The 1952 VFL season was the 56th 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 19 April until 27 September, and comprised a 19-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs. The premiership was won by 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 ...

for the fifth time and second time consecutively. Geelong defeated by 46 points in the 1952 VFL Grand Final, as part of a 23-game winning streak spanning the 1952 and 1953 seasons which stands as the longest in league history.

Premiership season

In 1952, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus two substitute players, known as the 19th man and the 20th 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 19 rounds. There was an extra round (round 8), in addition to 1951's 18 rounds. Promoted as a "National Day Round", it was held on the Saturday (14 June) of the Queen's Birthday weekend and saw all clubs play a match for premiership points at country or interstate locations, while the Victorian State side played against the West Australian State side at

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 ...

. The season was constructed as follows: in rounds 1 to 7 and 9 to 12 the teams played each other. Round 8, the "National Day Round", was the reverse of round 11 (and the designated round 8 "home team" was the reverse of that in round 11). Rounds 13 to 19 were the "home-and-away reverse" of rounds 1 to 7. Once the 19 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1952 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" , , 5.15 (45) , , 7.12 (54) ,

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 ...

, 20,500 , 19 April 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.16 (82) , , 8.26 (74) ,

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 ...

, 18,000 , 19 April 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.13 (97) , , 15.13 (103) ,

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 ...

, 25,000 , 19 April 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.10 (46) , , 6.5 (41) ,

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 ...

, 24,000 , 19 April 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 2.8 (20) , , 15.16 (106) ,

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 ...

, 14,000 , 19 April 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.19 (67) , , 13.12 (90) ,

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 ...

, 22,000 , 19 April 1952

Round 2

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.12 (96) , , 13.11 (89) , Windy Hill , 21,000 , 26 April 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.17 (95) , , 8.14 (62) ,

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 ...

, 26,000 , 26 April 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.12 (84) , , 13.11 (89) , Princes Park , 31,500 , 26 April 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.11 (89) , , 12.19 (91) ,

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 ...

, 19,000 , 26 April 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.10 (82) , , 8.14 (62) ,

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 ...

, 13,000 , 26 April 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.4 (64) , , 7.15 (57) ,

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 ...

, 30,000 , 26 April 1952

Round 3

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.15 (99) , , 5.4 (34) ,

, 20,500 , 3 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.21 (75) , , 7.9 (51) ,

, 34,000 , 3 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.12 (72) , , 13.14 (92) , Princes Park , 25,500 , 3 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.17 (101) , , 12.9 (81) ,

, 28,500 , 3 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.12 (60) , , 10.14 (74) ,

, 13,500 , 3 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.11 (77) , , 10.6 (66) ,

, 20,000 , 3 May 1952

Round 4

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.3 (69) , , 8.12 (60) ,

, 15,000 , 10 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.16 (52) , , 10.16 (76) ,

, 20,000 , 10 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.15 (51) , , 14.16 (100) ,

, 19,500 , 10 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.13 (121) , , 16.15 (111) ,

, 24,000 , 10 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.16 (64) , , 12.12 (84) ,

, 19,500 , 10 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.9 (87) , , 13.16 (94) , Windy Hill , 28,000 , 10 May 1952

Round 5

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.9 (57) , , 10.11 (71) ,

, 27,000 , 17 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.16 (82) , , 6.10 (46) ,

, 20,000 , 17 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.6 (60) , , 5.6 (36) ,

, 22,500 , 17 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.6 (42) , , 5.11 (41) ,

, 9,500 , 17 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.10 (76) , , 18.8 (116) ,

, 17,500 , 17 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.16 (106) , , 7.14 (56) ,

, 36,000 , 17 May 1952

Round 6

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.19 (91) , , 4.5 (29) ,

, 20,500 , 31 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.10 (94) , , 10.13 (73) , Princes Park , 12,500 , 31 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.13 (49) , , 9.9 (63) ,

, 11,000 , 31 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.7 (55) , , 11.13 (79) ,

, 25,000 , 31 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.12 (96) , , 9.11 (65) ,

, 15,000 , 31 May 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.14 (44) , , 15.8 (98) ,

, 14,000 , 31 May 1952

Round 7

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.15 (63) , , 3.6 (24) ,

, 10,300 , 7 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.8 (80) , , 7.8 (50) ,

, 11,000 , 7 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.10 (82) , , 6.14 (50) ,

, 58,543 , 7 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.18 (60) , , 10.9 (69) , Windy Hill , 29,000 , 9 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.12 (120) , , 13.15 (93) , Princes Park , 37,500 , 9 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 16.14 (110) , , 11.13 (79) ,

, 26,000 , 9 June 1952

Round 8 (National Day Round)

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.6 (36) , , 10.12 (72) , SCG , 24,174 , 14 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.12 (90) , , 10.10 (70) ,

North Hobart Oval North Hobart Oval is a Stadium, sports venue in North Hobart, Tasmania, used for Australian rules football. History North Hobart Oval started its existence as Hobart Town's brickfields in 1844 before becoming a Brickfields Hiring Depot, convi ...

, 18,387 , 14 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 18.10 (118) , , 14.12 (96) , Albury Sports Ground , 15,000 , 14 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.4 (34) , , 7.7 (49) , Yallourn Oval , 3,500 , 14 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.15 (117) , , 11.14 (80) , Euroa Oval , 7,500 , 14 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.14 (86) , , 23.17 (155) ,

Brisbane Exhibition Ground Brisbane Showgrounds (formerly known as the Brisbane Exhibition Ground) is located at 600 Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and was established in 1875. It hosts more than 250 events each year, with the largest bein ...

, 28,000 , 16 June 1952

Round 9

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.13 (55) , , 4.11 (35) ,

, 21,513 , 21 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.8 (74) , , 10.15 (75) , Windy Hill , 16,000 , 21 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.8 (44) , , 8.12 (60) ,

, 15,500 , 21 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.11 (41) , , 7.6 (48) ,

, 7,500 , 21 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.9 (45) , , 7.8 (50) ,

, 14,085 , 21 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.3 (33) , , 5.9 (39) ,

, 21,000 , 21 June 1952

Round 10

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.10 (64) , , 5.9 (39) ,

, 7,000 , 28 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.11 (83) , , 6.10 (46) ,

, 23,557 , 28 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.22 (112) , , 8.9 (57) , Princes Park , 12,617 , 28 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.8 (44) , , 10.10 (70) ,

, 7,500 , 28 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.12 (90) , , 5.8 (38) ,

, 12,500 , 28 June 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.10 (64) , , 12.13 (85) ,

, 21,000 , 28 June 1952

Round 11

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.4 (46) , , 10.17 (77) ,

, 15,000 , 5 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.16 (76) , , 11.10 (76) , Windy Hill , 21,000 , 5 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.19 (79) , , 8.8 (56) ,

, 21,911 , 5 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.13 (79) , , 12.13 (85) ,

, 7,800 , 5 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.7 (73) , , 11.17 (83) ,

, 25,089 , 5 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.11 (41) , , 9.24 (78) ,

, 11,000 , 5 July 1952

Round 12

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.17 (77) , , 6.8 (44) ,

, 9,000 , 12 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 4.11 (35) , , 9.4 (58) ,

, 12,218 , 12 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.11 (89) , , 10.11 (71) ,

, 10,500 , 12 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.14 (50) , , 6.14 (50) , Princes Park , 24,839 , 12 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.12 (60) , , 9.15 (69) ,

, 27,000 , 12 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.8 (62) , , 4.9 (33) ,

, 36,145 , 12 July 1952

Round 13

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.8 (38) , , 6.8 (44) ,

, 15,000 , 19 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.26 (110) , , 8.6 (54) ,

, 21,744 , 19 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.12 (42) , , 7.15 (57) , Windy Hill , 17,000 , 19 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.15 (87) , , 4.4 (28) ,

, 12,643 , 19 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.23 (53) , , 5.8 (38) , Princes Park , 21,055 , 19 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.17 (47) , , 11.10 (76) ,

, 18,000 , 19 July 1952

Round 14

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.12 (78) , , 8.10 (58) ,

, 14,045 , 26 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.14 (62) , , 14.7 (91) ,

, 11,000 , 26 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.9 (57) , , 9.12 (66) ,

, 22,759 , 26 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.11 (53) , , 7.8 (50) ,

, 15,000 , 26 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.6 (36) , , 4.11 (35) ,

, 26,000 , 26 July 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.16 (76) , , 10.16 (76) ,

, 32,000 , 26 July 1952

Round 15

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.14 (74) , , 12.14 (86) ,

, 19,000 , 2 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.3 (57) , , 12.13 (85) ,

, 9,000 , 2 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.6 (48) , , 8.9 (57) ,

, 14,760 , 2 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.13 (55) , , 9.16 (70) ,

, 12,000 , 2 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.10 (88) , , 12.17 (89) , Windy Hill , 21,000 , 2 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 5.15 (45) , , 5.14 (44) ,

, 29,000 , 2 August 1952

Round 16

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 14.10 (94) , , 9.12 (66) ,

, 12,000 , 9 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 20.19 (139) , , 8.7 (55) ,

, 14,100 , 9 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.16 (82) , , 12.11 (83) , Princes Park , 34,000 , 9 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.14 (50) , , 9.14 (68) ,

, 12,000 , 9 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.17 (107) , , 8.12 (60) ,

, 17,421 , 9 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.16 (88) , , 5.10 (40) ,

, 31,314 , 9 August 1952

Round 17

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 22.15 (147) , , 7.9 (51) , Windy Hill , 12,000 , 16 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 12.16 (88) , , 9.13 (67) , Princes Park , 42,662 , 16 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.14 (74) , , 8.18 (66) ,

, 24,000 , 16 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.9 (75) , , 15.13 (103) ,

, 15,000 , 16 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.11 (89) , , 5.14 (44) ,

, 11,000 , 16 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 7.6 (48) , , 12.12 (84) ,

, 12,000 , 16 August 1952

Round 18

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 11.16 (82) , , 15.7 (97) ,

, 16,402 , 23 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 17.9 (111) , , 10.7 (67) ,

, 21,318 , 23 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 9.10 (64) , , 7.15 (57) ,

, 29,000 , 23 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 20.12 (132) , , 11.11 (77) , Windy Hill , 12,000 , 23 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 6.14 (50) , , 14.15 (99) ,

, 20,584 , 23 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.8 (56) , , 13.14 (92) ,

, 18,000 , 23 August 1952

Round 19

, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" , Home team , Home team score , Away team , Away team score , Venue , Crowd , Date , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 8.11 (59) , , 12.10 (82) ,

, 6,000 , 30 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.13 (91) , , 8.13 (61) ,

, 20,723 , 30 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 13.14 (92) , , 10.11 (71) ,

, 18,753 , 30 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.12 (72) , , 8.18 (66) ,

, 9,000 , 30 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 15.11 (101) , , 11.10 (76) ,

, 28,000 , 30 August 1952 , - bgcolor="#FFFFFF" , , 10.17 (77) , , 3.14 (32) ,

, 49,107 , 30 August 1952

Ladder

Finals

First Semi-Final

Second Semi-Final

Preliminary Final

Grand final

Awards

* The 1952 VFL Premiership team was

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, ...

. * The VFL's leading goalkicker was John Coleman of

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 ...

with 103 goals. * The winner of the 1952

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 Roy Wright of

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, ...

with 21 votes. He won on a count-back from

Bill Hutchison William Henry Hutchison (28 April 1923 – 18 June 1982), often referred to as "Hutchy", was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League (VFL) with the Essendon Football Club, who played 290 VFL games, from 1942 to 1957, an ...

. **As a consequence of its 1981 decision to change its rules relating to tied Brownlow Medal contests, the AFL awarded a retrospective medal to

in 1989. * St Kilda 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 1952.

Notable events

winger

Lance Mann Lance Gibson Mann (12 July 1930 – 13 March 2015) was a professional footrunner and a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Footballer A talented wingman, Mann started his football career in Walwa, bef ...

won the 1952, 130-yard

Stawell Gift The Stawell Gift is Australia's oldest and richest short-distance running race. It is the main event in an annual carnival held on Easter weekend by the Stawell Athletic Club, with the main race finals on the holiday Monday, at Central Park, St ...

in eleven and fourteen-sixteenths seconds, off a handicap of 7¼yards; his teammate, half-back flanker Norm McDonald, running off a handicap of 5 yards, came second. * Bowing to pressure from its players and supporters, Fitzroy abandoned "The Gorillas" as its emblem. Originally intended to signify strength, tenacity, aggression, power, etc. the symbol had become somewhat devalued when opposition supporters started referring to the team as "The Apes". "The Lions" was not introduced until 1957; in the interim they were known as either "The Maroons" or "The Roys". * In May 1952, as part of its promotion of the

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...

movie

Ten Tall Men ''Ten Tall Men'' is a 1951 American adventure film starring Burt Lancaster about the French Foreign Legion during the Rif War in Morocco. Though co-written and directed by Willis Goldbeck, Goldbeck walked off the film due to disputes with Lancaste ...

, the management of the Melbourne cinema ''The State Theatre'' on the corner of Flinders Street and Russell Street (now known as the

Forum Theatre Forum theatre is a type of theatre created by Brazilian theatre director Augusto Boal. It is one of the techniques under the umbrella term of Theatre of the Oppressed (TO). This relates to the engagement of spectators influencing and engaging with ...

) measured the height of the ten tallest VFL players.

Geoff Leek Geoff Leek (18 February 1932 – 21 February 2008) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the VFL from 1951 to 1962. First senior match Recruited from the Preston Boys Club (he had been released by Collingwood to w ...

was officially declared to be the tallest, at 6'4½" (194.3 cm). * As part of an effort by 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 ...

to promote the game, a special round of VFL premiership matches was held in different cities around Australia on Queen's Birthday weekend:

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Euroa Euroa is a town in the Shire of Strathbogie in the north-east of Victoria, Australia. At the 2016 census, Euroa's population was 3,275. The name Euroa comes from an Aboriginal word in the old local dialect meaning 'joyful'. History Major T ...

Yallourn Yallourn, Victoria was a company town in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia built between the 1920s and 1950s to house employees of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria, who operated the nearby Yallourn Power Station, Victoria, Yal ...

Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...

and

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

. Wet weather across much of eastern Australia affected crowds at Yallourn and Sydney, and forced the postponement of the match at Brisbane from Saturday afternoon to Monday evening after the

RNA Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) are nucleic acids. Along with lipids, proteins, and carbohydra ...

feared the match would damage the rain-sodden turf; but matches not affected by rain drew huge crowds, including: **The crowd of 18,387 between and in Hobart set a new record for the largest crowd ever to attend a football match in Tasmania, breaking the record which had been set at the 1947 Hobart Interstate Carnival. **The crowd of 15,000 between and in Albury set a new record for the largest football crowd in Albury's history. **The crowd of 28,000 between and at the postponed match in Brisbane was unable to be accommodated by the venue, and a further 2,000 spectators entered without paying after breaking through a perimeter fence. :The National Day Round was played in addition to the standard eighteen games, so that the people of Melbourne and Geelong would still have nine home matches. An interstate match between

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

and

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

was played in Melbourne during that weekend. The endeavour was financed by the ANFC, which turned a small profit on the event after having insured the gate against rain. *In the First Semi-Final, Carlton's high marking centreman

Keith Warburton Keith Warburton (7 June 1929 – 28 June 2018) was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League (1897–1989), Victorian Football League. Warburton first played senior football for the Brighton Football Club in the Victorian ...

received a heavy knock to his abdomen early in the match, but thought little of it. Later that evening he collapsed at the Carlton Club dance. He was rushed to hospital where it was discovered that he was suffering from a severed artery leading to his bowel. He hovered near death for some days, requiring almost continuous transfusions of blood. It was said that his physical fitness was the only reason he survived that time. * In Round 10, in a match played in atrocious conditions at the

, Fitzroy's champion full-back, Vic Chanter, held

champion full-forward John Coleman goalless for the only time in his 98-game career. * Overall, the season was the wettest season for more than 20 years. Many matches were played in deep sticky mud on grounds that were covered in sheets of water. Mud was ankle deep at the

in Round 11. White balls were introduced in July to help players see the ball in all of the mud. **The overall bad weather and the atrocious condition of the grounds throughout the season, and the effect that had on the condition of the ball, especially in relation to hand-passing, marking and kicking, as well as the physical problems of leading and being unable to spring from muddy ground, highlights the significance of John Coleman's 103 goals in 18 matches.

Footnotes

References

* 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

1952 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 ...