The 1982 VFL season was the 86th 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. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 20 March until 25 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs. The season saw the VFL establish its first permanent interstate presence, as the South Melbourne Football Club (which was known after June just as the

Swans Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Someti ...

, being renamed Sydney the following year) played all of its home games on Sunday afternoons in Sydney, New South Wales. The premiership was won by the

Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition. Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of Me ...

for the 14th time and second time consecutively, after it defeated by 18 points in the

VFL Grand Final The AFL Grand Final is an Australian rules football match to determine the premiers for the Australian Football League (AFL) season. From its inception until 1989, it was known as the VFL Grand Final, as the league at that time was the Victori ...

Notable events

* South Melbourne, affected by limited finances and loss of its inner-city support base ever since

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 opposin ...

, relocated to Sydney after experimental matches played by the VFL there since 1979. Early in the season, the team was still formally known as South Melbourne, although it marketed itself as 'Sydney Swans' in Sydney; on 2 June, the team formally became known as 'the Swans' for the remainder of the season, before formally becoming the 'Sydney Swans' in 1983. * The VFL's new headquarters at 120 Jolimont Road, Jolimont was officially opened by the recently appointed Victorian Governor Sir Brian Murray at a special dinner on 17 March in the function room of the building. The dinner, which was attended by over 120 invited guests, also served as the launch of the VFL season. * Looking to build on the previous season's successful first outing for premiership points at

The Gabba The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as the Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. The nickname Gabba derives from the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located. Over the years, the Ga ...

, the VFL had hoped that the Round 7 match between and , originally scheduled at VFL Park, could be relocated to Brisbane without needing a replacement match played at Waverley. However, League officials were unable to get approval from the clubs to remove the stipulation that required a replacement game at VFL Park if a premiership game was to be played at The Gabba. , who had played in the previous season's historic first game at the Gabba for premiership points, had been approached about transferring their home game against from Windy Hill to Waverley, but refused. Football fans in Brisbane would have to wait until 1991 for the next League game played at the Gabba for premiership points. * Round 3 - the split Easter round - set a number of VFL records on and off the field; the total gate takings for the round was regarded as the highest on record at the time, officially reported as $486,652, paid by 213,199 people. * From 4 May, patrons were banned from bringing alcoholic beverages into VFL matches, and were limited to purchasing at most two pre-opened cans at a time from vendors at the ground. * Owing to the extreme

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

and consequent firm grounds, the 1982 season remains the highest-scoring on record. Among the records were: ** an average game score of 112 points; the next highest average score in a season was 106 points in 1979 and 1983 ** St Kilda and Footscray became the only teams ever to concede 3,000 points in one season ** 66 scores of 20 goals occurred, a record equalled only in 1991 ** 57 matches where both teams scored more than 100 points - no other season had more than fifty such matches ** Round 10 is the only round in VFL/AFL history in which every team scored 100 or more points. * In Round 16 against North Melbourne, Hawthorn set record scores of 13.3 (81) for the first quarter and 20.7 (127) for the first half. The former record stood until 2011, and the latter stood until 2004. * After a negative response from the players since its introduction in 1980, the VFL abandoned the practice of presenting runners-up medals to the losing team as part of the Grand Final post-match presentation. * In Round 18,

Leigh Matthews Leigh Raymond Matthews (born 1 March 1952) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and coached and the . Squat, short-legged and barrel-chested, Matthews earned the ic ...

ran into and broke a behind post at Windy Hill. * Early in the season, the VFL arranged for the Grand Finalists to play a rematch as a demonstration sport at the 1982 Commonwealth Games, held in Brisbane shortly after the season was finished. Carlton and Richmond played the exhibition match at

the Gabba The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as the Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. The nickname Gabba derives from the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located. Over the years, the Ga ...

on Wednesday, 6 October, and Richmond won the high-scoring match 28.16 (184) to 26.10 (166).

Night series

The

defeated 13.12 (90) to 8.10 (58) in the final.

Premiership season

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 13.22 (100) , , 10.22 (82) , Princes Park , 20,110 , 24 April 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.12 (84) ,

, 11.16 (82) ,

Kardinia Park Kardinia Park is a major public park located in South Geelong, Victoria. A number of public and sporting facilities are located in the park: a major AFL stadium, a secondary football oval, a cricket field, an open air swimming pool, a numb ...

, 20,770 , 24 April 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 15.20 (110) , , 20.9 (129) ,

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 ...

, 18,526 , 24 April 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 18.19 (127) , , 15.12 (102) ,

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 ...

, 18,268 , 24 April 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 19.22 (136) , , 18.11 (119) , Arden Street Oval , 23,405 , 24 April 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 9.12 (66) , , 9.22 (76) ,

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

, 26,950 , 24 April 1982

Round 6

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 13.10 (88) , , 12.19 (91) ,

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 ...

, 27,052 , 1 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 18.8 (116) , , 15.16 (106) ,

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 ...

, 31,438 , 1 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.20 (122) , , 7.22 (64) ,

, 18,791 , 1 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 11.14 (80) , , 16.22 (118) ,

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

, 26,185 , 1 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 15.11 (101) , , 19.21 (135) ,

, 34,921 , 1 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" ,

, 15.21 (111) , , 18.9 (117) , SCG , 15,461 , 2 May 1982

Round 7

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 22.11 (143) , , 28.12 (180) ,

, 25,704 , 8 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 15.20 (110) ,

, 20.11 (131) ,

, 11,487 , 8 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 19.15 (129) , , 17.15 (117) ,

, 14,675 , 8 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 15.20 (110) , , 7.7 (49) , Princes Park , 28,736 , 8 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.20 (122) , , 9.13 (67) , Windy Hill , 25,510 , 8 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.12 (114) , , 21.14 (140) ,

, 33,222 , 8 May 1982

Round 8

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 23.18 (156) , , 6.16 (52) , Arden Street Oval , 16,258 , 15 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.15 (87) , , 11.23 (89) ,

, 28,403 , 15 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 15.15 (105) , , 16.15 (111) , Princes Park , 26,865 , 15 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 11.11 (77) , , 14.22 (106) ,

, 17,903 , 15 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 13.21 (99) , , 25.14 (164) ,

, 25,856 , 15 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" ,

, 15.25 (115) , , 13.19 (97) , SCG , 20,905 , 16 May 1982

Round 9

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 19.19 (133) , , 12.13 (85) , Windy Hill , 22,403 , 22 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 13.14 (92) , , 17.12 (114) ,

, 24,904 , 22 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 27.23 (185) ,

, 12.11 (83) , Princes Park , 23,954 , 22 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 21.13 (139) , , 14.14 (98) ,

, 22,493 , 22 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.19 (115) , , 25.12 (162) ,

, 15,140 , 22 May 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 15.19 (109) , , 9.9 (63) ,

, 25,237 , 22 May 1982

Round 10

Round 11

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 20.14 (134) ,

, 18.25 (133) ,

, 28,216 , 5 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 26.22 (178) , , 14.15 (99) , Princes Park , 14,087 , 5 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 26.16 (172) , , 21.10 (136) ,

, 26,657 , 5 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.11 (71) , , 17.9 (111) ,

, 29,884 , 5 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 13.18 (96) , , 15.15 (105) , Arden Street Oval , 26,206 , 5 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.12 (108) , , 23.22 (160) ,

, 13,908 , 5 June 1982

Round 12

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 23.18 (156) , , 17.16 (118) ,

, 43,474 , 12 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 14.11 (95) , , 19.24 (138) ,

, 19,385 , 12 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" ,

, 15.15 (105) , , 16.15 (111) , SCG , 14,523 , 13 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 6.17 (53) , , 17.10 (112) ,

, 38,086 , 14 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 24.19 (163) , , 14.13 (97) ,

, 29,075 , 14 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 19.12 (126) , , 8.18 (66) , Windy Hill , 33,800 , 14 June 1982

Round 13

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.11 (107) , , 12.20 (92) ,

, 10,530 , 19 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.26 (98) , , 9.17 (71) , Princes Park , 30,346 , 19 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 21.8 (134) , , 10.10 (70) ,

, 23,365 , 19 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 13.10 (88) , , 11.21 (87) , Arden Street Oval , 16,000 , 19 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.5 (65) , , 12.10 (82) ,

, 64,319 , 19 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" ,

, 30.19 (199) , , 15.13 (103) , SCG , 10,034 , 20 June 1982

Round 14

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.8 (110) , , 10.3 (63) ,

, 15,107 , 26 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.16 (112) ,

, 20.13 (133) ,

, 12,300 , 26 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.12 (72) , , 13.16 (94) ,

, 25,409 , 26 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.14 (116) , , 12.10 (82) , Princes Park , 23,354 , 26 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 14.8 (92) , , 13.16 (94) ,

, 18,947 , 26 June 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 14.13 (97) , , 15.15 (105) ,

, 47,656 , 26 June 1982

Round 15

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 21.13 (139) , , 7.12 (54) , Windy Hill , 20,059 , 3 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 18.20 (128) , , 16.15 (111) , Princes Park , 21,871 , 3 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.14 (116) , , 22.14 (146) ,

, 48,338 , 3 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 20.11 (131) , , 18.12 (120) ,

, 15,958 , 3 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 13.11 (89) , , 16.13 (109) ,

, 32,812 , 3 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" ,

, 18.18 (126) , , 12.15 (87) , SCG , 12,221 , 4 July 1982

Round 16

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 32.14 (206) , , 15.22 (112) , Princes Park , 18,760 , 10 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 25.7 (157) , , 17.13 (115) ,

, 14,004 , 10 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 21.13 (139) , , 9.9 (63) ,

, 27,829 , 10 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 9.18 (72) , , 23.9 (147) ,

, 36,161 , 17 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.10 (82) ,

, 17.13 (115) , Windy Hill , 22,278 , 17 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.24 (84) , , 9.10 (64) ,

, 26,105 , 17 July 1982

Round 17

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 28.17 (185) , , 14.18 (102) ,

, 22,749 , 24 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 15.18 (108) , , 17.17 (119) ,

, 24,487 , 24 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 22.14 (146) , , 16.17 (113) , Arden Street Oval , 10,887 , 24 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 16.19 (115) , , 11.9 (75) ,

, 19,892 , 24 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 18.15 (123) , , 27.8 (170) ,

, 24,760 , 24 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" ,

, 14.27 (111) , , 15.8 (98) , SCG , 11,289 , 25 July 1982

Round 18

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.10 (82) , , 15.10 (100) , Windy Hill , 22,991 , 31 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 12.13 (85) ,

, 13.12 (90) ,

, 20,636 , 31 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 30.21 (201) , , 10.12 (72) , Princes Park , 17,514 , 31 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 14.12 (96) , , 22.18 (150) ,

, 10,955 , 31 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 13.15 (93) , , 24.19 (163) ,

, 18,649 , 31 July 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 24.19 (163) , , 11.13 (79) ,

, 23,237 , 31 July 1982

Round 19

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 7.8 (50) , , 16.16 (112) ,

, 16,259 , 7 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 21.16 (142) , , 11.12 (78) ,

, 9,987 , 7 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 22.18 (150) , , 11.16 (82) , Arden Street Oval , 11,634 , 7 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 20.20 (140) , , 16.22 (118) , Princes Park , 18,699 , 7 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 14.17 (101) , , 20.17 (137) ,

, 28,379 , 7 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" ,

, 15.16 (106) , , 9.18 (72) , SCG , 25,601 , 8 August 1982

Round 20

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 18.18 (126) ,

, 8.14 (62) , Princes Park , 15,743 , 14 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.12 (114) , , 25.18 (168) ,

, 20,702 , 14 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 5.18 (48) , , 15.15 (105) ,

, 14,597 , 14 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 10.16 (76) , , 13.12 (90) ,

, 15,705 , 14 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 9.10 (64) , , 13.14 (92) ,

, 71,203 , 14 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.16 (118) , , 16.8 (104) ,

, 11,133 , 14 August 1982

Round 21

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 19.17 (131) , , 12.11 (83) ,

, 8,280 , 21 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 14.12 (96) , , 12.13 (85) , Windy Hill , 17,587 , 21 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 26.24 (180) , , 17.8 (110) , Princes Park , 28,309 , 21 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 14.8 (92) , , 14.19 (103) ,

, 26,049 , 21 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 22.16 (148) , , 16.16 (112) ,

, 25,816 , 21 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" ,

, 16.14 (110) , , 19.13 (127) , SCG , 21,083 , 22 August 1982

Round 22

, - style="background:#ccf;" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - style="background:#fff;" , , 11.13 (79) , , 15.8 (98) , Arden Street Oval , 19,135 , 28 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 25.13 (163) ,

, 22.16 (148) ,

, 27,521 , 28 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 23.23 (161) , , 11.7 (73) , Princes Park , 13,116 , 28 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 9.8 (62) , , 32.16 (208) ,

, 21,575 , 28 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 18.13 (121) , , 18.18 (126) ,

, 20,950 , 28 August 1982 , - style="background:#fff;" , , 17.9 (111) , , 23.12 (150) ,

, 46,130 , 28 August 1982

Ladder

Finals series

Week one

Week two

Week three

Week four

Notes

* The

Coleman Medal The Coleman Medal is an Australian rules football award given annually to the Australian Football League (AFL) player who kicks the most goals A goal is an objective that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve. Goal may also refer ...

was won by

Malcolm Blight Malcolm Jack Blight AM (born 16 February 1950) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and coached the North Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and Woodville Football Club in the South Australian Nati ...

from . * The

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 to Brian Wilson from . * The inaugural VFL Players Association Most Valuable Player Award was won by

. In 2002, the award was renamed the

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

in his honour. * The reserves premiership was won by for the third consecutive season. Geelong 19.18 (132) defeated 12.11 (83) in the Grand Final, held as a curtain-raiser to the seniors Grand Final on 25 September.

References

Bibliography

* Stephen Rogers and Ashley Brown (1998). ''Every Game Ever Played''. 6th ed. Victoria: Penguin Books.

External links

{{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 ...