1977 VFL season

The 1977 VFL season was the 81st season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 2 April until 1 October, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs.

1977 VFL premiership season
Teams12
PremiersNorth Melbourne
2nd premiership
Minor premiersCollingwood
17th minor premiership
Night seriesHawthorn
1st Night series win
Brownlow MedallistGraham Teasdale (South Melbourne)
Coleman MedallistPeter Hudson (Hawthorn)
Attendance
Matches played139
Total attendance3,304,221 (23,771 per match)
Highest108,224
← 1976
1978 →

The premiership was won by the North Melbourne Football Club for the second time, after it defeated Collingwood by 27 points in the 1977 VFL Grand Final replay.

Night series

Hawthorn defeated Carlton 14.11 (95) to 11.5 (71) in the final.

Home-and-away season

Round 1

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Melbourne10.12 (72)South Melbourne21.15 (141)MCG22,0492 April 1977
Hawthorn13.14 (92)North Melbourne23.14 (152)Princes Park20,3172 April 1977
Fitzroy21.17 (143)Richmond18.21 (129)Junction Oval17,7402 April 1977
Essendon14.25 (109)St Kilda10.17 (77)Windy Hill17,2652 April 1977
Collingwood19.16 (130)Footscray18.11 (119)Victoria Park27,3772 April 1977
Geelong6.9 (45)Carlton17.21 (123)Kardinia Park25,3172 April 1977

Round 2

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Carlton16.17 (113)Fitzroy12.9 (81)Princes Park25,1739 April 1977
South Melbourne27.13 (175)Essendon15.8 (98)Lake Oval23,0009 April 1977
North Melbourne16.6 (102)Collingwood13.15 (93)Arden Street Oval28,0739 April 1977
Footscray18.8 (116)Melbourne12.23 (95)Western Oval18,29511 April 1977
Richmond19.6 (120)Hawthorn17.17 (119)MCG42,19211 April 1977
St Kilda11.17 (83)Geelong17.17 (119)Moorabbin Oval20,33811 April 1977

Round 3

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Melbourne14.18 (102)North Melbourne16.9 (105)MCG19,54316 April 1977
Geelong6.14 (50)Hawthorn15.15 (105)Kardinia Park19,33616 April 1977
Collingwood24.22 (166)Essendon16.19 (115)Victoria Park26,21016 April 1977
Carlton24.26 (170)St Kilda9.9 (63)Princes Park19,33616 April 1977
South Melbourne11.13 (79)Richmond13.13 (91)Lake Oval25,76816 April 1977
Footscray20.16 (136)Fitzroy16.12 (108)VFL Park17,41516 April 1977

Round 4

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Essendon19.10 (124)Melbourne16.24 (120)Windy Hill14,52923 April 1977
North Melbourne16.21 (117)Footscray12.10 (82)Arden Street Oval17,23923 April 1977
St Kilda19.20 (134)Fitzroy14.14 (98)Moorabbin Oval13,40123 April 1977
Hawthorn13.18 (96)Carlton12.11 (83)Princes Park32,13523 April 1977
Richmond14.16 (100)Collingwood17.24 (126)MCG91,93625 April 1977
South Melbourne12.15 (87)Geelong16.18 (114)VFL Park27,13625 April 1977

Round 5

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Melbourne13.24 (102)Richmond19.17 (131)MCG22,27230 April 1977
Footscray17.14 (116)St Kilda17.14 (116)Western Oval15,45330 April 1977
Fitzroy12.14 (86)Hawthorn21.16 (142)Junction Oval10,42830 April 1977
Collingwood18.16 (124)Geelong15.19 (109)Victoria Park24,28130 April 1977
Carlton21.8 (134)South Melbourne16.11 (107)Princes Park21,53330 April 1977
North Melbourne18.17 (125)Essendon15.15 (105)VFL Park22,32330 April 1977

Round 6

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Hawthorn25.41 (191)St Kilda16.7 (103)Princes Park11,9187 May 1977
Geelong21.17 (143)Melbourne13.15 (93)Kardinia Park17,2197 May 1977
Essendon13.11 (89)Footscray29.15 (189)Windy Hill19,3997 May 1977
Richmond19.15 (129)North Melbourne14.12 (96)MCG34,4087 May 1977
South Melbourne21.19 (145)Fitzroy19.12 (126)Lake Oval11,8027 May 1977
Collingwood22.20 (152)Carlton7.8 (50)VFL Park64,2567 May 1977

Round 7

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
St Kilda14.14 (98)South Melbourne14.14 (98)Moorabbin Oval18,56314 May 1977
Footscray8.13 (61)Hawthorn20.11 (131)Western Oval17,93514 May 1977
North Melbourne23.11 (149)Geelong12.12 (84)Arden Street Oval17,25914 May 1977
Fitzroy11.14 (80)Collingwood15.23 (113)Junction Oval20,73514 May 1977
Melbourne14.12 (96)Carlton16.20 (116)MCG27,45614 May 1977
Essendon15.9 (99)Richmond14.15 (99)VFL Park32,32614 May 1977

Round 8

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Collingwood19.21 (135)St Kilda11.12 (78)Victoria Park21,59821 May 1977
Carlton8.17 (65)North Melbourne9.8 (62)Princes Park22,36421 May 1977
South Melbourne7.13 (55)Hawthorn18.7 (115)Lake Oval11,44321 May 1977
Richmond16.18 (114)Footscray13.17 (95)MCG21,51921 May 1977
Geelong13.16 (94)Essendon13.9 (87)Kardinia Park15,67421 May 1977
Melbourne19.26 (140)Fitzroy14.8 (92)VFL Park11,25921 May 1977

Round 9

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
St Kilda18.19 (127)Melbourne20.12 (132)Moorabbin Oval15,25428 May 1977
South Melbourne14.14 (98)Footscray11.13 (79)Lake Oval12,10428 May 1977
North Melbourne12.12 (84)Fitzroy10.14 (74)Arden Street Oval8,94028 May 1977
Hawthorn16.12 (108)Collingwood22.10 (142)Princes Park34,72728 May 1977
Essendon14.12 (96)Carlton10.17 (77)Windy Hill23,22428 May 1977
Richmond18.13 (121)Geelong10.11 (71)VFL Park26,00728 May 1977

Round 10

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Footscray21.14 (140)Geelong15.13 (103)Western Oval15,0934 June 1977
Collingwood15.20 (110)South Melbourne20.16 (136)Victoria Park24,3094 June 1977
Carlton16.9 (105)Richmond19.11 (125)Princes Park28,5564 June 1977
Melbourne16.19 (115)Hawthorn19.13 (127)MCG21,5864 June 1977
Fitzroy14.16 (100)Essendon23.16 (154)Junction Oval13,1504 June 1977
North Melbourne21.16 (142)St Kilda7.15 (57)VFL Park19,1994 June 1977

Round 11

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
South Melbourne12.9 (81)North Melbourne9.11 (65)Lake Oval20,78511 June 1977
Geelong20.13 (133)Fitzroy11.16 (82)Kardinia Park14,66411 June 1977
Carlton17.14 (116)Footscray8.19 (67)VFL Park25,74511 June 1977
St Kilda13.10 (88)Richmond16.5 (101)Moorabbin Oval23,97913 June 1977
Hawthorn23.25 (163)Essendon8.9 (57)Princes Park25,60913 June 1977
Melbourne11.20 (86)Collingwood17.17 (119)MCG63,18813 June 1977

Round 12

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Carlton3.13 (31)Geelong2.12 (24)Princes Park11,00918 June 1977
South Melbourne8.22 (70)Melbourne9.10 (64)Lake Oval20,78518 June 1977
North Melbourne6.11 (47)Hawthorn6.12 (48)Arden Street Oval9,02718 June 1977
Richmond13.15 (93)Fitzroy6.5 (41)MCG12,87718 June 1977
Footscray5.6 (36)Collingwood9.15 (69)Western Oval11,92118 June 1977
St Kilda5.12 (42)Essendon5.16 (46)VFL Park14,33718 June 1977

Round 13

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Geelong11.9 (75)St Kilda12.13 (85)Kardinia Park13,03325 June 1977
Essendon9.9 (63)South Melbourne6.15 (51)Windy Hill16,30925 June 1977
Collingwood13.19 (97)North Melbourne8.8 (56)Victoria Park28,07925 June 1977
Melbourne7.9 (51)Footscray15.12 (102)MCG12,56625 June 1977
Fitzroy11.9 (75)Carlton9.14 (68)Junction Oval10,85025 June 1977
Hawthorn9.12 (66)Richmond7.10 (52)VFL Park34,82025 June 1977

Round 14

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Geelong7.15 (57)South Melbourne9.10 (64)Kardinia Park14,9332 July 1977
Footscray9.10 (64)North Melbourne11.15 (81)Western Oval17,1512 July 1977
Collingwood22.9 (141)Richmond11.12 (78)Victoria Park32,8332 July 1977
Carlton9.8 (62)Hawthorn7.6 (48)Princes Park24,5202 July 1977
Melbourne9.16 (70)Essendon8.11 (59)MCG21,4732 July 1977
Fitzroy10.12 (72)St Kilda14.12 (96)VFL Park17,0282 July 1977

Round 15

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Fitzroy15.13 (103)Footscray11.19 (85)Junction Oval8,6809 July 1977
North Melbourne18.19 (127)Melbourne11.10 (76)Arden Street Oval11,2539 July 1977
Hawthorn28.23 (191)Geelong13.6 (84)Princes Park21,3919 July 1977
Essendon14.19 (103)Collingwood17.12 (114)Windy Hill27,0429 July 1977
St Kilda17.12 (114)Carlton18.14 (122)Moorabbin Oval8,1209 July 1977
Richmond14.16 (100)South Melbourne10.11 (71)VFL Park34,2919 July 1977

Round 16

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Essendon17.14 (116)North Melbourne11.11 (77)Windy Hill17,48916 July 1977
Richmond10.11 (71)Melbourne13.12 (90)MCG19,07516 July 1977
St Kilda10.16 (76)Footscray13.18 (96)Moorabbin Oval12,65916 July 1977
Hawthorn20.14 (134)Fitzroy11.12 (78)Princes Park8,20016 July 1977
South Melbourne12.4 (76)Carlton13.7 (85)Lake Oval17,05816 July 1977
Geelong16.6 (102)Collingwood12.25 (97)VFL Park26,02916 July 1977

Round 17

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
North Melbourne15.11 (101)Richmond14.14 (98)Arden Street Oval15,35923 July 1977
Fitzroy7.13 (55)South Melbourne16.21 (117)Junction Oval10,22023 July 1977
Carlton11.8 (74)Collingwood15.16 (106)Princes Park38,22023 July 1977
Melbourne15.18 (108)Geelong20.14 (134)MCG15,89023 July 1977
Footscray12.21 (93)Essendon11.10 (76)Western Oval17,83423 July 1977
St Kilda11.11 (77)Hawthorn24.19 (163)VFL Park20,46923 July 1977

Round 18

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Geelong6.15 (51)North Melbourne14.11 (95)Kardinia Park17,89830 July 1977
Collingwood18.14 (122)Fitzroy13.11 (89)Victoria Park16,88530 July 1977
South Melbourne21.12 (138)St Kilda12.11 (83)Lake Oval13,90630 July 1977
Hawthorn18.10 (118)Footscray15.14 (104)Princes Park10,42030 July 1977
Richmond16.15 (111)Essendon9.11 (65)MCG33,08530 July 1977
Carlton17.11 (113)Melbourne7.4 (46)VFL Park18,85230 July 1977

Round 19

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Footscray19.15 (129)Richmond15.11 (101)Western Oval16,8976 August 1977
Fitzroy23.8 (146)Melbourne12.12 (84)Junction Oval7,4756 August 1977
Essendon15.20 (110)Geelong18.16 (124)Windy Hill13,6646 August 1977
St Kilda11.9 (75)Collingwood14.17 (101)Moorabbin Oval21,8766 August 1977
North Melbourne8.15 (63)Carlton6.7 (43)Arden Street Oval22,1606 August 1977
Hawthorn10.18 (78)South Melbourne16.7 (103)VFL Park31,2536 August 1977

Round 20

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Melbourne27.13 (175)St Kilda15.14 (104)MCG12,96713 August 1977
Geelong5.16 (46)Richmond19.18 (132)Kardinia Park17,08113 August 1977
Footscray9.19 (73)South Melbourne14.12 (96)Western Oval18,51413 August 1977
Collingwood13.21 (99)Hawthorn15.15 (105)Victoria Park30,18413 August 1977
Carlton22.14 (146)Essendon16.15 (111)Princes Park20,12013 August 1977
Fitzroy9.11 (65)North Melbourne10.19 (79)VFL Park12,35013 August 1977

Round 21

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Hawthorn16.14 (110)Melbourne14.15 (99)Princes Park8,85020 August 1977
Essendon10.13 (73)Fitzroy20.17 (137)Windy Hill10,18020 August 1977
St Kilda11.12 (78)North Melbourne15.16 (106)Moorabbin Oval11,50620 August 1977
South Melbourne8.9 (57)Collingwood12.17 (89)Lake Oval29,18620 August 1977
Richmond15.13 (103)Carlton14.16 (100)MCG49,13420 August 1977
Geelong10.8 (68)Footscray11.19 (85)VFL Park11,01020 August 1977

Round 22

Home teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Richmond25.21 (171)St Kilda17.10 (112)MCG24,12227 August 1977
North Melbourne14.9 (93)South Melbourne15.13 (103)Arden Street Oval19,10227 August 1977
Fitzroy19.27 (141)Geelong14.16 (100)Junction Oval7,64427 August 1977
Essendon19.16 (130)Hawthorn25.18 (168)Windy Hill14,32527 August 1977
Footscray15.13 (103)Carlton12.13 (85)Western Oval22,42627 August 1977
Collingwood17.13 (115)Melbourne14.17 (101)VFL Park36,30627 August 1977

Ladder

(P)Premiers
Qualified for finals
#TeamPWLDPFPA%Pts
1Collingwood22184025601959130.772
2Hawthorn22175026181959133.668
3North Melbourne (P)22157021241803117.860
4Richmond22147123702085113.758
5South Melbourne22138121481942110.654
6Carlton22139020811859111.952
7Footscray221011121702141101.442
8Geelong2281401930233382.732
9Essendon2271412085251882.830
10Fitzroy2261602072247483.824
11Melbourne2251702117249285.020
12St Kilda2231721966267673.516

Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 99.4
Source: AFL Tables

Finals series

Finals week 1

Elimination final
3 September 2:30pmRichmonddef.South MelbourneVFL Park (crowd: 63,663)
5.4 (34)
7.6 (48)
11.8 (74)
 13.10 (88)
Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final
2.3 (15)
6.7 (43)
6.10 (46)
 7.12 (54)
Umpires: Deller, Smith
Television broadcast: Seven Network
Edwards, Monteath, Cloke, Dunne 2
Malthouse, Noonan, Bartlett, Raines, Roberts 1
Goals2 Lambert
1 Goss, Browning, Teasdale, Daniher, Morrison
Bourke, Cloke, Bartlett, Malthouse, Monteath, Sheedy, EdwardsBestRound, McLeish, Browning, Morrison, Rantall, O'Neill, Teasdale
Home teamScoreAway teamScoreVenueCrowdDate
Hawthorn19.11 (125)North Melbourne12.15 (87)MCG64,0683 September

Finals week 2

Home teamScoreAway teamScoreVenueCrowdDate
North Melbourne16.14 (110)Richmond9.9 (63)VFL Park48,10510 September
Collingwood17.10 (112)Hawthorn16.14 (110)MCG87,42110 September

Preliminary final

Home teamScoreAway teamScoreVenueCrowdDate
Hawthorn5.15 (45)North Melbourne16.16 (112)VFL Park61,24217 September

Grand final

GameHome teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Grand finalCollingwood9.22 (76)North Melbourne10.16 (76)MCG108,22424 September 1977

Grand final replay

GameHome teamHome team scoreAway teamAway team scoreVenueCrowdDate
Grand finalCollingwood19.10 (124)North Melbourne 21.25 (151)MCG98,4911 October 1977

Season notes

  • Hawthorn's round 6 victory over St Kilda set the following records – 41 behinds (previous highest 34) and 66 scoring shots (previous highest 60). 13 different Hawthorn players kicked a behind – still a VFL/AFL record.[1]
  • For the only time in VFL/AFL history, two players from one team – Peter Hudson (110) and Leigh Matthews (91) of Hawthorn – combined for over 200 goals in one season. Additionally, it was the first time since 1906 that one club produced the top two leading goalkickers in a season.
  • In the Round 15 game against Geelong, Hawthorn had three players – Hudson with eight, John Hendrie with eight, and Leigh Matthews with seven – kick seven or more goals in one match. This has been repeated only by Fitzroy with Matthew Rendell, Bernie Quinlan and Michael Conlan in 1983 against North Melbourne.
  • In shocking conditions in Round 12, Carlton and Geelong played the first match since the 1927 Grand Final where both teams scored three or fewer goals. Both teams' scores were lower than any score from any other game during 1977. In the same round, North Melbourne's Malcolm Blight missed a set shot for goal after the final siren at the Arden Street Oval, which resulted in Hawthorn winning the game.
  • In Round 16, Geelong beat Collingwood despite having fifteen fewer scoring shots. This equalled Richmond's record against Fitzroy from 1957.
  • In the Reserve and Under-19 Grades, the appalling weather of mid- to late June caused the only cancellation (as opposed to postponement) of matches in VFL/AFL history until 2015. These cancellations affected Round 14 in the Reserves and Round 13 in the Under-19s.
  • South Melbourne played in its last finals series before relocating to Sydney, as well as its first final series since 1970, and only its second since the infamous 1945 "bloodbath" grand final.
  • St Kilda "won" its nineteenth wooden spoon and first since 1955. With the club having finished last 27 times since 1897, this twenty-two year gap is the longest between spoons for the club.
  • Collingwood became the first VFL/AFL team to win the Minor Premiership after winning the wooden spoon the year before.
  • As of 2022, North Melbourne is the only team to play twenty-seven premiership matches in a VFL/AFL season.[2] John Cassin was the only player to play in all 27 matches.

Awards

  • The Coleman Medal was won by Peter Hudson of Hawthorn with 105 goals
  • The Brownlow Medal was won by Graham Teasdale of South Melbourne.
  • The reserves premiership was won by Richmond. Richmond 19.18 (132) defeated Footscray 10.15 (75) in the grand final, held as a curtain-raiser to the seniors grand final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 24 September.[3]

References

  • Stephen Rogers and Ashley Brown (1998). Every Game Ever Played. 6th ed. Victoria: Penguin Books.

Sources