melbourne
7.6 (48)
Collingwood
9.9 (63)
MCG
27,175
20 June 1953
Fitzroy
7.12 (54)
Carlton
7.18 (60)
Brunswick Street Oval
15,000
20 June 1953
Round 10 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Fitzroy
11.9 (75)
St Kilda
7.10 (52)
Brunswick Street Oval
9,500
27 June 1953
Carlton
8.15 (63)
Geelong
10.14 (74)
Princes Park
32,526
27 June 1953
South Melbourne
12.7 (79)
Richmond
6.14 (50)
Lake Oval
17,000
27 June 1953
Melbourne
10.14 (74)
Hawthorn
16.6 (102)
MCG
11,993
27 June 1953
North Melbourne
3.7 (25)
Footscray
5.12 (42)
Arden Street Oval
15,000
27 June 1953
Essendon
11.14 (80)
Collingwood
6.16 (52)
Windy Hill
31,900
27 June 1953
Round 11 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Geelong
12.14 (86)
North Melbourne
13.7 (85)
Kardinia Park
21,130
4 July 1953
Collingwood
7.19 (61)
Fitzroy
9.8 (62)
Victoria Park
25,078
4 July 1953
Carlton
14.13 (97)
South Melbourne
10.13 (73)
Princes Park
29,688
4 July 1953
St Kilda
11.7 (73)
Melbourne
8.21 (69)
Junction Oval
12,000
4 July 1953
Richmond
12.10 (82)
Hawthorn
7.6 (48)
Punt Road Oval
11,000
4 July 1953
Footscray
9.15 (69)
Essendon
7.11 (53)
Western Oval
34,884
4 July 1953
Round 12 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Melbourne
11.9 (75)
Richmond
11.9 (75)
MCG
19,402
11 July 1953
Hawthorn
9.8 (62)
Geelong
12.14 (86)
Glenferrie Oval
14,000
11 July 1953
Footscray
13.12 (90)
Carlton
8.18 (66)
Western Oval
31,668
11 July 1953
North Melbourne
20.11 (131)
St Kilda
5.16 (46)
Arden Street Oval
10,500
18 July 1953
Fitzroy
7.20 (62)
Essendon
14.13 (97)
Brunswick Street Oval
25,500
18 July 1953
South Melbourne
12.9 (81)
Collingwood
17.17 (119)
Lake Oval
30,000
18 July 1953
Round 13 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Essendon
12.11 (83)
South Melbourne
8.14 (62)
Windy Hill
23,000
25 July 1953
Collingwood
13.16 (94)
North Melbourne
8.17 (65)
Victoria Park
23,868
25 July 1953
Carlton
12.24 (96)
Melbourne
10.10 (70)
Princes Park
16,367
25 July 1953
St Kilda
9.13 (67)
Hawthorn
4.14 (38)
Junction Oval
7,500
25 July 1953
Geelong
11.12 (78)
Footscray
8.10 (58)
Kardinia Park
32,093
25 July 1953
Richmond
13.7 (85)
Fitzroy
13.12 (90)
Punt Road Oval
15,000
25 July 1953
Round 14 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Melbourne
9.13 (67)
North Melbourne
8.16 (64)
MCG
13,768
1 August 1953
Fitzroy
12.18 (90)
South Melbourne
7.19 (61)
Brunswick Street Oval
16,000
1 August 1953
Carlton
15.16 (106)
Richmond
10.19 (79)
Princes Park
21,508
1 August 1953
Hawthorn
3.10 (28)
Footscray
11.10 (76)
Glenferrie Oval
10,000
1 August 1953
St Kilda
9.10 (64)
Essendon
14.15 (99)
Junction Oval
19,500
1 August 1953
Geelong
7.13 (55)
Collingwood
10.15 (75)
Kardinia Park
31,635
1 August 1953
Round 15 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Richmond
13.16 (94)
St Kilda
11.14 (80)
Punt Road Oval
9,500
8 August 1953
Footscray
14.14 (98)
Melbourne
9.7 (61)
Western Oval
18,075
8 August 1953
Essendon
8.13 (61)
Geelong
7.8 (50)
Windy Hill
41,000
8 August 1953
South Melbourne
7.12 (54)
Hawthorn
9.8 (62)
Lake Oval
8,500
8 August 1953
North Melbourne
17.19 (121)
Fitzroy
7.9 (51)
Arden Street Oval
12,000
8 August 1953
Collingwood
12.15 (87)
Carlton
9.16 (70)
Victoria Park
31,277
8 August 1953
Round 16 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
North Melbourne
8.8 (56)
South Melbourne
11.21 (87)
Arden Street Oval
8,000
15 August 1953
Geelong
14.18 (102)
Richmond
4.9 (33)
Kardinia Park
10,000
15 August 1953
Fitzroy
7.11 (53)
Footscray
14.14 (98)
Brunswick Street Oval
17,500
15 August 1953
Melbourne
8.9 (57)
Essendon
12.10 (82)
MCG
25,543
15 August 1953
Hawthorn
11.6 (72)
Collingwood
12.16 (88)
Glenferrie Oval
7,000
15 August 1953
St Kilda
8.15 (63)
Carlton
7.16 (58)
Junction Oval
9,700
15 August 1953
Round 17 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Footscray
12.18 (90)
St Kilda
4.5 (29)
Western Oval
15,158
22 August 1953
Fitzroy
6.13 (49)
Melbourne
9.10 (64)
Brunswick Street Oval
7,500
22 August 1953
Essendon
12.6 (78)
North Melbourne
12.7 (79)
Windy Hill
18,000
22 August 1953
Carlton
12.15 (87)
Hawthorn
6.9 (45)
Princes Park
8,500
22 August 1953
South Melbourne
14.14 (98)
Geelong
8.7 (55)
Lake Oval
21,000
22 August 1953
Richmond
12.9 (81)
Collingwood
13.17 (95)
Punt Road Oval
18,000
22 August 1953
Round 18 [ ]
Home team
Home team score
Away team
Away team score
Venue
Crowd
Date
Geelong
16.14 (110)
Melbourne
8.8 (56)
Kardinia Park
18,124
29 August 1953
Collingwood
10.14 (74)
Footscray
8.7 (55)
Victoria Park
33,867
29 August 1953
South Melbourne
13.20 (98)
St Kilda
4.12 (36)
Lake Oval
13,000
29 August 1953
Hawthorn
9.10 (64)
Fitzroy
13.6 (84)
Glenferrie Oval
5,000
29 August 1953
Richmond
13.7 (85)
Essendon
19.12 (126)
Punt Road Oval
19,000
29 August 1953
North Melbourne
14.10 (94)
Carlton
15.15 (105)
Arden Street Oval
14,000
29 August 1953
Ladder [ ]
1953 VFL ladder
Pos
Team
Pld
W
L
D
PF
PA
PP
Pts
1
Geelong
18
15
3
0
1546
1079
143.3
60
Finals
2
Collingwood (P)
18
14
4
0
1518
1229
123.5
56
3
Footscray
18
13
5
0
1309
959
136.5
52
4
Essendon
18
13
5
0
1529
1177
129.9
52
5
Carlton
18
10
8
0
1409
1310
107.6
40
6
Fitzroy
18
10
8
0
1208
1421
85.0
40
7
North Melbourne
18
9
9
0
1388
1287
107.8
36
8
South Melbourne
18
9
9
0
1385
1323
104.7
36
9
St Kilda
18
5
13
0
1065
1561
68.2
20
10
Richmond
18
3
14
1
1220
1501
81.3
14
11
Melbourne
18
3
14
1
1137
1420
80.1
14
12
Hawthorn
18
3
15
0
974
1421
68.5
12
Source:
VFL ladder Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers
Finals [ ]
First Semi-Final [ ]
Team
1 Qtr
2 Qtr
3 Qtr
Final
Footscray
3.7
3.8
4.11
6.13 (49)
Essendon
1.0
3.7
4.7
5.11(41)
Attendance: 68,533
Second Semi-Final [ ]
Team
1 Qtr
2 Qtr
3 Qtr
Final
Geelong
3.1
6.4
7.12
8.12 (60)
Collingwood
2.3
5.7
7.8
13.12 (90)
Attendance: 70,292
Preliminary Final [ ]
Team
1 Qtr
2 Qtr
3 Qtr
Final
Geelong
0.6
2.7
6.10
8.15 (63)
Footscray
2.1
3.4
4.5
5.7 (37)
Attendance: 58,615
Grand final [ ]
Team
1 Qtr
2 Qtr
3 Qtr
Final
Collingwood
2.4
5.6
10.10
11.11 (77)
Geelong
2.2
3.9
5.11
8.17 (65)
Attendance: 89,149
Awards [ ]
The 1953 VFL Premiership team was Collingwood .
The VFL's leading goalkicker was John Coleman of Essendon who kicked 97 goals (including one goal in the finals).
The winner of the 1953 Brownlow Medal was Bill Hutchison of Essendon with 26 votes.
Hawthorn took the "wooden spoon" in 1953.
Notable events [ ]
Because Anzac Day fell on a Saturday, there was a fortnight between Rounds 1 and 2. On the evening of Friday 24 April a night-time exhibition match was held between Collingwood and Fitzroy , under lights, at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds for the benefit of St Vincent's Hospital. Collingwood 9.13 (67) defeated Fitzroy 4.19 (43) before a crowd of 22,000.[1]
Footscray would win their first final since joining the league in 1925, their twenty-ninth season. This came after making the finals six times previously and being eliminated each time (1938, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1948 and 1951).
In Round 2, John Coleman kicked 11 of Essendon's 13 goals.
In Round 5, Fitzroy came close to becoming the first (and only) VFL/AFL team to be held scoreless in their match against Footscray at the Western Oval, which was played amidst heavy rain and a burst water main. Allan Ruthven managed their only scoring shot, a goal, with about six minutes remaining in the match.[2] To date, it remains the longest amount of time a team has been kept scoreless in a match.
In a streak dating back to 1952, Geelong won 23 consecutive matches, and played 26 consecutive matches without defeat; as of 2020, both of these remain VFL/AFL records. The winning streak ended in Round 14, when Collingwood defeated Geelong by 20 points.
Overall it was a low-scoring season: Footscray's 959 points against remains the lowest average points conceded per game since 1919; the season's highest score of 21.10 (136) was the lowest since 1924; and, for the first time since 1927, there was no match where both teams scored more than 100 points.
The Collingwood Grand Final team contained three sets of brothers: Lou Richards and Ron Richards ; Bob Rose and Bill Rose ; Bill Twomey Jr. , Pat Twomey , and Mick Twomey .
Collingwood supporter and businessman John Wren suffered a heart attack at the 1953 Grand Final and died one month later.
References [ ]
^ Hugh Buggy (25 April 1953). "Magpies rout Maroons in third quarter". The Argus . Melbourne. p. 30.
^ Hugh Buggy (25 May 1953). "One goal debacle nears record". The Argus . Melbourne. p. 12.
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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Former clubs Related articles Known as the Victorian Football League from 1897–1989; no grand finals were held in 1897 and 1924