1991 VFA Premiership Season
Teams12
PremiersDandenong
(3rd premiership)
Minor premiersWerribee
(1st minor premiership)
← 1990
1992 →

The 1991 Victorian Football Association season was the 110th season of the Australian rules football competition. The premiership was won by the Dandenong Football Club, after it defeated Werribee in the grand final on 22 September by nine points; it was Dandenong's third and final top-division premiership, won only two years after the club finished second-last with one win.

Association membership

Two clubs withdrew from the Association in 1991: Camberwell, which withdrew shortly before the start of the season; and Brunswick-Broadmeadows, which withdrew after playing three matches. As a result, the playing membership of the Association was reduced to twelve, the fewest since 1950.

Withdrawal of Camberwell

The Camberwell Football Club had been in a weak on-field and off-field position since 1985. It had managed to maintain a reasonable team at Division 2 level until 1988; but, after the second division was abandoned at the start of 1989, it had been unable to compile a playing list which was competitive against the former Division 1 clubs, and had consequently endured two consecutive winless seasons. The club intended to compete in the 1991 VFA season and made full preparations to do so; however, after suffering a twelve-goal loss in a pre-season match against Bendigo Football League club South Bendigo during March, the club recognised that its playing list was even less competitive than its 1990 list.[1] On 24 March, coach Gary Brice decided to walk out on the club rather than face another futile season;[2] and within a week, the club announced its withdrawal from the 1991 season, stating that it would be better to attempt to consolidate its position and attempt to return for the 1992 season, rather than further ruin both its own reputation and the reputation of the Association by fielding an uncompetitive team.[1] The club never managed to return to the Association; it played in the Victorian Amateur Football Association from 1992 until 1994 before folding.

Withdrawal and folding of Brunswick-Broadmeadows

The financially struggling Brunswick Football Club had merged with the Broadmeadows Football Club in October 1989 in the hope of establishing a plan for future viability.[3] However, throughout the 1990 season, fighting between Brunswick and Broadmeadows factions of the board had hindered the club's efforts to improve its situation, prompting the Association to sack the club's board in August 1990 and appoint an administrator.[4][5] When the club was returned to a new board in September, it was still more than $250,000 in debt and at risk of Broadmeadows withdrawing from the merger; the Association recommended the club withdraw and join a suburban league, but it pressed on with preparations for the 1991 VFA season.[6]

The club tried to raise funds over the summer to clear its debts, but had too few fans and too few administrators; as a result it was left unable to make its match payments to players for the 1990 season, resulting in an exodus of most of its senior players.[7] The inexperienced team which remained suffered three huge losses to begin the 1991 season – including a 250-point loss to eventual premiers Dandenong[8] and a 97-point loss to eventual wooden-spooners Oakleigh[9] – and announced its withdrawal from the season on 6 May 1991. Like Camberwell, Brunswick-Broadmeadows remained a non-playing member of the Association with the hope of consolidating its position and returning to playing in 1992,[10] but this never happened, with the club folding soon after. The three games that the club had played were expunged from the VFA's records, and the rest of the fixture was redrawn to ensure all teams played an equal number of games.[11]

Premiership season

In the home-and-away season, each team played eighteen games; the top five then contested the finals under the McIntyre final five system. The primary finals venue was North Port Oval, and the grand final was played at Princes Park.

Ladder

1991 VFA ladder
Pos Team Pld W L D PF PA PP Pts
1 Werribee 18 15 3 0 2335 1823 128.1 60
2 Dandenong (P) 18 13 5 0 2364 1603 147.5 52
3 Box Hill 18 12 6 0 1960 1725 113.6 48
4 Port Melbourne 18 12 6 0 1956 1848 105.8 48
5 Springvale 18 10 8 0 1854 1505 123.2 40
6 Sandringham 18 10 8 0 2015 1956 103.0 40
7 Williamstown 18 8 9 1 1876 1788 104.9 34
8 Frankston 18 8 10 0 1827 1858 98.3 32
9 Prahran 18 7 10 1 1922 1890 101.7 30
10 Coburg 18 7 11 0 1803 1910 94.4 28
11 Preston 18 3 15 0 1453 2308 63.0 12
12 Oakleigh 18 2 16 0 1267 2418 52.4 8
– Brunswick-Broadmeadows (W) 0 – – – – – — 0
Source: [12]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers; (W) Club withdrew, record expunged

Finals

Elimination final
Saturday, 31 August Port Melbourne 12.10 (82) def. by Springvale 14.12 (96) North Port Oval (crowd: 3,900) [13]
Qualifying final
Sunday, 1 September Dandenong 19.15 (129) def. Box Hill 16.7 (103) North Port Oval (crowd: 3,750) [14]
First semi-final
Saturday, 7 September Box Hill 15.10 (100) def. Springvale 13.14 (92) North Port Oval (crowd: 3,220) [15]
Second semi-final
Sunday, 8 September Werribee 16.9 (105) def. Dandenong 11.27 (93) North Port Oval (crowd: 5,150) [15]
Preliminary Final
Sunday, 15 September Dandenong 24.15 (159) def. Box Hill 14.10 (94) North Port Oval (crowd: 6,325) [16]

Grand final

The 1991 Grand Final was a see-sawing contest with a close finish. After Werribee scored the first goal of the game, Dandenong scored the next four. Werribee then scored eight of the next nine goals, and kept Dandenong goalless in the second quarter, to hold a 30-point lead early in the third quarter. Dandenong scored the next five goals to reduce the margin, and took a 5-point lead into three quarter time.

The final quarter is remembered for key events which swung the game in Dandenong's favour when scores were close late in the game: after 15 minutes of play, Werribee's Phil O'Keeffe was ordered off the ground for assaulting Dandenong's Ian Atkinson, resulting in a five-minute delay while Atkinson was stretchered from the ground, and a resulting free kick to Dandenong from which it scored a goal which put it six points in front – Atkinson's jaw was broken in three places,[17] and O'Keeffe was suspended for six weeks for the assault.[18] Werribee regained a one-point lead after 22 minutes from a Nick Walsh free kick, and Rohan Welsh regained the five-point lead for Dandenong a minute later. Werribee attacked over the next few minutes, and missed two short-range snap shots – the first by Stephen Sells, and the second a shot by Werribee captain-coach Leon Harris which was touched on the line in a diving save by Dandenong captain-coach Tony Elshaug – to reduce the margin to three points after 26 minutes. Werribee continued to attack over the following two minutes, before Dandenong rebounded and Sean Millane kicked the sealing goal in the 29th minute.[19]

1991 VFA Grand Final
Sunday, 22 September Werribee def. by Dandenong Princes Park (crowd: 13,565) [19]
3.4 (22)
8.6 (54)
11.8 (74)
 14.12 (96)		 Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final		 4.0 (24)
4.6 (30)
11.13 (79)
 15.15 (105)		 Umpires: Peter Carey, Geoff Morrow
Norm Goss Memorial Medal: Brad Gotch (Dandenong)
Drum 2, Eames 2, Morgan 2, Sells 2, Harris, Knight, Lesiputty, Normington O'Keeffe, Walsh Goals Gotch 4, Welsh 4, Millane 2, Atkinson, Doyle, Elshaug, MacKenzie, Wicks
Injuries Atkinson (jaw), Welsh (concussion)
O'Keeffe, for assaulting Atkinson in the fourth quarter (ordered off) Reports Green, for striking Raeburn in the second quarter

Awards

Notable events

  • In the second semi-final, Werribee recorded its first ever finals win in either division since joining the Association in 1965, after having lost all seven of the previous finals it had contested. Even so, the win was unconvincing, winning by twelve points despite recording thirteen fewer scoring shots.[15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Jamie Tate (2 April 1991). "Cobras keen to stay alive". Herald Sun. Melbourne, VIC. p. 75.
  2. ↑ Damian Barrett (30 March 1991). "Cobras to meet after 'walk-out'". Herald Sun. Melbourne, VIC. p. 75.
  3. ↑ Amanda Buivids (3 October 1989). "Wicks settle on merger option". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne, VIC. p. 59.
  4. ↑ Amanda Buivids (2 August 1990). "none". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne, VIC. p. 75.
  5. ↑ Amanda Buivids (17 August 1990). "Combine's saga set to drag on". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne, VIC. p. 79.
  6. ↑ Amanda Buivids (20 September 1990). "Club in danger of getting the boot". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne, VIC. p. 77.
  7. ↑ Adrian Dunn (7 May 1991). "Athol resigned to Wicks' fate". Herald Sun (Afternoon ed.). Melbourne, VIC. p. 68.
  8. ↑ "Conlan 'butt' report". Herald Sun. Melbourne, VIC. 15 April 1991. p. 61.
  9. ↑ Damian Barrett (6 May 1991). "Vintage Port triumphs". Herald Sun. Melbourne, VIC. p. 73.
  10. ↑ Adrian Dunn (7 May 1991). "Death of VFA Magpies". Herald-Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne, VIC. pp. 72, 69.
  11. ↑ Adrian Dunn (7 May 1991). "Dandy drops out of five". Herald Sun (Afternoon ed.). Melbourne, VIC. p. 68.
  12. 1 2 Damian Barrett (26 August 1991). "The Vales spring back". Herald Sun. Melbourne, VIC. p. 75.
  13. ↑ Damian Barrett (2 September 1991). "Injuries ruin it for Port". Herald Sun. Melbourne, VIC. p. 77.
  14. ↑ Damian Barrett (2 September 1991). "Tony calls the moves". Herald Sun. Melbourne, VIC. p. 77.
  15. 1 2 3 Damian Barrett (9 September 1991). "Bees make their grand final debut". Herald Sun. Melbourne, VIC. p. 82.
  16. ↑ Damian Barrett (16 September 1991). "Redlegs too good". Herald Sun. Melbourne, VIC. p. 77.
  17. ↑ Damian Barrett (25 September 1991). "Star Redleg's jaw broken". Herald Sun. Melbourne, VIC. p. 93.
  18. ↑ Damian Barrett (2 October 1991). "Werribee's O'Keefe cops six". Herald Sun. Melbourne, VIC. p. 84.
  19. 1 2 3 Damian Barrett (23 September 1991). "Gutsy Redlegs survive the heat". Herald-Sun. Melbourne, VIC. p. 82.
  20. ↑ Damian Barrett (19 August 1991). "Boroughs in the box seat". Herald Sun. Melbourne, VIC. p. 75.
  21. ↑ Damian Barrett (29 August 1991). "Werribee rover in Liston win". Herald Sun. Melbourne, VIC. p. 77.
  22. ↑ "Fothergill-Round Medallists". Sportingpulse. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
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