# List of VFL debuts in 1898

The 1898 Victorian Football League (VFL) season was the second season of the VFL. The season saw 138 Australian rules footballers make their senior VFL debut and six players transferring to new clubs having previously played in the 1897 VFL season.

## Summary

Summary of debuts in 1898 :
| Club | VFL debuts | Change of club |
| Carlton | 22 | 0 |
| Collingwood | 6 | 1 |
| Essendon | 10 | 0 |
| Fitzroy | 12 | 0 |
| Geelong | 12 | 0 |
| Melbourne | 20 | 2 |
| St Kilda | 33 | 3 |
| South Melbourne | 23 | 0 |
| Total | 138 | 6 |

## Debuts

| Name | Club | Age at debut | Round debuted | Games | Goals | Notes |
| Len Morrison | Carlton | 25 years, 142 days | 1 | 56 | 7 | |
| Pat Considine | Carlton | 22 years, 345 days | 17 | 48 | 12 | |
| Bill Sharkey | Carlton | 24 years, 236 days | 1 | 47 | 0 | |
| Charlie Curtis | Carlton | 19 years, 155 days | 2 | 21 | 2 | |
| Jim Pender | Carlton | 20 years, 315 days | 1 | 15 | 4 | Brother of Dan, Mick and Laurie Pender. |
| George Young | Carlton | 19 years, 270 days | 10 | 15 | 1 | |
| Tommy O'Day | Carlton | 24 years, 218 days | 1 | 13 | 8 | |
| Charlie Brown | Carlton | 24 years, 259 days | 1 | 12 | 1 | |
| Herman Dohrmann | Carlton | 24 years, 277 days | 6 | 12 | 2 | |
| Mick Donaghy | Carlton | 20 years, 223 days | 8 | 10 | 0 | |
| Bill Churchyard | Carlton | 20 years, 157 days | 9 | 10 | 4 | |
| Dick Stewart | Carlton | 25 years, 155 days | 14 | 6 | 0 | |
| Jim Coucher | Carlton | 23 years, 164 days | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| Dan Pender | Carlton | 25 years, 68 days | 3 | 4 | 0 | Brother of Jim, Mick and Laurie Pender. |
| Les Vernon | Carlton | 18 years, 90 days | 15 | 3 | 1 | |
| Des Meadowcroft | Carlton | 18 years, 54 days | 3 | 2 | 0 | |
| Alf Moore | Carlton | 25 years, 305 days | 3 | 2 | 0 | |
| Fred Barlow | Carlton | 24 years, 250 days | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Mick Pender | Carlton | 29 years, 185 days | 2 | 1 | 0 | Brother of Dan, Jim and Laurie Pender. |
| Tommy Kinman | Carlton | 22 years, 319 days | 4 | 1 | 1 | |
| Jim Balharry | Carlton | 30 years, 119 days | 16 | 1 | 0 | |
| Jack Douglas | Carlton | 25 years, 308 days | 17 | 1 | 0 | |
| Arthur Leach | Collingwood | 22 years, 94 days | 5 | 173 | 92 | Brother of Fred and Ted Leach. Previously played for Essendon. |
| Matthew Fell | Collingwood | 22 years, 264 days | 1 | 116 | 21 | |
| Bill Kennedy | Collingwood | 22 years, 284 days | 1 | 19 | 1 | |
| Mick Lynch | Collingwood | 20 years, 2 days | 1 | 14 | 15 | |
| George Cowell | Collingwood | 27 years, 194 days | 1 | 7 | 4 | |
| Bobby McCubbin | Collingwood | 29 years, 332 days | 1 | 6 | 0 | |
| Bob Bird | Collingwood | 23 years, 71 days | 15 | 1 | 0 | |
| Jimmy Larkin | Essendon | 23 years, 199 days | 1 | 73 | 61 | |
| Bill Jackson | Essendon | 24 years, 73 days | 1 | 27 | 22 | |
| Alec Hall | Essendon | 29 years, 130 days | 1 | 19 | 18 | |
| Corrie Gardner | Essendon | 19 years, 63 days | 1 | 12 | 0 | Brother of Eric Gardner. Represented Australia at the 1904 Summer Olympics. |
| Conrad ten Brink | Essendon | 23 years, 103 days | 1 | 12 | 10 | |
| Alf Gray | Essendon | 23 years, 280 days | 15 | 5 | 0 | |
| Pat Barr | Essendon | 20 years, 291 days | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| Pos Watson | Essendon | 29 years, 272 days | 3 | 2 | 0 | |
| Dave Currie | Essendon | 22 years, 9 days | 4 | 1 | 1 | |
| Horrie Stewart | Essendon | 26 years, 364 days | 4 | 1 | 0 | |
| Fred Fontaine | Fitzroy | 23 years, 359 days | 9 | 110 | 33 | |
| Harry Clarke | Fitzroy | 21 years, 231 days | 10 | 91 | 3 | |
| Eddie Drohan | Fitzroy | 21 years, 301 days | 1 | 75 | 5 | |
| Bill Potter | Fitzroy | 26 years, 95 days | 1 | 60 | 8 | |
| Alf McDougall | Fitzroy | 21 years, 193 days | 6 | 59 | 28 | Father of Roy McDougall. |
| Bill Dalton | Fitzroy | 26 years, 154 days | 1 | 57 | 9 | Brother of Jack Dalton. |
| Johnny Power | Fitzroy | 24 years, 41 days | 2 | 10 | 2 | |
| Charlie Jenkins | Fitzroy | 19 years, 331 days | 1 | 8 | 0 | |
| George Shaw | Fitzroy | 21 years, 132 days | 10 | 5 | 1 | |
| Charlie Doherty | Fitzroy | 22 years, 121 days | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Arthur Davidson | Fitzroy | 22 years, 294 days | 7 | 2 | 0 | |
| Jim Tulloch | Fitzroy | 19 years, 321 days | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Les Bailiff | Geelong | 20 years, 327 days | 9 | 63 | 0 | |
| Ernie Leighton | Geelong | 26 years, 72 days | 5 | 29 | 18 | |
| Jack O'Loughlin | Geelong | 24 years, 277 days | 1 | 22 | 1 | |
| Alf Dear | Geelong | 19 years, 233 days | 2 | 22 | 3 | |
| Dick Walker | Geelong | 25 years, 284 days | 2 | 14 | 10 | |
| Walter Cooke | Geelong | 21 years, 184 days | 2 | 9 | 1 | |
| Alec King | Geelong | 24 years, 52 days | 11 | 6 | 3 | |
| Jack Dore | Geelong | 23 years, 1 days | 3 | 5 | 0 | |
| Arthur McKenzie | Geelong | 18 years, 238 days | 14 | 4 | 0 | |
| Ossie Calvert | Geelong | 18 years, 9 days | 13 | 2 | 0 | |
| Bill Robertson | Geelong | 19 years, 51 days | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| Ernest Anderson | Geelong | 20 years, 340 days | 11 | 1 | 0 | |
| Bill McClelland | Melbourne | 23 years, 164 days | 11 | 75 | 3 | |
| Les Rippon | Melbourne | 22 years, 212 days | 12 | 55 | 6 | |
| Vic Cumberland | Melbourne | 21 years, 54 days | 15 | 50 | 15 | At 43, the oldest player to have played in the VFL. Brother of Cec Cumberland. |
| Richard Pirrie | Melbourne | 19 years, 29 days | 1 | 24 | 11 | |
| Eddie Byers | Melbourne | 23 years, 93 days | 1 | 20 | 1 | |
| Denis Lanigan | Melbourne | 23 years, 361 days | 1 | 16 | 1 | Previously played for Collingwood. |
| Jack Davidson | Melbourne | 23 years, 95 days | 13 | 68 | 3 | |
| Tom Davey | Melbourne | 22 years, 45 days | 1 | 8 | 0 | |
| Pat Scanlan | Melbourne | 19 years, 353 days | 8 | 6 | 2 | |
| Les MacPherson | Melbourne | 17 years, 362 days | 1 | 5 | 1 | |
| Percy Howard | Melbourne | 27 years, 97 days | 2 | 5 | 4 | |
| Frank Staines | Melbourne | 21 years, 195 days | 2 | 5 | 0 | |
| Johnny Coghlan | Melbourne | 22 years, 76 days | 9 | 5 | 0 | |
| Dick Robertson | Melbourne | 21 years, 81 days | 13 | 5 | 0 | |
| Harold Rippon | Melbourne | 24 years, 178 days | 14 | 5 | 0 | Brother of Les and Norm Rippon. |
| Jimmy Aitken | Melbourne | 26 years, 34 days | 7 | 4 | 0 | Previously played for Carlton. First player in the VFL to play senior premiership matches for two clubs in the same season. |
| Art Atkinson | Melbourne | 20 years, 140 days | 14 | 4 | 1 | |
| Bobby Royle | Melbourne | 19 years, 263 days | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| Bill Atkinson | Melbourne | 21 years, 319 days | 15 | 3 | 0 | |
| Bob Moore | Melbourne | 26 years, 103 days | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Norm Rippon | Melbourne | 20 years, 236 days | 1 | 1 | 0 | Brother of Les and Harold Rippon. |
| Henry Hagenauer | Melbourne | 19 years, 279 days | 13 | 1 | 0 | |
| Howard Smith | St Kilda | 20 years, 68 days | 1 | 95 | 6 | |
| Andy Stewart | St Kilda | 21 years, 243 days | 3 | 49 | 47 | Brother of George and Walter Stewart. |
| George Stewart | St Kilda | 24 years, 184 days | 3 | 29 | 3 | |
| Tom Blake | St Kilda | 24 years, 297 days | 1 | 24 | 4 | Previously played for Carlton. |
| Johnny Dando | St Kilda | 20 years, 177 days | 3 | 23 | 3 | |
| George Morgan | St Kilda | 23 years, 122 days | 11 | 16 | 1 | |
| Jim Morehouse | St Kilda | 34 years, 48 days | 1 | 10 | 0 | |
| Walter Stewart | St Kilda | 23 years, 36 days | 2 | 10 | 0 | |
| Dave Gibson | St Kilda | 19 years, 96 days | 3 | 10 | 0 | |
| Tom Fogarty | St Kilda | 20 years, 89 days | 7 | 10 | 0 | |
| Jim Warne | St Kilda | 19 years, 96 days | 10 | 10 | 1 | |
| George May | St Kilda | 23 years, 236 days | 15 | 10 | 1 | |
| Peter Brady | St Kilda | 22 years, 359 days | 1 | 8 | 3 | |
| Percy Damman | St Kilda | 22 years, 42 days | 7 | 7 | 0 | |
| Bill Woodhouse | St Kilda | 24 years, 284 days | 8 | 7 | 2 | Previously played for Carlton. |
| Artie Archer | St Kilda | 26 years, 201 days | 1 | 5 | 0 | |
| Horrie Lyons | St Kilda | 22 years, 130 days | 1 | 5 | 1 | Previously played for South Melbourne. |
| Mark Cumming | St Kilda | 25 years, 291 days | 1 | 4 | 0 | |
| Richardson | St Kilda | 24 years, 245 days | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| Billy Porter | St Kilda | 23 years, 33 days | 15 | 3 | 0 | |
| Harold Brookes | St Kilda | 22 years, 73 days | 7 | 2 | 2 | Brother of Herbert and Norman Brookes. |
| Alf Clauscen | St Kilda | 23 years, 78 days | 13 | 2 | 0 | |
| David Gaunson | St Kilda | 18 years, 253 days | 13 | 1 | 0 | |
| Edmund Kirwin | St Kilda | 22 years, 044 days | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Harry Barr | St Kilda | 18 years, 133 days | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
| Bert Kay | St Kilda | 21 years, 14 days | 4 | 1 | 0 | |
| Edgar Maddox | St Kilda | 20 years, 41 days | 6 | 1 | 0 | |
| Don Walker | St Kilda | 24 years, 335 days | 6 | 1 | 0 | |
| Harry Thompson | St Kilda | 26 years, 241 days | 12 | 1 | 0 | |
| Ralph Hatch | St Kilda | 22 years, 104 days | 13 | 1 | 0 | |
| George Hunter | St Kilda | 24 years, 193 days | 13 | 1 | 0 | |
| Alf Smith | St Kilda | 31 years, 122 days | 14 | 1 | 0 | |
| Alf Parker | St Kilda | 22 years, 125 days | 16 | 1 | 0 | |
| Herb Louch | St Kilda | 23 years, 249 days | 17 | 1 | 0 | |
| Jack Purse | St Kilda | 19 years, 74 days | 17 | 1 | 0 | Brother of Hugh Purse. |
| Jack Todd | St Kilda | 19 years, 134 days | 17 | 1 | 0 | |
| Henri Jeanneret | South Melbourne | 20 years, 133 days | 1 | 79 | 12 | Born in Switzerland. |
| Albert Trim | South Melbourne | 22 years, 220 days | 1 | 65 | 0 | |
| Charlie Colgan | South Melbourne | 19 years, 314 days | 1 | 37 | 43 | |
| George Cornelius | South Melbourne | 23 years, 275 days | 1 | 16 | 2 | |
| Warwick Armstrong | South Melbourne | 19 years, 111 days | 17 | 16 | 18 | Captained the Australian cricket team. |
| George Sparrow | South Melbourne | 28 years, 175 days | 7 | 14 | 2 | |
| Arch McNair | South Melbourne | 17 years, 298 days | 11 | 13 | 0 | |
| Johnny Davis | South Melbourne | 21 years, 208 days | 1 | 10 | 6 | |
| Jim Jolly | South Melbourne | 25 years, 342 days | 3 | 7 | 0 | |
| Val Robertson | South Melbourne | 19 years, 110 days | 12 | 7 | 0 | |
| Eddie Brown | South Melbourne | 20 years, 216 days | 1 | 5 | 1 | |
| Jason Ralph | South Melbourne | 25 years, 348 days | 6 | 5 | 0 | |
| John McDermott | South Melbourne | 26 years, 39 days | 8 | 5 | 3 | |
| Harry Gardner | South Melbourne | 20 years, 163 days | 13 | 5 | 0 | |
| Artie Machin | South Melbourne | 23 years, 265 days | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| Bob O'Donnell | South Melbourne | 28 years, 63 days | 8 | 3 | 2 | |
| Joe Chandler | South Melbourne | 20 years, 336 days | 14 | 3 | 2 | |
| Billy Kenny | South Melbourne | 26 years, 239 days | 1 | 2 | 0 | Father of Bill Kenny. |
| Joe Strong | South Melbourne | 22 years, 36 days | 10 | 2 | 0 | |
| Tom Smith | South Melbourne | 25 years, 260 days | 11 | 2 | 0 | |
| Jack O'Hara | South Melbourne | 31 years, 337 days | 15 | 2 | 1 | |
| George Taylor | South Melbourne | 21 years, 331 days | 13 | 1 | 0 | |
| Jim McArthur | South Melbourne | 28 years, 38 days | 14 | 1 | 0 | |