1979 VFL season

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1979 VFL Premiership season
Teams12
PremiersCarlton
(12th premiership)
Minor premiersCarlton
(14th minor premiership)
Night seriesCollingwood
(1st Night series win)
Matches played138
Attendance3,574,281 (25,901 per match)
Highest attendance113,545
Coleman MedallistKelvin Templeton (Footscray)
Brownlow MedallistPeter Moore (Collingwood)
← 1978
1980 →

The 1979 Victorian Football League season was the 83rd season of the elite Australian rules football competition.

Night series[]

Collingwood defeated Hawthorn 12.8 (80) to 7.10 (52) in the final.

Premiership season[]

Round 1[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Collingwood 9.15 (69) Fitzroy 21.23 (149) Victoria Park 29,345 7 April 1979
Carlton 23.13 (151) Geelong 15.11 (101) Princes Park 24,771 7 April 1979
South Melbourne 15.21 (111) Richmond 19.11 (125) SMCG 18,603 7 April 1979
St Kilda 19.14 (128) Hawthorn 14.19 (103) Moorabbin Oval 22,060 7 April 1979
Melbourne 18.17 (125) Footscray 16.17 (113) MCG 24,133 7 April 1979
North Melbourne 17.27 (129) Essendon 16.13 (109) NMCG 22,633 7 April 1979

Round 2[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Footscray 13.16 (94) North Melbourne 20.13 (133) Western Oval 23,457 14 April 1979
Fitzroy 12.14 (86) South Melbourne 21.13 (139) Junction Oval 19,437 14 April 1979
Hawthorn 13.24 (102) Collingwood 19.18 (132) Princes Park 29,355 14 April 1979
Geelong 15.16 (106) Melbourne 9.13 (67) Kardinia Park 23,858 16 April 1979
Essendon 21.22 (148) St Kilda 9.10 (64) Windy Hill 26,499 16 April 1979
Richmond 13.18 (96) Carlton 23.9 (147) MCG 59,942 16 April 1979

Round 3[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Carlton 14.17 (101) Essendon 11.14 (80) VFL Park 41,717 31 March 1979
South Melbourne 18.10 (118) Melbourne 16.15 (111) SMCG 14,431 21 April 1979
Hawthorn 18.15 (123) Geelong 11.17 (83) Princes Park 14,703 21 April 1979
St Kilda 15.14 (104) Footscray 16.13 (109) Moorabbin Oval 18,275 21 April 1979
Richmond 20.12 (132) Fitzroy 16.16 (112) MCG 24,635 21 April 1979
North Melbourne 18.19 (127) Collingwood 14.15 (99) NMCG 29,747 21 April 1979

Despite being formally a part of Round 3, the Carlton vs Essendon match was played as a stand-alone match on the Saturday before Round 1, and was therefore the opening match of the season.

Round 4[]

Round 4
Wednesday, 25 April (2:10 pm) Hawthorn 29.15 (189) def. South Melbourne 15.5 (95) VFL Park (crowd: 37,276) Report
Wednesday, 25 April (2:10 pm) Melbourne 16.23 (119) def. Richmond 15.19 (109) MCG (crowd: 44,708) Report
Saturday, 28 April (2:10 pm) Fitzroy 11.16 (82) def. by Carlton 20.19 (139) Junction Oval (crowd: 21,577) Report
Saturday, 28 April (2:10 pm) Collingwood 31.21 (207) def. St Kilda 3.11 (29) Victoria Park (crowd: 29,380) Report
Saturday, 28 April (2:10 pm) Footscray 20.8 (128) drew with Essendon 19.14 (128) Western Oval (crowd: 26,981) Report
Saturday, 28 April (2:10 pm) Geelong 10.13 (73) def. by North Melbourne 19.9 (123) Kardinia Park (crowd: 21,353) Report
  • In the ANZAC Day clash at VFL Park, Hawthorn kicked their highest score against South Melbourne. It was also at the time the highest score in a match that South Melbourne had conceded, the previous highest being 28.17 (185) by North Melbourne in Round 12, 1974.
  • At Victoria Park, Collingwood broke several records in their win against St Kilda, kicking their highest-ever score in a match – 31.21 (207), which they would top the following year against the same team – and also broke a 60-year-old League record in terms of greatest winning margin (178 points), previously held by South Melbourne, who beat St Kilda by 171 points back in Round 12, 1919.

Round 5[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 19.24 (138) South Melbourne 12.16 (88) NMCG 16,015 5 May 1979
Essendon 10.16 (76) Fitzroy 25.22 (172) Windy Hill 19,741 5 May 1979
Carlton 15.20 (110) Melbourne 13.18 (96) Princes Park 24,248 5 May 1979
Richmond 11.16 (82) Hawthorn 24.17 (161) MCG 31,448 5 May 1979
St Kilda 17.10 (112) Geelong 22.10 (142) Moorabbin Oval 15,481 5 May 1979
Collingwood 20.17 (137) Footscray 12.17 (89) VFL Park 34,163 5 May 1979

Round 6[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Collingwood 14.15 (99) Essendon 19.19 (133) Victoria Park 27,824 12 May 1979
South Melbourne 26.19 (175) St Kilda 11.20 (86) SMCG 12,394 12 May 1979
Geelong 9.18 (72) Footscray 7.5 (47) Kardinia Park 27,824 12 May 1979
Melbourne 21.14 (140) Fitzroy 24.19 (163) MCG 21,783 12 May 1979
Hawthorn 16.12 (108) Carlton 25.18 (168) Princes Park 29,935 12 May 1979
North Melbourne 14.15 (99) Richmond 13.16 (94) VFL Park 22,626 12 May 1979

Round 7[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Footscray 22.17 (149) South Melbourne 14.17 (101) Western Oval 15,045 19 May 1979
Fitzroy 14.18 (102) Hawthorn 11.24 (90) Junction Oval 15,870 19 May 1979
Essendon 23.18 (156) Melbourne 9.20 (74) Windy Hill 21,592 19 May 1979
Carlton 15.14 (104) North Melbourne 16.12 (108) Princes Park 39,411 19 May 1979
St Kilda 16.15 (111) Richmond 14.15 (99) Moorabbin Oval 18,087 19 May 1979
Collingwood 13.14 (92) Geelong 6.15 (51) VFL Park 37,260 19 May 1979

Round 8[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 17.18 (120) Melbourne 10.17 (77) Princes Park 10,997 26 May 1979
Richmond 22.26 (158) Footscray 12.13 (85) MCG 21,672 26 May 1979
North Melbourne 13.16 (94) Fitzroy 21.22 (148) NMCG 17,469 26 May 1979
Geelong 12.11 (83) Essendon 12.12 (84) Kardinia Park 25,402 26 May 1979
South Melbourne 6.8 (44) Collingwood 20.11 (131) SMCG 21,282 26 May 1979
Carlton 15.13 (103) St Kilda 9.10 (64) VFL Park 28,817 26 May 1979

Round 9[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Melbourne 17.9 (111) North Melbourne 23.18 (156) MCG 23,261 2 June 1979
Fitzroy 18.15 (123) St Kilda 11.12 (78) Junction Oval 14,963 2 June 1979
Collingwood 19.18 (132) Richmond 10.20 (80) Victoria Park 31,474 2 June 1979
Hawthorn 16.12 (108) Essendon 17.14 (116) Princes Park 24,875 2 June 1979
Footscray 11.12 (78) Carlton 18.19 (127) Western Oval 21,362 2 June 1979
Geelong 18.15 (123) South Melbourne 17.8 (110) VFL Park 15,750 2 June 1979

Round 10[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Essendon 16.19 (115) South Melbourne 14.15 (99) Windy Hill 18,916 9 June 1979
Carlton 18.15 (123) Collingwood 16.11 (107) Princes Park 46,106 9 June 1979
St Kilda 9.11 (65) Melbourne 12.13 (85) Moorabbin Oval 17,390 9 June 1979
Richmond 14.17 (101) Geelong 18.19 (127) MCG 24,824 9 June 1979
Fitzroy 17.17 (119) Footscray 11.8 (74) VFL Park 14,357 9 June 1979
Hawthorn 23.18 (156) North Melbourne 16.9 (105) SCG 31,391 10 June 1979

Round 11[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Fitzroy 19.18 (132) Geelong 9.11 (65) Junction Oval 17,520 16 June 1979
Hawthorn 15.10 (100) Footscray 15.11 (101) Princes Park 12,513 16 June 1979
Melbourne 11.16 (82) Collingwood 13.18 (96) MCG 53,562 16 June 1979
St Kilda 15.17 (107) North Melbourne 16.14 (110) Moorabbin Oval 19,705 18 June 1979
South Melbourne 18.18 (126) Carlton 20.12 (132) SMCG 26,740 18 June 1979
Essendon 20.12 (132) Richmond 16.12 (108) VFL Park 53,116 18 June 1979

Round 12[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Richmond 25.16 (166) South Melbourne 16.14 (110) MCG 21,216 23 June 1979
Hawthorn 19.18 (132) St Kilda 13.15 (93) Princes Park 13,176 23 June 1979
Footscray 18.12 (120) Melbourne 11.15 (81) Western Oval 14,308 23 June 1979
Essendon 15.11 (101) North Melbourne 6.18 (54) Windy Hill 30,795 23 June 1979
Geelong 15.17 (107) Carlton 14.17 (101) Kardinia Park 29,941 23 June 1979
Fitzroy 17.20 (122) Collingwood 11.14 (80) VFL Park 56,975 23 June 1979

Round 13[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Collingwood 25.19 (169) Hawthorn 8.16 (64) Victoria Park 22,903 30 June 1979
Carlton 21.12 (138) Richmond 12.10 (82) Princes Park 21,792 30 June 1979
North Melbourne 8.21 (69) Footscray 12.9 (81) NMCG 13,925 30 June 1979
South Melbourne 15.20 (110) Fitzroy 20.16 (136) SMCG 13,850 30 June 1979
St Kilda 9.12 (66) Essendon 15.15 (105) Moorabbin Oval 18,802 30 June 1979
Geelong 16.12 (108) Melbourne 9.3 (57) VFL Park 13,272 30 June 1979

Round 14[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Essendon 10.11 (71) Footscray 6.14 (50) Windy Hill 25,240 7 July 1979
Richmond 17.18 (120) Melbourne 10.16 (76) MCG 19,879 7 July 1979
South Melbourne 13.11 (89) Hawthorn 10.14 (74) SMCG 10,626 7 July 1979
North Melbourne 17.16 (118) Geelong 14.16 (100) NMCG 14,971 7 July 1979
St Kilda 6.16 (52) Collingwood 15.11 (101) Moorabbin Oval 21,588 7 July 1979
Carlton 17.14 (116) Fitzroy 9.11 (65) VFL Park 58,736 7 July 1979

Round 15[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Melbourne 24.23 (167) South Melbourne 24.10 (154) MCG 15,039 14 July 1979
Footscray 24.16 (160) St Kilda 11.15 (81) Western Oval 13,386 14 July 1979
Collingwood 10.16 (76) North Melbourne 20.13 (133) Victoria Park 30,415 14 July 1979
Carlton 18.18 (126) Essendon 12.11 (83) Princes Park 44,661 14 July 1979
Hawthorn 11.13 (79) Geelong 11.12 (78) VFL Park 20,777 14 July 1979
Richmond 22.20 (152) Fitzroy 20.15 (135) SCG 17,140 15 July 1979

Round 16[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 14.20 (104) Richmond 18.11 (119) Princes Park 13,557 21 July 1979
Geelong 20.9 (129) St Kilda 14.20 (104) Kardinia Park 14,613 21 July 1979
Collingwood 23.17 (155) Footscray 3.15 (33) Victoria Park 21,041 21 July 1979
Fitzroy 16.16 (112) Essendon 15.9 (99) Junction Oval 19,684 21 July 1979
Melbourne 9.7 (61) Carlton 19.26 (140) MCG 26,388 21 July 1979
North Melbourne 12.16 (88) South Melbourne 8.18 (66) VFL Park 14,725 21 July 1979

Round 17[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
St Kilda 19.14 (128) South Melbourne 16.12 (108) Moorabbin Oval 12,969 28 July 1979
Footscray 12.10 (82) Geelong 18.14 (122) Western Oval 14,284 28 July 1979
Carlton 15.21 (111) Hawthorn 12.11 (83) Princes Park 22,159 28 July 1979
Richmond 16.15 (111) North Melbourne 19.10 (124) MCG 38,111 28 July 1979
Essendon 9.17 (71) Collingwood 14.8 (92) Windy Hill 31,968 28 July 1979
Fitzroy 36.22 (238) Melbourne 6.12 (48) VFL Park 12,149 28 July 1979

Fitzroy's 190 point winning margin is the biggest in AFL/VFL history

Round 18[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
South Melbourne 31.9 (195) Footscray 15.16 (106) SMCG 9,815 4 August 1979
Hawthorn 15.14 (104) Fitzroy 15.25 (115) Princes Park 15,104 4 August 1979
Melbourne 21.8 (134) Essendon 16.9 (105) MCG 25,367 4 August 1979
Geelong 18.16 (124) Collingwood 9.9 (63) Kardinia Park 30,495 4 August 1979
North Melbourne 18.11 (119) Carlton 21.15 (141) NMCG 28,902 4 August 1979
Richmond 28.22 (190) St Kilda 18.11 (119) VFL Park 24,651 4 August 1979

Round 19[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Footscray 13.19 (97) Richmond 6.5 (41) Western Oval 12,537 11 August 1979
Fitzroy 7.12 (54) North Melbourne 17.19 (121) Junction Oval 16,659 11 August 1979
Essendon 14.12 (96) Geelong 8.8 (56) Windy Hill 23,336 11 August 1979
Collingwood 14.11 (95) South Melbourne 13.9 (87) Victoria Park 18,041 11 August 1979
Carlton 22.17 (149) St Kilda 6.9 (45) Princes Park 17,127 11 August 1979
Hawthorn 14.11 (95) Melbourne 8.25 (73) VFL Park 12,897 11 August 1979

Round 20[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Essendon 9.16 (70) Hawthorn 10.14 (74) Windy Hill 19,034 18 August 1979
North Melbourne 15.27 (117) Melbourne 6.9 (45) NMCG 10,680 18 August 1979
South Melbourne 16.6 (102) Geelong 10.12 (72) SMCG 11,298 18 August 1979
St Kilda 9.6 (60) Fitzroy 10.16 (76) Moorabbin Oval 12,330 18 August 1979
Richmond 10.15 (75) Collingwood 13.17 (95) MCG 61,624 18 August 1979
Carlton 12.18 (90) Footscray 8.6 (54) VFL Park 25,075 18 August 1979

Round 21[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Melbourne 24.17 (161) St Kilda 12.24 (96) MCG 18,435 25 August 1979
Hawthorn 7.18 (60) North Melbourne 24.21 (165) Princes Park 18,501 25 August 1979
Geelong 17.13 (115) Richmond 12.17 (89) Kardinia Park 18,039 25 August 1979
Fitzroy 22.19 (151) Footscray 14.16 (100) Junction Oval 12,076 25 August 1979
Collingwood 18.12 (120) Carlton 14.17 (101) Victoria Park 36,509 25 August 1979
Essendon 13.17 (95) South Melbourne 10.16 (76) VFL Park 32,127 25 August 1979

Round 22[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Footscray 9.11 (65) Hawthorn 14.19 (103) Western Oval 12,839 1 September 1979
Essendon 8.15 (63) Richmond 18.14 (122) Windy Hill 22,589 1 September 1979
Collingwood 23.16 (154) Melbourne 15.13 (103) Victoria Park 27,206 1 September 1979
Carlton 23.16 (154) South Melbourne 17.19 (121) Princes Park 24,479 1 September 1979
Geelong 16.16 (112) Fitzroy 15.17 (107) Kardinia Park 21,801 1 September 1979
North Melbourne 21.18 (144) St Kilda 9.11 (65) VFL Park 20,571 1 September 1979

Ladder[]

1979 VFL ladder
Pos Team Pld W L D PF PA PP Pts
1 Carlton (P) 22 19 3 0 2772 1986 139.6 76 Finals
2 North Melbourne 22 17 5 0 2574 2083 123.6 68
3 Collingwood 22 15 7 0 2501 1974 126.7 60
4 Fitzroy 22 15 7 0 2699 2198 122.8 60
5 Essendon 22 12 9 1 2236 2127 105.1 50
6 Geelong 22 12 10 0 2149 2140 100.4 48
7 Hawthorn 22 10 12 0 2332 2336 99.8 40
8 Richmond 22 9 13 0 2451 2512 97.6 36
9 Footscray 22 7 14 1 2015 2463 81.8 30
10 South Melbourne 22 6 16 0 2424 2666 90.9 24
11 Melbourne 22 6 16 0 2093 2759 75.9 24
12 St Kilda 22 3 19 0 1857 2859 65.0 12
Source: VFL ladder
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers

Finals[]

Elimination final[]

Home team Score Away team Score Venue Crowd Date
Fitzroy 17.22 (124) Essendon 5.13 (43) VFL Park 49,470 8 September

Qualifying final[]

Home team Score Away team Score Venue Crowd Date
Collingwood 9.28 (82) North Melbourne 18.13 (121) MCG 84,660 8 September

Semi finals[]

Home team Score Away team Score Venue Crowd Date
Collingwood 16.20 (116) Fitzroy 12.22 (94) MCG 87,139 13 September
Carlton 15.21 (111) North Melbourne 11.7 (73) VFL Park 69,142 15 September

Preliminary final[]

Home team Score Away team Score Venue Crowd Date
Collingwood 18.14 (122) North Melbourne 13.17 (95) VFL Park 73,380 22 September

Grand final[]

Main article: 1979 VFL Grand Final

Carlton defeated Collingwood 11.16 (82) to 11.11 (77), in front of a crowd of 113,545 people at the MCG.

Game Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Grand final Carlton 11.16 (82) Collingwood 11.11 (77) MCG 113,545 29 September 1979

Awards[]

  • The leading goalkicker was Kelvin Templeton of Footscray with 91 goals
  • The Brownlow Medal was won by Peter Moore
  • The reserves premiership, known as the Commodore Cup, was won by North Melbourne. North Melbourne 13.14 (92) defeated Collingwood 9.13 (67) in the grand final, held as a stand-alone night match at VFL Park on Friday, 28 September, before a crowd of 6,047.[1]

Notable events[]

  • The record for greatest winning margin was set twice during 1979.
    • In Round 4, Collingwood defeated St Kilda by 178 points, breaking the record set sixty years earlier, in the 1919 VFL season by South Melbourne.
    • Collingwood's new record was broken only three months later in Round 17, when Fitzroy defeated Melbourne by 190 points, a record which has yet to be broken.
  • Fitzroy's score of 36.22 (238) in the same game also set the record for highest score in a VFL/AFL game. This beat the record set by Footscray in the 1978 VFL season by twenty-five points, and remained the record until 1992.
  • Fitzroy made the finals for the first time since 1960, ending a nineteen-year finals drought.

See also[]

  • McIntyre "Final Five" system
  • List of VFL debuts in 1979

References[]

  1. ^ "Murphy shines in Roos' win". The Age. Melbourne, VIC. 29 September 1979. p. 40.
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