# 1929 MAFA season

The 1929 MAFA season was the 34th season of the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association (MAFA), an Australian rules football competition played in the state of Victoria. The season began on 27 April and concluded on 21 September, with 30 teams participating across three divisions under a promotion and relegation system.

## Background

The MAFA changed the structure of the final series, with the first-placed team (minor premiers) playing the fourth-placed team in the semi-finals, while the second-placed team played their third-placed team. Prior to this, first played third and second played fourth. This change occurred several years before the Victorian Football League (VFL, now AFL) used the same system for finishing positions. As a modified version of the Argus finals system, the minor premiers still had the right to challenge the winner of the finals series for the premiership, but only if its home-and-away win–loss record was strictly better than that of the team it was challenging.

## Association membership

Five new clubs − Bentleigh District, East Malvern, Melbourne High School Old Boys (MHSOB), Old Ivanhoe and Old Paradians − entered the MAFA in C Section. Flinders Naval Base left the MAFA to re-enter the Peninsula Football League (PFL), while Oakleigh and Pascoe Vale had been expelled during the 1928 season.
The MAFA sought to stop the admission of further "B" teams for the 1929 season, and Teachers' College withrew "Teachers' College B" as a result. Sandringham B had already withdrawn from the MAFA late in the 1928 season. However, Glen Huntly was permitted to keep its "Glen Huntly B" team.

## A Section
### Ladder

| Pos | Team | Pld | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Old Scotch | 18 | 56 | Finals series |
| 2 | State Savings Bank | 18 | 52 | Finals series |
| 3 | University B (P) | 18 | 50 | Finals series |
| 4 | Old Melburnians | 18 | 44 | Finals series |
| 5 | Elsternwick | 18 | 42 |
| 6 | Brightonvale | 18 | 36 |
| 7 | University A | 18 | 30 |
| 8 | Collegians | 18 | 26 |
| 9 | St Paul's Ascot Vale | 18 | 16 | Relegation |
| 10 | Glen Huntly | 18 | 4 | Relegation |
Source: Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. (P) Premiers; (E) Expelled; (W) Withdrawn

### Finals

| | 1929 MAFA A Section Grand Final | 1929 MAFA A Section Grand Final | 1929 MAFA A Section Grand Final | |
| Saturday, 14 September | University B | def. | Old Melburnians | Yarra Park |
| | 9.10 (64) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 5.26 (56) | |

## B Section
### Ladder

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Black Rock | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 1534 | 1251 | 122.6 | 56 | Finals series |
| 2 | Surrey Hills | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 1430 | 1178 | 121.3 | 52 | Finals series |
| 3 | Murrumbeena (P) | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 1805 | 1489 | 127.8 | 44 | Finals series |
| 4 | Old Haileybury-Trinity | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 1662 | 1485 | 111.9 | 40 | Finals series |
| 5 | Brunswick | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 1461 | 1353 | 107.9 | 40 |
| 6 | Geelong | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 1664 | 1575 | 105.6 | 40 |
| 7 | Old Caulfield Grammarians | 18 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 1492 | 1693 | 88.1 | 24 |
| 8 | Teachers' College | 18 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 1608 | 1965 | 80.3 | 24 |
| 9 | Old Xaverians | 18 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 1227 | 1589 | 77.2 | 24 | Relegation |
| 10 | Sandringham | 18 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 1220 | 1532 | 79.6 | 16 | Relegation |
Source: Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. (P) Premiers; (E) Expelled; (W) Withdrawn

### Finals

| | 1929 MAFA B Section Grand Final | 1929 MAFA B Section Grand Final | 1929 MAFA B Section Grand Final | |
| Saturday, 14 September | Black Rock | def. by | Murrumbeena | Brighton Cricket Ground |
| | 13.12 (90) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 17.15 (117) | |

## C Section

Old Paradians full-forward Allan La Fontaine kicked 146 goals for the home-and-away season (152 including finals), which was easily a record in any MAFA division since the competition began in 1892. This included kicking 20 of his club's 24 goals against Kingsville in round 18.

### Ladder

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Old Paradians | 18 | 14 | 56 | Finals series |
| 2 | Burwood | 18 | | 52 | Finals series |
| 3 | Bentleigh District | 18 | | 48 | Finals series |
| 4 | East Malvern (P) | 18 | | 48 | Finals series |
| 5 | South Caulfield | 18 | | 48 |
| 6 | West Hawthorn | 18 | | 40 |
| 7 | Kingsville | 18 | | 36 |
| 8 | Glen Huntly B | 18 | | 12 |
| 9 | MHSOB | 18 | | 12 |
| 10 | Old Ivanhoe | 18 | | 8 |
Source: Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. (P) Premiers; (E) Expelled; (W) Withdrawn

### Finals

| | 1929 MAFA C Section Grand Final | 1929 MAFA C Section Grand Final | 1929 MAFA C Section Grand Final | |
| Saturday, 21 September | Old Paradians | def. by | East Malvern | Murrumbeena |
| | 2.1 (13) 4.4 (24) 8.10 (58) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 5.4 (30) 6.9 (45) 10.13 (73) | |