The 1897 South Australian Football Association season was the 21st edition of the top level of Australian rules football to be played in South Australia. Port Adelaide won its 3rd premiership.
| 1897 SAFA premiership season | |
|---|---|
 Port Adelaide, premiers | |
| Teams | 6 |
| Premiers | Port Adelaide 3rd premiership |
| Leading goalkicker | Jimmy Tompkins Port Adelaide (27 Goals) |
| Matches played | 51 |
This was the first season of football in South Australia where behinds contributed to the total score, not just goals.
In winning the 1897 SAFA premiership, Port Adelaide achieved the rare feat of going from last the previous year to first.[1]
Natives informed the SAFA at a meeting on Monday 26 Oct 1896 that they were changing their name to West Torrens.[2]
West Adelaide Football Club joined the SAFA after their application was approved by 6 votes to 4 against at a meeting held on 5 April 1897.[3]
Ladder
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Port Adelaide | 17 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 782 | 294 | 72.68 | 29 |
| 2 | South Adelaide | 17 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 1050 | 391 | 72.87 | 26 |
| 3 | Norwood | 17 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 765 | 402 | 65.55 | 23 |
| 4 | North Adelaide | 17 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 535 | 609 | 46.77 | 14 |
| 5 | West Torrens | 17 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 257 | 1091 | 19.07 | 7[a] |
| 6 | West Adelaide | 17 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 217 | 828 | 20.77 | 3[a] |
References
edit- ^ "FOOTBALL". South Australian Register. Vol. LXII, no. 15, 849. South Australia. 30 August 1897. p. 7. Retrieved 30 October 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Football". Advertiser (Adelaide, Sa : 1889 – 1931). 27 October 1896. p. 7.
- ^ "Football". South Australian Register (Adelaide, Sa : 1839 – 1900). 6 April 1897. p. 7.
- ^ "Australian Football - SANFL Season 1897". Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
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