1907 VFL season

1907 VFL Premiership season
1907 VFL Premiership season
	Dave McNamara
Teams	8
Premiers	Carlton; (2nd premiership)
Minor premiers	Carlton; (2nd minor premiership)
Matches played	71
Highest attendance	45,477
Leading Goalkicker Medallist	Dick Lee (Collingwood)
	← 1906 1908 →

The 1907 Victorian Football League season was the 11th season of the elite Australian rules football competition.

Premiership season

In 1907, the VFL competition consisted of eight teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their place on the field at any time during the match.

Each team played each other twice in a home-and-away season of 14 rounds.

Once the 14 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1907 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the amended "Argus system".

Round 1

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Essendon	14.15 (99)	Geelong	9.2 (56)	EMCG	27 April 1907
Collingwood	6.11 (47)	Fitzroy	5.9 (39)	Victoria Park	27 April 1907
Carlton	4.6 (30)	St Kilda	8.8 (56)	Princes Park	27 April 1907
South Melbourne	6.5 (41)	Melbourne	9.6 (60)	Lake Oval	27 April 1907

Round 2

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Fitzroy	7.15 (57)	South Melbourne	7.5 (47)	Brunswick Street Oval	4 May 1907
Melbourne	5.11 (41)	Essendon	6.12 (48)	MCG	4 May 1907
St Kilda	8.14 (62)	Collingwood	8.6 (54)	Junction Oval	4 May 1907
Geelong	3.9 (27)	Carlton	8.14 (62)	Corio Oval	4 May 1907

Round 3

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Fitzroy	9.10 (64)	Geelong	12.5 (77)	Brunswick Street Oval	11 May 1907
St Kilda	9.13 (67)	Essendon	5.7 (37)	Junction Oval	11 May 1907
South Melbourne	9.12 (66)	Collingwood	5.8 (38)	Lake Oval	11 May 1907
Melbourne	7.5 (47)	Carlton	12.14 (86)	MCG	11 May 1907

Round 4

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Geelong	7.4 (46)	St Kilda	11.16 (82)	Corio Oval	18 May 1907
Essendon	6.8 (44)	South Melbourne	6.11 (47)	EMCG	18 May 1907
Collingwood	4.10 (34)	Melbourne	6.10 (46)	Victoria Park	18 May 1907
Carlton	10.17 (77)	Fitzroy	3.7 (25)	Princes Park	18 May 1907

Round 5

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Geelong	9.5 (59)	Melbourne	7.9 (51)	Corio Oval	25 May 1907
Carlton	5.16 (46)	South Melbourne	9.7 (61)	Princes Park	25 May 1907
St Kilda	13.9 (87)	Fitzroy	9.10 (64)	Junction Oval	25 May 1907
Essendon	5.8 (38)	Collingwood	6.11 (47)	EMCG	25 May 1907

Round 6

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Melbourne	7.9 (51)	St Kilda	15.18 (108)	MCG	1 June 1907
Collingwood	4.6 (30)	Carlton	4.17 (41)	Victoria Park	1 June 1907
South Melbourne	6.9 (45)	Geelong	4.9 (33)	Lake Oval	3 June 1907
Fitzroy	10.7 (67)	Essendon	4.12 (36)	Brunswick Street Oval	3 June 1907

Round 7

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
St Kilda	4.8 (32)	South Melbourne	7.2 (44)	Junction Oval	15 June 1907
Carlton	15.14 (104)	Essendon	7.8 (50)	Princes Park	15 June 1907
Melbourne	8.7 (55)	Fitzroy	6.11 (47)	MCG	15 June 1907
Geelong	3.14 (32)	Collingwood	5.8 (38)	Corio Oval	15 June 1907

Round 8

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Melbourne	7.10 (52)	South Melbourne	5.10 (40)	MCG	22 June 1907
Geelong	7.11 (53)	Essendon	3.10 (28)	Corio Oval	22 June 1907
Fitzroy	11.3 (69)	Collingwood	11.12 (78)	Brunswick Street Oval	22 June 1907
St Kilda	3.15 (33)	Carlton	8.14 (62)	Junction Oval	22 June 1907

Round 9

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Essendon	5.13 (43)	Melbourne	3.10 (28)	EMCG	29 June 1907
Collingwood	9.13 (67)	St Kilda	7.10 (52)	Victoria Park	29 June 1907
Carlton	5.9 (39)	Geelong	7.4 (46)	Princes Park	29 June 1907
South Melbourne	6.8 (44)	Fitzroy	7.10 (52)	Lake Oval	29 June 1907

Round 10

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Essendon	5.7 (37)	St Kilda	9.11 (65)	EMCG	6 July 1907
Collingwood	8.9 (57)	South Melbourne	7.8 (50)	Victoria Park	6 July 1907
Carlton	9.16 (70)	Melbourne	8.6 (54)	Princes Park	6 July 1907
Geelong	10.11 (71)	Fitzroy	4.8 (32)	Corio Oval	6 July 1907

Round 11

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
St Kilda	6.18 (54)	Geelong	9.5 (59)	Junction Oval	13 July 1907
South Melbourne	8.11 (59)	Essendon	6.11 (47)	Lake Oval	13 July 1907
Melbourne	2.10 (22)	Collingwood	15.11 (101)	MCG	13 July 1907
Fitzroy	3.8 (26)	Carlton	15.14 (104)	Brunswick Street Oval	13 July 1907

Round 12

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Fitzroy	3.7 (25)	St Kilda	3.5 (23)	Brunswick Street Oval	20 July 1907
Collingwood	10.10 (70)	Essendon	3.5 (23)	Victoria Park	20 July 1907
Melbourne	6.13 (49)	Geelong	4.10 (34)	MCG	20 July 1907
South Melbourne	3.9 (27)	Carlton	4.12 (36)	Lake Oval	20 July 1907

Round 13

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Geelong	6.6 (42)	South Melbourne	7.8 (50)	Corio Oval	3 August 1907
Essendon	8.10 (58)	Fitzroy	3.13 (31)	EMCG	3 August 1907
Carlton	5.15 (45)	Collingwood	5.4 (34)	Princes Park	3 August 1907
St Kilda	4.6 (30)	Melbourne	7.5 (47)	Junction Oval	3 August 1907

Round 14

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Fitzroy	5.9 (39)	Melbourne	6.19 (55)	Brunswick Street Oval	10 August 1907
Collingwood	15.6 (96)	Geelong	8.9 (57)	Victoria Park	10 August 1907
South Melbourne	8.16 (64)	St Kilda	5.14 (44)	Lake Oval	10 August 1907
Essendon	3.7 (25)	Carlton	10.18 (78)	EMCG	10 August 1907

Sectional Rounds

Sectional Round 1 (Round 15)


	Sectional Round 1 (Round 15)
Saturday, 17 August	South Melbourne 8.9 (57)	def.	Carlton 4.16 (40)	Lake Oval
Saturday, 17 August	St Kilda 8.19 (67)	def.	Collingwood 3.8 (26)	Junction Oval
Saturday, 17 August	Essendon 10.11 (71)	def.	Melbourne 8.8 (56)	East Melbourne Cricket Ground
Saturday, 17 August	Fitzroy 12.16 (88)	def.	Geelong 5.8 (38)	Brunswick Street Oval

Sectional Round 2 (Round 16)


	Sectional Round 2 (Round 16)
Saturday, 24 August	Carlton 11.12 (78)	def.	Essendon 7.5 (47)	Princes Park
Saturday, 24 August	Collingwood 11.16 (82)	def. by	Fitzroy 15.4 (94)	Victoria Park
Saturday, 24 August	Geelong 5.8 (38)	def. by	St Kilda 4.17 (41)	Corio Oval
Saturday, 24 August	Melbourne 7.8 (50)	def. by	South Melbourne 10.14 (74)	Melbourne Cricket Ground

Sectional Round 3 (Round 17)


	Sectional Round 3 (Round 17)
Saturday, 31 August	Carlton 9.8 (62)	def.	Melbourne 4.12 (36)	Princes Park
Saturday, 31 August	Collingwood 9.17 (71)	def. by	Geelong 12.4 (76)	Victoria Park
Saturday, 31 August	Essendon 6.7 (43)	def. by	South Melbourne 15.9 (99)	East Melbourne Cricket Ground
Saturday, 31 August	St Kilda 3.14 (32)	def. by	Fitzroy 6.9 (45)	Junction Oval

Ladder

1907 VFL Ladder

TEAM

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

%

PTS

1

Carlton (P)

17

13

4

0

1060

681

155.65

52

2

South Melbourne

17

11

6

0

915

773

118.37

44

3

St Kilda

17

9

8

0

935

796

117.46

36

4

Collingwood

17

9

8

0

970

879

110.35

36

5

Fitzroy

17

7

10

0

864

1011

85.46

28

6

Geelong

17

7

10

0

844

989

85.34

28

7

Melbourne

17

7

10

0

800

987

81.05

28

8

Essendon

17

5

12

0

774

1046

74.00

20

Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, PF = Points for, PA = Points against

Semi finals

First Semi Final

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
South Melbourne	12.10 (82)	Collingwood	6.12 (48)	MCG	12 September 1907	Attendance: 28,856

Second Semi Final

Home team	Home team score	Away team	Away team score	Venue	Date
Carlton	13.13 (91)	St Kilda	4.11 (35)	MCG	19 September 1907	Attendance: 25,531

Grand final

Carlton defeated South Melbourne 6.14 (50) to 6.9 (45). (For an explanation of scoring see Australian rules football).

Team	1 Qtr	2 Qtr	3 Qtr	Final
Carlton	1.4	4.6	6.10	6.14 (50)
South Melbourne	1.3	3.5	4.7	6.9 (45)

Awards

The 1907 VFL Premiership team was Carlton.
The VFL's leading goalkicker was Dick Lee of Collingwood with 47 goals.
Essendon took the "wooden spoon" in 1907.

Notable events

The VFL played two inter-provincial matches against Ballarat and Bendigo, winning both matches. It was the first such match against Bendigo.
Due to the "Special" football train arriving late, the start of the third match between Fitzroy and Geelong at Brunswick Street Oval was delayed by twenty minutes.
In round 6, St. Kilda defeated Melbourne 15.18 (108) to 7.9 (51); It was the first time in the club's 173 VFL matches to that point that St. Kilda scored 100 points.
In Round 8, Fitzroy kicked eleven goals without a behind against Collingwood, before three misses in the last quarter. They actually did not score in the second and third quarters after kicking 7.0 (42) in the first quarter.
In Round 11, Geelong defeated St. Kilda despite having ten fewer scoring shots; before this, no VFL team had won with a deficit in scoring shots greater than eight. They repeated the feat of winning with ten fewer shots against Collingwood in the last round.
During that last match, Collingwood actually succumbed to Geelong despite being 38 points ahead at three quarter time; this record was not beaten until 1936.
The playing surface in each of the season's Semi-Finals that had been played on the Melbourne Cricket Ground (South Melbourne v. Collingwood, and Carlton v. St. Kilda) had been so rock hard and dusty that the two match winners demanded that the MCG be watered before the next Saturday, unless there was substantial rain. The VFL acquiesced to this request, and the ground was watered; the ensuing Premiership final, which Carlton won by 5 points, was on significantly softer ground.
In the 1907 pre-season, then VFA team Richmond played a practice match against VFL team Geelong at Corio Oval, in direct defiance of a VFA edict. On 22 October 1907, Richmond, who had become quite dissatisfied with the VFA, applied to join the VFL; their application was unanimously accepted at a meeting nine days later, and Richmond competed for the first time in the 1908 VFL season.
St Kilda and South Melbourne both qualify for their first VFL Finals appearances.

References

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

1907 Season - AFL Tables