The 1920 VFL season was the 24th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest-level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured nine clubs and ran from 1 May to 2 October, comprising a 16-match home-and-away season followed by a four-week finals series featuring the top four clubs.

1920 VFL premiership season
Richmond 1920 VFL premiership team
Date1 May—2 October 1920
Teams9
PremiersRichmond
1st premiership
Minor premiersRichmond
1st minor premiership
Leading goalkicker medallistGeorge Bayliss (Richmond)
62 goals
Matches played76
← 1919
1921 →

Richmond won the premiership, defeating Collingwood by 17 points in the 1920 VFL grand final; it was Richmond's first VFL premiership. Richmond also won the minor premiership by finishing atop the home-and-away ladder with a 14–2 win–loss record. Richmond's George Bayliss won the leading goalkicker medal as the league's leading goalkicker.

Background

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In 1920, the VFL competition consisted of nine teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their place on the field at any time during the match.

Each team played each other twice in a home-and-away season of 18 rounds (i.e., 16 matches and 2 byes).

Once the 18 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1920 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the amended "Argus system".

Home-and-away season

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Round 1

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Melbourne 9.13 (67) South Melbourne 8.7 (55) MCG 1 May 1920
Fitzroy 8.11 (59) Richmond 11.13 (79) Brunswick Street Oval 1 May 1920
Collingwood 5.6 (36) Essendon 7.12 (54) Victoria Park 1 May 1920
Carlton 10.10 (70) St Kilda 5.11 (41) Princes Park 1 May 1920

Round 2

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Essendon 9.11 (65) Melbourne 12.8 (80) EMCG 8 May 1920
South Melbourne 6.13 (49) Fitzroy 12.7 (79) Lake Oval 8 May 1920
Geelong 7.8 (50) Collingwood 7.13 (55) Corio Oval 8 May 1920
Richmond 14.13 (97) Carlton 9.14 (68) Punt Road Oval 8 May 1920

Round 3

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Essendon 7.13 (55) South Melbourne 9.9 (63) EMCG 15 May 1920
Collingwood 4.20 (44) Melbourne 3.5 (23) Victoria Park 15 May 1920
Carlton 3.11 (29) Fitzroy 5.8 (38) Princes Park 15 May 1920
St Kilda 11.12 (78) Geelong 8.8 (56) Junction Oval 15 May 1920

Round 4

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Melbourne 11.15 (81) St Kilda 5.11 (41) MCG 22 May 1920
Geelong 10.4 (64) Richmond 9.19 (73) Corio Oval 22 May 1920
Fitzroy 9.7 (61) Collingwood 7.11 (53) Brunswick Street Oval 22 May 1920
Essendon 7.13 (55) Carlton 14.17 (101) EMCG 22 May 1920

Round 5

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Fitzroy 13.18 (96) Geelong 8.8 (56) Brunswick Street Oval 26 May 1920
St Kilda 8.6 (54) Essendon 8.15 (63) Junction Oval 26 May 1920
Richmond 11.12 (78) Collingwood 10.11 (71) Punt Road Oval 26 May 1920
South Melbourne 8.10 (58) Carlton 4.15 (39) Lake Oval 26 May 1920

Round 6

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Richmond 9.7 (61) South Melbourne 5.4 (34) Punt Road Oval 5 June 1920
Carlton 7.24 (66) Melbourne 13.6 (84) Princes Park 5 June 1920
Essendon 13.26 (104) Geelong 12.13 (85) EMCG 7 June 1920
Collingwood 12.11 (83) St Kilda 7.10 (52) Victoria Park 7 June 1920

Round 7

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
St Kilda 7.11 (53) South Melbourne 13.10 (88) Junction Oval 12 June 1920
Melbourne 10.8 (68) Richmond 12.16 (88) MCG 12 June 1920
Fitzroy 6.7 (43) Essendon 14.9 (93) Brunswick Street Oval 12 June 1920
Geelong 9.16 (70) Carlton 11.13 (79) Corio Oval 12 June 1920

Round 8

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Richmond 19.15 (129) St Kilda 8.6 (54) Punt Road Oval 19 June 1920
South Melbourne 16.23 (119) Geelong 5.16 (46) Lake Oval 19 June 1920
Melbourne 6.10 (46) Fitzroy 16.12 (108) MCG 19 June 1920
Collingwood 12.13 (85) Carlton 10.6 (66) Victoria Park 19 June 1920

Round 9

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Geelong 16.17 (113) Melbourne 6.12 (48) Corio Oval 26 June 1920
St Kilda 4.4 (28) Fitzroy 14.18 (102) Junction Oval 26 June 1920
Richmond 13.17 (95) Essendon 11.9 (75) Punt Road Oval 26 June 1920
South Melbourne 9.9 (63) Collingwood 10.7 (67) Lake Oval 26 June 1920

Round 10

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
South Melbourne 12.13 (85) Melbourne 5.11 (41) Lake Oval 3 July 1920
Richmond 8.12 (60) Fitzroy 12.6 (78) Punt Road Oval 3 July 1920
Essendon 8.7 (55) Collingwood 9.8 (62) EMCG 3 July 1920
St Kilda 8.9 (57) Carlton 11.15 (81) Junction Oval 3 July 1920

Round 11

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Fitzroy 9.13 (67) South Melbourne 8.14 (62) Brunswick Street Oval 10 July 1920
Collingwood 11.17 (83) Geelong 5.11 (41) Victoria Park 10 July 1920
Carlton 8.11 (59) Richmond 3.8 (26) Princes Park 10 July 1920
Melbourne 5.13 (43) Essendon 7.18 (60) MCG 10 July 1920

Round 12

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Geelong 16.17 (113) St Kilda 9.8 (62) Corio Oval 17 July 1920
South Melbourne 8.14 (62) Essendon 7.7 (49) Lake Oval 17 July 1920
Melbourne 8.11 (59) Collingwood 10.15 (75) MCG 17 July 1920
Fitzroy 11.9 (75) Carlton 8.14 (62) Brunswick Street Oval 17 July 1920

Round 13

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Essendon 7.9 (51) St Kilda 10.10 (70) EMCG 31 July 1920
Collingwood 5.6 (36) Richmond 5.8 (38) Victoria Park 31 July 1920
Carlton 11.14 (80) South Melbourne 7.11 (53) Princes Park 31 July 1920
Geelong 4.9 (33) Fitzroy 7.13 (55) Corio Oval 31 July 1920

Round 14

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Collingwood 7.15 (57) Fitzroy 10.11 (71) Victoria Park 7 August 1920
Carlton 13.11 (89) Essendon 8.14 (62) Princes Park 7 August 1920
St Kilda 3.3 (21) Melbourne 11.17 (83) Junction Oval 7 August 1920
Richmond 16.16 (112) Geelong 5.14 (44) Punt Road Oval 7 August 1920

Round 15

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
South Melbourne 9.7 (61) Richmond 14.8 (92) Lake Oval 14 August 1920
Geelong 14.10 (94) Essendon 10.13 (73) Corio Oval 14 August 1920
St Kilda 8.7 (55) Collingwood 17.11 (113) Junction Oval 14 August 1920
Melbourne 3.7 (25) Carlton 12.15 (87) MCG 14 August 1920

Round 16

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Essendon 10.7 (67) Fitzroy 12.11 (83) EMCG 21 August 1920
Carlton 15.14 (104) Geelong 6.5 (41) Princes Park 21 August 1920
South Melbourne 11.17 (83) St Kilda 3.14 (32) Lake Oval 21 August 1920
Richmond 20.14 (134) Melbourne 8.12 (60) Punt Road Oval 21 August 1920

Round 17

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Geelong 11.10 (76) South Melbourne 8.25 (73) Corio Oval 28 August 1920
Fitzroy 16.12 (108) Melbourne 6.9 (45) Brunswick Street Oval 28 August 1920
Carlton 16.13 (109) Collingwood 7.15 (57) Princes Park 28 August 1920
St Kilda 7.10 (52) Richmond 12.15 (87) Junction Oval 28 August 1920

Round 18

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Date
Fitzroy 22.17 (149) St Kilda 11.3 (69) Brunswick Street Oval 4 September 1920
Essendon 6.5 (41) Richmond 15.14 (104) EMCG 4 September 1920
Collingwood 16.12 (108) South Melbourne 13.13 (91) Victoria Park 4 September 1920
Melbourne 12.15 (87) Geelong 17.14 (116) MCG 4 September 1920

Ladder

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(P) Premiers
Qualified for finals
# Team P W L D PF PA % Pts
1 Richmond (P) 16 14 2 0 1353 924 146.4 56
2 Fitzroy 16 14 2 0 1272 888 143.2 56
3 Carlton 16 10 6 0 1189 924 128.7 40
4 Collingwood 16 10 6 0 1085 966 112.3 40
5 South Melbourne 16 7 9 0 1099 1012 108.6 28
6 Essendon 16 5 11 0 1022 1164 87.8 20
7 Geelong 16 5 11 0 1098 1301 84.4 20
8 Melbourne 16 5 11 0 940 1266 74.2 20
9 St Kilda 16 2 14 0 819 1432 57.2 8

Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 68.6
Source: AFL Tables

Finals series

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All of the 1920 finals were played at the MCG so the home team in the semi-finals and preliminary final is purely the higher ranked team from the ladder but in the Grand Final the home team was the team that won the preliminary final.

Semi-finals

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Home team Score Away team Score Venue Date
Collingwood 4.17 (41) Fitzroy 3.5 (23) MCG 11 September
Carlton 7.11 (53) Richmond 4.6 (30) MCG 18 September

Preliminary final

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Home team Score Away team Score Venue Date
Collingwood 12.11 (83) Carlton 8.11 (59) MCG 25 September

Grand final

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Season notes

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  • All Round 5 games were played on Wednesday, 26 May, to coincide with a visit by the Prince of Wales.[1]
  • After only three VFL games, Carlton's half-forward Horrie Clover was selected in the Victorian team that narrowly beat South Australia 10.11 (71) to 9.12 (66) in a match played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of the Prince of Wales.
  • Richmond's recruit from Kyabram, Billy James, aged 20, played his first senior game in the Grand Final, and kicked the final goal of the match (his only goal) in the last quarter. He badly injured his foot in a rabbit shooting accident before the start of the 1921 season, and never played again.
  • At the end of the season, tired with the constant internal dissent at St Kilda, Roy Cazaly was granted a clearance to South Melbourne.
  • Vic Cumberland, after four years away from football (he had been wounded three times in World War I), played 10 senior games for St Kilda in 1920, aged 43, making him the oldest player in VFL/AFL history.
  • In Round 17, in the process of kicking 8.25 (73) in its 3-point loss to Geelong, South Melbourne hit the post nine times.
  • Unable to tolerate the increasing levels of assaults, thrown projectiles, and ground invasions, umpires threatened to go on strike unless given stronger police protection.

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ Fine, Mark (2011). The Book of Footy Lists. Australia: Slattery Media Group. p. 300. ISBN 9781921778308.
  • Hogan, P., The Tigers of Old, The Richmond Football Club, (Richmond), 1996. ISBN 0-646-18748-1
  • Rogers, S. & 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 0-670-86814-0

Sources

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