The 1904 VFL season was the eighth 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 7 May to 17 September, comprising a 17-round home-and-away season followed by a two-week finals series featuring the top four clubs.

1904 VFL premiership season
Fitzroy 1904 VFL premiership team
Date7 May—17 September 1904
Teams8
PremiersFitzroy
3rd premiership
Minor premiersFitzroy
3rd minor premiership
Leading goalkicker medallistVin Coutie (Melbourne)
39 goals
Matches played71
← 1903
1905 →

Fitzroy won the premiership, defeating Carlton by 24 points in the 1904 VFL grand final; it was Fitzroy's third VFL premiership. Fitzroy also won the minor premiership by finishing atop the home-and-away ladder with a 12–5 win–loss record. Melbourne's Vin Coutie won the leading goalkicker medal as the league's leading goalkicker.

Background

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In 1904, 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 1904 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
Essendon 8.10 (58) South Melbourne 2.5 (17) EMCG 7 May 1904
Collingwood 9.15 (69) Geelong 7.9 (51) Victoria Park 7 May 1904
Carlton 1.8 (14) Fitzroy 16.12 (108) Princes Park 7 May 1904
St Kilda 12.13 (85) Melbourne 5.9 (39) Junction Oval 7 May 1904

Round 2

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Fitzroy 11.17 (83) St Kilda 5.3 (33) Brunswick Street Oval 14 May 1904
Geelong 10.7 (67) Essendon 5.13 (43) Corio Oval 14 May 1904
Melbourne 7.7 (49) Collingwood 7.13 (55) MCG 14 May 1904
South Melbourne 1.13 (19) Carlton 5.6 (36) Lake Oval 14 May 1904

Round 3

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Collingwood 4.5 (29) South Melbourne 7.13 (55) Victoria Park 21 May 1904
Carlton 8.17 (65) Geelong 4.8 (32) Princes Park 21 May 1904
Melbourne 3.5 (23) Fitzroy 14.15 (99) MCG 21 May 1904
St Kilda 5.3 (33) Essendon 10.9 (69) Junction Oval 21 May 1904

Round 4

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Geelong 6.4 (40) South Melbourne 6.16 (52) Corio Oval 28 May 1904
Fitzroy 4.9 (33) Collingwood 6.6 (42) Brunswick Street Oval 28 May 1904
St Kilda 4.7 (31) Carlton 6.4 (40) Junction Oval 28 May 1904
Melbourne 9.17 (71) Essendon 6.3 (39) SCG 28 May 1904

Round 5

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Geelong 6.13 (49) St Kilda 4.10 (34) Corio Oval 4 June 1904
Essendon 6.5 (41) Fitzroy 11.17 (83) EMCG 4 June 1904
South Melbourne 8.16 (64) Melbourne 5.9 (39) Lake Oval 4 June 1904
Collingwood 6.12 (48) Carlton 8.5 (53) Victoria Park 4 June 1904

Round 6

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Fitzroy 12.6 (78) Geelong 6.18 (54) Brunswick Street Oval 6 June 1904
South Melbourne 15.10 (100) St Kilda 9.4 (58) Lake Oval 6 June 1904
Essendon 6.5 (41) Collingwood 6.7 (43) EMCG 6 June 1904
Melbourne 8.10 (58) Carlton 5.5 (35) MCG 6 June 1904

Round 7

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Geelong 9.12 (66) Melbourne 15.7 (97) Corio Oval 11 June 1904
Fitzroy 6.9 (45) South Melbourne 5.14 (44) Brunswick Street Oval 11 June 1904
Carlton 7.5 (47) Essendon 7.11 (53) Princes Park 11 June 1904
St Kilda 7.7 (49) Collingwood 4.10 (34) Junction Oval 11 June 1904

Round 8

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Melbourne 13.13 (91) St Kilda 4.2 (26) MCG 25 June 1904
South Melbourne 10.9 (69) Essendon 4.5 (29) Lake Oval 25 June 1904
Geelong 4.10 (34) Collingwood 8.10 (58) Corio Oval 25 June 1904
Fitzroy 8.8 (56) Carlton 7.10 (52) Brunswick Street Oval 25 June 1904

Round 9

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Essendon 9.12 (66) Geelong 4.4 (28) EMCG 2 July 1904
Collingwood 4.5 (29) Melbourne 8.6 (54) Victoria Park 2 July 1904
Carlton 9.7 (61) South Melbourne 5.7 (37) Princes Park 2 July 1904
St Kilda 11.12 (78) Fitzroy 4.7 (31) Junction Oval 2 July 1904

Round 10

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Fitzroy 8.10 (58) Melbourne 5.13 (43) Brunswick Street Oval 9 July 1904
Essendon 6.8 (44) St Kilda 6.3 (39) EMCG 9 July 1904
South Melbourne 5.15 (45) Collingwood 6.6 (42) Lake Oval 9 July 1904
Geelong 4.11 (35) Carlton 5.5 (35) Corio Oval 9 July 1904

Round 11

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Collingwood 7.13 (55) Fitzroy 3.6 (24) Victoria Park 16 July 1904
Carlton 9.7 (61) St Kilda 4.1 (25) Princes Park 16 July 1904
South Melbourne 6.5 (41) Geelong 4.15 (39) Lake Oval 16 July 1904
Melbourne 3.12 (30) Essendon 4.11 (35) MCG 16 July 1904

Round 12

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Melbourne 9.13 (67) South Melbourne 11.7 (73) MCG 23 July 1904
Carlton 6.10 (46) Collingwood 6.4 (40) Princes Park 23 July 1904
St Kilda 5.5 (35) Geelong 7.16 (58) Junction Oval 23 July 1904
Fitzroy 6.8 (44) Essendon 3.9 (27) Brunswick Street Oval 23 July 1904

Round 13

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
St Kilda 6.10 (46) South Melbourne 10.5 (65) Junction Oval 30 July 1904
Collingwood 5.6 (36) Essendon 7.10 (52) Victoria Park 30 July 1904
Carlton 6.14 (50) Melbourne 4.10 (34) Princes Park 30 July 1904
Geelong 5.12 (42) Fitzroy 4.13 (37) Corio Oval 30 July 1904

Round 14

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Collingwood 14.12 (96) St Kilda 6.10 (46) Victoria Park 13 August 1904
Melbourne 11.10 (76) Geelong 6.4 (40) MCG 13 August 1904
South Melbourne 5.16 (46) Fitzroy 8.10 (58) Lake Oval 13 August 1904
Essendon 5.5 (35) Carlton 5.9 (39) EMCG 13 August 1904

Pre-sectional ladder

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Section A
Section B
# Team P W L D PF PA % Pts
1 Fitzroy 14 10 4 0 837 594 140.9 40
2 Carlton 14 9 4 1 634 611 103.8 38
3 South Melbourne 14 9 5 0 727 647 112.4 36
4 Collingwood 14 7 7 0 676 632 107.0 28
5 Essendon 14 7 7 0 632 646 97.8 28
6 Melbourne 14 6 8 0 771 754 102.3 24
7 Geelong 14 4 9 1 635 786 80.8 18
8 St Kilda 14 3 11 0 618 860 71.9 12

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

Round 15 (Sectional round 1)

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Collingwood 14.12 (96) Carlton 6.10 (46) Victoria Park 20 August 1904
Essendon 8.9 (57) Geelong 5.9 (39) EMCG 20 August 1904
Fitzroy 4.14 (38) South Melbourne 3.15 (33) Brunswick Street Oval 20 August 1904
Melbourne 13.15 (93) St Kilda 3.3 (21) MCG 20 August 1904

Round 16 (Sectional round 2)

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Carlton 1.8 (14) Melbourne 5.13 (43) Princes Park 27 August 1904
St Kilda 2.8 (20) Collingwood 12.9 (81) Junction Oval 27 August 1904
South Melbourne 4.3 (27) Essendon 8.11 (59) Lake Oval 27 August 1904
Geelong 4.6 (30) Fitzroy 8.5 (53) Corio Oval 27 August 1904

Round 17 (Sectional round 3)

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Carlton 16.11 (107) St Kilda 7.7 (49) Princes Park 3 September 1904
Melbourne 5.10 (40) Collingwood 7.9 (51) MCG 3 September 1904
Essendon 13.9 (87) Fitzroy 4.2 (26) EMCG 3 September 1904
Geelong 3.4 (22) South Melbourne 6.8 (44) Corio Oval 3 September 1904

Ladder

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(P) Premiers
Qualified for finals
# Team P W L D PF PA % Pts
1 Fitzroy (P) 17 12 5 0 954 744 128.2 48
2 Carlton 17 10 6 1 804 762 105.5 42
3 Collingwood 17 10 7 0 867 741 117.0 40
4 Essendon 17 10 7 0 835 738 113.1 40
5 South Melbourne 17 10 7 0 831 766 108.5 40
6 Melbourne 17 8 9 0 947 840 112.7 32
7 Geelong 17 4 12 1 726 940 77.2 18
8 St Kilda 17 3 14 0 708 1141 62.1 12

Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 49.1
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 Attendance
Carlton 6.7 (43) Essendon 6.4 (40) Victoria Park 10 September 1904 16,000
Fitzroy 9.7 (61) Collingwood 7.8 (50) MCG 10 September 1904 25,000

Grand final

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Grand final
Saturday, 17 September (2:50 pm) Fitzroy 9.7 (61) def. Carlton 5.7 (37) Melbourne Cricket Ground (crowd: 32,688)

Season notes

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  • The final home-and-away match between South Melbourne and Fitzroy at the Lake Oval was a torrid affair. Billy McGee of South Melbourne and Harry Clarke of Fitzroy were each suspended for three matches, while South Melbourne's Billy Gent ran amok during the match, charging at players and was reported on three striking charges; Gent was suspended for the remainder of 1904 and all of 1905 (20 matches).
  • After the drawn match between Geelong and Carlton at Corio Oval on 9 July 1904, a spectator was arrested for attacking the field umpire, Henry "Ivo" Crapp.
  • The VFL introduced boundary umpires.
  • In round four, Essendon played Melbourne in Sydney in front of only 6,000 spectators at the Sydney Cricket Ground, lost to Melbourne, took five days to return to Melbourne by sea, then lost again to Fitzroy in their Saturday's round five match.
  • In the Final Premiership match Carlton was surging ahead of Fitzroy, and one of the Carlton forwards (Ross, 1996, does not name him, but it was most likely Mick Grace) took a powerful high overhead mark with his knees in his opponent's back. The field umpire, Henry "Ivo" Crapp, obeying the VFL rules of the day, paid a free kick to the Fitzroy player for "interference". Fitzroy steadied and went on to win the game. There was such an outcry after the match that the VFL immediately amended its rules to allow for what it now termed "unintentional interference".

Awards

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References

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  • Maplestone, M., Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996, Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN 0-9591740-2-8
  • 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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