The 1973 VFL season was the 77th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 7 April until 29 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs.
One of the most significant innovations that came into force in 1973 was the implementation of a painted centre diamond area with 45-metre long sides, with a maximum of four players from each team permitted to stand within the diamond at centre bounces.[1] Following a long period of lobbying by the VFL to the Australian Football Council for its introduction, the centre diamond was initially subject to a 12-month trial period. The purpose of this innovation was to try and solve the problem of congestion at centre bounces, as well as giving skilled players more space to benefit their teams.[2]
Premiership season
The home-and-away season consisted of 22 rounds, with teams facing each other twice; matches 12 to 22 were the "home-and-way reverse" of matches 1 to 11.
At the conclusion of the home-and-away fixtures, the 1973 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the "McIntyre Final Five system".
Footscray ended its otherwise disappointing season on a high note with a third consecutive victory, this time the eventual premiers Richmond. After scores were level at three-quarter time, ruckman Gary Dempsey was moved to full-forward where he kicked two key goals. Former Carlton rover Adrian Gallagher (with 31 kicks) and Bernie Quinlan were outstanding for the Bulldogs, while Kevin Bartlett was by far the Tigers' best.[3]
Hawthorn snapped its four-game losing streak and farewelled Glenferrie Oval in style with a hard-fought win over a plucky South Melbourne side. Leading by only five points at the main break, the Hawks kicked clear in the second half to win by 37 points. Leigh Matthews was easily best-on-ground with 36 touches and 3 goals, while Michael Moncrieff chimed in with six goals.
The reserves premiership was won by Richmond. Richmond 17.18 (120) defeated Geelong 8.12 (60) in the Grand Final, held as a curtain-raiser to the seniors Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 29 September.[4]
Notable events
The VFL introduced a new clearance system, "10-year rule", in order to render the VFL immune from the sorts of "restraint of trade" difficulties that were being experienced, at the time, in New South Wales in relation to Rugby League footballers, whereby any VFL player who had played ten years with a single club was eligible for a free transfer to the club of his choice.
Although twenty-two VFL players were eligible to do so, only six players, George Bisset (Footscray to Collingwood), Barry Davis (Essendon to North Melbourne), Carl Ditterich (St Kilda to Melbourne), Adrian Gallagher (Carlton to Footscray), John Rantall (South Melbourne to North Melbourne), and Doug Wade (Geelong to North Melbourne) took advantage of the new rule. The rule was rescinded in May 1973.
The new North Melbourne coach Ron Barassi recruited champion half-backs Barry Davis (who had already played 218 games for Essendon), John Rantall (who had already played 174 games for South Melbourne), and champion full-forward Doug Wade (who had already played 208 games for Geelong). North Melbourne improved from last place in 1972 to sixth in 1973.
In Round 21, Hawthorn full-forward Peter Hudson, who had been injured in Round 1 of 1972, returned to the VFL. He beat four opponents and kicked 8 goals.
In Round 22, Hawthorn hosted its last senior VFL football match at Glenferrie Oval. The ground was notable for its temperamental playing surface and narrow flanks (wedged between the railway line on the one side and houses on the other). The venue had long been described by football fans as "the sardine can." Hawthorn subsequently played its home games at Princes Park for the next eighteen seasons.
The Richmond Football Club won the premiership in all grades in 1973: its Senior Team, Reserves Team and Under-19 team all won their Grand Finals at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Grand Final Day; and the Essex Heights Football Club, which served as Richmond's Under-17 team, won the South-East Suburban League premiership.[5]
^"Centre Square now part of game". The Football Record. Vol. 62. 7 April 1973. p. 6.
^Trevellyan, Graham (3 September 1973). "Tigers upstaged by underDogs". The Age. p. 30.
^"Wesley gets into the Barrot act". The Age. Melbourne. 1 October 1973. p. 27.
^Percy Beams (1 October 1973). "Tom's grand design". The Age. Melbourne. p. 28.
Bibliography
Hogan, P., The Tigers of Old, The Richmond Football Club, (Richmond), 1996. ISBN0-646-18748-1
Maplestone, M., Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996, Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN0-9591740-2-8
Rogers, S. & Brown, A., Every Game Ever Played: VFL/AFL Results 1897–1997 (Sixth Edition), Viking Books, (Ringwood), 1998. ISBN0-670-90809-6
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. ISBN0-670-86814-0
External links
1973 Season – AFL Tables
January 26, 2023
1973, season, 77th, season, victorian, football, league, highest, level, senior, australian, rules, football, competition, victoria, season, featured, twelve, clubs, from, april, until, september, comprised, game, home, away, season, followed, finals, series, . The 1973 VFL season was the 77th season of the Victorian Football League VFL the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria The season featured twelve clubs ran from 7 April until 29 September and comprised a 22 game home and away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs 1973 VFL premiership seasonTeams12PremiersRichmond8th premiershipMinor premiersCollingwood16th minor premiershipBrownlow MedallistKeith Greig North Melbourne Coleman MedallistPeter McKenna Collingwood AttendanceMatches played138Total attendance3 338 648 24 193 per match Highest116 956 19721974 The premiership was won by the Richmond Football Club for the eighth time after it defeated Carlton by 30 points in the 1973 VFL Grand Final Contents 1 Rule changes 2 Premiership season 2 1 Round 1 2 2 Round 2 2 3 Round 3 2 4 Round 4 2 5 Round 5 2 6 Round 6 2 7 Round 7 2 8 Round 8 2 9 Round 9 2 10 Round 10 2 11 Round 11 2 12 Round 12 2 13 Round 13 2 14 Round 14 2 15 Round 15 2 16 Round 16 2 17 Round 17 2 18 Round 18 2 19 Round 19 2 20 Round 20 2 21 Round 21 2 22 Round 22 3 Ladder 4 Finals series 4 1 Week one 4 2 Week two 4 3 Week three 4 4 Week four 5 Awards 6 Notable events 7 References 8 Bibliography 9 External linksRule changes EditOne of the most significant innovations that came into force in 1973 was the implementation of a painted centre diamond area with 45 metre long sides with a maximum of four players from each team permitted to stand within the diamond at centre bounces 1 Following a long period of lobbying by the VFL to the Australian Football Council for its introduction the centre diamond was initially subject to a 12 month trial period The purpose of this innovation was to try and solve the problem of congestion at centre bounces as well as giving skilled players more space to benefit their teams 2 Premiership season EditThe home and away season consisted of 22 rounds with teams facing each other twice matches 12 to 22 were the home and way reverse of matches 1 to 11 At the conclusion of the home and away fixtures the 1973 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the McIntyre Final Five system Round 1 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateMelbourne 9 12 66 St Kilda 14 14 98 MCG 44 737 7 April 1973Fitzroy 20 17 137 Footscray 12 15 87 Junction Oval 14 988 7 April 1973Essendon 19 13 127 Richmond 19 15 129 Windy Hill 27 959 7 April 1973Collingwood 17 22 124 South Melbourne 6 12 48 Victoria Park 23 412 7 April 1973North Melbourne 14 14 98 Hawthorn 9 16 70 Arden Street Oval 15 934 7 April 1973Geelong 10 8 68 Carlton 18 16 124 Kardinia Park 26 130 7 April 1973Round 2 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateHawthorn 14 14 98 Melbourne 13 22 100 Glenferrie Oval 13 128 14 April 1973Carlton 18 15 123 North Melbourne 14 12 96 Princes Park 29 185 14 April 1973Richmond 18 19 127 Geelong 16 14 110 MCG 29 665 14 April 1973St Kilda 20 8 128 Fitzroy 10 11 71 Moorabbin Oval 23 662 14 April 1973South Melbourne 15 19 109 Essendon 21 20 146 Lake Oval 16 260 14 April 1973Footscray 11 16 82 Collingwood 14 18 102 Western Oval 24 794 14 April 1973Round 3 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateCollingwood 21 23 149 Geelong 11 13 79 Victoria Park 49 552 21 April 1973St Kilda 12 9 81 Richmond 17 8 110 Moorabbin Oval 33 022 21 April 1973North Melbourne 11 18 84 Fitzroy 10 18 78 Arden Street Oval 18 704 21 April 1973South Melbourne 17 16 118 Footscray 20 15 135 Lake Oval 13 199 23 April 1973Melbourne 11 9 75 Carlton 11 16 82 MCG 49 439 23 April 1973Hawthorn 27 8 170 Essendon 15 12 102 VFL Park 32 045 23 April 1973Round 4 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateRichmond 11 18 84 North Melbourne 14 20 104 MCG 48 923 25 April 1973St Kilda 8 12 60 Collingwood 19 16 130 VFL Park 49 552 25 April 1973Geelong 17 16 118 South Melbourne 12 14 86 Kardinia Park 14 739 28 April 1973Fitzroy 13 9 87 Melbourne 13 16 94 Junction Oval 16 101 28 April 1973Carlton 14 11 95 Hawthorn 12 11 83 Princes Park 27 913 28 April 1973Footscray 8 19 67 Essendon 17 13 115 Western Oval 25 314 28 April 1973Round 5 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateMelbourne 13 13 91 Richmond 16 14 110 MCG 37 667 5 May 1973Essendon 16 26 122 Geelong 15 16 106 Windy Hill 19 007 5 May 1973South Melbourne 6 12 48 St Kilda 10 16 76 Lake Oval 13 513 5 May 1973Hawthorn 18 16 124 Footscray 16 12 108 Glenferrie Oval 11 402 5 May 1973North Melbourne 13 20 98 Collingwood 15 19 109 Arden Street Oval 27 048 5 May 1973Carlton 15 15 105 Fitzroy 10 8 68 VFL Park 19 654 5 May 1973Round 6 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateFitzroy 15 17 107 Hawthorn 12 13 85 Junction Oval 10 706 12 May 1973Collingwood 15 10 100 Melbourne 10 16 76 Victoria Park 21 360 12 May 1973Geelong 11 14 80 Footscray 14 14 98 Kardinia Park 15 305 12 May 1973St Kilda 18 13 121 Essendon 21 14 140 Moorabbin Oval 23 120 12 May 1973Richmond 18 20 128 Carlton 15 12 102 MCG 54 139 12 May 1973North Melbourne 18 16 124 South Melbourne 11 14 80 VFL Park 10 020 12 May 1973Round 7 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateMelbourne 17 10 112 South Melbourne 12 11 83 MCG 16 075 19 May 1973Footscray 14 9 93 St Kilda 13 12 90 Western Oval 14 953 19 May 1973Essendon 20 24 144 North Melbourne 11 8 74 Windy Hill 26 907 19 May 1973Carlton 16 23 119 Collingwood 8 12 60 Princes Park 43 531 19 May 1973Hawthorn 19 15 129 Geelong 9 14 68 Glenferrie Oval 11 621 19 May 1973Fitzroy 12 8 80 Richmond 16 21 117 VFL Park 19 539 19 May 1973Round 8 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateCollingwood 15 13 103 Fitzroy 10 8 68 Victoria Park 20 822 26 May 1973Richmond 10 22 82 Hawthorn 16 23 119 MCG 32 613 26 May 1973St Kilda 16 10 106 Geelong 8 12 60 Moorabbin Oval 15 114 26 May 1973North Melbourne 8 8 56 Footscray 8 8 56 Arden Street Oval 16 148 26 May 1973South Melbourne 7 9 51 Carlton 19 16 130 Lake Oval 14 659 26 May 1973Melbourne 10 11 71 Essendon 12 9 81 VFL Park 25 603 26 May 1973Round 9 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateGeelong 14 6 90 North Melbourne 18 13 121 Kardinia Park 18 868 4 June 1973Footscray 9 14 68 Melbourne 10 14 74 Western Oval 17 973 4 June 1973Fitzroy 16 8 104 South Melbourne 7 15 57 Junction Oval 10 119 4 June 1973Carlton 19 19 133 Essendon 13 14 92 Princes Park 39 646 4 June 1973St Kilda 11 12 78 Hawthorn 8 16 64 Moorabbin Oval 22 521 4 June 1973Richmond 10 6 66 Collingwood 15 15 105 VFL Park 55 827 4 June 1973Round 10 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateNorth Melbourne 11 14 80 St Kilda 7 12 54 Arden Street Oval 16 387 9 June 1973Essendon 15 17 107 Fitzroy 14 13 97 Windy Hill 16 632 9 June 1973South Melbourne 9 8 62 Richmond 13 14 92 Lake Oval 10 726 9 June 1973Melbourne 20 19 139 Geelong 11 15 81 MCG 19 900 9 June 1973Hawthorn 14 11 95 Collingwood 15 18 108 Glenferrie Oval 19 963 9 June 1973Carlton 13 13 91 Footscray 9 11 65 VFL Park 18 205 9 June 1973Round 11 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateMelbourne 13 12 90 North Melbourne 12 9 81 MCG 32 957 16 June 1973Footscray 7 16 58 Richmond 17 7 109 Western Oval 16 733 16 June 1973Collingwood 23 16 154 Essendon 16 16 112 Victoria Park 31 754 16 June 1973Geelong 16 8 104 Fitzroy 11 15 81 Kardinia Park 12 786 16 June 1973St Kilda 13 13 91 Carlton 9 13 67 Moorabbin Oval 25 081 16 June 1973South Melbourne 11 10 76 Hawthorn 17 17 119 VFL Park 9 436 16 June 1973Round 12 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateHawthorn 12 13 85 North Melbourne 10 10 70 Glenferrie Oval 12 380 23 June 1973Carlton 17 12 114 Geelong 9 13 67 Princes Park 14 202 23 June 1973St Kilda 11 14 80 Melbourne 6 18 54 Moorabbin Oval 24 262 23 June 1973Richmond 15 21 111 Essendon 13 17 95 MCG 43 892 23 June 1973South Melbourne 12 5 77 Collingwood 15 9 99 Lake Oval 12 484 23 June 1973Footscray 10 15 75 Fitzroy 13 11 89 VFL Park 7 016 23 June 1973Round 13 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateFitzroy 10 11 71 St Kilda 20 11 131 Junction Oval 14 776 30 June 1973Essendon 20 19 139 South Melbourne 16 14 110 Windy Hill 13 042 30 June 1973Collingwood 13 17 95 Footscray 14 6 90 Victoria Park 18 253 30 June 1973Melbourne 15 15 105 Hawthorn 15 22 112 MCG 25 787 30 June 1973North Melbourne 16 19 115 Carlton 16 11 107 Arden Street Oval 19 355 30 June 1973Geelong 13 11 89 Richmond 21 7 133 VFL Park 13 219 30 June 1973Round 14 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateNorth Melbourne 11 12 78 Richmond 17 15 117 Arden Street Oval 19 114 7 July 1973Collingwood 15 13 103 St Kilda 12 10 82 Victoria Park 25 312 7 July 1973South Melbourne 18 15 123 Geelong 12 6 78 Lake Oval 9 681 7 July 1973Melbourne 19 20 134 Fitzroy 14 13 97 MCG 13 105 7 July 1973Hawthorn 14 24 108 Carlton 12 14 86 Glenferrie Oval 18 316 7 July 1973Essendon 21 6 132 Footscray 13 19 97 VFL Park 12 417 7 July 1973Round 15 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateFootscray 12 7 79 South Melbourne 20 21 141 Western Oval 11 115 14 July 1973Fitzroy 16 12 108 North Melbourne 13 18 96 Junction Oval 9 886 14 July 1973Essendon 23 13 151 Hawthorn 18 8 116 Windy Hill 22 437 14 July 1973Carlton 18 14 122 Melbourne 12 9 81 Princes Park 22 283 14 July 1973Geelong 13 10 88 Collingwood 13 18 96 Kardinia Park 15 892 14 July 1973Richmond 13 12 90 St Kilda 11 11 77 VFL Park 31 502 14 July 1973Round 16 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateSt Kilda 14 16 100 South Melbourne 13 15 93 Moorabbin Oval 17 454 21 July 1973Footscray 6 9 45 Hawthorn 9 11 65 Western Oval 10 987 21 July 1973Richmond 16 14 110 Melbourne 9 19 73 MCG 30 492 21 July 1973Geelong 12 10 82 Essendon 11 15 81 Kardinia Park 16 746 21 July 1973Fitzroy 12 19 91 Carlton 11 14 80 Junction Oval 14 800 21 July 1973Collingwood 10 11 71 North Melbourne 11 10 76 VFL Park 25 650 21 July 1973Round 17 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateEssendon 15 12 102 St Kilda 10 19 79 Windy Hill 21 469 28 July 1973Carlton 15 17 107 Richmond 10 21 81 Princes Park 28 592 28 July 1973South Melbourne 19 16 130 North Melbourne 14 7 91 Lake Oval 13 637 28 July 1973Hawthorn 15 10 100 Fitzroy 9 9 63 Glenferrie Oval 12 386 28 July 1973Melbourne 12 15 87 Collingwood 17 24 126 MCG 37 838 28 July 1973Footscray 21 15 141 Geelong 13 14 92 VFL Park 13 546 28 July 1973Round 18 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateGeelong 14 11 95 Hawthorn 14 10 94 Kardinia Park 13 546 4 August 1973St Kilda 15 20 110 Footscray 12 14 86 Moorabbin Oval 15 217 4 August 1973Richmond 15 14 104 Fitzroy 13 14 92 MCG 20 578 4 August 1973North Melbourne 13 13 91 Essendon 14 10 94 Arden Street Oval 21 071 4 August 1973Collingwood 19 7 121 Carlton 15 16 106 Victoria Park 37 660 4 August 1973South Melbourne 12 14 86 Melbourne 11 12 78 VFL Park 15 255 4 August 1973Round 19 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateHawthorn 11 11 77 Richmond 12 10 82 Glenferrie Oval 20 236 11 August 1973Footscray 10 8 68 North Melbourne 10 14 74 Western Oval 13 581 11 August 1973Essendon 17 13 115 Melbourne 15 11 101 Windy Hill 18 008 11 August 1973Carlton 20 17 137 South Melbourne 11 14 80 Princes Park 22 181 11 August 1973Fitzroy 10 19 79 Collingwood 19 10 124 Junction Oval 19 103 11 August 1973Geelong 13 8 86 St Kilda 11 17 83 VFL Park 19 477 11 August 1973Round 20 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateHawthorn 11 11 77 St Kilda 15 8 98 Glenferrie Oval 16 952 18 August 1973Collingwood 8 11 59 Richmond 14 16 100 Victoria Park 28 286 18 August 1973North Melbourne 9 10 64 Geelong 7 6 48 Arden Street Oval 11 121 18 August 1973Melbourne 10 13 73 Footscray 17 8 110 MCG 12 563 18 August 1973South Melbourne 15 11 101 Fitzroy 14 21 105 Lake Oval 8 584 18 August 1973Essendon 10 7 67 Carlton 17 9 111 VFL Park 36 160 18 August 1973Round 21 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateRichmond 22 11 143 South Melbourne 13 16 94 MCG 24 307 25 August 1973Geelong 17 11 113 Melbourne 14 14 98 Kardinia Park 15 489 25 August 1973St Kilda 16 18 114 North Melbourne 14 12 96 Moorabbin Oval 29 257 25 August 1973Fitzroy 13 22 100 Essendon 9 23 77 Junction Oval 14 875 25 August 1973Footscray 10 15 75 Carlton 9 12 66 Western Oval 18 988 25 August 1973Collingwood 16 10 106 Hawthorn 13 10 88 VFL Park 48 059 25 August 1973Round 22 Edit Round 22Saturday 1 September 2 10 pm Carlton 20 15 135 def St Kilda 13 9 87 Princes Park crowd 22 824 ReportSaturday 1 September 2 10 pm Essendon 16 6 102 def by Collingwood 17 10 112 Windy Hill crowd 28 049 ReportSaturday 1 September 2 10 pm Fitzroy 17 15 117 def Geelong 14 17 101 Junction Oval crowd 9 172 ReportSaturday 1 September 2 10 pm Richmond 10 16 76 def by Footscray 11 11 77 MCG crowd 24 671 ReportSaturday 1 September 2 10 pm Hawthorn 16 20 116 def South Melbourne 11 13 79 Glenferrie Oval crowd 9 932 ReportSaturday 1 September 2 10 pm North Melbourne 11 5 71 def Melbourne 9 12 66 VFL Park crowd 9 411 ReportFootscray ended its otherwise disappointing season on a high note with a third consecutive victory this time the eventual premiers Richmond After scores were level at three quarter time ruckman Gary Dempsey was moved to full forward where he kicked two key goals Former Carlton rover Adrian Gallagher with 31 kicks and Bernie Quinlan were outstanding for the Bulldogs while Kevin Bartlett was by far the Tigers best 3 Hawthorn snapped its four game losing streak and farewelled Glenferrie Oval in style with a hard fought win over a plucky South Melbourne side Leading by only five points at the main break the Hawks kicked clear in the second half to win by 37 points Leigh Matthews was easily best on ground with 36 touches and 3 goals while Michael Moncrieff chimed in with six goals Ladder Edit1973 VFL ladder Pos Team Pld W L D PF PA PP Pts1 Collingwood 22 19 3 0 2356 1878 125 5 76 Finals2 Richmond P 22 17 5 0 2301 1957 117 6 683 Carlton 22 15 7 0 2342 1850 126 6 604 Essendon 22 13 9 0 2443 2341 104 4 525 St Kilda 22 12 10 0 2024 1922 105 3 486 North Melbourne 22 11 10 1 1938 1986 97 6 467 Hawthorn 22 11 11 0 2194 2002 109 6 448 Fitzroy 22 9 13 0 1990 2194 90 7 369 Footscray 22 7 14 1 1860 2109 88 2 3010 Melbourne 22 7 15 0 1938 2111 91 8 2811 Geelong 22 6 16 0 1903 2426 78 4 2412 South Melbourne 22 4 18 0 1932 2445 79 0 16Source VFL ladderRules for classification 1 points 2 percentage 3 number of points for P PremiersFinals series EditMain article 1973 VFL finals series Week one Edit Qualifying finalSaturday 8 September 2 30 pm Richmond 10 11 71 def by Carlton 13 13 91 MCG crowd 86 386 ReportElimination finalSaturday 8 September 2 30 pm Essendon 13 13 91 def by St Kilda 24 14 158 VFL Park crowd 53 405 ReportWeek two Edit Semi finalsSF1 Saturday 15 September 2 30 pm Richmond 15 18 108 def St Kilda 9 14 68 MCG crowd 86 483 ReportSF2 Saturday 15 September 2 30 pm Collingwood 12 15 87 def by Carlton 15 17 107 VFL Park crowd 60 072 ReportWeek three Edit Preliminary finalSaturday 22 September 2 30 pm Collingwood 14 14 98 def by Richmond 15 15 105 MCG crowd 98 652 ReportCollingwood became the first team under the McIntyre Final Five system to exit in straight setsWeek four Edit Main article 1973 VFL Grand Final Grand finalSaturday 29 September 2 30 pm Carlton 12 14 86 def by Richmond 16 20 116 MCG crowd 116 956 ReportThis was the second consecutive VFL Grand final meeting between Richmond and CarltonAwards EditThe 1973 VFL Premiership team was Richmond The VFL s leading goalkicker was Peter McKenna of Collingwood who kicked 84 goals including 2 goals in the finals The winner of the 1973 Brownlow Medal was Keith Greig of North Melbourne with 27 votes South Melbourne took the wooden spoon in 1973 The reserves premiership was won by Richmond Richmond 17 18 120 defeated Geelong 8 12 60 in the Grand Final held as a curtain raiser to the seniors Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 29 September 4 Notable events EditThe VFL introduced a new clearance system 10 year rule in order to render the VFL immune from the sorts of restraint of trade difficulties that were being experienced at the time in New South Wales in relation to Rugby League footballers whereby any VFL player who had played ten years with a single club was eligible for a free transfer to the club of his choice Although twenty two VFL players were eligible to do so only six players George Bisset Footscray to Collingwood Barry Davis Essendon to North Melbourne Carl Ditterich St Kilda to Melbourne Adrian Gallagher Carlton to Footscray John Rantall South Melbourne to North Melbourne and Doug Wade Geelong to North Melbourne took advantage of the new rule The rule was rescinded in May 1973 The new North Melbourne coach Ron Barassi recruited champion half backs Barry Davis who had already played 218 games for Essendon John Rantall who had already played 174 games for South Melbourne and champion full forward Doug Wade who had already played 208 games for Geelong North Melbourne improved from last place in 1972 to sixth in 1973 In Round 11 Kevin Murray played his 300th game for Fitzroy In Round 21 Hawthorn full forward Peter Hudson who had been injured in Round 1 of 1972 returned to the VFL He beat four opponents and kicked 8 goals In Round 22 Hawthorn hosted its last senior VFL football match at Glenferrie Oval The ground was notable for its temperamental playing surface and narrow flanks wedged between the railway line on the one side and houses on the other The venue had long been described by football fans as the sardine can Hawthorn subsequently played its home games at Princes Park for the next eighteen seasons The Richmond Football Club won the premiership in all grades in 1973 its Senior Team Reserves Team and Under 19 team all won their Grand Finals at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Grand Final Day and the Essex Heights Football Club which served as Richmond s Under 17 team won the South East Suburban League premiership 5 References Edit afl com au Centre Square now part of game The Football Record Vol 62 7 April 1973 p 6 Trevellyan Graham 3 September 1973 Tigers upstaged by underDogs The Age p 30 Wesley gets into the Barrot act The Age Melbourne 1 October 1973 p 27 Percy Beams 1 October 1973 Tom s grand design The Age Melbourne p 28 Bibliography EditHogan P The Tigers of Old The Richmond Football Club Richmond 1996 ISBN 0 646 18748 1 Maplestone M Flying Higher History of the Essendon Football Club 1872 1996 Essendon Football Club Melbourne 1996 ISBN 0 9591740 2 8 Rogers S amp 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 0External links Edit1973 Season AFL Tables Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1973 VFL season amp oldid 1110446206, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,