The 1933 VFL season was the 37th 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 29 April until 30 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 South Melbourne Football Club for the third time, after it defeated by 42 points in the 1933 VFL Grand Final.

Premiership season

In 1933, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus one substitute player, known as the 19th 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 1933 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" , , 9.10 (64) , , 14.12 (96) ,

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 ...

, 19,583 , 29 April 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.15 (99) , , 12.17 (89) ,

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 ...

, 15,500 , 29 April 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.15 (87) , , 11.17 (83) , Princes Park , 37,000 , 29 April 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.17 (77) , , 11.13 (79) ,

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 ...

, 14,000 , 29 April 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.13 (79) , , 11.13 (79) ,

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 , 29 April 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.11 (77) , , 10.11 (71) ,

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 ...

, 19,000 , 29 April 1933

Round 2

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.12 (90) , , 11.6 (72) ,

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 , 6 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.13 (91) , , 12.6 (78) , Windy Hill , 17,000 , 6 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 24.16 (160) , , 9.12 (66) ,

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 ...

, 19,000 , 6 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.17 (125) , , 14.15 (99) ,

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 ...

, 29,000 , 6 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.10 (106) , , 11.15 (81) ,

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 ...

, 22,000 , 6 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.12 (72) , , 11.14 (80) ,

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 ...

, 16,000 , 6 May 1933

Round 3

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.14 (50) , , 4.10 (34) ,

, 12,500 , 13 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.11 (71) , , 9.3 (57) ,

, 10,000 , 13 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.9 (57) , , 13.16 (94) , Princes Park , 14,000 , 13 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.15 (75) , , 10.7 (67) ,

, 5,000 , 13 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.5 (59) , , 21.17 (143) ,

, 9,000 , 13 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.9 (99) , , 10.10 (70) ,

, 9,479 , 13 May 1933

Round 4

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.20 (122) , , 11.12 (78) ,

, 9,000 , 20 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.16 (82) , , 11.13 (79) ,

, 22,000 , 20 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.14 (80) , , 10.16 (76) ,

, 20,000 , 20 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.15 (57) , , 14.10 (94) ,

, 12,000 , 20 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.15 (93) , , 11.8 (74) ,

, 28,000 , 20 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.10 (76) , , 13.18 (96) , Windy Hill , 20,000 , 20 May 1933

Round 5

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.14 (56) , , 9.9 (63) ,

, 12,000 , 27 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.11 (83) , , 17.15 (117) , Windy Hill , 18,000 , 27 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.19 (97) , , 11.17 (83) ,

, 13,000 , 27 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.17 (77) , , 14.13 (97) ,

, 22,029 , 27 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.15 (123) , , 2.7 (19) ,

, 15,000 , 27 May 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.20 (104) , , 14.16 (100) ,

, 25,000 , 27 May 1933

Round 6

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.13 (73) , , 9.6 (60) ,

, 13,000 , 3 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.10 (88) , , 10.11 (71) ,

, 30,000 , 3 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 19.11 (125) , , 14.9 (93) ,

, 14,000 , 3 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.11 (83) , , 9.16 (70) ,

, 20,000 , 5 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.13 (91) , , 12.15 (87) , Princes Park , 32,000 , 5 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.11 (113) , , 14.13 (97) ,

, 18,000 , 5 June 1933

Round 7

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.14 (116) , , 13.15 (93) ,

, 14,000 , 10 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.17 (65) , , 10.13 (73) ,

, 29,500 , 10 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.6 (96) , , 16.9 (105) , Windy Hill , 9,000 , 10 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.12 (78) , , 8.14 (62) ,

, 20,000 , 10 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.19 (97) , , 18.18 (126) ,

, 18,020 , 10 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.5 (65) , , 20.10 (130) ,

, 21,000 , 10 June 1933

Round 8

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.15 (69) , , 14.9 (93) ,

, 11,647 , 17 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.11 (59) , , 17.15 (117) , Windy Hill , 10,000 , 17 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.23 (107) , , 8.15 (63) ,

, 11,000 , 17 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 21.13 (139) , , 17.14 (116) , Princes Park , 26,000 , 17 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.13 (103) , , 16.12 (108) ,

, 30,000 , 17 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.14 (68) , , 11.13 (79) ,

, 13,000 , 17 June 1933

Round 9

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.25 (133) , , 3.6 (24) ,

, 6,000 , 24 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.7 (97) , , 11.12 (78) ,

, 20,000 , 24 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.12 (90) , , 3.15 (33) ,

, 9,000 , 24 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.14 (110) , , 8.11 (59) ,

, 12,000 , 24 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.11 (65) , , 7.18 (60) ,

, 18,000 , 24 June 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.17 (53) , , 11.14 (80) ,

, 26,000 , 24 June 1933

Round 10

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.14 (110) , , 8.8 (56) ,

, 13,000 , 1 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.21 (75) , , 15.18 (108) , Windy Hill , 11,000 , 1 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.10 (88) , , 12.9 (81) ,

, 10,000 , 1 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.16 (82) , , 7.15 (57) ,

, 15,000 , 1 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.14 (44) , , 15.6 (96) ,

, 10,000 , 1 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.19 (49) , , 13.14 (92) ,

, 33,000 , 1 July 1933

Round 11

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.12 (90) , , 15.13 (103) ,

, 15,000 , 8 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 20.19 (139) , , 14.14 (98) ,

, 8,500 , 8 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.10 (70) , , 9.13 (67) , Princes Park , 43,000 , 8 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 21.10 (136) , , 15.8 (98) ,

, 6,877 , 8 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.14 (80) , , 7.13 (55) ,

, 10,000 , 8 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.6 (96) , , 8.14 (62) ,

, 18,000 , 8 July 1933

Round 12

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.9 (51) , , 8.15 (63) ,

, 10,000 , 15 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.16 (118) , , 11.9 (75) ,

, 14,000 , 15 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.7 (91) , , 15.13 (103) , Windy Hill , 16,000 , 15 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 20.15 (135) , , 12.13 (85) ,

, 11,000 , 15 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.18 (96) , , 9.7 (61) ,

, 12,250 , 15 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.13 (103) , , 9.6 (60) ,

, 32,000 , 15 July 1933

Round 13

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.8 (56) , , 20.11 (131) ,

, 12,000 , 22 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.11 (59) , , 19.15 (129) ,

, 27,000 , 22 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.21 (63) , , 9.10 (64) ,

, 21,000 , 22 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.20 (98) , , 10.14 (74) , Princes Park , 12,000 , 22 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.16 (88) , , 18.15 (123) ,

, 10,249 , 22 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.20 (92) , , 13.9 (87) ,

, 11,000 , 22 July 1933

Round 14

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.8 (62) , , 10.14 (74) ,

, 4,000 , 29 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 19.10 (124) , , 6.9 (45) ,

, 14,000 , 29 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.7 (91) , , 15.16 (106) , Windy Hill , 6,000 , 29 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.16 (124) , , 9.11 (65) ,

, 18,000 , 29 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.11 (89) , , 12.11 (83) ,

, 24,000 , 29 July 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.15 (117) , , 5.14 (44) ,

, 14,500 , 29 July 1933

Round 15

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.19 (67) , , 13.15 (93) ,

, 20,000 , 5 August 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.14 (110) , , 9.18 (72) ,

, 8,000 , 5 August 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.16 (106) , , 10.8 (68) ,

, 15,000 , 5 August 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.22 (106) , , 9.9 (63) , Princes Park , 15,000 , 5 August 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.7 (61) , , 15.10 (100) ,

, 8,000 , 5 August 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.15 (69) , , 13.8 (86) ,

, 14,962 , 5 August 1933

Round 16

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.17 (107) , , 10.12 (72) ,

, 9,000 , 19 August 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 19.10 (124) , , 14.10 (94) ,

, 8,000 , 19 August 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.8 (98) , , 11.20 (86) ,

, 21,000 , 19 August 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.8 (92) , , 15.11 (101) , Princes Park , 19,000 , 19 August 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.17 (83) , , 9.6 (60) ,

, 9,000 , 19 August 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.16 (82) , , 6.4 (40) ,

, 13,000 , 19 August 1933

Round 17

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.12 (60) , , 17.11 (113) ,

, 12,500 , 26 August 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.10 (70) , , 14.10 (94) ,

, 22,250 , 26 August 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.13 (85) , , 10.17 (77) , Windy Hill , 13,000 , 26 August 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 25.15 (165) , , 17.19 (121) ,

, 8,000 , 26 August 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 21.11 (137) , , 14.21 (105) ,

, 9,500 , 26 August 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.11 (71) , , 19.21 (135) ,

, 17,327 , 26 August 1933

Round 18

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.16 (58) , , 6.17 (53) ,

, 7,000 , 2 September 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 19.13 (127) , , 15.14 (104) ,

, 7,000 , 2 September 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 20.25 (145) , , 14.9 (93) , Princes Park , 18,000 , 2 September 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 23.17 (155) , , 6.10 (46) ,

, 30,000 , 2 September 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.13 (109) , , 9.7 (61) ,

, 21,000 , 2 September 1933 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.9 (69) , , 8.16 (64) ,

, 4,000 , 2 September 1933

Ladder

Finals

Semi finals

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Score , Away team , Score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.11 (71) , , 12.12 (84) ,

, 40,225 , 9 September , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.11 (77) , , 14.11 (95) ,

, 49,303 , 16 September

Preliminary Final

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Score , Away team , Score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.5 (83) , , 10.14 (74) ,

, 48,125 , 23 September

Grand final

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 ...

defeated

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

9.17 (71) to 4.5 (29), in front of a crowd of 75,754 people. (For an explanation of scoring see

Awards

* The 1933 VFL Premiership team was

. * The VFL's leading goalkicker was

Gordon Coventry Gordon Richard James Coventry (25 September 1901 – 7 November 1968) was a former Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Accorded "Legend" status in the Australian Footb ...

of Collingwood with 108 goals. * The winner of the 1933

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

Wilfred Smallhorn Wilfred may refer to: * Wilfred (given name), a given name and list of people (and fictional characters) with the name * Wilfred, Indiana, an unincorporated community in the United States * ''Wilfred'' (Australian TV series), a comedy series * ' ...

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 ...

with 18 votes. *

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 ...

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 1933. Essendon would not "win" another wooden spoon until

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

(eighty-three years), the second longest spoon drought in league history. * The seconds premiership was won by for the third consecutive season. Melbourne 10.15 (75) defeated 10.14 (74) in the Grand Final, played as a stand-alone game on Thursday 28 September (Show Day holiday) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground before a crowd of 9,500.

Notable events

* "Checker" Hughes took over as coach of

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 ...

. He renamed the team "The Demons" from "The Fuchsias." * In Round 5, St Kilda defeated

North Melbourne North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. North Melbourne recorded a population of 14,953 at the ...

13.19 (97) to 11.17 (83), despite having only 15 players left at the end of a brutal match, which was stopped at one stage because a wild brawl, instigated by the North Melbourne players, had erupted in the centre. **St Kilda captain Clarrie Hindson had a broken ankle, full-forward

Bill Mohr Wilbur T. "Bill" Mohr (29 June 1909 – 29 March 1971) was an Australian rules footballer who represented St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1930s. Career Playing as a half-back flanker initially, Mohr later became ...

had two broken ribs, forward Jack Anderson had been knocked unconscious, centreman W.C. "Billy" Roberts was felled once, recovered, and then was felled a second time, and rover Roy "Tiger" Bence was also knocked out. **The St Kilda President, Gallipoli veteran and naval war hero Commander Fred Arlington-Burke, described St Kilda's 15-man victory as the greatest moral victory in the club's history, and a "Badge of Courage" was struck by the Football Club and was awarded to each of the players that took part in the match. **The medallion is silver, coin shaped, with coin-like reeding around its outer perimeter (with no circumferential milling), with a St Kilda Football Club badge affixed to it, and the following inscription: "St KILDA DEFEATED Nth MELBOURNE WITH 15 MEN MAY 27th 1933". (Photograph of Medal at Ross, 1996, p. 140) * In Round 8,

experimented with a siren, rather than a bell at Windy Hill. * In the dying minutes of the close – match in Round 8, umpire Jack McMurray Sr. awarded a controversial free kick against full back Maurie Sheahan, judging that he was deliberately wasting time by setting up to kick in with a

place kick The place kick is a type of kicking play commonly used in American football, association football (soccer), Canadian football, rugby league, and rugby union. Gridiron football Place kicks are used in American football and Canadian football for ...

after a South Melbourne behind – despite the fact that time was off until the kick-in was executed. The resulting goal narrowed South Melbourne's deficit to five points, but the siren sounded almost immediately after the next centre bounce. * In the 1933 Interstate Carnival, held in Sydney, the Victorian team won all five of its matches. * During the 1933 Carnival, the

Australian National Football Council The Australian National Football Council (ANFC) was the national governing body for Australian rules football in Australia from 1906 until 1995. The council was a body of delegates representing each of the principal leagues which controlled the ...

considered a proposal from the

New South Wales Rugby Football League The New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was ...

that the two codes merge and play a single, Australian "national" game. A trial match of this proposed

universal football Universal football was the name given to a proposed hybrid sport of Australian rules football and rugby league, proposed at different times between 1908 and 1933 as a potential national football code to be played throughout Australia and New Zea ...

was conducted behind closed doors during the carnival. The ANFC subsequently rejected the proposal. * The President of the South Melbourne Football Club, grocery magnate Archie Crofts, had brought so many interstate players to South Melbourne – with the promise of a well-paid regular job in one of the Crofts Grocery chain stores in addition to their receiving maximum playing and training fees allowable under the "Coulter Law" – that the 1933 team was christened "The Foreign Legion". Those comprising the "Foreign Legion" were Bert Beard, John Bowe,

Brighton Diggins Brighton John Diggins (born Bryton John Diggins, 26 December 1906 – 14 July 1971) was an Australian rules footballer in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The son of Arthur Oswald Diggins (18 ...

Bill Faul William John Faul (8 June 1909 – 14 September 1974) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the South Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and for the Subiaco Football Club in the Western Australia ...

, and Joe O'Meara from Western Australia,

Ossie Bertram Oswald Milne Bertram (17 April 1909 – 5 May 1983) was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne and St Kilda in the VFL during the 1930s. Family The son of Frank Ernest Bertram, and Agnes Bertram, née Milne, he was b ...

Wilbur Harris Wilbur Harris (28 May 1912 – 28 June 1981) was an Australian rules footballer who played for South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Harris was a ruckman, recruited from South Australian club West Torrens. The collection o ...

, and Jack Wade from South Australia, and Frank Davies and

Laurie Nash Laurence John Nash (2 May 1910 – 24 July 1986) was a Test cricketer and Australian rules footballer. An inductee into the Australian Football Hall of Fame, Nash was a member of South Melbourne's 1933 premiership team, captained South Melbo ...

from Tasmania. South Melbourne played in four consecutive Grand Finals from 1933 to 1936, but won only the 1933 premiership. *

's win over Collingwood in Round 6 was the first by one of the three 1925 entrants (Footscray, Hawthorn, North Melbourne) over the Magpies. Prior to that, Collingwood had won the first 37 meetings against the three newest clubs. Footscray's first win over Collingwood came in Round 9 of this year, but Hawthorn would not record its first win over Collingwood until Round 5 of the 1942 VFL season (in the 30th regular-season meeting between the two clubs).

Footnotes

References

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

1933 Season – AFL Tables

1933 – Round 5 St Kilda v North Melbourne – 15 men defeat 18
– BoylesFootballPhotos
1933 ANFC Sydney Carnival
– BoylesFootballPhotos

{{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 ...