The 1923 VFL season was the 27th 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 nine clubs, ran from 5 May until 20 October, and comprised a 16-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs. The premiership was won by the

Essendon Football Club The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their A ...

for the fifth time, after it defeated by 17 points in the

1923 VFL Grand Final The 1923 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Fitzroy Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 20 October 1923. It was the 26th annual Grand Final o ...

Premiership season

In 1923, the VFL competition had nine teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their place on the field at any time during the match. Each team played each other twice in a home-and-away season of 18 rounds (i.e., 16 matches and 2 byes). Once the 18 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1923 VFL ''Premiers'' were determined by the specific format and conventions of the amended "''Argus'' system".

Round 1

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.8 (50) , , 7.13 (55) ,

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 ...

, 17,939 , 5 May 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.13 (103) , , 8.12 (60) , Windy Hill , 20,000 , 5 May 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.7 (79) , , 16.5 (101) ,

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 ...

, 16,000 , 5 May 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.13 (79) , , 8.8 (56) ,

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 ...

, 30,000 , 5 May 1923

Round 2

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.22 (52) , , 11.14 (80) ,

Corio Oval Corio Oval was an Australian rules football ground, located in Geelong, Victoria, and used by the Geelong Football Club in the VFA and the VFL from 1878 to 1915, and 1917 to 1940. Sited in Eastern Park, the oval was served by trams from 1930 wh ...

, 10,000 , 12 May 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.11 (65) , , 9.9 (63) ,

, 12,000 , 12 May 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.11 (65) , , 12.7 (79) ,

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 ...

, 30,000 , 12 May 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.8 (56) , , 14.16 (100) , Princes Park , 15,000 , 12 May 1923

Round 3

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.11 (71) , , 8.13 (61) ,

, 12,000 , 19 May 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 4.15 (39) , , 6.13 (49) ,

, 20,000 , 19 May 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.9 (69) , , 6.12 (48) ,

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 ...

, 20,000 , 19 May 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.10 (52) , , 8.12 (60) ,

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 ...

, 15,000 , 19 May 1923

Round 4

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.8 (56) , , 8.13 (61) ,

, 20,000 , 26 May 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.18 (84) , , 6.13 (49) ,

, 15,232 , 26 May 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.23 (119) , , 10.12 (72) ,

, 12,000 , 26 May 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.11 (65) , , 14.19 (103) , Princes Park , 33,000 , 26 May 1923

Round 5

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 4.13 (37) , , 8.12 (60) , Windy Hill , 35,000 , 2 June 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.15 (63) , , 12.13 (85) ,

, 26,000 , 2 June 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.16 (82) , , 5.14 (44) ,

, 22,000 , 4 June 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.11 (89) , , 10.15 (75) ,

, 12,000 , 4 June 1923

Round 6

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.16 (58) , , 6.10 (46) ,

, 9,500 , 9 June 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.11 (77) , , 9.16 (70) ,

, 18,000 , 9 June 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.19 (49) , , 7.9 (51) , Princes Park , 20,000 , 9 June 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.11 (65) , , 12.15 (87) ,

, 16,000 , 9 June 1923

Round 7

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.14 (50) , , 8.8 (56) ,

, 11,500 , 16 June 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 4.14 (38) , , 9.20 (74) ,

, 17,000 , 16 June 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.12 (60) , , 11.8 (74) ,

, 29,979 , 16 June 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.15 (75) , , 6.14 (50) ,

, 18,000 , 16 June 1923

Round 8

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.13 (97) , , 8.6 (54) , Windy Hill , 13,000 , 23 June 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.13 (85) , , 4.10 (34) ,

, 20,000 , 23 June 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.11 (53) , , 7.5 (47) ,

, 20,000 , 23 June 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.11 (65) , , 11.8 (74) ,

, 17,558 , 23 June 1923

Round 9

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.14 (56) , , 6.9 (45) ,

, 20,000 , 7 July 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.10 (76) , , 6.6 (42) ,

, 8,000 , 7 July 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.10 (88) , , 13.15 (93) , Princes Park , 12,000 , 7 July 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.15 (51) , , 10.10 (70) ,

, 15,000 , 7 July 1923

Round 10

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.8 (56) , , 11.11 (77) ,

, 15,000 , 14 July 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.8 (86) , , 12.13 (85) , Princes Park , 26,000 , 14 July 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.17 (83) , , 11.12 (78) ,

, 11,000 , 14 July 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.5 (35) , , 1.12 (18) ,

, 24,000 , 14 July 1923

Round 11

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.8 (56) , , 10.15 (75) ,

, 9,353 , 21 July 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.12 (60) , , 8.8 (56) ,

, 23,000 , 21 July 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.13 (91) , , 7.9 (51) , Windy Hill , 15,000 , 21 July 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.14 (56) , , 6.11 (47) ,

, 28,000 , 21 July 1923

Round 12

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.11 (47) , , 7.10 (52) ,

, 12,000 , 28 July 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.8 (68) , , 7.9 (51) , Windy Hill , 25,000 , 28 July 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.7 (43) , , 4.7 (31) ,

, 20,000 , 28 July 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.11 (59) , , 5.10 (40) , Princes Park , 14,000 , 28 July 1923

Round 13

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.12 (60) , , 3.7 (25) ,

, 18,000 , 4 August 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.13 (67) , , 5.11 (41) ,

, 12,000 , 4 August 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.18 (72) , , 3.8 (26) ,

, 15,000 , 4 August 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.13 (103) , , 5.7 (37) , Windy Hill , 25,000 , 4 August 1923

Round 14

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.13 (49) , , 11.18 (84) ,

, 15,599 , 11 August 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.15 (63) , , 10.10 (70) ,

, 17,000 , 11 August 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.18 (78) , , 8.9 (57) ,

, 34,000 , 11 August 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.10 (76) , , 6.19 (55) ,

, 12,000 , 11 August 1923

Round 15

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.8 (62) , , 8.6 (54) , Windy Hill , 18,000 , 25 August 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.17 (71) , , 13.9 (87) ,

, 30,000 , 25 August 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.4 (46) , , 11.14 (80) ,

, 12,146 , 25 August 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.8 (68) , , 13.11 (89) ,

, 20,000 , 25 August 1923

Round 16

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.19 (97) , , 9.15 (69) ,

, 23,000 , 1 September 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.20 (98) , , 6.5 (41) , Windy Hill , 10,000 , 1 September 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.12 (72) , , 10.12 (72) , Princes Park , 18,000 , 1 September 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.19 (79) , , 13.13 (91) ,

, 18,000 , 1 September 1923

Round 17

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.7 (55) , , 14.16 (100) ,

, 25,000 , 8 September 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.12 (84) , , 6.13 (49) ,

, 20,000 , 8 September 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.20 (74) , , 7.4 (46) , Princes Park , 12,000 , 8 September 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.6 (60) , , 8.14 (62) ,

, 20,000 , 8 September 1923

Round 18

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.11 (89) , , 11.15 (81) ,

, 9,000 , 15 September 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.20 (68) , , 7.6 (48) ,

, 40,441 , 15 September 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.21 (87) , , 21.12 (138) ,

, 9,414 , 15 September 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.13 (103) , , 4.14 (38) ,

, 16,000 , 15 September 1923

Ladder

Finals

Semifinals

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.13 (97) , , 8.14 (62) ,

, 56,240 , 22 September 1923 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.9 (57) , , 10.14 (74) ,

, 55,614 , 29 September 1923

Preliminary final

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.7 (43) , , 7.13 (55) ,

, 55,039 , 6 October 1923

Grand Final

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.15 (63) , , 6.10 (46) ,

, 46,566 , 20 October 1923

Awards

* The 1923 VFL Premiership team was

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 ...

. * The VFL's leading goalkicker was

Greg Stockdale Francis Gregory Stockdale (30 July 1899 – 14 May 1949) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1920s. Family The son of William Hallett Stockdale (1859–1927), and Agn ...

with 68 goals. *

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 ...

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 1923. * The Victorian Junior League premiership, which is today recognised as the VFL reserves premiership, was won by . Geelong 9.12 (66) defeated 5.10 (40) in the challenge Grand Final, played as a curtain-raiser to the senior Grand Final on 20 October at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Notable events

* New scoreboards are erected at each home ground by the VFL's publication, ''The Football Record''. With the help of a key published in that Saturday afternoon's ''Record'', spectators can decipher the coded quarter-by-quarter scores of the other three matches as they appear on these scoreboards throughout the afternoon. * After the round 13 match against

at Windy Hill, at an after-match function in the Essendon rooms,

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 ...

rover

George Bolt George Bruce Bolt (24 May 1893 – 27 July 1963) was a pioneering New Zealand aviator. Biography Bolt was born in Dunedin in 1893. He formed the Canterbury Aero Club in 1910, helping to make and fly gliders on the Cashmere Hills. He used thes ...

and backman Jack Morrissey (who had not played in that game) came to blows. The Carlton Committee met the next day and suspended both players indefinitely. Bolt never played for Carlton again (he reappeared with Hawthorn in 1925, then he played for North Melbourne in 1926 and 1927); Jack Morrissey played his next game for Carlton on 27 June 1925 (round 9). * The 1922 Victorian Interstate team captain, and Carlton star ruckman, Bert Boromeo was overheard being intensely critical of the Carlton captain-coach

Horrie Clover Horace Ray Clover (20 March 1895 – 1 January 1984) was a leading Australian rules footballer in the (then) Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The son of Robert James Clover (1864-1900), and Phoebe Rubina Clover (-1901), née Smith, Hor ...

at the same function. The Carlton Committee was upset at such behaviour occurring on the premises of another club, and suspended Boromeo immediately; eventually, in 1926, Carlton cleared Boromeo to Richmond for whom he played 14 games. * Following 's two-point loss against in Round 17, Geelong protested the result and sought that the game be replayed, arguing that the game had been played short of its full duration because the umpire had failed to blow time on on several occasions. Although the timekeepers agreed that the final quarter had been played at least 90 seconds short of full time, the protest was dismissed. * The Essendon Premiership team was known as the "Mosquito Fleet", due to the number of small, very fast players in the side. Six were 5'6" (167 cm) or less:

Charlie Hardy Charlie Hardy (1 April 1887 – 19 May 1968) was an Australian rules footballer who played for North Melbourne in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) during the 1910s and Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the early 19 ...

5'1" (155 cm), who played his first VFL game at the age of 34,

George Shorten George William "Tich" Shorten (19 March 1901 – 26 June 1973) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the VFL during the 1920s. Shorten was the lightest player in Essendon's famed "Mosquito Fleet", with estimates on hi ...

5'5" (165 cm), Jack Garden 5'5" (165 cm), Frank Maher 5'6" (167.5 cm), Vince Irwin 5'6" (167.5 cm), and Jimmy Sullivan 5'6" (167.5 cm). * In Round 10 against St. Kilda, Essendon kicked the season's lowest score, but they still won the premiership. They became the first premier team to have also kicked the season's lowest score, an occurrence replicated in 1968, 1970, 1992 and 1995. * The Challenge Final match had to be postponed for a week as 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 ...

was under water due to intense rain. This meant that the Challenge Final was played on Saturday 20 October 1923, Caulfield Cup Day.

Notes

References

* Hogan, P., ''The Tigers Of Old'', The Richmond Football Club, (Richmond), 1996. * 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.

External links

1923 Season - AFL Tables
{{DEFAULTSORT:1923 Vfl Season Australian Football League seasons VFL