The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 23 March until 28 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs. The season was the first to feature premiership matches on Friday nights.
Footscray won their sixth consecutive game and recorded the biggest win in the club's history to date, in the 120-point thrashing of Melbourne. Full-forward Simon Beasley registered 10 or more goals for the third time in his career, ending up with 12 goals 3 behinds. The Bulldogs' record winning margin would stand until the 2021 AFL season.
Hawthorn won the reserves premiership. Hawthorn 18.16 (114) defeated Carlton 16.12 (108) in the Grand Final, held as a curtain-raiser to the seniors Grand Final on 28 September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[3]
Notable events
In the first three rounds, St Kilda set an unwanted record of three consecutive losses by 100 points (110, 140 and 113 points). Their percentage at the end of the round was only 34.7.
In a televised reserves match between Collingwood and the Sydney Swans at the Lake Oval in South Melbourne on Sunday, 28 April, Collingwood reserves full-back John Bourke kicked Swans ruckman Patrick Foy in the groin in response to Foy tagging him throughout the game. As field umpire Phil Waight went to report Bourke for the incident, Bourke kicked and pushed Waight, then made contact with the Collingwood runner and jumped into the stands to attack a Swans fan before being escorted off the field. Bourke was found guilty at the Tribunal of kicking an umpire, kicking and assault, and was given the longest suspension in VFL/AFL history - 10 years plus 16 matches (239 matches), which was commuted in 1992 to six years plus 16 matches (151 matches). He was later charged with two counts of assault by Victoria Police, convicted on both counts in the Prahran Magistrates Court, and fined $2000 plus costs.[4]
In round 10, Geelong trailed at each change by 1, 10 and 13 points, but then kicked 11.7 (73) to 1.2 (8) in the last quarter to beat Richmond by 50 points. Their 50-point margin is the largest by a team outscored for each of the first three quarters.
A violent brawl in the round 12 match between Hawthorn and Geelong led to veteran Hawthorn champion Leigh Matthews being charged with assaulting Geelong's Neville Bruns by Victoria Police.
On the week of round 18, the Sydney Swans club was bought by Geoffrey Edelsten and became the first privately owned VFL club. Earlier in the season, Perth businessmen Alan Delany and John Watts had attempted to buy lowly St. Kilda and relocate them to Perth.[5]
In round 18, Essendon led North Melbourne 18.8 (116) to 2.4 (16) at half-time. This was the largest half-time lead since round 2 of 1931, when led by Richmond 17.9 (111) to North Melbourne's 0.5 (5).
Collingwood player Andrew Witts wore jumper No. 65 during his seven games with the Magpies – the highest regular jumper number in VFL/AFL history.[6] It was the highest number of all time until 2017 when a number of Indigenous players wore once-off jumper number No. 67 during Indigenous Round to recognise 50 years since the passage of the 1967 referendum on Aboriginals.
In round 20, the Arden Street Oval hosted its last senior VFL match. The venue had been used by North Melbourne throughout its time in the VFL, except for 1965 when the club was based in Coburg. A total of 529 VFL senior matches were played at the ground that was formerly overshadowed by a massive gasometer on Macaulay Road.
^Christian, Geoff; "WAFL to Monitor Move on Saints"; in The West Australian, 20 May 1985
^Fine, Mark (2011). The Book of Footy Lists. Australia: Slattery Media Group. p. 300. ISBN9781921778308.
Bibliography
Stephen Rodgers: Every Game Ever Played VFL/AFL Results 1897–1991 3rd Edition 1992. Penguin Books Australia ISBN0-670-90526-7.
External links
1985 Season - AFL Tables
January 08, 2023
1985, season, 89th, season, victorian, football, league, highest, level, senior, australian, rules, football, competition, victoria, 1985, premiership, seasonteams12premiersessendon, 14th, premiership, minor, premiersessendon, 12th, minor, premiership, night, . The 1985 VFL season was the 89th season of the Victorian Football League VFL the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria 1985 VFL premiership seasonTeams12PremiersEssendon 14th premiership Minor premiersEssendon 12th minor premiership Night seriesHawthorn 2nd Night series win Matches played138Attendance3 113 173 22 559 per match Highest attendance100 042Brownlow MedallistBrad Hardie Footscray Coleman MedallistSimon Beasley Footscray 19841986 The season featured twelve clubs ran from 23 March until 28 September and comprised a 22 game home and away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs The season was the first to feature premiership matches on Friday nights The premiership was won by the Essendon Football Club for the 14th time and second time consecutively after it defeated Hawthorn by 78 points in the 1985 VFL Grand Final Contents 1 Night series 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 Player Statistics and Awards 5 1 Leading goalkickers 5 2 Brownlow Medal count 6 Notable events 7 See also 8 References 9 Bibliography 10 External linksNight series EditHawthorn defeated Essendon 11 11 77 to 10 8 68 in the final Premiership season EditRound 1 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateNorth Melbourne 15 13 103 Collingwood 21 15 141 MCG 65 628 29 March 1985St Kilda 8 18 66 Sydney 26 20 176 Moorabbin Oval 20 910 30 March 1985Essendon 21 11 137 Richmond 18 12 120 Windy Hill 22 802 30 March 1985Carlton 17 10 112 Footscray 22 10 142 Princes Park 26 873 30 March 1985Melbourne 20 8 128 Fitzroy 14 18 102 MCG 20 910 30 March 1985Geelong 20 8 128 Hawthorn 14 16 100 VFL Park 20 776 30 March 1985Round 2 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateRichmond 12 16 88 Sydney 13 14 92 MCG 24 113 6 April 1985Geelong 14 12 96 Collingwood 18 11 119 Kardinia Park 32 966 6 April 1985St Kilda 2 17 29 Carlton 25 19 169 Moorabbin Oval 18 655 6 April 1985Hawthorn 25 20 170 Melbourne 14 18 102 Princes Park 17 278 8 April 1985Fitzroy 8 15 63 Essendon 24 22 166 Victoria Park 17 093 8 April 1985Footscray 20 14 134 North Melbourne 16 12 108 VFL Park 24 056 8 April 1985Round 3 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateEssendon 17 12 114 Hawthorn 15 10 100 VFL Park 41 694 23 March 1985Richmond 31 25 211 St Kilda 14 14 98 MCG 17 753 13 April 1985Footscray 26 14 170 Geelong 16 9 105 Western Oval 23 259 13 April 1985Collingwood 19 9 123 Melbourne 16 17 113 Victoria Park 22 896 13 April 1985Carlton 22 13 145 North Melbourne 22 15 147 Princes Park 20 404 13 April 1985Sydney 18 12 120 Fitzroy 26 15 171 SCG 10 204 14 April 1985The average score by each team this round was 134 8 which stands as the VFL AFL record 1 Round 4 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateNorth Melbourne 16 15 111 St Kilda 11 6 72 MCG 12 895 20 April 1985Fitzroy 12 14 86 Richmond 15 13 103 Victoria Park 11 056 20 April 1985Carlton 24 17 161 Geelong 13 11 89 Princes Park 19 894 20 April 1985Essendon 13 8 86 Collingwood 12 10 82 Windy Hill 26 550 20 April 1985Melbourne 14 18 102 Footscray 12 11 83 VFL Park 20 797 20 April 1985Sydney 5 14 44 Hawthorn 8 15 63 SCG 7 860 21 April 1985Round 5 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateMelbourne 18 13 121 Carlton 13 14 92 MCG 53 067 25 April 1985St Kilda 19 12 126 Fitzroy 18 14 122 VFL Park 20 480 25 April 1985Hawthorn 21 23 149 Richmond 29 14 188 Princes Park 17 268 27 April 1985Geelong 16 23 119 North Melbourne 14 9 93 Kardinia Park 16 492 27 April 1985Collingwood 15 15 105 Sydney 13 12 90 Victoria Park 23 306 27 April 1985Footscray 18 17 125 Essendon 11 18 84 Western Oval 33 677 27 April 1985Round 6 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateMelbourne 20 11 131 North Melbourne 20 12 132 MCG 23 815 4 May 1985Fitzroy 15 12 102 Hawthorn 19 16 130 Victoria Park 9 231 4 May 1985St Kilda 16 12 108 Geelong 15 21 111 Moorabbin Oval 16 000 4 May 1985Essendon 27 14 176 Carlton 8 19 67 Windy Hill 22 644 4 May 1985Richmond 16 10 106 Collingwood 13 10 88 VFL Park 58 733 4 May 1985Sydney 25 11 161 Footscray 11 17 83 SCG 9 537 5 May 1985Round 7 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateHawthorn 28 15 183 St Kilda 8 9 57 Princes Park 8 762 11 May 1985Geelong 12 13 85 Melbourne 5 10 40 Kardinia Park 15 000 11 May 1985Collingwood 11 15 81 Fitzroy 25 10 160 Victoria Park 22 964 11 May 1985Richmond 15 11 101 Footscray 23 13 151 MCG 36 250 11 May 1985North Melbourne 22 20 152 Essendon 14 9 93 VFL Park 37 125 11 May 1985Sydney 11 17 83 Carlton 12 16 88 SCG 12 507 12 May 1985Round 8 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateNorth Melbourne 11 8 74 Sydney 6 10 46 MCG 14 572 18 May 1985Collingwood 8 9 57 Hawthorn 6 10 46 Victoria Park 20 731 18 May 1985Carlton 11 18 84 Richmond 9 13 67 Princes Park 21 777 18 May 1985Footscray 11 7 73 Fitzroy 12 15 87 Western Oval 16 952 18 May 1985Geelong 8 11 59 Essendon 10 15 75 Kardinia Park 23 102 18 May 1985Melbourne 16 10 106 St Kilda 7 12 54 VFL Park 16 282 18 May 1985Round 9 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateEssendon 23 15 153 Melbourne 9 17 71 Windy Hill 19 985 25 May 1985Richmond 16 15 111 North Melbourne 18 19 127 MCG 31 347 25 May 1985Hawthorn 17 24 126 Footscray 16 11 107 Princes Park 16 686 25 May 1985St Kilda 20 17 137 Collingwood 24 18 162 Moorabbin Oval 22 348 25 May 1985Fitzroy 19 9 123 Carlton 18 16 124 VFL Park 29 455 25 May 1985Sydney 13 11 89 Geelong 16 21 117 SCG 12 577 26 May 1985Round 10 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateMelbourne 15 19 109 Sydney 14 8 92 MCG 16 749 1 June 1985Fitzroy 17 15 117 North Melbourne 19 14 128 Victoria Park 11 333 1 June 1985Carlton 9 14 68 Hawthorn 22 15 147 Princes Park 25 424 1 June 1985St Kilda 18 12 120 Essendon 21 20 146 Moorabbin Oval 16 536 1 June 1985Richmond 10 10 70 Geelong 18 12 120 VFL Park 24 849 1 June 1985Footscray 16 10 106 Collingwood 12 8 80 MCG 45 408 2 June 1985Round 11 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateMelbourne 15 11 101 Richmond 17 19 121 MCG 31 606 8 June 1985Footscray 15 21 111 St Kilda 13 12 90 Western Oval 17 538 8 June 1985Essendon 17 11 113 Sydney 11 5 71 Windy Hill 17 652 8 June 1985North Melbourne 17 11 113 Hawthorn 17 11 113 MCG 39 084 10 June 1985Geelong 17 8 110 Fitzroy 20 21 141 Kardinia Park 20 000 10 June 1985Collingwood 13 9 87 Carlton 16 14 110 VFL Park 56 604 10 June 1985Round 12 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateCollingwood 9 10 64 North Melbourne 14 17 101 Victoria Park 19 573 15 June 1985Hawthorn 17 15 117 Geelong 13 10 88 Princes Park 11 377 15 June 1985Richmond 10 9 69 Essendon 23 12 150 MCG 36 851 15 June 1985Footscray 13 8 86 Carlton 5 9 39 Western Oval 20 707 15 June 1985Fitzroy 11 15 81 Melbourne 6 11 47 VFL Park 14 668 15 June 1985Sydney 23 21 159 St Kilda 13 14 92 SCG 7 811 16 June 1985Round 13 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateEssendon 21 14 140 Fitzroy 16 17 113 Windy Hill 18 398 22 June 1985Collingwood 12 13 85 Geelong 13 13 91 Victoria Park 16 852 22 June 1985Carlton 20 19 139 St Kilda 16 11 107 Princes Park 13 534 22 June 1985Melbourne 12 9 81 Hawthorn 11 31 97 MCG 16 406 22 June 1985North Melbourne 9 21 75 Footscray 11 11 77 VFL Park 22 319 22 June 1985Sydney 19 23 137 Richmond 8 12 60 SCG 9 504 23 June 1985Round 14 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateNorth Melbourne 10 15 75 Carlton 22 19 151 MCG 32 861 28 June 1985Fitzroy 13 17 95 Sydney 11 14 80 Victoria Park 9 953 29 June 1985St Kilda 12 9 81 Richmond 17 15 117 Moorabbin Oval 14 243 29 June 1985Geelong 17 22 124 Footscray 23 8 146 Kardinia Park 17 000 29 June 1985Melbourne 12 13 85 Collingwood 23 19 157 MCG 29 154 29 June 1985Hawthorn 15 11 101 Essendon 21 11 137 VFL Park 48 880 29 June 1985Round 15 Edit Round 15 2 Saturday 6 July 2 10 pm Geelong 16 8 104 def by Carlton 19 16 130 Kardinia Park crowd 19 813 ReportSaturday 6 July 2 10 pm Collingwood 11 12 78 def by Essendon 13 11 89 Victoria Park crowd 26 014 ReportSaturday 6 July 2 10 pm Richmond 21 16 142 def Fitzroy 17 16 118 MCG crowd 19 794 ReportSaturday 6 July 2 10 pm Footscray 26 13 169 def Melbourne 6 13 49 Western Oval crowd 15 328 ReportSaturday 6 July 2 10 pm Hawthorn 23 18 156 def Sydney 12 11 83 Princes Park crowd 8 694 ReportSaturday 6 July 2 10 pm St Kilda 11 9 75 def by North Melbourne 21 13 139 VFL Park crowd 11 829 ReportFootscray won their sixth consecutive game and recorded the biggest win in the club s history to date in the 120 point thrashing of Melbourne Full forward Simon Beasley registered 10 or more goals for the third time in his career ending up with 12 goals 3 behinds The Bulldogs record winning margin would stand until the 2021 AFL season Round 16 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateFitzroy 16 13 109 St Kilda 18 10 118 Victoria Park 8 735 13 July 1985Richmond 17 11 113 Hawthorn 27 18 180 MCG 23 522 13 July 1985Essendon 17 10 112 Footscray 13 10 88 Windy Hill 28 144 20 July 1985North Melbourne 12 19 91 Geelong 20 11 131 MCG 17 686 20 July 1985Carlton 14 15 99 Melbourne 5 9 39 VFL Park 17 920 20 July 1985Sydney 17 21 123 Collingwood 29 11 185 SCG 12 172 21 July 1985Round 17 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateGeelong 14 18 102 St Kilda 12 9 81 Kardinia Park 11 989 27 July 1985Footscray 15 15 105 Sydney 11 13 79 Western Oval 13 026 27 July 1985Collingwood 13 8 86 Richmond 11 12 78 Victoria Park 20 336 27 July 1985Carlton 18 12 120 Essendon 10 8 68 Princes Park 28 786 27 July 1985North Melbourne 17 12 114 Melbourne 16 14 110 MCG 10 787 27 July 1985Hawthorn 19 20 134 Fitzroy 8 14 62 VFL Park 13 197 27 July 1985Round 18 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateEssendon 25 16 166 North Melbourne 8 14 62 Windy Hill 18 894 3 August 1985Carlton 19 13 127 Sydney 14 9 93 Princes Park 15 717 3 August 1985St Kilda 13 16 94 Hawthorn 20 15 135 Moorabbin Oval 10 911 3 August 1985Melbourne 12 14 86 Geelong 21 18 144 MCG 16 421 3 August 1985Fitzroy 14 21 105 Collingwood 14 10 94 Victoria Park 15 958 3 August 1985Footscray 25 16 166 Richmond 17 6 108 VFL Park 16 205 3 August 1985Round 19 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateFitzroy 10 12 72 Footscray 12 5 77 Victoria Park 11 022 10 August 1985St Kilda 7 8 50 Melbourne 8 11 59 Moorabbin Oval 11 779 10 August 1985Hawthorn 15 6 96 Collingwood 8 16 64 Princes Park 15 799 10 August 1985Richmond 11 14 80 Carlton 23 15 153 MCG 24 125 10 August 1985Essendon 13 11 89 Geelong 8 16 64 VFL Park 34 614 10 August 1985Sydney 12 22 94 North Melbourne 14 15 99 SCG 9 215 11 August 1985Round 20 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateNorth Melbourne 16 20 116 Richmond 9 12 66 Arden St Oval 7 341 17 August 1985Geelong 13 13 91 Sydney 9 10 64 Kardinia Park 12 422 17 August 1985Footscray 5 13 43 Hawthorn 5 8 38 Western Oval 21 828 17 August 1985Carlton 12 15 87 Fitzroy 8 11 59 Princes Park 16 902 17 August 1985Melbourne 15 7 97 Essendon 17 10 112 MCG 22 193 17 August 1985Collingwood 17 18 120 St Kilda 9 15 69 VFL Park 15 709 17 August 1985Round 21 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateEssendon 27 22 184 St Kilda 14 7 91 Windy Hill 14 133 24 August 1985Collingwood 9 10 64 Footscray 15 19 109 Victoria Park 21 724 24 August 1985North Melbourne 17 22 124 Fitzroy 17 14 116 MCG 14 581 24 August 1985Hawthorn 15 17 107 Carlton 12 12 84 Princes Park 31 484 24 August 1985Geelong 12 7 79 Richmond 16 15 111 VFL Park 16 174 24 August 1985Sydney 24 21 165 Melbourne 14 13 97 SCG 7 942 25 August 1985Round 22 Edit Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd DateHawthorn 23 21 159 North Melbourne 14 11 95 Princes Park 16 449 31 August 1985Fitzroy 14 13 97 Geelong 17 18 120 Victoria Park 9 120 31 August 1985Richmond 20 12 132 Melbourne 13 13 91 MCG 17 158 31 August 1985St Kilda 12 12 84 Footscray 8 18 66 Moorabbin Oval 14 236 31 August 1985Carlton 12 9 81 Collingwood 11 9 75 VFL Park 37 027 31 August 1985Sydney 11 12 78 Essendon 24 21 165 SCG 12 180 1 September 1985Ladder Edit1985 VFL ladder Pos Team Pld W L D PF PA PP Pts1 Essendon P 22 19 3 0 2755 1991 138 4 76 Finals2 Footscray 22 16 6 0 2417 2000 120 9 643 Hawthorn 22 15 6 1 2647 2024 130 8 624 Carlton 22 15 7 0 2430 2104 115 5 605 North Melbourne 22 13 8 1 2379 2431 97 9 546 Geelong 22 12 10 0 2277 2263 100 6 487 Collingwood 22 10 12 0 2197 2180 100 8 408 Richmond 22 9 13 0 2362 2590 91 2 369 Fitzroy 22 7 15 0 2301 2452 93 8 2810 Sydney 22 6 16 0 2219 2349 94 5 2411 Melbourne 22 6 16 0 1965 2527 77 8 2412 St Kilda 22 3 19 0 1899 2937 64 7 12Source VFL ladderRules for classification 1 points 2 percentage 3 number of points for P PremiersFinals series EditMain article 1985 VFL finals series Week one Edit Elimination finalSaturday 7 September 2 30 pm Carlton 16 11 107 def by North Melbourne 20 6 126 VFL Park crowd 49 126 ReportQualifying finalSunday 8 September 2 30 pm Footscray 8 14 62 def by Hawthorn 22 23 155 MCG crowd 58 367 ReportWeek two Edit Semi finalsSF1 Sunday 15 September 2 30 pm Footscray 19 23 137 def North Melbourne 16 11 107 MCG crowd 56 112 ReportSF2 Saturday 14 September 2 30 pm Essendon 14 18 102 def Hawthorn 9 8 62 VFL Park crowd 67 063 ReportWeek three Edit Preliminary finalSaturday 21 September 2 30 pm Hawthorn 16 13 109 def Footscray 15 9 99 VFL Park crowd 55 246 ReportWeek four Edit Main article 1985 VFL Grand Final Grand finalSaturday 28 September 2 50 pm Essendon 26 14 170 def Hawthorn 14 8 92 MCG crowd 100 042 ReportEssendon won its 14th VFL AFL Premiership This marked the third consecutive Grand final contested by Essendon and Hawthorn Essendon s last quarter score of 11 goals 3 behinds 69 points beat the previous year s record last quarter score Kevin Sheedy won his second Jock McHale Medal Player Statistics and Awards EditLeading goalkickers Edit Name Club Goals1 Simon Beasley Footscray 1052 Bernie Quinlan Fitzroy 843 Gary Ablett Geelong 824 Brian Taylor Collingwood 80 Michael Roach Richmond 80Brownlow Medal count Edit Name Club Votes1 Brad Hardie Footscray 222 Justin Madden Carlton 213 Paul Roos Fitzroy 164 Tim Watson Essendon 15 Greg Williams Geelong 15 Gary Ablett Geelong 15 Matthew Larkin North Melbourne 15 Brian Royal Footscray 15 Stephen Wallis Footscray 15The Leigh Matthews Trophy was awarded to Greg Williams of Geelong The Norm Smith Medal was awarded to Simon Madden of Essendon Hawthorn won the reserves premiership Hawthorn 18 16 114 defeated Carlton 16 12 108 in the Grand Final held as a curtain raiser to the seniors Grand Final on 28 September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground 3 Notable events EditIn the first three rounds St Kilda set an unwanted record of three consecutive losses by 100 points 110 140 and 113 points Their percentage at the end of the round was only 34 7 In a televised reserves match between Collingwood and the Sydney Swans at the Lake Oval in South Melbourne on Sunday 28 April Collingwood reserves full back John Bourke kicked Swans ruckman Patrick Foy in the groin in response to Foy tagging him throughout the game As field umpire Phil Waight went to report Bourke for the incident Bourke kicked and pushed Waight then made contact with the Collingwood runner and jumped into the stands to attack a Swans fan before being escorted off the field Bourke was found guilty at the Tribunal of kicking an umpire kicking and assault and was given the longest suspension in VFL AFL history 10 years plus 16 matches 239 matches which was commuted in 1992 to six years plus 16 matches 151 matches He was later charged with two counts of assault by Victoria Police convicted on both counts in the Prahran Magistrates Court and fined 2000 plus costs 4 In round 10 Geelong trailed at each change by 1 10 and 13 points but then kicked 11 7 73 to 1 2 8 in the last quarter to beat Richmond by 50 points Their 50 point margin is the largest by a team outscored for each of the first three quarters A violent brawl in the round 12 match between Hawthorn and Geelong led to veteran Hawthorn champion Leigh Matthews being charged with assaulting Geelong s Neville Bruns by Victoria Police On the week of round 18 the Sydney Swans club was bought by Geoffrey Edelsten and became the first privately owned VFL club Earlier in the season Perth businessmen Alan Delany and John Watts had attempted to buy lowly St Kilda and relocate them to Perth 5 In round 18 Essendon led North Melbourne 18 8 116 to 2 4 16 at half time This was the largest half time lead since round 2 of 1931 when led by Richmond 17 9 111 to North Melbourne s 0 5 5 Collingwood player Andrew Witts wore jumper No 65 during his seven games with the Magpies the highest regular jumper number in VFL AFL history 6 It was the highest number of all time until 2017 when a number of Indigenous players wore once off jumper number No 67 during Indigenous Round to recognise 50 years since the passage of the 1967 referendum on Aboriginals In round 20 the Arden Street Oval hosted its last senior VFL match The venue had been used by North Melbourne throughout its time in the VFL except for 1965 when the club was based in Coburg A total of 529 VFL senior matches were played at the ground that was formerly overshadowed by a massive gasometer on Macaulay Road See also EditMcIntyre Final Five systemReferences Edit Round Records AFL Tables 1985 Season Scores and Results Round 15 VFL details The Age Sport Extra Melbourne 30 September 1985 p 2 The Age 19 November 1985 Christian Geoff WAFL to Monitor Move on Saints in The West Australian 20 May 1985 Fine Mark 2011 The Book of Footy Lists Australia Slattery Media Group p 300 ISBN 9781921778308 Bibliography EditStephen Rodgers Every Game Ever Played VFL AFL Results 1897 1991 3rd Edition 1992 Penguin Books Australia ISBN 0 670 90526 7 External links Edit1985 Season AFL Tables Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1985 VFL season amp oldid 1110732004, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
