The 1988 VFL season was the 92nd season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition and administrative body in Victoria, and by reason of it featuring clubs from New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, the de facto highest level senior competition in Australia. The season featured fourteen clubs, ran from 2 April until 24 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs.
| 1988 VFL premiership season | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 14 |
| Premiers | Hawthorn 7th premiership |
| Minor premiers | Hawthorn 6th minor premiership |
| pre-season cup | Hawthorn 1st pre-season cup win |
| Brownlow Medallist | Gerard Healy (Sydney) |
| Coleman Medallist | Jason Dunstall (Hawthorn) |
| Attendance | |
| Matches played | 160 |
| Total attendance | 3,528,878 (22,055 per match) |
| Highest | 93,754 (Grand Final, Hawthorn vs. Melbourne) |
The premiership was won by the Hawthorn Football Club for the seventh time, after it defeated Melbourne by 96 points in the 1988 VFL Grand Final.
Night series
editHawthorn 10.10 (70) defeated Geelong 9.13 (67) in the Night Series, which for the first time was played entirely as a pre-season competition, rather than a concurrent competition to the Premiership season.
Home-and-away season
editRound 1
editRound 2
editRound 3
editRound 4
editRound 5
editRound 6
editRound 7
editRound 8
editRound 9
editRound 10
editRound 11
editRound 12
editRound 13
editRound 14
editRound 15
editRound 16
editRound 17
editRound 18
editRound 19
editRound 20
editRound 21
editRound 22
editLadder
edit| (P) | Premiers |
| Qualified for finals |
| # | Team | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawthorn (P) | 22 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 2791 | 1962 | 142.3 | 76 |
| 2 | Collingwood | 22 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 1948 | 1728 | 112.7 | 62 |
| 3 | Carlton | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2342 | 1961 | 119.4 | 60 |
| 4 | West Coast | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2199 | 1966 | 111.9 | 52 |
| 5 | Melbourne | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2003 | 1961 | 102.1 | 52 |
| 6 | Essendon | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2186 | 2017 | 108.4 | 48 |
| 7 | Sydney | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2169 | 2176 | 99.7 | 48 |
| 8 | Footscray | 22 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 1880 | 1803 | 104.3 | 44 |
| 9 | Geelong | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 2356 | 2246 | 104.9 | 40 |
| 10 | Richmond | 22 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 2161 | 2540 | 85.1 | 32 |
| 11 | North Melbourne | 22 | 7 | 14 | 1 | 2361 | 2638 | 89.5 | 30 |
| 12 | Fitzroy | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 2128 | 2538 | 83.8 | 28 |
| 13 | Brisbane Bears | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 1806 | 2421 | 74.6 | 28 |
| 14 | St Kilda | 22 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 1708 | 2081 | 82.1 | 16 |
Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 97.5
Source: AFL Tables
Finals series
editFinals week 1
editFinals week 2
editPreliminary final
editGrand final
editSeason notes
edit- Three new rules aimed at encouraging a long-kicking style of play were introduced. These were:[1]
- The length of the 15-metre penalty for wasting an opponent's time after he takes a mark was increased to fifty metres.
- Players were required to take a kick if awarded a free kick. If the player played on by handpass, the ball would be returned for a ball-up; the penalty for playing on was originally a free kick to the opposition, but this was commuted to a ball up after proving unpopular during pre-season trials.
- The full-back was required to kick the ball over a distance of at least two metres when kicking in after a behind.
- The VFL banned lace-up guernseys starting from this season after Robert Flower and Brian Wilson both suffered broken fingers when they became tangled in the laces during tackles.[2] A handful of players had been wearing the tight-fitting guernseys which were laced up in the front in recent years.
- The Brisbane Bears played two matches in Perth during the season. At the club's suggestion, Brisbane's home match against the West Coast Eagles in Round 3 was moved from Carrara Stadium in Gold Coast to the WACA Ground in Perth after persistent and heavy rain in south-eastern Queensland left the ground and its adjoining facilities unable to accommodate the game. Brisbane had expected the clubs' Round 16 match to be moved from Perth to Gold Coast in return, only to discover that the league considered the Round 3 match a home game for Brisbane, meaning that they would be required to travel for the Round 16 match in Perth as well.[3]
- The VFL took over the operation of the financially crippled Sydney Swans during the year until its parent company, Powerplay, could find a buyer for the franchise. The VFL bought the club for a nominal $10 on 9 May, taking on its operating costs but not its debts.[4]
- North Melbourne 18.16 (124) defeated Essendon 06.05 (41) in the under 19's grand final, held as a curtain-raiser to the reserves grand final on 24 September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
- Footscray 17.14 (116) defeated North Melbourne 14.12 (96) in the reserves Grand Final, held as a curtain-raiser to the seniors Grand Final on 24 September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[5]
Awards
edit- The Leigh Matthews Trophy was awarded to Gerard Healy of the Sydney Swans.
- The Norm Smith Medal was awarded to Gary Ayres of Hawthorn.
- The Under 19's Grand Final was won by North Melbourne against Essendon.
- The Reserves Grand Final was won by Footscray against North Melbourne.
- The Seniors Grand Final was won by Hawthorn against Melbourne.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Daryl Timms (16 March 1988). "'Go' on footy rules". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. p. 84.
- ^ "Lace-ups get the boot". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. 12 June 1987. p. 80.
- ^ Paul Cunningham (13 April 1988). "Ground bugbear". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. p. 82.
- ^ Michael Davis (10 May 1988). "$4m for the Swans". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. p. 74.
- ^ "Tattersalls Scoreboard". The Sun News-Pictorial (Grand Final Souvenir Liftout). Melbourne. 26 September 1988. p. 11.
- Stephen Rodgers: Every Game Ever Played VFL/AFL Results 1897–1991 3rd Edition 1992. Penguin Books Australia ISBN 0-670-90526-7.
Sources
edit- 1988 VFL season at AFL Tables
- 1988 VFL season at Australian Football