The 1954 Footscray season was the club's 29th since they began competing in the Victorian Football League (VFL) in 1925. After falling short in the Preliminary final the previous season, the Bulldogs finally won through to their first Grand Final, and beat Melbourne to claim their first VFL premiership, making them the first of the teams admitted to the VFL in 1925 to do so.
The Bulldogs went into the 1954 VFL season as premiership contenders. However, the season did not start well with losses St Kilda and Richmond, both of which finished in the bottom four the previous season.[1] In the following two matches, against South Melbourne and Carlton, the club returned to form with Jack Collins booting eight and nine goals respectively to help propel the Bulldogs to victory.[2][3] In Round 7 against Hawthorn at Glenferrie Oval, Footscray, led by Don Ross after Ted Whitten injured his shoulder, came from 23 points down at the last break to kick seven goals and win by nine points.[4] With Richmond upsetting Collingwood at Victoria Park that same day, the Bulldogs went to the top of the ladder, where they would stay until Round 11, when they lost to Collingwood by ten points in a top-of-the-ladder clash at Victoria Park. Footscray slipped to fourth in Round 16 when, at Arden Street Oval against North Melbourne, they looked set for a win, being 13 points up with five minutes remaining, before the home side rallied to snatch a draw with a behind on the siren.[citation needed] With two rounds remaining and seven teams still in contention for a finals berth, the pressure was on the Bulldogs when they met second-placed Essendon at Windy Hill. In a performance that set them up for their premiership success, Footscray won the match with a decisive five-goal-to-none third quarter to run out 19-point winners. Whitten was judged best on ground and Collins kicked six goals, while Essendon were clearly missing full-forward John Coleman, who had gone down with a career-ending knee injury earlier in the season.[5]
Round
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Ground
H
A
H
A
H
H
A
H
A
H
A
A
H
A
H
A
A
H
Result
L
L
W
W
W
W
W
W
L
W
L
W
L
W
L
D
W
W
Position
9
11
7
5
3
2
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
3
4
2
2
Updated to match(es) played on 18 September 2021. Source: VFL Ladder A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss Notes: Positions show the situation at the end of the corresponding Game Round (GR); not the position at the conclusion of matches or game days
Captain-coach Charlie Sutton, who had been struggling since injuring his left knee against Carlton, was declared fit by the selectors to play against Geelong in the Semi Final after getting through a training session,[6] but pulled out at the last minute on advice of the club doctor.[7]Lionel Ryan, who had been dropped to accommodate Sutton, was reinstated to the team, and defender Wally Donald took charge of the team on the field.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground was undergoing renovation work to be ready for the 1956 Summer Olympics, and the demolition of the public stand left a gap for the breeze to affect the game. Geelong kicked with the wind in the first quarter, and in the early going it looked like the pace and class which had taken them to the last three Grand Finals would again do the job. The Bulldogs began to work their way into the match, led by their defence – the finest in the League – which managed to restrict Geelong to four goals whilst themselves kicking three against the wind, goals that would be crucial in deciding the outcome.[7][8]
^"TIGERS WIN ALL WAY". The Argus. Melbourne. 26 April 1954. p. 17. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
^"COLLINS LEADS REVIVAL". The Argus. Melbourne. 3 May 1954. p. 16. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
^Bickford, George (10 May 1954). "Collins beats Carlton". The Argus. Melbourne. p. 16. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
^Buggy, Hugh (30 May 1954). "BULLDOGS CRASH THROUGH 7 GOALS TO SNATCH GAME". The Argus. Melbourne. p. 11. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
^Buggy, Hugh (23 August 1954). "BULLDOG BURST SHATTERS DONS Magnificent 3rd term sweeps aside baffled defence". The Argus. Melbourne. p. 19. Retrieved 9 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^Beames, Percy (10 September 1954). "BULLDOGS TAKE RISK WITH SUTTON". The Age. No. 31, 000. Victoria, Australia. p. 10. Retrieved 10 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^ abBeames, Percy (13 September 1954). "BULLDOGS TOO STRONG FOR GEELONG". The Age. No. 31, 002. Victoria, Australia. p. 16. Retrieved 10 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^Buggy, Hugh (13 September 1954). "SEMI WIN SHOWS THE REAL BULLDOG SPIRIT". The Argus. Melbourne. p. 19. Retrieved 10 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
External linksedit
1954 Results at AFL Tables
January 01, 1970
1954, footscray, football, club, season, 1954, footscray, season, club, 29th, since, they, began, competing, victorian, football, league, 1925, after, falling, short, preliminary, final, previous, season, bulldogs, finally, through, their, first, grand, final,. The 1954 Footscray season was the club s 29th since they began competing in the Victorian Football League VFL in 1925 After falling short in the Preliminary final the previous season the Bulldogs finally won through to their first Grand Final and beat Melbourne to claim their first VFL premiership making them the first of the teams admitted to the VFL in 1925 to do so Footscray1954 seasonPresidentOtto GrobbeckerCoachCharlie SuttonCaptain s Charlie SuttonHome groundWestern OvalVFL season2ndFinals seriesPremiersBest and FairestTed WhittenLeading goalkickerJack Collins 84 1953 1955 Contents 1 Home and Away Season Summary and Results 2 1954 Finals Series 3 Ladder 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksHome and Away Season Summary and Results editThe Bulldogs went into the 1954 VFL season as premiership contenders However the season did not start well with losses St Kilda and Richmond both of which finished in the bottom four the previous season 1 In the following two matches against South Melbourne and Carlton the club returned to form with Jack Collins booting eight and nine goals respectively to help propel the Bulldogs to victory 2 3 In Round 7 against Hawthorn at Glenferrie Oval Footscray led by Don Ross after Ted Whitten injured his shoulder came from 23 points down at the last break to kick seven goals and win by nine points 4 With Richmond upsetting Collingwood at Victoria Park that same day the Bulldogs went to the top of the ladder where they would stay until Round 11 when they lost to Collingwood by ten points in a top of the ladder clash at Victoria Park Footscray slipped to fourth in Round 16 when at Arden Street Oval against North Melbourne they looked set for a win being 13 points up with five minutes remaining before the home side rallied to snatch a draw with a behind on the siren citation needed With two rounds remaining and seven teams still in contention for a finals berth the pressure was on the Bulldogs when they met second placed Essendon at Windy Hill In a performance that set them up for their premiership success Footscray won the match with a decisive five goal to none third quarter to run out 19 point winners Whitten was judged best on ground and Collins kicked six goals while Essendon were clearly missing full forward John Coleman who had gone down with a career ending knee injury earlier in the season 5 Round123456789101112131415161718GroundHAHAHHAHAHAAHAHAAHResultLLWWWWWWLWLWLWLDWWPosition9117532111122223422Updated to match es played on 18 September 2021 Source VFL LadderA Away H Home W Win D Draw L Loss Notes Positions show the situation at the end of the corresponding Game Round GR not the position at the conclusion of matches or game days 1954 Home amp Away Season Round Date Venue Team Home Away Result Margin Pos Score 1 Saturday 17 April Western Oval nbsp St Kilda 7 11 53 9 10 64 Lost 11 points 9th 2 Saturday 24 April Punt Road Oval nbsp Richmond 12 19 91 9 19 73 Lost 18 points 11th 3 Saturday 1 May Western Oval nbsp South Melbourne 17 14 116 3 11 29 Won 87 points 7th 4 Saturday 8 May Princes Park nbsp Carlton 17 21 123 20 14 134 Won 11 points 5th 5 Saturday 15 May Western Oval nbsp North Melbourne 11 7 73 5 5 35 Won 38 points 3rd 6 Saturday 22 May Western Oval nbsp Essendon 12 8 80 4 7 31 Won 49 points 2nd 7 Saturday 29 May Glenferrie Oval nbsp Hawthorn 10 9 69 11 12 78 Won 9 points 1st 8 Saturday 5 June Western Oval nbsp Fitzroy 13 9 87 10 14 74 Won 13 points 1st 9 Monday 14 June Kardinia Park nbsp Geelong 9 13 67 8 15 63 Lost 4 points 1st 10 Saturday 26 June Western Oval nbsp Melbourne 10 13 73 8 9 57 Won 16 points 1st 11 Saturday 3 July Victoria Park nbsp Collingwood 12 10 82 10 12 72 Lost 10 points 2nd 12 Saturday 10 July Junction Oval nbsp St Kilda 9 8 62 13 14 92 Won 30 points 2nd 13 Saturday 24 July Western Oval nbsp Richmond 6 9 45 6 13 49 Lost 4 points 2nd 14 Saturday 31 July Lake Oval nbsp South Melbourne 6 5 41 11 12 78 Won 37 points 2nd 15 Saturday 7 August Western Oval nbsp Carlton 6 7 43 8 12 60 Lost 17 points 3rd 16 Saturday 14 August Arden Street Oval nbsp North Melbourne 9 14 68 9 14 68 Drawn 4th 17 Saturday 21 August Windy Hill nbsp Essendon 7 17 59 11 12 78 Won 19 points 2nd 18 Saturday 28 August Western Oval nbsp Hawthorn 17 15 117 5 4 34 Won 83 points 2nd 1954 VFL Finals Series Round Date Venue Team Home Away Result Margin Score SF2 Saturday 11 September Melbourne Cricket Ground nbsp Geelong 8 14 62 11 19 85 Won 23 points GF Saturday 25 September Melbourne Cricket Ground nbsp Melbourne 15 12 102 7 9 51 Won 51 points 1954 Finals Series editMain article 1954 VFL Grand Final Captain coach Charlie Sutton who had been struggling since injuring his left knee against Carlton was declared fit by the selectors to play against Geelong in the Semi Final after getting through a training session 6 but pulled out at the last minute on advice of the club doctor 7 Lionel Ryan who had been dropped to accommodate Sutton was reinstated to the team and defender Wally Donald took charge of the team on the field The Melbourne Cricket Ground was undergoing renovation work to be ready for the 1956 Summer Olympics and the demolition of the public stand left a gap for the breeze to affect the game Geelong kicked with the wind in the first quarter and in the early going it looked like the pace and class which had taken them to the last three Grand Finals would again do the job The Bulldogs began to work their way into the match led by their defence the finest in the League which managed to restrict Geelong to four goals whilst themselves kicking three against the wind goals that would be crucial in deciding the outcome 7 8 Ladder edit P Premiers Qualified for finals Team P W L D PF PA Pts 1 Geelong 18 13 5 0 1630 1225 133 1 52 2 Footscray P 18 11 6 1 1423 1095 130 0 46 3 North Melbourne 18 11 6 1 1355 1361 99 6 46 4 Melbourne 18 11 7 0 1504 1239 121 4 44 5 Richmond 18 10 8 0 1503 1310 114 7 40 6 Essendon 18 10 8 0 1471 1364 107 8 40 7 Collingwood 18 10 8 0 1312 1301 100 8 40 8 Carlton 18 8 10 0 1382 1391 99 4 32 9 Hawthorn 18 8 10 0 1177 1337 88 0 32 10 South Melbourne 18 6 12 0 1209 1482 81 6 24 11 Fitzroy 18 4 13 1 1174 1604 73 2 18 12 St Kilda 18 4 13 1 1149 1580 72 7 18 Rules for classification 1 premiership points 2 percentage 3 points forAverage score 75 4Source AFL TablesSee also edit1954 VFL Grand FinalReferences edit TIGERS WIN ALL WAY The Argus Melbourne 26 April 1954 p 17 Retrieved 8 February 2017 COLLINS LEADS REVIVAL The Argus Melbourne 3 May 1954 p 16 Retrieved 8 February 2017 Bickford George 10 May 1954 Collins beats Carlton The Argus Melbourne p 16 Retrieved 8 February 2017 Buggy Hugh 30 May 1954 BULLDOGS CRASH THROUGH 7 GOALS TO SNATCH GAME The Argus Melbourne p 11 Retrieved 9 February 2017 Buggy Hugh 23 August 1954 BULLDOG BURST SHATTERS DONS Magnificent 3rd term sweeps aside baffled defence The Argus Melbourne p 19 Retrieved 9 February 2017 via National Library of Australia Beames Percy 10 September 1954 BULLDOGS TAKE RISK WITH SUTTON The Age No 31 000 Victoria Australia p 10 Retrieved 10 February 2017 via National Library of Australia a b Beames Percy 13 September 1954 BULLDOGS TOO STRONG FOR GEELONG The Age No 31 002 Victoria Australia p 16 Retrieved 10 February 2017 via National Library of Australia Buggy Hugh 13 September 1954 SEMI WIN SHOWS THE REAL BULLDOG SPIRIT The Argus Melbourne p 19 Retrieved 10 February 2017 via National Library of Australia External links edit1954 Results at AFL Tables Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1954 Footscray Football Club season amp oldid 1129771210, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
