The 1988 VFL season was the 92nd 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 and administrative body in Victoria, and by reason of it featuring clubs from New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, the ''de facto'' highest level senior competition in Australia. The season featured fourteen clubs, ran from 2 April until 24 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs. The premiership was won by the

Hawthorn Football Club The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Mulgrave, Victoria, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was founded in 1902 in the inner-east suburb of Hawt ...

for the seventh time, after it defeated by 96 points in the 1988 VFL Grand Final.

Night series

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 ...

10.10 (70) defeated

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, ...

9.13 (67) in the Night Series, which for the first time was played entirely as a pre-season competition, rather than a concurrent competition to the Premiership season.

Premiership season

Round 1

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 11.17 (83) , , 14.20 (104) ,

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 numb ...

, 20,981 , 2 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 25.14 (164) , , 12.10 (82) , Windy Hill , 18,390 , 2 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 18.18 (126) , , 15.21 (111) , Princes Park , 28,141 , 2 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.15 (75) , , 11.17 (83) ,

Carrara Stadium Carrara Stadium (known commercially as Metricon Stadium) is a stadium on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Carrara. The stadium is primarily used for Australian rules football, serving as the home ground of the ...

, 11,306 , 3 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 20.20 (140) , , 17.16 (118) , Princes Park , 18,774 , 4 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.12 (108) , , 23.16 (154) ,

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 ...

, 34,824 , 4 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.6 (102) , , 11.10 (76) ,

VFL Park Waverley Park (also and originally called VFL Park) was an Australian rules football stadium in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia. For most of its history, its purpose was as a neutral venue and used by all Victorian-based Victorian Football Le ...

, 18,980 , 4 April 1988

Round 2

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 26.19 (175) , , 11.10 (76) ,

WACA Ground The WACA (formally the WACA Ground) is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. The stadium's name derives from the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association. The WACA has been referred to as Wester ...

, 24,886 , 8 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 9.12 (66) , , 13.8 (86) ,

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 administ ...

, 15,693 , 9 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 15.12 (102) , , 9.16 (70) ,

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 ...

, 26,158 , 9 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 20.7 (127) , , 21.16 (142) ,

, 15,233 , 9 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 19.15 (129) , , 7.19 (61) , Princes Park , 16,891 , 9 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 26.15 (171) , , 12.14 (86) ,

, 18,082 , 9 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 9.12 (66) , , 7.13 (55) , SCG , 9,000 , 10 April 1988

Round 3

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.12 (114) , , 13.15 (93) , Princes Park , 9,921 , 16 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.6 (108) , , 11.16 (82) ,

Moorabbin Oval Moorabbin Oval (also known as RSEA Park under a naming rights agreement) is an Australian rules football ground in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia at Linton Street in the suburb of Moorabbin. The ground was most notable as the home ...

, 16,573 , 16 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 9.18 (72) , , 9.10 (64) ,

, 30,870 , 16 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.12 (108) , , 7.15 (57) ,

, 12,683 , 16 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 11.13 (79) , , 23.13 (151) , Windy Hill , 21,311 , 16 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.8 (80) , , 23.12 (150) ,

, 34,444 , 16 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.14 (74) , , 29.18 (192) ,

, 16,354 , 17 April 1988

Round 4

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 13.18 (96) , , 5.11 (41) ,

, 18,908 , 22 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 13.16 (94) , , 8.7 (55) ,

, 26,276 , 23 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.18 (120) , , 15.16 (106) , Princes Park , 13,299 , 23 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 19.11 (125) , , 13.9 (87) ,

, 14,948 , 23 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.20 (80) , , 24.22 (166) , SCG , 16,091 , 24 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 11.16 (82) , , 24.17 (161) ,

, 27,417 , 25 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.9 (69) , , 14.7 (91) ,

, 31,679 , 25 April 1988

Round 5

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 14.16 (100) , , 14.9 (93) ,

, 17,662 , 29 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.19 (91) , , 23.15 (153) , Princes Park , 8,941 , 30 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 19.14 (128) , , 31.19 (205) ,

, 15,438 , 30 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.14 (116) , , 13.14 (92) ,

, 23,805 , 30 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.12 (84) , , 13.15 (93) ,

, 15,260 , 30 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.9 (69) , , 14.13 (97) ,

, 76,354 , 30 April 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.17 (89) , , 17.14 (116) , SCG , 9,269 , 1 May 1988

Round 6

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.21 (123) , , 17.8 (110) ,

, 11,133 , 6 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.19 (91) , , 5.16 (46) ,

, 12,374 , 7 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.12 (72) , , 4.8 (32) , Princes Park , 15,812 , 7 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 9.14 (68) , , 16.5 (101) ,

, 34,679 , 7 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 13.13 (91) , , 14.9 (93) ,

, 53,184 , 7 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.15 (111) , , 17.12 (114) ,

, 19,106 , 8 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.11 (113) , , 16.15 (111) ,

, 9,981 , 8 May 1988

Round 7

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.10 (112) , , 3.18 (36) ,

, 12,803 , 13 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 15.16 (106) , , 9.13 (67) , Princes Park , 8,568 , 14 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 15.21 (111) , , 13.12 (90) ,

, 34,773 , 14 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.17 (119) , , 11.9 (75) , Windy Hill , 24,323 , 14 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 15.14 (104) , , 14.9 (93) ,

, 26,372 , 14 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.12 (72) , , 9.17 (71) ,

, 10,898 , 15 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 11.7 (73) , , 22.18 (150) ,

, 12,880 , 15 May 1988

Round 8

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 11.21 (87) , , 17.13 (115) , SCG , 13,322 , 20 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.17 (89) , , 17.13 (115) , Princes Park , 12,997 , 21 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 20.17 (137) , , 13.11 (89) , Windy Hill , 14,520 , 21 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 13.10 (88) , , 11.16 (82) ,

, 22,683 , 21 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 19.20 (134) , , 19.7 (121) ,

, 22,978 , 21 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.12 (108) , , 17.12 (114) ,

, 20,345 , 22 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 9.9 (63) , , 17.14 (116) ,

Subiaco Oval Subiaco Oval (; nicknamed Subi) was a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia, located in the suburb of Subiaco. It was opened in 1908 and closed in 2017 after the completion of the new Perth Stadium in Burswood. Subiaco Oval was the high ...

, 27,024 , 22 May 1988

Round 9

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 29.20 (194) , , 8.6 (54) ,

, 26,653 , 27 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.13 (73) , , 20.16 (136) ,

, 11,468 , 28 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.10 (106) , , 11.12 (78) ,

, 21,334 , 28 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 23.16 (154) , , 9.11 (65) , Princes Park , 12,786 , 28 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 20.13 (133) , , 15.10 (100) ,

, 13,962 , 28 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 4.11 (35) , , 11.17 (83) ,

, 28,849 , 28 May 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.15 (87) , , 15.10 (100) ,

, 27,184 , 29 May 1988

Round 10

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 11.11 (77) , , 8.7 (55) , SCG , 14,753 , 3 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 24.13 (157) , , 18.16 (124) , Princes Park , 8,395 , 4 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.19 (121) , , 21.11 (137) ,

, 25,693 , 4 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.11 (71) , , 12.12 (84) ,

, 61,163 , 4 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 11.9 (75) , , 15.6 (96) ,

, 17,515 , 4 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.20 (116) , , 10.15 (75) ,

, 7,157 , 5 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.13 (109) , , 24.18 (162) ,

, 8,637 , 5 June 1988

Round 11

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 18.24 (132) , , 19.11 (125) , SCG , 11,729 , 10 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 21.18 (144) , , 15.11 (101) , Princes Park , 21,900 , 11 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 7.9 (51) , , 11.12 (78) ,

, 24,149 , 11 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 23.13 (151) , , 15.13 (103) ,

, 13,222 , 12 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 13.15 (93) , , 10.13 (73) ,

, 28,045 , 13 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.16 (118) , , 10.8 (68) , Princes Park , 28,590 , 13 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 9.10 (64) , , 16.7 (103) ,

, 34,789 , 13 June 1988

Round 12

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 15.20 (110) , , 12.21 (93) ,

, 19,458 , 17 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 7.14 (56) , , 3.12 (30) ,

, 13,720 , 18 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.14 (74) , , 7.19 (61) ,

, 18,078 , 18 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 3.12 (30) , , 7.9 (51) ,

, 23,880 , 18 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.20 (80) , , 2.5 (17) , Princes Park , 8,377 , 18 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 7.9 (51) , , 4.9 (33) ,

, 18,854 , 18 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 14.20 (104) , , 8.13 (61) , SCG , 12,624 , 19 June 1988

Round 13

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.15 (75) , , 15.9 (99) , Windy Hill , 15,861 , 25 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 9.14 (68) , , 2.11 (23) ,

, 23,031 , 25 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 8.18 (66) , , 5.11 (41) ,

, 17,770 , 25 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.10 (112) , , 12.15 (87) , Princes Park , 14,048 , 25 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 22.19 (151) , , 13.7 (85) ,

, 7,764 , 25 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.6 (66) , , 5.13 (43) ,

, 37,953 , 25 June 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.19 (121) , , 13.9 (87) ,

, 14,827 , 26 June 1988

Round 14

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 13.18 (96) , , 19.17 (131) , SCG , 8,008 , 1 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 8.8 (56) , , 13.11 (89) ,

, 16,777 , 2 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 11.11 (77) , , 15.15 (105) ,

, 14,338 , 2 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.16 (112) , , 13.7 (85) , Windy Hill , 10,274 , 2 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.11 (71) , , 15.20 (110) ,

, 10,310 , 2 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 11.21 (87) , , 16.14 (110) ,

, 72,906 , 2 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 14.15 (99) , , 12.17 (89) ,

, 10,394 , 3 July 1988

Round 15

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 8.9 (57) , , 19.16 (130) ,

, 20,269 , 9 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 21.16 (142) , , 7.10 (52) , Princes Park , 13,961 , 9 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 9.11 (65) , , 10.9 (69) ,

, 15,416 , 9 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.8 (80) , , 8.7 (55) ,

, 14,721 , 9 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.19 (91) , , 17.13 (115) ,

, 14,213 , 10 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 18.18 (126) , , 16.10 (106) ,

, 18,536 , 10 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 14.10 (94) , , 21.14 (140) ,

, 26,755 , 10 July 1988

Round 16

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 14.14 (98) , , 12.17 (89) ,

, 15,831 , 15 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.14 (110) , , 9.12 (66) , Windy Hill , 14,467 , 16 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 21.15 (141) , , 14.14 (98) , Princes Park , 17,821 , 16 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 14.10 (94) , , 6.12 (48) ,

, 74,964 , 16 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.13 (115) , , 15.8 (98) ,

, 20,199 , 16 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 24.19 (163) , , 16.16 (112) , SCG , 14,591 , 17 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.14 (86) , , 16.17 (113) ,

, 16,872 , 17 July 1988

Round 17

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 19.20 (134) , , 8.16 (64) ,

, 7,611 , 22 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 14.8 (92) , , 13.21 (99) ,

, 11,657 , 23 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 14.8 (92) , , 13.14 (92) ,

, 16,082 , 23 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 13.22 (100) , , 8.12 (60) , Princes Park , 17,503 , 23 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.13 (115) , , 10.9 (69) ,

, 13,492 , 23 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.8 (68) , , 21.11 (137) ,

, 37,307 , 23 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.14 (74) , , 16.7 (103) ,

, 15,950 , 24 July 1988

Round 18

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.16 (88) , , 22.19 (151) , SCG , 12,228 , 29 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.13 (109) , , 21.14 (140) ,

, 11,909 , 30 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.18 (114) , , 11.14 (80) ,

, 16,408 , 30 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 9.13 (67) , , 22.11 (143) , Princes Park , 15,467 , 30 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.16 (88) , , 9.8 (62) ,

, 35,662 , 30 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 18.14 (122) , , 11.12 (78) ,

, 16,188 , 31 July 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 11.18 (84) , , 5.13 (43) ,

, 11,694 , 31 July 1988

Round 19

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 18.14 (122) , , 11.10 (76) ,

, 20,575 , 5 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 19.18 (132) , , 9.9 (63) ,

, 10,477 , 6 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.18 (90) , , 24.13 (157) , Windy Hill , 15,641 , 6 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 23.11 (149) , , 20.11 (131) ,

, 20,475 , 6 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 27.16 (178) , , 15.14 (104) , Princes Park , 12,836 , 6 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 11.13 (79) , , 15.17 (107) ,

, 18,355 , 6 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.19 (115) , , 12.12 (84) ,

, 18,089 , 7 August 1988

Round 20

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 11.20 (86) , , 14.16 (100) ,

, 15,026 , 12 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 13.10 (88) , , 14.13 (97) ,

, 11,074 , 13 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 20.21 (141) , , 20.17 (137) , Princes Park , 16,723 , 13 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 14.16 (100) , , 17.8 (110) ,

, 27,026 , 13 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.14 (74) , , 10.13 (73) ,

, 52,719 , 13 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.8 (68) , , 19.14 (128) ,

, 22,000 , 14 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 24.16 (160) , , 14.13 (97) , SCG , 13,811 , 14 August 1988

Round 21

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.17 (113) , , 14.17 (101) ,

, 14,772 , 19 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 22.14 (146) , , 16.12 (108) ,

, 14,338 , 20 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 19.13 (127) , , 17.11 (113) , Princes Park , 13,028 , 20 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 19.14 (128) , , 13.12 (90) , Windy Hill , 19,863 , 20 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 18.15 (123) , , 11.12 (78) ,

, 19,222 , 20 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 14.13 (97) , , 13.22 (100) ,

, 16,727 , 21 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.15 (111) , , 7.9 (51) ,

, 36,116 , 21 August 1988

Round 22

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 23.19 (157) , , 7.12 (54) ,

, 19,496 , 26 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 28.16 (184) , , 13.11 (89) , Princes Park , 12,117 , 27 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 19.15 (129) , , 14.10 (94) ,

, 19,813 , 27 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 14.12 (96) , , 10.6 (66) ,

, 50,178 , 27 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.12 (84) , , 8.17 (65) ,

, 26,134 , 27 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 11.11 (77) , , 10.21 (81) ,

, 12,718 , 28 August 1988 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 3.11 (29) , , 7.11 (53) ,

, 18,456 , 28 August 1988

Ladder

Finals

Elimination finals

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Score , Away team , Score , Venue , Attendance , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.11 (71) , , 11.7 (73) ,

Waverley Park Waverley Park (also and originally called VFL Park) was an Australian rules football stadium in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia. For most of its history, its purpose was as a neutral venue and used by all Victorian-based Victorian Football ...

, 43,438 , Saturday, 3 September

Qualifying final

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Score , Away team , Score , Venue , Attendance , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 22.13 (145) , , 16.11 (107) ,

, 83,032 , Sunday, 4 September

Semi finals

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Score , Away team , Score , Venue , Attendance , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 9.12 (66) , , 6.9 (45) ,

, 60,052 , Saturday, 10 September , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.10 (82) , , 13.17 (95) ,

, 87,407 , Sunday, 11 September

Preliminary final

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Score , Away team , Score , Venue , Attendance , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 14.14 (98) , , 19.6 (120) , Waverly Park , 68,516 , Saturday, 17 September

Grand Final

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Score , Away team , Score , Venue , Attendance , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 22.20 (152) , , 6.20 (56) , Melbourne Cricket Ground , 93,754 , Saturday, 24 September

Player statistics and awards

Leading goalkickers

Brownlow Medal count

* The

Leigh Matthews Trophy The Leigh Matthews Trophy is an annual award given by the AFL Players Association to the Most Valuable Player in the Australian Football League. It is named in honour of Leigh Matthews, who won the first MVP award in 1982, when the league was st ...

was awarded to

Gerard Healy Gerard Healy (born 1 March 1961) is a former Australian rules footballer and commentator. Healy attended St Bede's College in Mentone, where he was the senior football captain. Gerard is a trained physiotherapist. VFL career Melbourne Dem ...

of the Sydney Swans. * The

Norm Smith Medal The Norm Smith Medal is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best on ground in the Grand Final of the Australian Football League (AFL). Prior to 1990 the competition was known as the Victorian Football ...

was awarded to

Gary Ayres Gary James Ayres (born 28 September 1960) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is currently the senior coach for the Montrose Football Club in the Eastern F ...

. * The Under 19's Grand Final was won by North Melbourne against Essendon. * The Reserves Grand Final was won by Footscray against North Melbourne. * The Seniors Grand Final was won by Hawthorn against Melbourne.

Notable events

*Three new rules aimed at encouraging a long-kicking style of play were introduced. These were: **The length of the 15-metre penalty for wasting an opponent's time after he takes a mark was increased to fifty metres. **Players were required to take a kick if awarded a free kick. If the player played on by handpass, the ball would be returned for a

ball-up A ball-up (pl. ball-ups) in Australian rules football is the method by which the field umpire restarts play at a neutral contest after a stoppage within the field of play. It involves the throwing or bouncing of the ball up between two players, ...

; the penalty for playing on was originally a free kick to the opposition, but this was commuted to a ball up after proving unpopular during pre-season trials. **The full-back was required to kick the ball over a distance of at least two metres when kicking in after a behind. *The VFL banned lace-up guernseys starting from this season after Robert Flower and Brian Wilson both suffered broken fingers when they became tangled in the laces during tackles. A handful of players had been wearing the tight-fitting guernseys which were laced up in the front in recent years. *The

Brisbane Bears The Brisbane Football Club, nicknamed the Bears, was a professional Australian rules football club based in Queensland on the Gold Coast (relocated to Brisbane in 1993). The club participated in the Victorian/Australian Football League (VFL/ ...

played two matches in Perth during the season. At the club's suggestion, Brisbane's home match against the

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Football L ...

in Round 3 was moved from

in Gold Coast to the

in Perth after persistent and heavy rain in south-eastern Queensland left the ground and its adjoining facilities unable to accommodate the game. Brisbane had expected the clubs' Round 16 match to be moved from Perth to Gold Coast in return, only to discover that the league considered the Round 3 match a home game for Brisbane, meaning that they would be required to travel for the Round 16 match in Perth as well. *The VFL took over the operation of the financially crippled Sydney Swans during the year until its parent company, Powerplay, could find a buyer for the franchise. The VFL bought the club for a nominal $10 on 9 May, taking on its operating costs but not its debts. * North Melbourne 18.16 (124) defeated Essendon 06.05 (41) in the under 19's grand final, held as a curtain-raiser to the reserves grand final on 24 September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. * Footscray 17.14 (116) defeated North Melbourne 14.12 (96) in the reserves Grand Final, held as a curtain-raiser to the seniors Grand Final on 24 September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

References

Bibliography

* Stephen Rodgers: ''Every Game Ever Played'' VFL/AFL Results 1897–1991 3rd Edition 1992. Penguin Books Australia .

External links

* 1988 VFL Season Statistics a
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 ...