1972 VFL season

Infobox VFL Premiership Season
year = 1972


imagesize =
caption =
teams = 12
premiers = AFL Car
count =
minor premiers = AFL Car
mpcount =
matches =
top goal scorer = Peter McKenna (AFL Col)
brownlow medalist = Len Thompson (AFL Col)Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1972.

Premiership season

In 1972, 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 22 rounds; matches 12 to 22 were the "home-and-way reverse" of matches 1 to 11.

Once the 22 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1972 VFL "Premiers" were determined by the specific format and conventions of the McIntyre "Final Five" system.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Round 11

Round 12

Round 13

Round 14

Round 15

Round 16

Round 17

Round 18

Round 19

Round 20

Round 21

Round 22

Ladder

Umpire - Bill Deller

Awards

* The 1972 VFL Premiership team was Carlton.
* The VFL's leading goalkicker was Peter McKenna of Collingwood who kicked 130 goals.
* The winner of the 1972 Brownlow Medal was Len Thompson of Collingwood with 25 votes.
* North Melbourne took the "wooden spoon" in 1972.

Notable Events

* The Page-McIntyre System for determining the VFL premiership team, that had been centred on a "Final Four", and had operated from 1931 to 1971, was replaced by the McIntyre "Final Five" system in 1972 (the new finals system operated from 1972 until the 1991 AFL season, when it was replaced by the First McIntyre "Final Six" system).
* In round 1, Hawthorn full-forward Peter Hudson kicks 8 goals before he sustains a knee injury that keeps him out until round 21 of the following season.
* In round 10, the VFL changes a tradition: field umpires, rather than team captains, will now toss the coin at the start of the match, in order to reduce "gamesmanship".
* In round 14, Collingwood half-forward John Greening is felled by St Kilda back-man Jim O'Dea some 70 metres behind play. John Greening was comatose for some time and was extremely lucky not to have died. Many were unhappy that O'Dea only received a 10 week suspenion for his thuggery.
* In the second quarter of Carlton's round 16 match against Essendon, Alex Jesaulenko kicks six goals in eleven minutes. Carlton kicked 11 goals straight in that second quarter.
* In August, the VFL announces that it will now grant a free transfer to any player who has played 10 years with a single club.
* In September, North Melbourne Football Club appoint Ron Barassi as their 1973 coach.
* In Round 20, Geelong's Ken Newland kicks a point after the siren to win the match against Collingwood.
* In the round 21 match between Fitzroy and Essendon at the Junction Oval, bespectacled Essendon full-forward Geoff Blethyn kicked his 100th goal. A mounted policeman galloped out to protect Blethyn from spectators, and Blethyn was temporarily rendered sightless when the policeman's horse slobbers all over his glasses.
* The 16 September First Semi-Final between Richmond and Carlton is tied at 8.13 (61) each. Angry fans invaded the Melbourne Cricket Ground immediately the siren went and field umpire Ian Coates was assaulted. Richmond thrashed Carlton in the replay: 15.20 (110) to 9.15 (69).
* The Grand Final between Carlton and Richmond featured an aggregate score of 50.27 (327), setting the record for the highest aggregate score in any game, final or otherwise. The previous record of 48.25 (313) had stood since 1942, and the record would last until 1978.

ee also

* McIntyre "Final Five" system

References

* Hogan, P., "The Tigers Of Old", The Richmond Football Club, (Richmond), 1996. ISBN 0-646-18748-1
* Maplestone, M., "Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872-1996", Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN 0-959-17402-8
* 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

External links

* [http://stats.rleague.com/afl/seas/1972.html 1972 Season - AFL Tables]