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1947 VFL season

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1947 VFL premiership season
Teams12
PremiersCarlton
8th premiership
Minor premiersCarlton
11th minor premiership
Brownlow MedallistBert Deacon (Carlton)
Leading goalkicker medallistFred Fanning (Melbourne)
Matches played118
Highest85,793
← 1946
1948 →

The 1947 VFL season was the 51st season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football 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 Carlton Football Club for the eighth time, after it defeated Essendon by one point in the 1947 VFL Grand Final.

Background

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In 1947, 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; matches 12 to 19 were the "home-and-way reverse" of matches 1 to 8.

Once the 19 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1947 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the Page–McIntyre system.

Home-and-away season

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Round 1

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Geelong 19.15 (129) Hawthorn 12.12 (84) Kardinia Park 13,000 19 April 1947
Essendon 16.23 (119) South Melbourne 10.8 (68) Windy Hill 19,000 19 April 1947
Collingwood 20.18 (138) Fitzroy 14.8 (92) Victoria Park 24,000 19 April 1947
Carlton 17.20 (122) Melbourne 16.13 (109) Princes Park 24,000 19 April 1947
Richmond 18.27 (135) North Melbourne 15.14 (104) Punt Road Oval 20,000 19 April 1947
St Kilda 12.16 (88) Footscray 22.17 (149) Junction Oval 14,000 19 April 1947

Round 2

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 8.11 (59) St Kilda 8.13 (61) Arden Street Oval 8,000 26 April 1947
Fitzroy 13.22 (100) Richmond 11.11 (77) Brunswick Street Oval 22,000 26 April 1947
Melbourne 14.25 (109) Geelong 11.7 (73) MCG 12,000 26 April 1947
Footscray 15.13 (103) Essendon 13.11 (89) Western Oval 22,000 26 April 1947
Hawthorn 13.9 (87) Collingwood 19.20 (134) Glenferrie Oval 15,000 26 April 1947
South Melbourne 12.12 (84) Carlton 9.16 (70) Lake Oval 30,000 26 April 1947

Round 3

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Fitzroy 12.20 (92) Melbourne 12.11 (83) Brunswick Street Oval 18,000 3 May 1947
Essendon 21.10 (136) St Kilda 19.11 (125) Windy Hill 13,000 3 May 1947
South Melbourne 10.18 (78) North Melbourne 12.10 (82) Lake Oval 18,000 3 May 1947
Hawthorn 12.10 (82) Footscray 20.14 (134) Glenferrie Oval 11,000 3 May 1947
Geelong 12.17 (89) Collingwood 14.24 (108) Kardinia Park 14,600 3 May 1947
Richmond 5.18 (48) Carlton 17.19 (121) Punt Road Oval 32,000 3 May 1947

Round 4

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Collingwood 19.24 (138) South Melbourne 12.14 (86) Victoria Park 25,000 10 May 1947
Carlton 16.16 (112) Footscray 7.16 (58) Princes Park 37,000 10 May 1947
Richmond 10.12 (72) Melbourne 18.12 (120) Punt Road Oval 16,000 10 May 1947
St Kilda 10.17 (77) Hawthorn 12.12 (84) Junction Oval 10,500 10 May 1947
North Melbourne 4.15 (39) Fitzroy 19.26 (140) Arden Street Oval 12,000 10 May 1947
Geelong 11.17 (83) Essendon 16.19 (115) Kardinia Park 14,500 10 May 1947

Round 5

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 16.11 (107) Richmond 10.9 (69) Glenferrie Oval 13,000 17 May 1947
Footscray 17.18 (120) North Melbourne 11.13 (79) Western Oval 13,000 17 May 1947
Fitzroy 19.18 (132) St Kilda 7.14 (56) Brunswick Street Oval 10,000 17 May 1947
South Melbourne 13.9 (87) Geelong 15.16 (106) Lake Oval 12,000 17 May 1947
Melbourne 15.5 (95) Collingwood 9.16 (70) MCG 33,500 17 May 1947
Essendon 8.16 (64) Carlton 14.7 (91) Windy Hill 32,000 17 May 1947

Round 6

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 9.12 (66) Melbourne 12.9 (81) Glenferrie Oval 16,000 24 May 1947
Fitzroy 8.15 (63) South Melbourne 15.11 (101) Brunswick Street Oval 16,000 24 May 1947
Richmond 18.18 (126) Geelong 11.11 (77) Punt Road Oval 14,500 24 May 1947
North Melbourne 15.12 (102) Essendon 14.10 (94) Arden Street Oval 12,000 24 May 1947
Footscray 13.12 (90) Collingwood 10.16 (76) Western Oval 26,000 24 May 1947
St Kilda 7.11 (53) Carlton 23.17 (155) Junction Oval 18,000 24 May 1947

Round 7

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Geelong 7.12 (54) St Kilda 6.13 (49) Kardinia Park 13,500 31 May 1947
Essendon 11.17 (83) Fitzroy 10.14 (74) Windy Hill 17,500 31 May 1947
Collingwood 10.13 (73) Richmond 10.14 (74) Victoria Park 27,500 31 May 1947
Carlton 13.21 (99) North Melbourne 11.14 (80) Princes Park 25,000 31 May 1947
South Melbourne 15.14 (104) Hawthorn 12.20 (92) Lake Oval 15,000 31 May 1947
Melbourne 17.3 (105) Footscray 15.8 (98) MCG 34,500 31 May 1947

Round 8

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Melbourne 15.15 (105) St Kilda 5.13 (43) MCG 11,000 7 June 1947
Hawthorn 10.15 (75) North Melbourne 10.11 (71) Glenferrie Oval 12,000 7 June 1947
Carlton 16.21 (117) Geelong 7.10 (52) Princes Park 16,000 7 June 1947
South Melbourne 15.9 (99) Richmond 15.13 (103) Lake Oval 24,000 7 June 1947
Footscray 12.11 (83) Fitzroy 7.7 (49) Western Oval 20,000 7 June 1947
Essendon 9.14 (68) Collingwood 11.16 (82) Windy Hill 22,000 7 June 1947

Round 9

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Fitzroy 16.15 (111) Hawthorn 8.14 (62) Brunswick Street Oval 13,000 14 June 1947
North Melbourne 9.6 (60) Melbourne 11.15 (81) Arden Street Oval 14,000 14 June 1947
Geelong 16.7 (103) Footscray 11.20 (86) Kardinia Park 14,500 14 June 1947
Richmond 7.14 (56) Essendon 18.17 (125) Punt Road Oval 34,000 14 June 1947
St Kilda 11.9 (75) South Melbourne 18.13 (121) Junction Oval 12,000 16 June 1947
Collingwood 16.16 (112) Carlton 13.8 (86) Victoria Park 43,500 16 June 1947

Round 10

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Melbourne 8.11 (59) South Melbourne 9.15 (69) MCG 28,000 21 June 1947
Footscray 4.17 (41) Richmond 10.12 (72) Western Oval 20,000 21 June 1947
North Melbourne 13.8 (86) Geelong 18.11 (119) Arden Street Oval 8,000 21 June 1947
Hawthorn 6.9 (45) Essendon 18.20 (128) Glenferrie Oval 14,000 21 June 1947
St Kilda 9.13 (67) Collingwood 15.20 (110) Junction Oval 11,000 21 June 1947
Fitzroy 8.7 (55) Carlton 10.8 (68) Brunswick Street Oval 29,000 21 June 1947

Round 11

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Richmond 23.15 (153) St Kilda 7.10 (52) Punt Road Oval 13,000 28 June 1947
Essendon 12.13 (85) Melbourne 10.15 (75) Windy Hill 21,000 28 June 1947
Collingwood 14.19 (103) North Melbourne 9.15 (69) Victoria Park 15,000 28 June 1947
Carlton 18.17 (125) Hawthorn 8.14 (62) Princes Park 14,000 28 June 1947
South Melbourne 15.9 (99) Footscray 12.10 (82) Lake Oval 25,000 28 June 1947
Geelong 10.10 (70) Fitzroy 11.15 (81) Kardinia Park 16,000 28 June 1947

Round 12

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 4.10 (34) Richmond 12.11 (83) Arden Street Oval 7,500 5 July 1947
Footscray 5.14 (44) St Kilda 6.8 (44) Western Oval 10,000 5 July 1947
Hawthorn 12.11 (83) Geelong 16.21 (117) Glenferrie Oval 5,500 5 July 1947
South Melbourne 8.14 (62) Essendon 11.17 (83) Lake Oval 18,000 5 July 1947
Fitzroy 9.11 (65) Collingwood 7.6 (48) Brunswick Street Oval 18,000 5 July 1947
Melbourne 9.10 (64) Carlton 10.9 (69) MCG 38,000 5 July 1947

Round 13

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Geelong 16.11 (107) Melbourne 5.16 (46) Kardinia Park 15,000 12 July 1947
Essendon 10.18 (78) Footscray 8.11 (59) Windy Hill 20,000 12 July 1947
Collingwood 8.17 (65) Hawthorn 6.9 (45) Victoria Park 12,000 12 July 1947
Carlton 10.14 (74) South Melbourne 9.16 (70) Princes Park 28,000 12 July 1947
St Kilda 8.15 (63) North Melbourne 13.25 (103) Junction Oval 6,000 12 July 1947
Richmond 12.12 (84) Fitzroy 11.12 (78) Punt Road Oval 28,000 12 July 1947

Round 14

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 8.14 (62) South Melbourne 8.18 (66) Arden Street Oval 8,000 19 July 1947
Footscray 13.18 (96) Hawthorn 10.7 (67) Western Oval 10,000 19 July 1947
Collingwood 12.11 (83) Geelong 11.11 (77) Victoria Park 15,000 19 July 1947
Carlton 10.10 (70) Richmond 9.9 (63) Princes Park 26,000 19 July 1947
Melbourne 7.10 (52) Fitzroy 11.8 (74) MCG 23,000 19 July 1947
St Kilda 7.13 (55) Essendon 14.18 (102) Junction Oval 7,000 19 July 1947

Round 15

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Melbourne 10.12 (72) Richmond 11.15 (81) MCG 32,000 26 July 1947
Hawthorn 16.18 (114) St Kilda 10.9 (69) Glenferrie Oval 5,000 26 July 1947
Fitzroy 16.7 (103) North Melbourne 7.14 (56) Brunswick Street Oval 11,000 26 July 1947
Essendon 16.21 (117) Geelong 12.5 (77) Windy Hill 16,000 26 July 1947
South Melbourne 9.15 (69) Collingwood 9.15 (69) Lake Oval 25,000 26 July 1947
Footscray 13.11 (89) Carlton 14.9 (93) Western Oval 25,000 26 July 1947

Round 16

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Carlton 7.12 (54) Essendon 13.16 (94) Princes Park 38,000 2 August 1947
Richmond 13.18 (96) Hawthorn 8.7 (55) Punt Road Oval 12,000 2 August 1947
St Kilda 9.9 (63) Fitzroy 10.17 (77) Junction Oval 8,000 2 August 1947
Geelong 13.19 (97) South Melbourne 7.19 (61) Kardinia Park 15,500 9 August 1947
Collingwood 7.14 (56) Melbourne 7.19 (61) Victoria Park 25,000 9 August 1947
North Melbourne 10.12 (72) Footscray 11.10 (76) Arden Street Oval 12,000 9 August 1947

Round 17

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Geelong 16.19 (115) Richmond 13.9 (87) Kardinia Park 18,500 16 August 1947
Essendon 19.12 (126) North Melbourne 12.14 (86) Windy Hill 13,000 16 August 1947
Collingwood 17.10 (112) Footscray 12.12 (84) Victoria Park 25,000 16 August 1947
Carlton 14.19 (103) St Kilda 3.12 (30) Princes Park 11,000 16 August 1947
Melbourne 13.21 (99) Hawthorn 14.9 (93) MCG 11,500 16 August 1947
South Melbourne 10.11 (71) Fitzroy 12.10 (82) Lake Oval 20,000 16 August 1947

Round 18

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 12.11 (83) South Melbourne 19.14 (128) Glenferrie Oval 8,000 23 August 1947
Footscray 11.14 (80) Melbourne 24.11 (155) Western Oval 11,000 23 August 1947
St Kilda 10.13 (73) Geelong 15.17 (107) Junction Oval 7,000 23 August 1947
Fitzroy 18.22 (130) Essendon 8.14 (62) Brunswick Street Oval 18,000 23 August 1947
Richmond 20.14 (134) Collingwood 8.12 (60) Punt Road Oval 31,000 23 August 1947
North Melbourne 10.12 (72) Carlton 14.13 (97) Arden Street Oval 12,000 23 August 1947

Round 19

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Richmond 16.17 (113) South Melbourne 11.13 (79) Punt Road Oval 22,000 30 August 1947
Fitzroy 20.18 (138) Footscray 10.14 (74) Brunswick Street Oval 13,000 30 August 1947
Collingwood 14.17 (101) Essendon 16.12 (108) Victoria Park 33,000 30 August 1947
St Kilda 10.18 (78) Melbourne 27.9 (171) Junction Oval 6,000 30 August 1947
North Melbourne 10.14 (74) Hawthorn 10.10 (70) Arden Street Oval 4,000 30 August 1947
Geelong 17.7 (109) Carlton 16.11 (107) Kardinia Park 21,500 30 August 1947

Round 19 is notable for Fred Fanning's 18-goal performance, which, to date, is the most goals ever scored by an individual player in VFL/AFL history for a single game. It was also his final game.[1]

Ladder

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(P) Premiers
Qualified for finals
# Team P W L D PF PA % Pts
1 Carlton (P) 19 15 4 0 1833 1368 134.0 60
2 Essendon 19 14 5 0 1876 1528 122.8 56
3 Fitzroy 19 13 6 0 1736 1370 126.7 52
4 Richmond 19 12 7 0 1726 1582 109.1 48
5 Collingwood 19 11 7 1 1738 1546 112.4 46
6 Melbourne 19 11 8 0 1742 1488 117.1 44
7 Geelong 19 11 8 0 1761 1705 103.3 44
8 South Melbourne 19 8 10 1 1602 1652 97.0 34
9 Footscray 19 8 10 1 1646 1713 96.1 34
10 North Melbourne 19 4 15 0 1390 1789 77.7 16
11 Hawthorn 19 4 15 0 1456 1907 76.4 16
12 St Kilda 19 1 17 1 1221 2079 58.7 6

Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 86.5
Source: AFL Tables

Finals series

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Semi-finals

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Home team Score Away team Score Venue Crowd Date
Fitzroy 16.7 (103) Richmond 11.9 (75) MCG 82,570 6 September
Carlton 14.15 (99) Essendon 11.17 (83) MCG 75,475 13 September

Preliminary final

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Home team Score Away team Score Venue Crowd Date
Essendon 16.13 (109) Fitzroy 14.12 (96) MCG 55,648 20 September

Grand final

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Grand Final
Saturday, 27 September (2:15 pm) Carlton def. Essendon Melbourne Cricket Ground (crowd: 85,793) [2]
4.0 (24)
8.0 (48)
10.4 (64)
13.8 (86)
Q1
Q2
Q3
Final
3.7 (25)
8.11 (59)
10.15 (75)
11.19 (85)
Umpires: Alfred Sawyer
Davies 4, Baird 3, Turner 2, Garby, Henfry, Howell, Stafford Goals Hutchison 4, Brittingham 2, Reynolds 2, Cassin, Goodingham, Rawle
Clark, Green, Turner, Henfry, Davies, Grieve, Jack Bennett, Conley Best Buttsworth, Jones, McClure, Hutchison, Reynolds, Lambert, Cassin, Harper, Allanson
Deacon (cramp), Bailey (knee) Injuries
Reports Cassin, for elbowing Hands in the third quarter


Season notes

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  • In Round 2, South Melbourne returned to the Lake Oval for the first time since 1941 after it was vacated by the military and had its grandstand rebuilt; this was the final home ground change related to World War II.
  • At the first bounce, at the very start of the round 5 match between Hawthorn and Richmond, Richmond ruckman Laurie Taylor punched the ball an amazing 40 yards and dislocated his shoulder.
  • Richmond champion Jack Titus, having retired early in the 1946 VFA season, having scored 1159 goals in his senior career of 294 games with Richmond (1926–1943), 23 games with Coburg (1945–1946), and 14 games for Victoria (1929–1934, 1936), played one match for the Richmond Second Eighteen when it was short of players at the age of 39 and scored 12 goals against North Melbourne.
  • In round 6, with North Melbourne trailing Essendon by 44 points at three quarter time, North Melbourne captain Les Foote moved into the ruck and almost single-handedly led a comeback which ended with an eight-point victory to North Melbourne: North Melbourne 15.12 (102) to Essendon 14.10 (94).
  • Western Australia defeated Victoria 16.10 (106) to 14.17 (101) at the Tenth ANFC Carnival in Tasmania. Also, in a challenge match, a combined South Australian and Western Australian team defeated the Victorian team 21.14 (140) to 19.15 (129).
  • In the final round and his last league match before accepting a coaching job in the Western District, Melbourne's Fred Fanning kicked 18 goals 1 behind. This broke Gordon Coventry's Round 12, 1930 record for the most goals by one player in a VFL match, and still stands today.
  • Carlton won the Grand Final by a point after Fred Stafford kicked a goal just before the final bell.

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ "AFL Tables - Miscellaneous Goalkicking Records". afltables.com. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  2. ^ Alf Brown (27 September 1947). "Carlton snatch win in hectic finish". The Herald. Melbourne, VIC. p. 26.
  3. ^ "North Seconds win first pennant". The Argus. Melbourne. 29 September 1947. p. 18.
  • Maplestone, M., Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996, Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN 0-9591740-2-8
  • Rogers, S. & Brown, A., Every Game Ever Played: VFL/AFL Results 1897–1997 (Sixth Edition), Viking Books, (Ringwood), 1998. ISBN 0-670-90809-6
  • 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. ISBN 0-670-86814-0

Sources

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