The 1958 VFL season was the 62nd season of the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(VFL), the highest level senior

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 12 April until 20 September, and comprised an 18-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs. The premiership was won by the

Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The club w ...

for the 13th time, after it defeated by 18 points in the

1958 VFL Grand Final The 1958 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Melbourne Football Club and Collingwood Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 20 September 1958. It was the 61st annual grand final of the Vic ...

Premiership season

In 1958, 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 1958 VFL ''Premiers'' were determined by the specific format and conventions of the

Page–McIntyre system The McIntyre System, or systems as there have been five of them, is a playoff system that gives an advantage to teams or competitors qualifying higher. The systems were developed by Ken McIntyre, an Australian lawyer, historian and English lect ...

Round 1

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.14 (80) , , 11.13 (79) ,

Glenferrie Oval Glenferrie Oval is an Australian rules football stadium located in Hawthorn, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the historic home of, and is synonymous with, the Hawthorn Football Club, who played there from 1903 and as a VFL/AFL ...

, 21,000 , 12 April 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.17 (95) , , 8.10 (58) , Windy Hill , 21,500 , 12 April 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.23 (95) , , 17.18 (120) ,

Lake Oval Lakeside Stadium is an Australian sports arena in the South Melbourne suburb of Albert Park. Comprising an athletics track and soccer stadium, it currently serves as the home ground and administrative base for association football club South M ...

, 22,815 , 12 April 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.9 (39) , , 23.21 (159) ,

Arden Street Oval Arden Street Oval (also known as North Melbourne Cricket Ground) is a sports oval in North Melbourne, Victoria, North Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It is currently the training base of the North Melbourne Football Club, an Australia ...

, 14,500 , 12 April 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 4.5 (29) , , 12.11 (83) ,

Western Oval Whitten Oval (also known as Victoria University Whitten Oval under a naming rights agreement) is a stadium in the inner-western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in Barkly Street, West Footscray. It is the training and administra ...

, 33,824 , 12 April 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.13 (79) , , 9.11 (65) ,

MCG The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hem ...

, 38,006 , 12 April 1958

Round 2

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.6 (42) , , 17.8 (110) ,

Kardinia Park Kardinia Park is a major public park located in South Geelong, Victoria. A number of public and sporting facilities are located in the park: a major AFL stadium, a secondary football oval, a cricket field, an open air swimming pool, a number of ...

, 15,371 , 19 April 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.18 (84) , , 10.15 (75) ,

Brunswick Street Oval The WT Peterson Community Oval, best known as the Brunswick Street Oval and also as the Fitzroy Cricket Ground, is a cricket and Australian rules football ground located in Edinburgh Gardens in Fitzroy North, Victoria. History Australian Rule ...

, 16,000 , 19 April 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.9 (75) , , 10.8 (68) ,

Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...

, 28,769 , 19 April 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.13 (67) , , 11.7 (73) , Princes Park , 18,263 , 19 April 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 21.12 (138) , , 14.12 (96) ,

Punt Road Oval Punt Road Oval, also known by naming rights sponsorship as the Swinburne Centre, is an Australian rules football ground and former cricket oval located within the Yarra Park precinct of East Melbourne, Victoria, situated a few hundred metres to ...

, 26,000 , 19 April 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.18 (120) , , 11.16 (82) ,

Junction Oval Junction Oval (also known as the St Kilda Cricket Ground, or the CitiPower Centre due to sponsorship reasons) is a historic sports ground in the suburb of St Kilda in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The oval's location near the St Kilda Junc ...

, 30,500 , 19 April 1958

Round 3

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.17 (83) , , 9.14 (68) ,

, 33,000 , 26 April 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.15 (57) , , 7.10 (52) ,

, 34,656 , 26 April 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.7 (115) , , 9.11 (65) , Princes Park , 17,681 , 26 April 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.9 (51) , , 12.18 (90) ,

, 13,500 , 26 April 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.18 (96) , , 24.13 (157) ,

, 21,809 , 26 April 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.14 (74) , , 7.6 (48) ,

, 21,000 , 26 April 1958

Round 4

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.11 (59) , , 8.12 (60) ,

, 14,045 , 3 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.12 (54) , , 6.4 (40) ,

, 24,164 , 3 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.17 (113) , , 8.8 (56) ,

, 21,200 , 3 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.10 (76) , , 9.14 (68) ,

, 38,966 , 3 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.9 (87) , , 9.15 (69) , Windy Hill , 28,000 , 3 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.21 (93) , , 8.7 (55) ,

, 27,700 , 3 May 1958

Round 5

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.18 (120) , , 9.4 (58) ,

, 13,500 , 10 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.15 (81) , , 14.13 (97) ,

, 16,391 , 10 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.14 (110) , , 7.12 (54) ,

, 21,500 , 10 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.8 (92) , , 13.15 (93) ,

, 21,000 , 10 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.12 (102) , , 12.15 (87) ,

, 41,787 , 10 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.10 (106) , , 3.15 (33) ,

, 27,658 , 10 May 1958

Round 6

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.15 (81) , , 8.16 (64) ,

, 18,500 , 17 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.22 (58) , , 10.15 (75) ,

, 21,479 , 17 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 4.16 (40) , , 8.11 (59) , Princes Park , 18,900 , 17 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.7 (79) , , 11.12 (78) ,

, 32,000 , 17 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.10 (64) , , 7.13 (55) ,

, 15,000 , 17 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.8 (56) , , 13.17 (95) ,

, 37,000 , 17 May 1958

Round 7

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.16 (70) , , 6.8 (44) ,

, 16,440 , 24 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.15 (87) , , 8.15 (63) ,

, 21,000 , 24 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.16 (82) , , 9.14 (68) , Windy Hill , 19,500 , 24 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.19 (85) , , 9.8 (62) ,

, 28,550 , 24 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.8 (62) , , 7.17 (59) ,

, 16,000 , 24 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.19 (79) , , 7.15 (57) ,

, 17,100 , 24 May 1958

Round 8

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.18 (90) , , 12.11 (83) ,

, 35,352 , 31 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 4.11 (35) , , 14.18 (102) ,

, 19,710 , 31 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 20.20 (140) , , 9.12 (66) ,

, 26,250 , 31 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.14 (68) , , 9.6 (60) , Princes Park , 16,500 , 31 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.17 (89) , , 6.14 (50) ,

, 29,000 , 31 May 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.11 (107) , , 13.14 (92) ,

, 29,118 , 31 May 1958

Round 9

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.18 (66) , , 6.15 (51) ,

, 15,000 , 7 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.23 (95) , , 5.9 (39) ,

, 36,500 , 7 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.11 (83) , , 14.10 (94) ,

, 18,500 , 7 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.10 (76) , , 16.12 (108) ,

, 18,860 , 7 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.14 (80) , , 8.10 (58) ,

, 19,000 , 7 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.19 (49) , , 7.8 (50) , Windy Hill , 26,500 , 7 June 1958

Round 10

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.11 (107) , , 8.8 (56) , Windy Hill , 15,500 , 14 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.15 (51) , , 2.9 (21) , Princes Park , 16,000 , 14 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.15 (63) , , 11.16 (82) ,

, 20,000 , 14 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.15 (87) , , 8.9 (57) ,

, 15,000 , 16 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.19 (103) , , 8.6 (54) ,

, 16,000 , 16 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.12 (84) , , 10.13 (73) ,

, 99,256 , 16 June 1958

Round 11

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.12 (60) , , 5.5 (35) ,

, 14,000 , 21 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.16 (88) , , 6.11 (47) ,

, 22,000 , 21 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.11 (101) , , 13.9 (87) ,

, 16,000 , 21 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.13 (61) , , 15.13 (103) ,

, 18,500 , 21 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.12 (66) , , 14.15 (99) ,

, 18,313 , 21 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.8 (74) , , 10.24 (84) ,

, 26,080 , 21 June 1958

Round 12

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.13 (85) , , 11.8 (74) ,

, 16,000 , 28 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.17 (89) , , 7.16 (58) ,

, 24,000 , 28 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.13 (85) , , 10.14 (74) ,

, 21,514 , 28 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.14 (68) , , 12.12 (84) , Princes Park , 23,883 , 28 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.14 (80) , , 14.14 (98) ,

, 20,400 , 28 June 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.9 (99) , , 12.12 (84) ,

, 15,988 , 28 June 1958

Round 13

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.12 (96) , , 2.11 (23) ,

, 17,305 , 19 July 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.30 (132) , , 8.9 (57) , Windy Hill , 14,300 , 19 July 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.22 (118) , , 12.12 (84) ,

, 21,395 , 19 July 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 19.6 (120) , , 11.22 (88) ,

, 12,000 , 19 July 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.14 (86) , , 14.9 (93) ,

, 22,500 , 19 July 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.9 (57) , , 6.9 (45) ,

, 18,000 , 19 July 1958

Round 14

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.12 (72) , , 8.15 (63) ,

, 30,489 , 26 July 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.15 (63) , , 14.12 (96) ,

, 19,508 , 26 July 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.15 (81) , , 7.7 (49) , Windy Hill , 17,500 , 26 July 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.12 (72) , , 9.10 (64) ,

, 14,160 , 26 July 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.15 (105) , , 8.9 (57) ,

, 31,000 , 26 July 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.11 (53) , , 8.21 (69) ,

, 14,482 , 26 July 1958

Round 15

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.15 (87) , , 14.11 (95) ,

, 17,500 , 2 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.9 (75) , , 12.14 (86) ,

, 34,490 , 2 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.11 (59) , , 7.12 (54) , Princes Park , 12,984 , 2 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.13 (109) , , 14.17 (101) ,

, 13,000 , 2 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.13 (79) , , 9.8 (62) ,

, 17,000 , 2 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.8 (68) , , 19.18 (132) ,

, 17,000 , 2 August 1958

Round 16

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.23 (77) , , 15.9 (99) ,

, 16,500 , 9 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.12 (78) , , 10.15 (75) , Windy Hill , 25,000 , 9 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.11 (53) , , 10.12 (72) , Princes Park , 24,000 , 9 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.18 (60) , , 13.14 (92) ,

, 11,500 , 9 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.18 (90) , , 9.15 (69) ,

, 8,500 , 9 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 20.11 (131) , , 5.11 (41) ,

, 18,982 , 9 August 1958

Round 17

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 21.11 (137) , , 13.9 (87) ,

, 27,500 , 16 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.14 (62) , , 11.14 (80) , Windy Hill , 27,500 , 16 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.11 (107) , , 13.10 (88) ,

, 21,027 , 16 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.14 (50) , , 6.12 (48) ,

, 17,500 , 16 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.14 (92) , , 12.13 (85) ,

, 12,147 , 16 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.11 (101) , , 13.18 (96) ,

, 20,000 , 16 August 1958

Round 18

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.11 (59) , , 10.18 (78) ,

, 21,132 , 23 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.16 (88) , , 14.17 (101) ,

, 36,098 , 23 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.11 (83) , , 10.21 (81) , Princes Park , 17,897 , 23 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.15 (111) , , 5.8 (38) ,

, 13,200 , 23 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.9 (75) , , 10.11 (71) ,

, 15,650 , 23 August 1958 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.11 (101) , , 16.13 (109) ,

, 20,000 , 23 August 1958

Ladder

Consolation Night Series Competition

The night series were held under the floodlights at Lake Oval,

South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at t ...

, for the teams (5th to 12th on ladder) out of the finals at the end of the season. Final: St Kilda 16.13 (109) defeated

Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...

15.11 (101)

Premiership Finals

First Semi-Final

Second Semi-Final

Preliminary Final

Grand final

Awards

* The 1958 VFL Premiership team was Collingwood. * The VFL's leading goalkicker was Ian Brewer of Collingwood who kicked 97 goals (including 6 goals in the finals). * The winner of the 1958

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the " best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by ...

was to Neil Roberts of St Kilda with 20 votes. *

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

took the "

wooden spoon Wooden Spoon may refer to: * Wooden spoon, implement * Wooden spoon (award) A wooden spoon is an award that is given to an individual or team that has come last in a competition. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous e ...

" in 1958. As of 2021, this remains Geelong's latest wooden spoon and is currently the longest active spoon drought in the league.

Notable events

* On Monday 2 June 1958, following his superb performance in Footscray's unexpected round 8 fifteen-point victory over

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington * Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport * Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United Ki ...

, ''Sun News Pictorial'' journalist Rex Pullen christens

Ted Whitten Edward James Whitten Sr. OAM (27 July 1933 – 17 August 1995) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Footscray Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Born and raised into a working-class family in Footscray, Whit ...

"Mr. Football". * The game between and on Queen's Birthday Holiday drew a crowd of 99,256, which remains as the highest attendance ever for a home-and-away game in VFL/AFL history as of 2017. * The sixteen match 1958 Australian National Football (ANFC) Carnival is held in Melbourne during a two-week break in the VFL competition between rounds 12 and 13. ANFC President,

Pat Rodriguez Richard Patrick Gerald Rodriguez (16 March 1900 – 2 February 1964) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the West Perth Football Club and Subiaco Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL), he was also a long servi ...

, remarks that the total attendance of 90,261 spectators at the sixteen matches was an insult to the rest of Australia from the Victorian football community. **Given that the VFL competition was suspended for the duration of the Carnival, and that the total was less than the 99,256 attendance at the round 10 match (three weeks earlier) between Collingwood and

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

at the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadiu ...

, it seems that his remarks were well justified. * In the last moments of the third quarter of the round 16 match between

and St Kilda, South Melbourne winger Ian Tampion received a free kick. The siren went and Tampion, thinking that he was far too far away from the goals, gave the ball the field umpire Bill Barbour and went to join the three-quarter time South Melbourne team huddle. South Melbourne captain-coach

Ron Clegg Ron "Smokey" Clegg (17 November 192723 August 1990) was an Australian rules footballer in the (then) Victorian Football League. Clegg was recruited from the South Melbourne Under 19's after winning the 1944 Melbourne Boys Football League's be ...

insisted that he "have a go" and not waste the chance. Tampion retrieved the ball from the umpire and kicked a beautiful 80-yard (73.2m) drop-kick that travelled over the heads of the St Kilda defenders, who had moved up the field towards him, not expecting him to be able to kick such a distance, and scored a goal. * Immediately after the round 18 matches were finished on Saturday 23 August, evening newspaper ''

The Sporting Globe ''The Sporting Globe'' was a newspaper published in Melbourne from 1922 until 1996. The first issue was published on 22 July 1922, and for the first four weeks it was published only on Saturday evenings; from 16 August 1922 it introduced a Wednesd ...

'' announces Neil Roberts of St Kilda as the winner of its ''Haydn Bunton Memorial Medal''. The medal came with a cash prize of £100-0-0, and by accepting the prize, Roberts (who, up to that time had played as an amateur) turned professional. **Therefore, whilst he played the entire 1958 season as an amateur, the same as

Don Cordner Donald Pruen Cordner (21 January 1922 – 13 May 2009), M.B.B.S. was an Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1940s. His brothers Denis, John and Ted also played for the club. ...

in 1946 and John Schultz in 1960, unlike both Cordner and Schultz he was a professional at the time the

winner was announced (Tuesday 26 August). * Collingwood caused a Grand Final upset by unexpectedly stopping

's attempt to equal Collingwood's record of four premierships in a row (1927–1930). * In order to increase the sales of the VFL's

Football Record The ''AFL Record'' is the official program available at Australian Football League (AFL) matches. The publication began as the ''Football Record'' in Melbourne, Australia in 1912, making it one of the oldest magazines in Australia. The public ...

which, in addition to the selected player lists, also listed the number that each player would carry on the back of their club

guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

, the Grand Final teams (Collingwood and Melbourne) were ordered to change the "regular" (i.e., that registered with the VFL) playing numbers for each player for that specific match, and only for that specific match on that specific day – and, unless one is aware of this fact (i.e., that the numbers on the back of guernseys on that one particular day did not signify the individual players that they routinely signified in every other match in each player's career), one is either confused or misinformed when viewing photographs, motion pictures, and when perusing other references such as the day's ''Football Record'', relating to this particular match in 2008. **By the established VFL convention (and, thus, the established tradition) that existed before and after this particular Grand Final match, and unlike most other football codes that display playing-position-indicating-numbers on a team's kit/strip/uniform – e.g.,

Rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

Rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

Gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

,etc. – the number on the back of an Australian rules footballer's guernsey: ***(a) has no connection with the position the individual occupies in any particular match, ***(b) is issued by the player's football club prior to their first match with that club (and is then registered against that player's name, by the VFL), ***(c) usually remains unchanged throughout a player's career with that club, and ***(d) is often, as was the case of

Ron Barassi Ronald Dale Barassi Jr. (born 27 February 1936) is a former Australian rules footballer, coach and media personality. Regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of the game, Barassi was the first player to be inaugurated into ...

's 31, retained by a player, when he transfers from one team to another. ***(a) to (d) is also the current AFL convention. * The reason for this last-minute aggressively pro-active move by the VFL was to halt, counter-act and nullify an attempt by university students to significantly destabilize the VFL's income stream by issuing free team sheets – containing the Grand Final players' names, their (regular) guernsey numbers, and their official selected team positions (as announced on the Thursday evening prior to the match) – outside the

on the day of the match.

References

* Rogers, S. & Brown, A., ''Every Game Ever Played: VFL/AFL Results 1897–1997 (Sixth Edition)'', Viking Books, (Ringwood), 1998. * 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.

External links

1958 Season - AFL Tables
{{Australian Football League Australian Football League seasons

Vfl season The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...