The 1941 VFL season was the 45th 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 26 April until 27 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 fifth time and third time consecutively, after it defeated by 29 points in the

1941 VFL Grand Final The 1941 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 in Melbourne on 27 September 1941. It was the 43rd annual Grand Final ...

Premiership season

In 1941, 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 1941 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" , , 12.20 (92) , , 12.15 (87) ,

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 ...

, 15,000 , 26 April 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.15 (93) , , 7.10 (52) ,

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 ...

, 10,500 , 26 April 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.11 (77) , , 13.17 (95) ,

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 ...

, 17,500 , 26 April 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.12 (102) , , 15.9 (99) , Princes Park , 21,000 , 26 April 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.18 (108) , , 15.17 (107) ,

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 ...

, 8,000 , 26 April 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.12 (90) , , 17.12 (114) ,

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 ...

, 14,750 , 26 April 1941

Round 2

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.9 (87) , , 11.19 (85) ,

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 ...

, 8,500 , 3 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.15 (75) , , 16.17 (113) ,

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 ...

, 17,000 , 3 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 22.13 (145) , , 16.12 (108) , Windy Hill , 13,000 , 3 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.15 (93) , , 14.17 (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 ...

, 12,000 , 3 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.17 (95) , , 17.16 (118) ,

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 ...

, 9,000 , 3 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.12 (90) , , 12.8 (80) ,

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 ...

, 28,000 , 3 May 1941

Round 3

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.19 (97) , , 16.12 (108) ,

, 7,800 , 10 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.4 (100) , , 7.16 (58) ,

, 15,000 , 10 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.12 (120) , , 10.13 (73) , Princes Park , 9,000 , 10 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.15 (123) , , 14.11 (95) ,

, 13,000 , 10 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.16 (58) , , 16.7 (103) ,

, 19,000 , 10 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.7 (97) , , 18.15 (123) ,

, 14,000 , 10 May 1941

Round 4

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.15 (93) , , 13.11 (89) ,

, 13,000 , 17 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.14 (104) , , 14.8 (92) , Windy Hill , 20,000 , 17 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.11 (95) , , 14.10 (94) ,

, 16,000 , 17 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.16 (94) , , 11.13 (79) ,

, 6,000 , 17 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.19 (109) , , 12.10 (82) ,

, 10,500 , 17 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.15 (105) , , 16.23 (119) ,

, 14,000 , 17 May 1941

Round 5

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.12 (96) , , 13.25 (103) ,

, 6,000 , 31 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.21 (105) , , 8.8 (56) ,

, 12,000 , 31 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 19.13 (127) , , 26.11 (167) ,

, 15,000 , 31 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.18 (120) , , 15.8 (98) ,

, 13,000 , 31 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.12 (60) , , 23.18 (156) ,

, 10,000 , 31 May 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.12 (90) , , 15.18 (108) ,

, 15,000 , 31 May 1941

Round 6

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.12 (114) , , 8.14 (62) ,

, 6,500 , 7 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 20.12 (132) , , 14.20 (104) ,

, 16,000 , 7 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.14 (116) , , 10.15 (75) ,

, 7,000 , 7 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.21 (99) , , 11.16 (82) , Princes Park , 18,500 , 7 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.15 (117) , , 8.14 (62) ,

, 8,500 , 7 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.13 (61) , , 13.18 (96) ,

, 15,000 , 7 June 1941

Round 7

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.20 (56) , , 13.12 (90) ,

, 7,000 , 14 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.14 (74) , , 10.15 (75) ,

, 7,000 , 14 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.24 (78) , , 4.12 (36) , Windy Hill , 14,000 , 14 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.19 (121) , , 16.15 (111) ,

, 10,000 , 14 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.14 (104) , , 9.8 (62) ,

, 20,000 , 14 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.13 (97) , , 19.10 (124) ,

, 29,000 , 16 June 1941

Round 8

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.13 (73) , , 6.11 (47) ,

, 6,000 , 21 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.8 (44) , , 12.12 (84) ,

, 2,000 , 21 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.12 (60) , , 7.10 (52) ,

, 6,000 , 21 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.17 (77) , , 12.13 (85) , Princes Park , 4,000 , 21 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.16 (64) , , 6.6 (42) ,

, 5,000 , 21 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.18 (78) , , 13.15 (93) ,

, 5,000 , 21 June 1941

Round 9

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.13 (103) , , 9.16 (70) ,

, 15,000 , 28 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 21.19 (145) , , 10.20 (80) ,

, 7,000 , 28 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.12 (120) , , 11.13 (79) , Windy Hill , 10,000 , 28 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.14 (116) , , 20.9 (129) ,

, 5,000 , 28 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.11 (83) , , 16.10 (106) ,

, 16,000 , 28 June 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.14 (86) , , 15.11 (101) ,

, 21,000 , 28 June 1941

Round 10

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.13 (85) , , 14.11 (95) ,

, 14,000 , 5 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.12 (72) , , 11.13 (79) ,

, 7,500 , 5 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.25 (97) , , 13.11 (89) , Princes Park , 7,000 , 5 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.20 (98) , , 6.14 (50) ,

, 3,000 , 5 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.4 (76) , , 12.6 (78) ,

, 7,000 , 5 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.17 (113) , , 9.11 (65) ,

, 17,000 , 5 July 1941

Round 11

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.24 (108) , , 8.13 (61) ,

, 21,000 , 12 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.12 (90) , , 9.15 (69) ,

, 4,000 , 12 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.15 (123) , , 18.16 (124) ,

, 8,000 , 12 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.14 (104) , , 9.11 (65) , Windy Hill , 15,000 , 12 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.16 (58) , , 14.12 (96) ,

, 7,500 , 12 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.13 (109) , , 14.9 (93) ,

, 14,000 , 12 July 1941

Round 12

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.21 (99) , , 14.11 (95) ,

, 4,500 , 19 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.8 (104) , , 18.18 (126) ,

, 8,000 , 19 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.12 (96) , , 8.6 (54) ,

, 10,000 , 19 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.14 (80) , , 15.12 (102) ,

, 5,000 , 19 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.14 (74) , , 13.14 (92) ,

, 15,000 , 19 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.11 (83) , , 18.14 (122) , Windy Hill , 14,000 , 19 July 1941

Round 13

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.16 (124) , , 10.13 (73) ,

, 23,000 , 26 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 22.20 (152) , , 12.13 (85) ,

, 4,000 , 26 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.11 (83) , , 11.18 (84) , Princes Park , 27,000 , 26 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.14 (122) , , 11.15 (81) ,

, 4,000 , 26 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.20 (110) , , 9.4 (58) ,

, 10,000 , 26 July 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.14 (86) , , 17.8 (110) ,

, 10,000 , 26 July 1941

Round 14

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.10 (64) , , 10.7 (67) ,

, 10,000 , 2 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.17 (113) , , 6.13 (49) , Windy Hill , 10,000 , 2 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.9 (75) , , 8.9 (57) ,

, 9,000 , 2 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 19.14 (128) , , 9.18 (72) ,

, 7,000 , 2 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.13 (55) , , 10.21 (81) ,

, 20,000 , 2 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.15 (81) , , 16.25 (121) ,

, 7,500 , 2 August 1941

Round 15

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 22.12 (144) , , 19.15 (129) ,

, 4,500 , 9 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.17 (113) , , 11.14 (80) ,

, 8,000 , 9 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 25.19 (169) , , 17.15 (117) , Princes Park , 10,000 , 9 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.13 (85) , , 14.17 (101) ,

, 7,000 , 9 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.11 (95) , , 12.16 (88) ,

, 26,000 , 9 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.10 (52) , , 10.21 (81) ,

, 16,000 , 9 August 1941

Round 16

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.15 (99) , , 12.16 (88) ,

, 11,000 , 16 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 19.17 (131) , , 14.9 (93) , Windy Hill , 7,000 , 16 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 20.17 (137) , , 11.14 (80) , Princes Park , 8,000 , 16 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.10 (70) , , 10.9 (69) ,

, 4,000 , 16 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.14 (104) , , 11.22 (88) ,

, 8,000 , 16 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.8 (110) , , 11.21 (87) ,

, 31,000 , 16 August 1941

Round 17

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.12 (60) , , 18.22 (130) ,

, 8,000 , 23 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.23 (95) , , 7.4 (46) , Windy Hill , 9,000 , 23 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.18 (114) , , 21.10 (136) ,

, 6,000 , 23 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.20 (122) , , 16.9 (105) ,

, 12,000 , 23 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.16 (94) , , 16.13 (109) ,

, 4,500 , 23 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.21 (81) , , 11.17 (83) ,

, 30,000 , 23 August 1941

Round 18

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.14 (110) , , 13.17 (95) ,

, 7,000 , 30 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.17 (113) , , 11.22 (88) , Princes Park , 29,000 , 30 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.12 (54) , , 11.17 (83) ,

, 3,000 , 30 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 20.12 (132) , , 12.11 (83) ,

, 9,000 , 30 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.16 (106) , , 18.14 (122) ,

, 11,000 , 30 August 1941 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.8 (80) , , 13.20 (98) ,

, 5,000 , 30 August 1941

Ladder

Finals

Semi finals

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Score , Away team , Score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.15 (81) , , 21.9 (135) ,

, 57,741 , 6 September , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.16 (82) , , 16.13 (109) ,

, 59,435 , 13 September

Preliminary Final

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Score , Away team , Score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.14 (68) , , 13.15 (93) ,

, 65,105 , 20 September

Grand final

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 ...

defeated

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 ...

19.13 (127) to 13.20 (98), in front of a crowd of 79,687 people. (For an explanation of scoring see

Awards

* The 1941 VFL Premiership team was

. * The VFL's leading goalkicker was Sel Murray of

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 ...

with 88 goals. * The winner of the 1941

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

Norman Ware Norman Ware (5 March 1911 – 26 August 2003) was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League (1897–1989), Victorian Football League (VFL). A scrupulously fair, clever and unusually pacy ruckman for Footscray Football Clu ...

of Footscray with 23 votes. He was the only playing coach to achieve the feat. *

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 ...

took the "wooden spoon" in 1941. * The seconds premiership was won by . Essendon 12.16 (88) defeated 9.17 (71) in the Grand Final, played as a curtain-raiser to the senior Grand Final on Saturday 27 September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Notable events

* Owing to the military takeover of

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 ...

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, ...

moved its home games to

. *During March, the players of the

Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition, and are the 2022 ...

went on strike and refused to train over a pay dispute. The players were seeking £3 per week, but the club was offering £1/10/– per week, which upset the players as they had received pay cuts in 1940 (from £3 to £1) when the club had made the finals and finished the year in a strong financial position. In response, the club claimed the lower offer was due to the extra expense of moving from Corio Oval to Kardinia Park, and increased payments to war funds drove the decision. The majority of players acquiesced and accepted the £1/10/– offer, but five senior players did not. Three of those crossed to the

Victorian Football Association 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 ...

without a clearance – Allan Everett going to Preston, Bernie Hore going to

Coburg Coburg () is a town located on the Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only in 1920. Until the revolution of 1918, it was ...

, and Alan "Nipper" Marsham to Williamstown – while the other two, George Dougherty and Tom Arklay, having trained in the pre-season with the VFA clubs Coburg and Preston (respectively), eventually returned to play with Geelong in the 1941 season. * In the Round 2 match between

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 ...

and

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, ...

, 11 players were injured, while highly talented Carlton rover Jack Hale, who broke his leg in an accidental collision with Richmond centreman

Bernie Waldron Bernie Waldron (20 March 1920 – 20 December 1990) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Richmond in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the early 1940s. Waldron appeared in ten finals with Richmond, four of them Grand Fin ...

, never played again. * The VFL postponed its Round 5 matches and conducted its second patriotic lightning carnival at the

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

on Saturday 24 May 1941. Collingwood won the carnival, defeating

3.2 (20) to 3.1 (19). The carnival raised £1,526 for the war effort. * On 31 July 1941,

rover Ron Barassi Sr. was killed in action at the

Siege of Tobruk The siege of Tobruk lasted for 241 days in 1941, after Axis forces advanced through Cyrenaica from El Agheila in Operation Sonnenblume against Allied forces in Libya, during the Western Desert Campaign (1940–1943) of the Second World War. ...

. He was the first VFL player to be killed in the Second World War. On 16 August 1941, a brief, moving memorial tribute to Barassi was conducted (including a bugler playing "The Last Post") at the

Melbourne Cricket Club The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) is a sports club based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1838 and is one of the oldest sports clubs in Australia. The MCC is responsible for management and development of the Melbourne Cricket Ground ...

by spectators, players, trainers, and officials of

and Collingwood. * In the last minutes of the last quarter of the Second Eighteens Grand Final, played at the MCG on 27 September 1941, which

, captain-coached ex-Collingwood player

Harry Collier Harry Collier (1 October 1907 – 16 August 1994) was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League. Family Collier was the older brother of former champion Collingwood player (and the 1929 Brownlow Medal winner) Albert. ...

, won (beating

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 ...

12.16 (88) to 9.17 (71)), a Fitzroy player felled an Essendon player and fights broke out all over the ground. As the final bell was sounding, a vicious bench-clearing brawl broke out involving almost every player, with many of the players felled by punches and kicks. Both teams were reported for "unseemly conduct", and following the VFL investigation committee's hearing conducted on 14 October 1941, each club was fined £10. * In a lop-sided senior Grand Final,

, missing at least twelve of its 1941 senior players through either injury or military service, was 47 points ahead at three quarter time, and went on to beat

by 29 points: 19.13 (127) to 13.20 (98). * After defeating Collingwood in Round 5,

had a winning record over every other team in the competition in combined regular season and finals matches. They would hold this distinction until Round 8 of the

1954 VFL season The 1954 VFL season was the 58th season of the Victorian Football League (1897–1989), Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 17 A ...

Footnotes

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

1941 Season – AFL Tables
{{DEFAULTSORT:1941 Vfl Season Australian Football League seasons

Season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...