The 1919 VJFL season was the 1st season of the Victorian Junior Football League (VJFL), the Australian rules football competition operating as the second-tier competition to the Victorian Football League (VFL).

1919 VJFL season
Date3 May – 11 October
Teams9
PremiersCollingwood District
1st premiership
Minor premiersCollingwood District
1st minor premiership
1920 →

Collingwood District won the first grand final, finishing the season undefeated.[1]

Background

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The Victorian Junior Football League was established to bring a junior club affiliated with each of the VFL senior clubs into a single competition – at this time, junior was the term used for open age football of a lower standard than senior football, rather than for under age football. For the inaugural season, four existing junior clubs – the Fitzroy Juniors, Collingwood District (also known as Collingwood Juniors) and Leopold (affiliated with South Melbourne) and Caulfield (affiliated with Melbourne) – initially crossed to the new league from the Metropolitan Amateur Association; West Melbourne was affiliated with Essendon; and new junior clubs were formed in Carlton, Richmond and St Kilda. University, which had left the VFL senior competition after 1914, also entered a stand-alone junior team in the competition.[2]

Shortly before the season, Caulfield withdrew, and a second University team was quickly arranged to take its place for the 1919 season. The two University teams were known as University A and University B.[3]

As was the case in the seniors, once the home-and-away season had finished, the VJFL premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the amended "Argus system".

Pre-season

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A number of practice matches were held before the start of the season, including against several Victorian Football Association clubs.[4]

Pre-season
Saturday, 5 April Richmond 11.8 (74) def. Camberwell 3.6 (24) [4]
Saturday, 12 April Hawthorn v Richmond St James Park [4]
Saturday, 19 April Richmond v Richmond (seniors) Richmond City Reserve [4]
Monday, 21 April Ballarat Association 9.14 (68) def. by Carlton District 12.25 (97) Eastern Oval [1]
Saturday, 26 April Prahran 6.10 (46) def. by Richmond 7.5 (47) Toorak Park [4]
Saturday, 26 April (3:30 pm) Carlton v Carlton District [1]

Home-and-away season

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Round 1

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Round 1
Saturday, 3 May Fitzroy Juniors 6.6 (42) def. by Carlton District 9.9 (63) Fitzroy Cricket Ground [1]
Saturday, 3 May West Melbourne 7.9 (51) def. Richmond 4.8 (32) East Melbourne Cricket Ground [4]

Round 2

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Round 2
Saturday, 10 May Carlton District 10.6 (66) def. West Melbourne 5.14 (44) [1]
Saturday, 10 May Richmond 6.10 (46) def. by University A 14.15 (99) Richmond Cricket Ground [4]

Round 3

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Round 3
Saturday, 17 May Richmond 6.10 (46) def. by University B 15.11 (101) Richmond Cricket Ground [4]
Bye
Carlton District

Round 4

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Round 4
Saturday, 24 May University A 8.8 (56) def. Carlton District 6.10 (46) University Oval [1]
Saturday, 24 May Collingwood District 9.20 (74) def. Richmond 3.5 (23) Victoria Park [4]

Round 5

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Round 5
Saturday, 31 May University B 13.13 (91) def. Carlton District 4.4 (28) University Oval [1]
Saturday, 31 May Fitzroy Juniors 6.10 (46) def. Richmond 1.10 (16) [4]

Round 6

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Round 6
Saturday, 7 June Carlton District 6.9 (45) def. St Kilda District 4.12 (36) [1]
Saturday, 7 June Leopold 14.10 (94) def. Richmond 1.8 (14) South Melbourne Cricket Ground [4]

Round 7

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Round 7
Saturday, 14 June Collingwood District 11.25 (91) def. Carlton District 7.4 (46) Victoria Park [1]
Saturday, 14 June Richmond 6.14 (50) def. St Kilda District 4.6 (30) Richmond Cricket Ground [4]

Round 8

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Round 8
Saturday, 21 June Carlton District 4.16 (40) def. by Leopold 6.15 (51) Princes Park [1]

Round 9

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Round 9
Saturday, 28 June Richmond 5.14 (55) def. by Carlton District 12.7 (79) Richmond Cricket Ground [4]

Round 10

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Round 10
Saturday, 5 July Carlton District v Fitzroy Juniors Princes Park [1]

Round 11

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Round 11
Saturday, 12 July Collingwood District v Leopold [1]
Saturday, 12 July St Kilda District v University B [1]
Saturday, 12 July Richmond 5.14 (55) def. by West Melbourne 12.7 (79) Richmond Cricket Ground [4]

Round 12

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Round 12
Saturday, 19 July Collingwood District 30.18 (198) def. St Kilda District 3.6 (24)
Saturday, 19 July Carlton District 5.12 (42) def. by West Melbourne 6.12 (48) [1]
Saturday, 19 July University A 12.15 (87) def. Richmond 4.10 (34) University Oval [4]

Round 13

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Round 13
Saturday, 26 July University B 13.10 (88) def. Richmond 8.9 (57) Melbourne Cricket Ground [4]
Saturday, 26 July Carlton District 5.10 (40) def. by University A 8.11 (59) Princes Park [1]

Round 14

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Round 14
Saturday, 9 August Carlton District 7.9 (51) def. University B 6.11 (47) Princes Park [1]

Round 15

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Round 15
Saturday, 16 August St Kilda District 7.10 (52) def. by Carlton District 8.9 (57) Junction Oval [1]
Saturday, 16 August Fitzroy Juniors 11.18 (84) def. Richmond 3.6 (24) Fitzroy Cricket Ground [4]

Round 16

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Round 16
Saturday, 23 August Carlton District 3.5 (23) def. by Collingwood District 10.12 (72) Princes Park [1]
Saturday, 23 August Richmond 4.14 (38) def. by Leopold 11.23 (89) Richmond Cricket Ground [4]

Round 17

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Round 17
Saturday, 30 August St Kilda District 10.11 (71) def. Richmond 8.11 (59) St Kilda Cricket Ground [4]
Saturday, 30 August Leopold 7.13 (55) def. Carlton District 2.8 (20) South Melbourne Cricket Ground [1]
Saturday, 30 August Collingwood District 31.16 (202) def. University B 4.1 (25) [5]

Round 18

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Round 18
Saturday, 6 September (1:00 pm) Richmond 6.7 (43) def. by Carlton District 6.14 (50) Richmond Cricket Ground [4]

Ladder

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Pos Team Pld W L D Pts
1 Collingwood District (P) 16 16 0 0 64
2 University A 16 44
3 Leopold 16 40
4 University B 16 40
5 Fitzroy Juniors 16 36
6 Carlton District 16 8 8 0 32
7 West Melbourne 16 20
8 St Kilda District 16 8
9 Richmond 16 1 15 0 4

Finals series

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Week 1

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Week 1
Saturday, 27 September University A def. University B Melbourne Cricket Ground [1]
Saturday, 27 September Collingwood District def. Leopold [1]

Week 2

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Week 2
Saturday, 4 October Leopold def. Collingwood District [1]

Grand final

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Grand final
Saturday, 11 October Collingwood District 6.11 (47) def. University A 4.8 (32) Melbourne Cricket Ground [6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "1919 Reserves". Blueseum.
  2. ^ "New junior organisation". The Age. Melbourne, VIC. 18 January 1919. p. 13.
  3. ^ "Football". The Age. Melbourne. 15 May 1919. p. 10.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "1919 Seconds scores". Tigerland Archive.
  5. ^ "Collingwood District Football Club". Collingwood Forever.
  6. ^ "Junior League Final". The Argus. Melbourne. 13 October 1919. p. 8.