The 1942 VFL season was the 46th 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 competition in Victoria. Played during the peak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, only eleven of the league's twelve clubs competed, with withdrawing due to travel restrictions. The season ran from 9 May until 19 September, and comprised a home-and-away season in which each club played either 14 or 15 games, followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs. The premiership was won by the Essendon Football Club for the seventh time, after it defeated by 53 points in the

1942 VFL Grand Final The 1942 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Richmond Football Club, held at the Princes Park in Melbourne on 19 September 1942. It was the 44th annual Grand Final of the Victo ...

Influence of World War II

World War II had many effects on the organisation of football in Australia: *Geelong was unable to compete in the competition because of wartime travel restrictions. Temporary transfers to other clubs were available to Geelong players (limit of three per club). *Melbourne and Collingwood struggled to field a team, and at one stage considered amalgamating into a joint team, however they were both ultimately able to compete. *Hawthorn and Collingwood withdrew their teams from the reserves competition. *Available servicemen were often called upon to make up the numbers – this accounts for the drop in form of the Melbourne team, having previously won three premierships in a row. *The VFA went into recess, and any eligible players were given temporary league permits. *The Brownlow Medal was suspended until 1946. *Many ground changes were also forced upon teams, as their usual home grounds were used in the war effort. The new grounds used were Yarraville Oval (Footscray), Toorak Park (St Kilda), Punt Road Oval (Melbourne) and Princes Park (South Melbourne). *Government regulations meant the traditional matches on the King's Birthday public holiday could not be played until 1946.

Premiership season

In 1942, the VFL competition consisted of eleven 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 16 rounds. The determination of the 1942 season's fixtures was complicated by the fact that when the VFL decided to proceed with senior football on 1 April, it was not known which grounds would be available. All 1941 grounds except Windy Hill and the

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 Rules ...

were candidates for long-term appropriation by the military, and the VFL announced that unless three grounds were available, it would not play the season. Consequently, each round's fixture through the first eleven weeks was set only on the previous Wednesday week, rather than being pre-determined at the start of the season. Ultimately the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the

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 Sout ...

, the

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 ...

, and the

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 Jun ...

all became unavailable; but, several

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 ...

grounds became available when the VFA announced on 21 April that it was going into recess, resulting in St Kilda and Footscray moving to

Toorak Park Toorak Park is a cricket and Australian rules football arena in the Melbourne suburb of Armadale, Victoria, Australia. It is the home ground of the Prahran Football Club and Old Xaverians Football Club of the Victorian Amateur Football Associatio ...

and Yarraville Oval respectively, and the remaining ground losses were managed by

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 ...

sharing the

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 ...

with

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, ...

and

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 ...

sharing Princes Park with Carlton. During the first eleven rounds, each team played each other once and had one bye. The remaining five rounds (Rounds 12 to 16) featured the same matches as Rounds 1 to 5. This resulted in an uneven fixture in which six teams played 15 matches, and five teams played 14 matches. Teams were awarded four premiership points for each bye, so the teams with an extra bye were favoured by this draw. Once the 16 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1942 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" , , 13.15 (93) , , 18.19 (127) ,

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 ...

, 5,000 , 9 May 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.13 (97) , , 10.12 (72) ,

, 8,000 , 9 May 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 25.14 (164) , , 16.14 (110) , Windy Hill , 8,000 , 9 May 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 19.17 (131) , , 16.15 (111) ,

, 14,000 , 9 May 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.25 (133) , , 14.11 (95) , Princes Park , 8,000 , 9 May 1942

Round 2

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.9 (117) , , 30.16 (196) ,

, 20,000 , 16 May 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.11 (59) , , 13.21 (99) , Princes Park , 16,000 , 16 May 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.13 (109) , , 9.17 (71) ,

, 5,500 , 16 May 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.10 (94) , , 17.13 (115) , Arden Street Oval , 5,500 , 16 May 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.16 (88) , , 14.8 (92) , Yarraville Oval , 10,000 , 16 May 1942

Round 3

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 20.13 (133) , , 11.11 (77) ,

, 7,000 , 23 May 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 22.24 (156) , , 11.16 (82) , Princes Park , 6,500 , 23 May 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.11 (41) , , 17.15 (117) ,

, 5,000 , 23 May 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 25.25 (175) , , 5.7 (37) ,

, 11,500 , 23 May 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.9 (75) , , 11.4 (70) , Windy Hill , 13,000 , 23 May 1942

Round 4

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.8 (80) , , 8.17 (65) , Arden Street Oval , 12,000 , 30 May 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.9 (87) , , 20.16 (136) ,

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 ...

, 6,500 , 30 May 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.13 (91) , , 9.14 (68) , Princes Park , 14,000 , 30 May 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.17 (83) , , 25.13 (163) ,

, 9,000 , 30 May 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.15 (111) , , 8.17 (65) ,

, 3,500 , 30 May 1942

Round 5

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.13 (79) , , 12.11 (83) ,

, 9,000 , 6 June 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.19 (109) , , 9.15 (69) , Windy Hill , 10,000 , 6 June 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 23.10 (148) , , 16.19 (115) , Princes Park , 5,500 , 6 June 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.10 (88) , , 10.20 (80) ,

, 4,000 , 6 June 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.14 (104) , , 10.17 (77) ,

, 20,000 , 6 June 1942

Round 6

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.9 (45) , , 13.11 (89) ,

, 4,000 , 13 June 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.17 (77) , , 11.10 (76) , Windy Hill , 18,000 , 13 June 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.12 (78) , , 11.21 (87) ,

, 5,500 , 13 June 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 20.18 (138) , , 13.13 (91) , Princes Park , 7,000 , 13 June 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.17 (83) , , 9.15 (69) ,

, 10,000 , 13 June 1942

Round 7

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.9 (69) , , 11.20 (86) ,

, 18,000 , 20 June 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.14 (110) , , 14.10 (94) ,

, 5,000 , 20 June 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.10 (76) , , 12.11 (83) , Arden Street Oval , 4,000 , 20 June 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.14 (80) , , 9.14 (68) ,

, 5,000 , 20 June 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.19 (91) , , 10.12 (72) , Yarraville Oval , 8,500 , 20 June 1942

Round 8

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.9 (81) , , 15.15 (105) ,

, 17,000 , 27 June 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 22.12 (144) , , 5.8 (38) , Windy Hill , 6,000 , 27 June 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.14 (122) , , 10.11 (71) , Princes Park , 6,500 , 27 June 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.8 (62) , , 17.16 (118) , Arden Street Oval , 6,000 , 27 June 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.14 (80) , , 14.21 (105) ,

, 5,500 , 27 June 1942

Round 9

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.3 (45) , , 11.9 (75) , Yarraville Oval , 9,500 , 4 July 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.18 (78) , , 12.7 (79) ,

, 6,000 , 4 July 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.14 (80) , , 11.11 (77) ,

, 5,000 , 4 July 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.9 (45) , , 4.15 (39) ,

, 4,500 , 4 July 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.10 (58) , , 12.14 (86) ,

, 3,000 , 4 July 1942

Round 10

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 19.17 (131) , , 7.18 (60) , Yarraville Oval , 6,000 , 11 July 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.17 (95) , , 10.7 (67) , Princes Park , 5,500 , 11 July 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.10 (82) , , 15.17 (107) ,

, 15,000 , 11 July 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.8 (110) , , 11.16 (82) , Arden Street Oval , 3,500 , 11 July 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.19 (91) , , 13.10 (88) ,

, 6,000 , 11 July 1942

Round 11

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.17 (95) , , 19.13 (127) ,

, 6,000 , 18 July 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.15 (75) , , 8.7 (55) , Windy Hill , 16,000 , 18 July 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 21.9 (135) , , 9.8 (62) ,

, 4,000 , 18 July 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.11 (95) , , 19.12 (126) ,

, 6,000 , 18 July 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.11 (77) , , 13.14 (92) ,

, 8,000 , 18 July 1942

Round 12

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 19.15 (129) , , 17.20 (122) , Yarraville Oval , 15,000 , 25 July 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.15 (69) , , 15.21 (111) ,

, 8,000 , 25 July 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.10 (64) , , 6.16 (52) , Arden Street Oval , 3,000 , 25 July 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.13 (73) , , 12.14 (86) ,

, 8,000 , 25 July 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.20 (104) , , 12.12 (84) ,

, 6,000 , 25 July 1942

Round 13

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.9 (57) , , 10.15 (75) ,

, 3,500 , 1 August 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 20.14 (134) , , 10.8 (68) ,

, 5,500 , 1 August 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.12 (102) , , 10.8 (68) , Windy Hill , 14,000 , 1 August 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.21 (111) , , 12.14 (86) ,

, 9,000 , 1 August 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.24 (84) , , 12.17 (89) , Princes Park , 15,000 , 1 August 1942

Round 14

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.10 (46) , , 13.11 (89) ,

, 3,500 , 8 August 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 20.17 (137) , , 9.4 (58) , Yarraville Oval , 2,500 , 8 August 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.11 (83) , , 16.21 (117) ,

, 3,500 , 8 August 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.20 (128) , , 11.9 (75) , Princes Park , 7,500 , 8 August 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.13 (85) , , 10.8 (68) ,

, 3,000 , 8 August 1942

Round 15

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.20 (128) , , 8.8 (56) ,

, 7,000 , 15 August 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.15 (57) , , 16.22 (118) ,

, 2,500 , 15 August 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 22.13 (145) , , 12.15 (87) , Princes Park , 5,000 , 15 August 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.17 (83) , , 9.10 (64) , Windy Hill , 8,000 , 15 August 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.20 (98) , , 17.13 (115) ,

, 13,000 , 15 August 1942

Round 16

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.7 (91) , , 14.23 (107) ,

, 10,000 , 22 August 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.21 (117) , , 15.13 (103) ,

, 2,000 , 22 August 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.19 (127) , , 10.14 (74) , Princes Park , 26,000 , 22 August 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 19.15 (129) , , 14.8 (92) , Yarraville Oval , 8,000 , 22 August 1942 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.8 (38) , , 8.16 (64) , Arden Street Oval , 4,000 , 22 August 1942

Ladder

Finals

Semi finals

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Score , Away team , Score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.13 (91) , , 7.22 (64) , Princes Park , 25,000 , 29 August , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.8 (56) , , 11.12 (78) , Princes Park , 32,000 , 5 September

Preliminary Final

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Score , Away team , Score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 19.10 (124) , , 14.12 (96) , Princes Park , 26,000 , 12 September

Grand final

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 Ki ...

defeated

19.18 (132) to 11.13 (79), in front of a crowd of 49,000 (approx.) people at Princes Park. (For an explanation of scoring see Australian rules football).

Awards

* The 1942 VFL Premiership team was

. * The VFL's leading goalkicker was Lindsay White of

with 67 goals (80 after finals); White usually played for Geelong, but transferred to South Melbourne because Geelong had withdrawn from the war-time competition. * No

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 t ...

was awarded in 1942. *

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 1942. * The seconds premiership was won by . St Kilda 13.10 (88) defeated 7.15 (57) in the Grand Final, played as a stand-alone match on 12 September at the

Notable events

* In Round 2,

and

set the record for the highest aggregate score in a game, with the teams combining for 48.25 (313). This record would stand for thirty years, eventually being broken in the 1972 Grand Final. * Melbourne was led on to the field by

RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

air ace Squadron Leader Keith "Bluey" Truscott, DFC and Bar. Truscott unfurled Melbourne's 1941 premiership flag and, very obviously lacking match condition, played an average game, kicking a single goal in his team's 79-point loss, which proved the last of his fifty career senior games). * The second half of the 1942 Grand Final was delayed as the captains

Jack Dyer John Raymond Dyer Sr. OAM (15 November 1913 – 23 August 2003), nicknamed Captain Blood, was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1931 and 1949. One of the ga ...

and

Dick Reynolds Richard Sylvannus Reynolds (20 June 1915 – 2 September 2002) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Reynolds is one of four footballers to have won three Brownlow ...

, both of whom were in "reserved" occupations and, therefore, exempt from military service (Dyer was a police officer, and Reynolds a munitions worker), made speeches to the crowd in support of the wartime Austerity Loan. * On Sunday 12 July at the

, a Combined Services Team, which included

Percy Beames Percy James Beames (27 July 1911 – 28 March 2004) was an Australian sportsman who played Australian rules football for the Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) as well as first-class cricket for Victoria in the She ...

Allan La Fontaine Allan Faulkner La Fontaine (5 December 1910 – 14 August 1999) was an Australian rules footballer who played with and coached Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Private life La Fontaine was born at the country town of Eskdale ...

, Jack Mueller, Alby Pannam, and

Norman Ware Norman Ware (5 March 1911 – 26 August 2003) was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League (VFL). A scrupulously fair, clever and unusually pacy ruckman for Footscray, Ware is the only captain-coach to have won the Bro ...

, played a match against a combined team of VFL players chosen by the

Lord Mayor of Melbourne This is a list of the mayors and lord mayors of the City of Melbourne, a local government area of Victoria, Australia. Mayors (1842–1902) Lord mayors (1902–1980) The title of "Lord Mayor" was conferred on the position of mayor by Ki ...

, former Olympic swimming champion Sir Frank Beaurepaire, which included

Norm Smith Norman Walter Smith (21 November 1915 – 29 July 1973) was an Australian rules football player and coach in the Victorian Football League (VFL). After more than 200 games as a player with and , Smith began a twenty-year coaching career, inc ...

, and Bob Chitty. * On Saturday, 26 September, the premiers, Essendon played a patriotic match against a Combined Services Team that included former VFL stars Laurie Nash,

Bob Pratt Harold Robert Pratt Sr. (31 August 1912 – 6 January 2001) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the South Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the Coburg Football Club in the Victorian Football Asso ...

and Ron Todd (all of whom had been lost to the VFL since crossing to the

before the war). Essendon won 24.18 (162) to 20.15 (135) before a crowd of 10,000 at Princes Park. *

recorded its only win of the season over Collingwood in Round 5, the first time that the Hawks had beaten the Magpies since they joined the VFL in 1925 after 29 losses. Hawthorn were to lose nineteen in a row to the Magpies between 1944 and 1954 before its first peacetime victory in Round 4, 1955.

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

1942 Season - AFL Tables
{{Australian Football League Australian Football League seasons

Vfl season The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...