The 1959 VFL season was the 63rd 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 18 April until 26 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

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, ...

for the tenth time, after it defeated by 37 points in the

1959 VFL Grand Final The 1959 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Melbourne Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 20 September 1959. It was the 62nd annual Grand Final of the Victor ...

Premiership season

In 1959, 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 1959 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" , , 8.15 (63) , , 12.14 (86) ,

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 ...

, 17,200 , 18 April 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 19.17 (131) , , 17.18 (120) ,

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 ...

, 18,000 , 18 April 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.18 (60) , , 14.17 (101) ,

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 ...

, 40,125 , 18 April 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.20 (98) , , 11.18 (84) , Princes Park , 30,000 , 18 April 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.10 (70) , , 16.21 (117) ,

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 ...

, 21,500 , 18 April 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.15 (69) , , 6.13 (49) ,

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 ...

, 27,600 , 18 April 1959

Round 2

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.12 (108) , , 10.20 (80) ,

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 ...

, 12,000 , 2 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.15 (123) , , 12.15 (87) , Windy Hill , 19,000 , 2 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.15 (123) , , 12.12 (84) ,

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 ...

, 14,000 , 2 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.21 (99) , , 12.11 (83) ,

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 ...

, 27,250 , 2 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.14 (92) , , 12.7 (79) ,

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 ...

, 53,342 , 2 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.7 (55) , , 15.14 (104) ,

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 ...

, 29,438 , 2 May 1959

Round 3

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.9 (63) , , 8.10 (58) ,

, 13,600 , 9 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.10 (58) , , 15.12 (102) ,

, 17,417 , 9 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.9 (87) , , 11.8 (74) ,

, 20,000 , 9 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.11 (71) , , 14.12 (96) ,

, 13,500 , 9 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.11 (65) , , 7.10 (52) ,

, 30,200 , 9 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.8 (62) , , 14.10 (94) ,

, 33,903 , 9 May 1959

Round 4

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 19.14 (128) , , 13.19 (97) ,

, 25,000 , 16 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.14 (62) , , 11.11 (77) , Windy Hill , 22,500 , 16 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.17 (101) , , 9.7 (61) , Princes Park , 24,500 , 16 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 19.17 (131) , , 9.12 (66) ,

, 24,538 , 16 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.12 (90) , , 12.8 (80) ,

, 16,112 , 16 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.19 (91) , , 8.16 (64) ,

, 35,260 , 16 May 1959

Round 5

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.11 (113) , , 13.8 (86) ,

, 19,475 , 23 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.18 (84) , , 7.12 (54) , Windy Hill , 18,000 , 23 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.13 (73) , , 9.7 (61) , Princes Park , 36,120 , 23 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.21 (81) , , 11.11 (77) ,

, 21,500 , 23 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.10 (76) , , 9.19 (73) ,

, 15,000 , 23 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.20 (98) , , 11.13 (79) ,

, 24,000 , 23 May 1959

Round 6

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.17 (83) , , 16.10 (106) ,

, 23,000 , 30 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.10 (76) , , 19.15 (129) ,

, 16,736 , 30 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.16 (112) , , 10.11 (71) ,

, 24,740 , 30 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.18 (66) , , 13.18 (96) ,

, 20,700 , 30 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.9 (75) , , 12.22 (94) ,

, 22,000 , 30 May 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.9 (75) , , 12.11 (83) ,

, 28,000 , 30 May 1959

Round 7

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.17 (101) , , 8.8 (56) ,

, 27,829 , 6 June 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.9 (93) , , 8.15 (63) ,

, 14,500 , 6 June 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.11 (101) , , 12.13 (85) , Windy Hill , 23,000 , 6 June 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.22 (94) , , 9.7 (61) ,

, 20,427 , 6 June 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.15 (99) , , 10.11 (71) , Princes Park , 41,985 , 6 June 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.9 (87) , , 9.26 (80) ,

, 20,200 , 6 June 1959

Round 8

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 4.13 (37) , , 9.9 (63) ,

, 11,533 , 13 June 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.12 (84) , , 8.6 (54) ,

, 12,500 , 13 June 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.10 (40) , , 3.12 (30) ,

, 17,632 , 13 June 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.13 (109) , , 7.11 (53) ,

, 29,500 , 15 June 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 19.15 (129) , , 8.8 (56) ,

, 52,880 , 15 June 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.13 (79) , , 12.16 (88) ,

, 11,533 , 15 June 1959

Round 9

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.16 (52) , , 11.11 (77) ,

, 17,000 , 27 June 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.11 (95) , , 14.21 (105) , Princes Park , 33,150 , 27 June 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.11 (95) , , 6.22 (58) ,

, 15,650 , 27 June 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.18 (96) , , 9.14 (68) ,

, 13,000 , 27 June 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.8 (86) , , 10.21 (81) ,

, 13,000 , 27 June 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.11 (59) , , 14.12 (96) , Windy Hill , 23,000 , 27 June 1959

Round 10

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.13 (73) , , 15.16 (106) ,

, 21,000 , 4 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.18 (84) , , 9.9 (63) ,

, 25,149 , 4 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.10 (76) , , 9.23 (77) ,

, 23,800 , 4 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.15 (93) , , 10.15 (75) ,

, 14,150 , 4 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.13 (97) , , 12.20 (92) ,

, 15,500 , 4 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 21.13 (139) , , 10.13 (73) ,

, 26,000 , 4 July 1959

Round 11

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 20.8 (128) , , 6.10 (46) ,

, 31,263 , 11 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 19.20 (134) , , 10.9 (69) , Windy Hill , 17,000 , 11 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.15 (75) , , 10.14 (74) ,

, 24,502 , 11 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.21 (111) , , 8.18 (66) , Princes Park , 27,668 , 11 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.16 (118) , , 12.12 (84) ,

, 16,600 , 11 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.17 (53) , , 10.13 (73) ,

, 15,801 , 11 July 1959

Round 12

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.10 (88) , , 7.9 (51) ,

, 21,979 , 18 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.15 (75) , , 12.14 (86) ,

, 16,189 , 18 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.10 (76) , , 8.15 (63) ,

, 10,000 , 18 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.13 (61) , , 8.19 (67) ,

, 15,500 , 18 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.9 (45) , , 12.13 (85) ,

, 40,000 , 18 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.10 (100) , , 7.18 (60) , Windy Hill , 28,000 , 18 July 1959

Round 13

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.16 (100) , , 13.13 (91) ,

, 10,072 , 25 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.19 (97) , , 10.7 (67) ,

, 17,024 , 25 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.10 (94) , , 14.7 (91) ,

, 30,343 , 25 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.9 (63) , , 6.11 (47) , Princes Park , 13,271 , 25 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.8 (104) , , 10.16 (76) ,

, 8,000 , 25 July 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.13 (85) , , 11.5 (71) ,

, 18,100 , 25 July 1959

Round 14

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.15 (87) , , 6.7 (43) ,

, 12,140 , 1 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.19 (79) , , 8.14 (62) , Windy Hill , 20,000 , 1 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.9 (57) , , 9.14 (68) , Princes Park , 41,581 , 1 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.15 (75) , , 13.7 (85) ,

, 17,500 , 1 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.15 (99) , , 7.10 (52) ,

, 10,000 , 1 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.11 (77) , , 11.11 (77) ,

, 29,320 , 1 August 1959

Round 15

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.8 (80) , , 10.11 (71) ,

, 12,549 , 8 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.15 (81) , , 6.11 (47) ,

, 14,488 , 8 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.18 (90) , , 9.11 (65) ,

, 29,178 , 8 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.14 (62) , , 10.3 (63) ,

, 13,000 , 8 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.8 (74) , , 16.14 (110) ,

, 18,500 , 8 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.6 (84) , , 14.20 (104) ,

, 16,000 , 8 August 1959

Round 16

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.11 (71) , , 5.5 (35) ,

, 12,000 , 15 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.23 (83) , , 7.11 (53) ,

, 14,774 , 15 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.17 (119) , , 5.10 (40) ,

, 23,856 , 15 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.10 (76) , , 12.13 (85) ,

, 14,100 , 15 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.9 (81) , , 15.16 (106) ,

, 15,076 , 15 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.14 (92) , , 7.5 (47) ,

, 53,479 , 15 August 1959

Round 17

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.6 (42) , , 19.20 (134) ,

, 12,500 , 22 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.8 (74) , , 7.12 (54) , Windy Hill , 30,000 , 22 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.20 (98) , , 14.12 (96) , Princes Park , 18,720 , 22 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.15 (123) , , 13.19 (97) ,

, 14,500 , 22 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.18 (120) , , 9.12 (66) ,

, 21,646 , 22 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.5 (35) , , 8.17 (65) ,

, 33,960 , 22 August 1959

Round 18

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 20.12 (132) , , 13.12 (90) ,

, 18,253 , 29 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.13 (61) , , 10.16 (76) ,

, 22,500 , 29 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.13 (73) , , 17.14 (116) ,

, 10,000 , 29 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.14 (74) , , 17.15 (117) ,

, 29,629 , 29 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.8 (38) , , 17.19 (121) ,

, 21,822 , 29 August 1959 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.11 (59) , , 12.14 (86) ,

, 23,200 , 29 August 1959

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:

Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to: People As a given name *Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name: **FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855) ** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...

10.10 (70) defeated

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

4.16 (40)

Premiership Finals

First Semi-Final

Second Semi-Final

Preliminary Final

Grand final

Awards

* The 1959 VFL Premiership team was

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 ...

. * The VFL's leading goalkicker was

Ron Evans Ronald Barry Evans AM (7 July 1939 – 9 March 2007) was an Australian rules footballer, Chairman of the Australian Football League (AFL) from 1998 to 2007, as well as President of the Essendon Football Club from 1988 to 1992. Education E ...

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 King ...

who kicked 79 goals (including 10 goals in the final series). * The winner of the 1959

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

Bob Skilton Robert John "Bob" Skilton (born 8 November 1938) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented in the Victorian Football League (1897–1989), Victorian Football League (VFL). Playing as a Football (Australian rules) positions#Foll ...

with 20 votes. He won on a count-back from

Verdun Howell Verdun John Howell (born 16 June 1937) is a former Australian rules footballer who played senior football in Tasmania and in the VFL (now AFL). Howell played with City-South from 1953 to 1957. He was a member of that club's 1954 and 1956 NTF ...

of St Kilda. **As a consequence of its 1981 decision to change its rules relating to tied Brownlow Medal contests, the AFL awarded a retrospective medal to

in 1989. * Footscray took the "

wooden spoon Wooden Spoon may refer to: * Wooden spoon, implement * Wooden spoon (award) ** Australian rugby league wooden spooners ** County Championship Wooden Spoons ** List of Australian Football League wooden spoons ** MLS Wooden Spoon * Wooden Spoon Soci ...

" in 1959.

Notable events

* The VFL threatened to move matches away from Windy Hill and the

St Kilda Cricket Ground 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 ...

at the start of the season owing to a dispute with the

and

St Kilda Cricket Club St Kilda Cricket Club is a cricket club playing in Victorian Premier Cricket, the elite club cricket competition in Melbourne, Australia.The club's home ground is the St Kilda Cricket Ground, more commonly known as Junction Oval. History The ...

s. Cricket club members were entitled to purchase football club season tickets for one third of face value, but 1957–58 cricket club members had paid for their 1958 football tickets at 1957 prices instead of 1958 prices. Following a ruling by the state Minister for Lands, the cricket clubs paid the balance in mid-April, and no matches were moved. * The committee of the

, fifth on the ladder at the end of 1958, took the innovative step of employing Bert Willee, the chief lecturer in physical education at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, to design and supervise the delivery of a carefully planned programme of physical training for each player, taking into account the special requirements of each playing position, as well as concentrating on the special needs of each individual player. Essendon played in the 1959 Grand Final, having finished the season in fourth place. * From 1959, VFL Second Eighteens' matches and were played as curtain-raisers to seniors matches, having previously been played at the same time as the seniors at a different venue. The Third Eighteens' matches were now played at a different venue to the seniors, having been played as the main curtain-raiser until 1958. * The VFL introduced the premiership cup, to be awarded to the Premiership team immediately after the Grand Final Match. * As Carlton team was running down the players race at the

before the start of its round 10 match against

, Carlton centre half-back Bob Crowe stumbled and fell, badly injuring his knee (before he had reached the playing field). A short time after the match began, it was obvious that Crowe was in great pain and was totally unable to keep up with the play. Carlton appealed to the field umpire, and they were allowed to substitute one of their reserves for Crowe, even though he had taken the field. * The Collingwood Secretary, Gordon Carlyon and four Collingwood footballers received death threats before the Round 14 match against

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 ...

that are thought to have been connected with a potential betting plunge. * Despite losing its first five matches, the 1958 premiers Collingwood reached the final four.

References

* Maplestone, M., ''Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996'', Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. * 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. ;Notes

External links

1959 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 ...