The 1986 VFL season was the 90th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 29 March until 27 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs.
| 1986 VFL premiership season | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 12 |
| Premiers | Hawthorn 6th premiership |
| Minor premiers | Hawthorn 5th minor premiership |
| Night series | Hawthorn 3rd Night series win |
| Brownlow Medallist | Greg Williams (Sydney) Robert DiPierdomenico (Hawthorn) |
| Coleman Medallist | Brian Taylor (Collingwood) |
| Attendance | |
| Matches played | 138 |
| Total attendance | 3,395,611 (24,606 per match) |
| Highest | 101,861 |
The premiership was won by the Hawthorn Football Club for the sixth time, after it defeated Carlton by 42 points in the 1986 VFL Grand Final.
Night series
editHawthorn defeated Carlton 9.12 (66) to 5.6 (36) in the final.
Home-and-away season
editRound 1
editRound 2
editRound 3
editRound 4
editRound 5
editRound 6
editRound 7
editRound 8
editRound 9
editRound 10
editRound 11
editRound 12
editRound 13
editRound 14
editRound 15
editRound 16
editRound 17
editRound 18
editRound 19
editRound 20
editRound 21
editRound 22
editLadder
edit| (P) | Premiers |
| Qualified for finals |
| # | Team | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawthorn (P) | 22 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 2698 | 1906 | 141.6 | 72 |
| 2 | Sydney | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2470 | 2087 | 118.4 | 64 |
| 3 | Carlton | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2566 | 1809 | 141.8 | 60 |
| 4 | Fitzroy | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2068 | 2063 | 100.2 | 52 |
| 5 | Essendon | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2379 | 1978 | 120.3 | 48 |
| 6 | Collingwood | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2261 | 2070 | 109.2 | 48 |
| 7 | North Melbourne | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2324 | 2356 | 98.6 | 48 |
| 8 | Footscray | 22 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 1963 | 2010 | 97.7 | 44 |
| 9 | Geelong | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 2133 | 2599 | 82.1 | 28 |
| 10 | Richmond | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 2151 | 2745 | 78.4 | 28 |
| 11 | Melbourne | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 2003 | 2673 | 74.9 | 28 |
| 12 | St Kilda | 22 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 1846 | 2566 | 71.9 | 8 |
Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 101.8
Source: AFL Tables
Finals series
editFinals week 1
editFinals week 2
editPreliminary final
editGrand final
editSeason notes
edit- For the first time in VFL/AFL history, two senior games were held at the same venue on the same day with Melbourne hosting Sydney, followed by North Melbourne vs Geelong at the MCG in round 5. Another double header was staged in round 19 at the MCG with Melbourne and North Melbourne again the home teams against Geelong and Footscray respectively. It would be 34 years before this occurred again.
- In Round 21, Hawthorn led Geelong by only three points at half-time, but then kicked 25.7 (157) to 3.7 (25) in the second half. Hawthorn's final score of 35.15 (225) set a new record as the club's highest score (since surpassed in 1991) and Geelong's highest score conceded (still a record as of 2021), and the margin of 135 points set and holds the record for Geelong's highest losing margin.[1] Hawthorn's 25.7 (157) set and holds the record for highest score by a single team in a half of football.[2]
- Round 22 was the last round in VFL/AFL history in which all matches were played on the same day.
- Fitzroy endured serious financial hardships during 1986 which threatened its existence. More than one million dollars in debt, and having posted a $600,000 loss in 1985, the club took a $500,000 loan from the VFL in January 1986, and needed another $500,000 by the end of the year to remain solvent. It fielded offers from two Brisbane-based companies and one Canberra-based company for the club to move north in 1987, and it discussed mergers with Melbourne, St Kilda and Richmond. Despite the off-field struggles, the club reached the preliminary final; it was the last time the club played finals before its merger with Brisbane at the end of 1996.[3]
Awards
edit- The Brownlow Medal was awarded to both Greg Williams of the Sydney Swans and Robert "Dipper" DiPierdomenico of the Hawthorn Hawks
- The Leigh Matthews Trophy was awarded to Paul Roos of Fitzroy.
- The Coleman Medal was awarded to Brian Taylor of Collingwood.
- The Norm Smith Medal was awarded to Gary Ayres of Hawthorn.
- The wooden spoon was "awarded" to St Kilda.
- Carlton won the reserves premiership. Carlton 22.14 (146) defeated Footscray 10.12 (72) in the grand final, held as a curtain-raiser to the seniors Grand Final on 27 September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Hawthorn vs Geelong". AFL Tables. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
- ^ "Quarters & Halves". AFL Tables. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
- ^ Martin Flanagan (2 October 1986). "Survival the object in Lions' year of trial". The Age. Melbourne. p. 36.
- ^ Daryl Timms (29 September 1986). "Blues too experienced". The Sun Grand Final Souvenir. Melbourne. p. 11.
- Stephen Rodgers: Every Game Ever Played VFL/AFL Results 1897–1991 3rd Edition 1992. Penguin Books Australia ISBN 0-670-90526-7.
Sources
edit- 1986 VFL season at AFL Tables
- 1986 VFL season at Australian Football