The 1906 VFL season was the tenth season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest-level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured eight clubs and ran from 5 May to 22 September, comprising a 17-match home-and-away season followed by a two-week finals series featuring the top four clubs.

1906 VFL premiership season
Carlton 1906 VFL premiership team
Date5 May—22 September 1906
Teams8
PremiersCarlton
1st premiership
Minor premiersCarlton
1st minor premiership
Leading goalkicker medallistMick Grace (Carlton)
50 goals
Matches played71
← 1905
1907 →

Carlton won the premiership, defeating Fitzroy by 49 points in the 1906 VFL grand final; it was Carlton's first VFL premiership. Carlton also won the minor premiership by finishing atop the home-and-away ladder with a 14–3 win–loss record. Carlton's Mick Grace won the leading goalkicker medal as the league's leading goalkicker, becoming the first player to kick 50 goals in a VFL season.

Background

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In 1906, 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. Then, based on ladder positions after those 14 rounds, three further 'sectional rounds' were played, with the teams ranked 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th playing in one section and the teams ranked 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th playing in the other.

Once the 17 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1906 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the amended "Argus 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 Date
Fitzroy 8.20 (68) St Kilda 1.8 (14) Brunswick Street Oval 5 May 1906
Essendon 8.12 (60) South Melbourne 9.13 (67) EMCG 5 May 1906
Collingwood 12.19 (91) Geelong 5.7 (37) Victoria Park 5 May 1906
Carlton 12.11 (83) Melbourne 8.8 (56) Princes Park 5 May 1906

Round 2

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Melbourne 8.5 (53) Fitzroy 10.13 (73) MCG 12 May 1906
Geelong 5.12 (42) Essendon 11.14 (80) Corio Oval 12 May 1906
South Melbourne 12.5 (77) Collingwood 8.9 (57) Lake Oval 12 May 1906
St Kilda 5.5 (35) Carlton 15.10 (100) Junction Oval 12 May 1906

Round 3

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Essendon 10.16 (76) Melbourne 6.6 (42) EMCG 19 May 1906
Carlton 16.10 (106) Geelong 6.7 (43) Princes Park 19 May 1906
South Melbourne 10.14 (74) St Kilda 9.7 (61) Lake Oval 19 May 1906
Fitzroy 7.7 (49) Collingwood 14.8 (92) Brunswick Street Oval 19 May 1906

Round 4

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Melbourne 5.9 (39) South Melbourne 5.4 (34) MCG 26 May 1906
Geelong 4.7 (31) Fitzroy 8.9 (57) Corio Oval 26 May 1906
St Kilda 6.8 (44) Essendon 1.7 (13) Junction Oval 26 May 1906
Collingwood 4.13 (37) Carlton 8.9 (57) Victoria Park 26 May 1906

Round 5

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Essendon 6.15 (51) Fitzroy 6.10 (46) EMCG 2 June 1906
St Kilda 4.7 (31) Collingwood 13.11 (89) Junction Oval 2 June 1906
Carlton 10.9 (69) South Melbourne 10.5 (65) Princes Park 4 June 1906
Melbourne 8.8 (56) Geelong 11.9 (75) MCG 4 June 1906

Round 6

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Geelong 8.13 (61) South Melbourne 3.13 (31) Corio Oval 9 June 1906
St Kilda 13.16 (94) Melbourne 6.9 (45) Junction Oval 9 June 1906
Essendon 9.12 (66) Collingwood 6.13 (49) EMCG 9 June 1906
Fitzroy 6.8 (44) Carlton 7.14 (56) Brunswick Street Oval 9 June 1906

Round 7

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Geelong 6.5 (41) St Kilda 4.13 (37) Corio Oval 16 June 1906
Collingwood 13.12 (90) Melbourne 6.10 (46) Victoria Park 16 June 1906
Carlton 4.15 (39) Essendon 10.14 (74) Princes Park 16 June 1906
South Melbourne 5.10 (40) Fitzroy 9.8 (62) Lake Oval 16 June 1906

Round 8

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
St Kilda 2.8 (20) Fitzroy 3.7 (25) Junction Oval 30 June 1906
South Melbourne 3.8 (26) Essendon 8.11 (59) Lake Oval 30 June 1906
Geelong 9.7 (61) Collingwood 11.9 (75) Corio Oval 30 June 1906
Melbourne 3.7 (25) Carlton 9.16 (70) MCG 30 June 1906

Round 9

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Fitzroy 11.25 (91) Melbourne 5.9 (39) Brunswick Street Oval 7 July 1906
Essendon 16.16 (112) Geelong 5.11 (41) EMCG 7 July 1906
Collingwood 14.14 (98) South Melbourne 5.8 (38) Victoria Park 7 July 1906
Carlton 6.13 (49) St Kilda 3.7 (25) Princes Park 7 July 1906

Round 10

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
St Kilda 4.11 (35) South Melbourne 4.4 (28) Junction Oval 14 July 1906
Collingwood 6.8 (44) Fitzroy 13.10 (88) Victoria Park 14 July 1906
Melbourne 4.5 (29) Essendon 13.17 (95) MCG 14 July 1906
Geelong 5.6 (36) Carlton 8.15 (63) Corio Oval 14 July 1906

Round 11

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Fitzroy 9.13 (67) Geelong 5.7 (37) Brunswick Street Oval 21 July 1906
Essendon 4.11 (35) St Kilda 4.9 (33) EMCG 21 July 1906
Carlton 11.14 (80) Collingwood 6.7 (43) Princes Park 21 July 1906
South Melbourne 12.11 (83) Melbourne 4.3 (27) Lake Oval 21 July 1906

Round 12

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Geelong 6.21 (57) Melbourne 6.10 (46) Corio Oval 28 July 1906
Collingwood 11.16 (82) St Kilda 2.8 (20) Victoria Park 28 July 1906
Fitzroy 4.6 (30) Essendon 5.8 (38) Brunswick Street Oval 28 July 1906
South Melbourne 12.12 (84) Carlton 7.3 (45) Lake Oval 28 July 1906

Round 13

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Collingwood 9.15 (69) Essendon 5.7 (37) Victoria Park 4 August 1906
South Melbourne 14.17 (101) Geelong 5.8 (38) Lake Oval 4 August 1906
Melbourne 5.10 (40) St Kilda 10.13 (73) MCG 11 August 1906
Carlton 5.3 (33) Fitzroy 4.14 (38) Princes Park 11 August 1906

Round 14

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Fitzroy 13.11 (89) South Melbourne 5.12 (42) Brunswick Street Oval 18 August 1906
St Kilda 10.21 (81) Geelong 3.13 (31) Junction Oval 18 August 1906
Melbourne 6.5 (41) Collingwood 15.14 (104) MCG 18 August 1906
Essendon 4.12 (36) Carlton 10.12 (72) EMCG 18 August 1906

Pre-sectional ladder

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Section A
Section B
# Team P W L D PF PA % Pts
1 Carlton 14 11 3 0 922 641 143.8 44
2 Fitzroy 14 10 4 0 827 590 140.2 40
3 Essendon 14 10 4 0 832 629 132.3 40
4 Collingwood 14 9 5 0 1020 728 140.1 36
5 South Melbourne 14 6 8 0 790 800 98.8 24
6 St Kilda 14 5 9 0 603 720 83.8 20
7 Geelong 14 4 10 0 631 1003 62.9 16
8 Melbourne 14 1 13 0 584 1098 53.2 4

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

Round 15 (Sectional round 1)

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Round 15 (Sectional round 1)
Saturday, 25 August Carlton 10.12 (72) def. Essendon 8.6 (54) Princes Park
Saturday, 25 August Collingwood 11.12 (78) def. St Kilda 7.19 (61) Victoria Park
Saturday, 25 August Melbourne 2.1 (13) def. by Fitzroy 17.18 (120) Melbourne Cricket Ground
Saturday, 25 August South Melbourne 10.10 (70) def. Geelong 7.7 (49) Lake Oval

Round 16 (Sectional round 2)

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Round 16 (Sectional round 2)
Saturday, 1 September Geelong 4.5 (29) def. by Carlton 13.13 (91) Corio Oval
Saturday, 1 September Fitzroy 5.8 (38) def. Collingwood 3.9 (27) Brunswick Street Oval
Saturday, 1 September Essendon 3.13 (31) def. by South Melbourne 10.6 (66) East Melbourne Cricket Ground
Saturday, 1 September St Kilda 10.12 (72) def. Melbourne 4.9 (33) Junction Oval

Round 17 (Sectional round 3)

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Round 17 (Sectional round 3)
Saturday, 8 September South Melbourne 4.15 (39) def. by Carlton 12.14 (86) Lake Oval
Saturday, 8 September Melbourne 7.9 (51) def. by Collingwood 15.17 (107) Melbourne Cricket Ground
Saturday, 8 September Geelong 9.12 (66) def. Essendon 5.12 (42) Corio Oval
Saturday, 8 September St Kilda 8.12 (60) def. by Fitzroy 11.7 (73) Junction Oval

Ladder

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(P) Premiers
Qualified for finals
# Team P W L D PF PA % Pts
1 Carlton (P) 17 14 3 0 1171 763 153.5 56
2 Fitzroy 17 13 4 0 1058 690 153.3 52
3 Collingwood 17 11 6 0 1232 878 140.3 44
4 Essendon 17 10 7 0 959 833 115.1 40
5 South Melbourne 17 8 9 0 965 966 99.9 32
6 St Kilda 17 6 11 0 796 904 88.1 24
7 Geelong 17 5 12 0 775 1206 64.3 20
8 Melbourne 17 1 16 0 681 1397 48.7 4

Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 56.2
Source: AFL Tables

Finals series

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Semi-finals

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Fitzroy 10.12 (72) Essendon 5.6 (36) MCG 15 September 1906 Attendance: 8,500
Carlton 9.10 (64) Collingwood 8.6 (54) Brunswick Street Oval 15 September 1906 Attendance: 15,000

Grand final

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Team 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr Final
Carlton 3.2 7.4 9.4 15.4 (94)
Fitzroy 1.6 1.7 6.8 6.9 (45)

Season notes

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  • In Round 4, St Kilda defeated Essendon for the first time in its history after 36 winless matches (15 in the VFA for four draws and 11 losses and 21 in the VFL for one draw and 20 losses) over 20 years of competition (1878 and 1888–1906).
  • On Saturday 23 June, between Rounds 7 and 8, the VFL representative team 17.13 (115) defeated the Ballarat Football Association 10.10 (70) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Frank Caine kicked seven goals for Victoria.[1] In the return game, held at the City Oval in Ballarat during the second week of Round 13 (11 August), the BFA 11.7 (73) defeated the VFL 6.7 (43); this VFL team was limited to players from Essendon, South Melbourne and Geelong, with the other five teams either playing or on interstate tours at the time.[2] On 15 September, the weekend of the semi-finals, a VFL team selected from non-finalists defeated the Bendigo Football Association 15.14 (104) d. 2.2 (14) at the Upper Reserve in Bendigo.[3]
  • In Round 8, St Kilda formally protested the result of its five point loss against Fitzroy, on the grounds that the timekeeper had rung the final bell thirty seconds prematurely. The protest was dismissed three weeks later owing to a lack of evidence.[4]
  • A vacant Saturday was originally scheduled on 11 August in the fixture between Rounds 13 and 14, to accommodate the second game against Ballarat and to allow clubs to complete interstate tours. However, after South Australian club Norwood's tour was brought forward, the VFL turned Round 13 into a split round at less than two weeks notice, postponing the Carlton vs Fitzroy and St Kilda vs Melbourne games by a week.[5]
  • Mick Grace of Carlton was the first VFL player to score 50 goals in a season.

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ "Football – Last Saturday's actions". Table Talk. Melbourne, VIC. 28 June 1906. p. 27.
  2. ^ "World of Sport – Football". The Herald. Melbourne, VIC. 10 August 1906. p. 4.
  3. ^ "Sporting – Football". The Bendigo Advertiser. Melbourne, VIC. 17 September 1906. p. 6.
  4. ^ "Victorian Football League – protests dismissed". The Argus. Melbourne, VIC. 21 July 1906. p. 15.
  5. ^ "A football dispute – League and Association". The Argus. Melbourne, VIC. 2 August 1906. p. 3.
  • 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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