# 1895 VFA season

The 1895 Victorian Football Association season was the 19th season of the Australian rules football competition. The season was opened on 4 May, and concluded on 21 September. Fitzroy won the premiership by six points, with a record of 12 wins, 5 draws and one loss. It was Fitzroy's first VFA premiership.

## Premiership season

In 1895, the VFA competition consisted of thirteen teams of 20 on-the-field players each. Unless otherwise noted, matches began at 3pm. Because there was an odd number of teams, at least one team had a bye each week; the idle club often travelled to Ballarat to play one of the local senior clubs in a non-premiership match. When reporting match scores in 1895, the number of goals and behinds scored by each team is given; however, only the number of goals scored is considered when determining the result of a match.

### Round 1

| | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | |
| Saturday, 4 May | Essendon 8.17 | def. | Richmond 4.3 | East Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 4 May | Melbourne 10.10 | def. | South Melbourne 7.8 | Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 4 May | Geelong 11.11 | def. | North Melbourne 2.3 | Corio Oval |
| Saturday, 4 May | Footscray 3.9 | def. by | Fitzroy 5.5 | Western Reserve |
| Saturday, 4 May | Port Melbourne 3.5 | def. by | Collingwood 6.3 | Port Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 4 May | Williamstown 7.3 | def. | St Kilda 4.8 | Williamstown Cricket Ground |
| | Bye Carlton | Bye Carlton | Bye Carlton | |

### Round 2

| | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | |
| Saturday, 11 May | Port Melbourne 2.3 | def. by | Essendon 4.7 | Port Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 11 May | Collingwood 2.1 | def. by | Melbourne 6.9 | Victoria Park |
| Saturday, 11 May | St Kilda 4.3 | def. | South Melbourne 3.12 | St Kilda Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 11 May | Geelong 10.15 | def. | Carlton 3.2 | Corio Oval |
| Saturday, 11 May | Fitzroy 3.13 | def. | Williamstown 2.2 | Fitzroy Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 11 May | Richmond 9.5 | def. | Footscray 5.16 | Richmond Cricket Ground |
| | Bye North Melbourne | Bye North Melbourne | Bye North Melbourne | |

### Round 3

| | Round 3 | Round 3 | Round 3 | |
| Saturday, 18 May | Essendon 3.6 | def. by | Melbourne 5.10 | East Melbourne Cricket Ground (crowd: 12,000) |
| Saturday, 18 May | Fitzroy 3.13 | def. | South Melbourne 2.9 | Fitzroy Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 18 May | Footscray 2.4 | def. by | Geelong 4.8 | Western Reserve |
| Saturday, 18 May | North Melbourne 4.6 | def. by | Port Melbourne 5.2 | North Melbourne Recreation Reserve |
| Saturday, 18 May | St Kilda 4.5 | def. by | Collingwood 6.8 | St Kilda Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 18 May | Carlton 7.10 | def. | Richmond 1.9 | University Cricket Ground |
| | Bye Williamstown | Bye Williamstown | Bye Williamstown | |

### Round 4

| | Round 4 (Queen's Birthday) | Round 4 (Queen's Birthday) | Round 4 (Queen's Birthday) | |
| Friday, 24 May | North Melbourne 4.7 | def. by | South Melbourne 10.11 | North Melbourne Recreation Reserve |
| Friday, 24 May | Carlton 6.8 | def. | St Kilda 3.3 | Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Friday 24 May | Geelong 7.10 | def. | Fitzroy 1.3 | Corio Oval |
| Saturday, 25 May | Melbourne 10.11 | def. | Footscray 5.10 | Melbourne Cricket Ground (crowd: 5,000) |
| Saturday, 25 May | Collingwood 7.11 | def. | Richmond 2.4 | Victoria Park |
| Saturday, 25 May | Port Melbourne 4.6 | drew with | Williamstown 4.6 | Port Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| | Bye Essendon | Bye Essendon | Bye Essendon | |

### Round 5

| | Round 5 | Round 5 | Round 5 | |
| Saturday, 1 June | St Kilda 3.7 | def. by | North Melbourne 4.10 | St Kilda Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 1 June | Geelong 15.13 | def. | Port Melbourne 3.2 | Corio Oval |
| Saturday, 1 June | South Melbourne 3.10 | def. | Collingwood 2.10 | South Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 1 June | Essendon 6.10 | def. | Williamstown 3.3 | East Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 1 June | Fitzroy 9.14 | def. | Richmond 2.5 | Fitzroy Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 1 June | Carlton 3.8 | def. by | Footscray 6.5 | University Cricket Ground |
| | Bye Melbourne | Bye Melbourne | Bye Melbourne | |

### Round 6

| | Round 6 | Round 6 | Round 6 | |
| Saturday, 15 June | Geelong 8.11 | def. | South Melbourne 1.8 | Corio Oval (crowd: 5,000) |
| Saturday, 15 June | Essendon 3.9 | drew with | Fitzroy 3.8 | East Melbourne Cricket Ground (crowd: 6,000) |
| Saturday, 15 June | Melbourne 6.13 | def. | North Melbourne 3.8 | Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 15 June | Williamstown 7.7 | def. | Footscray 5.6 | Williamstown Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 15 June | Richmond 6.14 | drew with | St Kilda 6.9 | Richmond Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 15 June | Carlton 4.3 | def. by | Collingwood 5.8 | University Cricket Ground |
| | Bye Port Melbourne | Bye Port Melbourne | Bye Port Melbourne | |

### Round 7

| | Round 7 | Round 7 | Round 7 | |
| Saturday, 22 June | South Melbourne 7.9 | def. | Port Melbourne 6.6 | South Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 22 June | Williamstown 5.8 | def. | North Melbourne 4.9 | Williamstown Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 22 June | Geelong 9.11 | def. | St Kilda 3.10 | Corio Oval |
| Saturday, 22 June | Fitzroy 2.12 | drew with | Carlton 2.3 | Fitzroy Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 22 June | Richmond 7.9 | def. by | Melbourne 15.13 | Richmond Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 22 June | Collingwood 4.2 | def. | Essendon 3.9 | Victoria Park |
| | Bye Footscray | Bye Footscray | Bye Footscray | |

### Round 8

| | Round 8 | Round 8 | Round 8 | |
| Saturday, 29 June | South Melbourne 9.5 | def. | Essendon 7.10 | South Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 29 June | North Melbourne 1.6 | def. by | Fitzroy 6.10 | North Melbourne Recreation Reserve |
| Saturday, 29 June | Footscray 5.5 | def. | Collingwood 4.3 | Western Reserve |
| Saturday, 29 June | Williamstown 4.10 | def. by | Geelong 9.10 | Williamstown Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 29 June | Melbourne 8.11 | def. | Carlton 1.3 | Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 29 June | St Kilda 3.8 | def. by | Port Melbourne 5.4 | St Kilda Cricket Ground |
| | Bye Richmond | Bye Richmond | Bye Richmond | |

### Round 9

| | Round 9 | Round 9 | Round 9 | |
| Saturday, 6 July | Footscray 4.6 | drew with | Port Melbourne 4.8 | Western Reserve |
| Saturday, 6 July | Carlton 2.2 | def. | North Melbourne 1.9 | Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 6 July | Richmond 5.3 | drew with | South Melbourne 5.17 | Richmond Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 6 July | St Kilda 3.8 | def. by | Essendon 7.10 | St Kilda Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 6 July | Williamstown 2.1 | def. by | Melbourne 3.9 | Williamstown Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 6 July | Geelong 6.8 | def. | Collingwood 1.5 | Corio Oval |
| | Bye Fitzroy | Bye Fitzroy | Bye Fitzroy | |

### Round 10

| | Round 10 | Round 10 | Round 10 | |
| Saturday, 13 July | Footscray 7.11 | def. | Essendon 6.12 | Western Reserve |
| Saturday, 13 July | Fitzroy 2.4 | def. | Melbourne 1.3 | Fitzroy Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 13 July | North Melbourne 1.3 | def. by | Collingwood 2.4 | North Melbourne Recreation Reserve |
| Saturday, 13 July | Richmond 4.3 | def. by | Geelong 14.19 | Richmond Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 13 July | Port Melbourne 5.3 | def. | Carlton 3.3 | Port Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 13 July | South Melbourne 3.7 | def. | Williamstown 0.6 | South Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| | Bye St Kilda | Bye St Kilda | Bye St Kilda | |

### Round 11

| | Round 11 | Round 11 | Round 11 | |
| Saturday, 20 July | Essendon 10.5 | def. | Geelong 5.15 | East Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 20 July | Melbourne 6.11 | def. | Port Melbourne 2.3 | Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 20 July | Collingwood 2.3 | drew with | Fitzroy 2.4 | Victoria Park |
| Saturday, 20 July | North Melbourne 1.9 | def. by | Richmond 2.8 | North Melbourne Recreation Reserve |
| Saturday, 20 July | St Kilda 3.11 | def. by | Footscray 5.4 | St Kilda Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 20 July | Carlton 6.5 | def. | Williamstown 5.4 | University Cricket Ground |
| | Bye South Melbourne | Bye South Melbourne | Bye South Melbourne | |

### Round 12

| | Round 12 | Round 12 | Round 12 | |
| Saturday, 27 July | Essendon 3.5 | def. | Carlton 1.7 | East Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 27 July | Melbourne 3.8 | def. by | Geelong 9.9 | Melbourne Cricket Ground (crowd: 20,000) |
| Saturday, 27 July | South Melbourne 7.7 | def. | Footscray 2.1 | South Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 27 July | Fitzroy 7.18 | def. | St Kilda 2.5 | Fitzroy Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 27 July | North Melbourne 6.13 | def. | Williamstown 2.0 | North Melbourne Recreation Reserve |
| Saturday, 27 July | Richmond 6.4 | drew with | Port Melbourne 6.8 | Richmond Cricket Ground |
| | Bye Collingwood | Bye Collingwood | Bye Collingwood | |

### Round 13

| | Round 13 | Round 13 | Round 13 | |
| Saturday, 3 August | Footscray 4.1 | def. by | Collingwood 5.10 | Western Reserve |
| Saturday, 3 August | Melbourne 3.9 | def. | St Kilda 2.7 | Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 3 August | Essendon 2.7 | def. by | North Melbourne 3.9 | East Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 3 August | Carlton 3.4 | def. by | South Melbourne 5.7 | University Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 3 August | Port Melbourne 2.14 | def. by | Fitzroy 6.7 | Port Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 3 August | Williamstown 4.19 | def. by | Richmond 5.4 | Williamstown Cricket Ground |
| | Bye Geelong | Bye Geelong | Bye Geelong | |

### Round 14

| | Round 14 | Round 14 | Round 14 | |
| Saturday, 10 August | St Kilda 5.10 | def. | Carlton 1.10 | St Kilda Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 10 August | Richmond 4.9 | def. by | Fitzroy 7.11 | Richmond Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 10 August | South Melbourne 6.9 | def. | Geelong 3.12 | South Melbourne Cricket Ground (crowd: 7,000) |
| Saturday, 10 August | Melbourne 4.2 | def. by | Essendon 7.12 | Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 10 August | Footscray 3.7 | def. by | North Melbourne 4.7 | Western Reserve |
| Saturday, 10 August | Collingwood 5.14 | def. | Williamstown 1.9 | Victoria Park |
| | Bye Port Melbourne | Bye Port Melbourne | Bye Port Melbourne | |

### Round 15

| | Round 15 | Round 15 | Round 15 | |
| Saturday, 17 August | Geelong 8.6 | def. | Essendon 6.4 | Corio Oval |
| Saturday, 17 August | Melbourne 2.4 | def. by | Fitzroy 4.8 | Melbourne Cricket Ground (crowd: 8,000) |
| Saturday, 17 August | North Melbourne 6.6 | def. | South Melbourne 1.7 | North Melbourne Recreation Reserve |
| Saturday, 17 August | Footscray 5.12 | def. | Williamstown 3.5 | Western Reserve |
| Saturday, 17 August | Port Melbourne 4.15 | def. | St Kilda 3.3 | Port Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 17 August | Richmond 5.4 | def. by | Collingwood 7.11 | Richmond Cricket Ground |
| | Bye Carlton | Bye Carlton | Bye Carlton | |

### Round 16

| | Round 16 | Round 16 | Round 16 | |
| Saturday, 24 August | Essendon 3.13 | def. by | South Melbourne 6.15 | East Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 24 August | North Melbourne 2.3 | def. by | Melbourne 4.4 | North Melbourne Recreation Reserve |
| Saturday, 24 August | Footscray 2.3 | def. by | Fitzroy 5.8 | Western Reserve |
| Saturday, 24 August | Collingwood 5.3 | def. | Geelong 4.2 | Victoria Park |
| Saturday, 24 August | St Kilda 7.7 | def. | Richmond 6.8 | St Kilda Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 24 August | Carlton 3.3 | def. | Port Melbourne 2.6 | University Cricket Ground |
| | Bye Williamstown | Bye Williamstown | Bye Williamstown | |

### Round 17

| | Round 17 | Round 17 | Round 17 | |
| Saturday, 31 August | Fitzroy 4.13 | def. | Geelong 2.4 | Fitzroy Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 31 August | South Melbourne 3.3 | def. by | Melbourne 6.13 | South Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 31 August | Collingwood 3.8 | drew with | North Melbourne 3.3 | Victoria Park |
| Saturday, 31 August | Essendon 4.11 | def. | Footscray 3.3 | East Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 31 August | Port Melbourne 8.8 | def. | Richmond 2.8 | Port Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 31 August | Williamstown 3.11 | def. | Carlton 2.6 | Williamstown Cricket Ground |
| | Bye St Kilda | Bye St Kilda | Bye St Kilda | |

### Round 18

| | Round 18 | Round 18 | Round 18 | |
| Saturday, 7 September | Fitzroy 5.5 | drew with | Essendon 5.7 | Fitzroy Cricket Ground (crowd: 10,000) |
| Saturday, 7 September | Geelong 4.9 | def. | Melbourne 3.7 | Corio Oval |
| Saturday, 7 September | Footscray 7.3 | def. | South Melbourne 3.5 | Western Reserve |
| Saturday, 7 September | Williamstown 6.5 | def. | Port Melbourne 3.4 | Williamstown Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 7 September | Richmond 5.6 | def. | Carlton 4.8 | Richmond Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 7 September | North Melbourne 9.7 | def. | St Kilda 4.4 | North Melbourne Recreation Reserve |
| | Bye Collingwood | Bye Collingwood | Bye Collingwood | |

### Round 19

| | Round 19 | Round 19 | Round 19 | |
| Saturday, 14 September | North Melbourne 6.2 | def. | Essendon 4.6 | North Melbourne Recreation Reserve |
| Saturday, 14 September | Footscray 5.8 | def. by | Melbourne 7.9 | Western Reserve |
| Saturday, 14 September | South Melbourne 3.5 | drew with | Fitzroy 3.4 | South Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 14 September | Port Melbourne 1.0 | def. | Geelong 0.9 | Port Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 14 September | St Kilda 4.7 | def. by | Williamstown 7.9 | St Kilda Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 14 September | Collingwood 7.6 | def. | Carlton 3.1 | Victoria Park |
| | Bye Richmond | Bye Richmond | Bye Richmond | |

### Round 20

| | Round 20 | Round 20 | Round 20 | |
| Saturday, 21 September | Port Melbourne 7.9 | def. | Richmond 5.3 | Port Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 21 September | St Kilda 1.5 | drew with | Carlton 1.10 | Victoria Park |
| Saturday, 21 September | Williamstown 4.7 | def. by | Collingwood 10.4 | Williamstown Cricket Ground |
| | Bye Essendon, Fitzroy, Footscray, Geelong, Melbourne, North Melbourne, South Melbourne | Bye Essendon, Fitzroy, Footscray, Geelong, Melbourne, North Melbourne, South Melbourne | Bye Essendon, Fitzroy, Footscray, Geelong, Melbourne, North Melbourne, South Melbourne | |

## Ladder

1895 VFA ladder :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Fitzroy (P) | 18 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 77 | 47 | 58 |
| 2 | Collingwood | 18 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 83 | 63 | 52 |
| 2 | Geelong | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 128 | 62 | 52 |
| 2 | Melbourne | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 102 | 70 | 52 |
| 5 | South Melbourne | 18 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 84 | 82 | 40 |
| 6 | Essendon | 18 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 91 | 81 | 36 |
| 7 | Port Melbourne | 18 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 72 | 87 | 34 |
| 8 | North Melbourne | 18 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 64 | 75 | 30 |
| 9 | Footscray | 18 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 78 | 93 | 26 |
| 9 | Williamstown | 18 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 69 | 85 | 26 |
| 11 | Carlton | 18 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 55 | 77 | 24 |
| 12 | Richmond | 18 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 80 | 127 | 22 |
| 13 | St Kilda | 18 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 64 | 96 | 16 |
The Association had no formal tie-breakers in cases where clubs were equal on premiership points.

## Premiership

Fitzroy won the 1895 VFA premiership with 58 points, finishing six points clear of Geelong, Collingwood and Melbourne, who all finished equal-second on 52 points. While Fitzroy finished with fewer wins than either Geelong or Melbourne, and also scored 51 goals fewer than Geelong, it lost only one match for the season, and conceded 15 goals fewer than any other team. This was also the first ever premiership in the history of the Fitzroy Football Club.
Fitzroy was unbeaten in its last fourteen matches, coming from behind to claim the premiership from Geelong and Melbourne. Geelong, who had begun the season with a ten-match winning streak, and Melbourne, who had begun the season with an eight-match winning streak, were considered most likely to win the premiership at mid-season, but both teams' form fell off in the second half of the season to finish 13–5.
Fitzroy officially clinched the premiership in Round 19, its last match for the season, with a draw against South Melbourne: this, and Geelong's unusual 0.9 – 1.0 loss to Port Melbourne, ensured that Fitzroy could not be tied or passed for first place.

## Leading goalkickers

The leading goalkicker for the season was Decoit of Geelong, kicking 42 goals. He finished comfortably ahead of the second-placed Archie Smith of Collingwood. The high-scoring Geelong team produced three of the top five goalkickers for the season.
| Player | Team | Goals |
| David Decoit | Geelong | 42 |
| Archie Smith | Collingwood | 27 |
| Jim Grace | Fitzroy | 24 |
| Eddy James | Geelong | 24 |
| Henry McShane | Geelong | 20 |

## Notable events

* The round 3 match between North Melbourne and Port Melbourne at the North Melbourne Recreation Reserve was unusually scheduled for the same day and at the same venue as the third day's play of a pennant cricket match between North Melbourne and Fitzroy, which had been arranged at the end of the season to decide last place in the A Class division. The cricketers were forced to leave the field at 3pm to accommodate the footballers; the cricket match was awarded to Fitzroy and the North Melbourne Cricket Club was fined one shilling.
* Carlton won its round 9 match against North Melbourne by one goal after Langley marked on the final bell, and kicked a goal after the bell from 40 yards.

## Non-premiership matches

Association teams often played exhibition matches separate to the premiership season, particularly during bye weeks. This is not a complete list of all such matches, but is a selection of the most notable such games in 1895.

### Charity Saturday

On the Saturday between Rounds 5 and 6, a charity event was held. Although the league had previously held charity days during the premiership season, this was the first time that the premiership season had been suspended entirely to accommodate the event. Two shortened matches, each lasting approximately one hour and played across two separate periods, were played as part of the event; two pairs of fierce rivals were selected to maximise interest in the matches. The charity event trialled the use of boundary umpires.
| | Charity Saturday | Charity Saturday | Charity Saturday | |
| Saturday, 8 June (3:00 pm) | Fitzroy 3.10 | drew with | Collingwood 3.5 | East Melbourne Cricket Ground (crowd: 7,000) |
| Saturday, 8 June (4:00 pm) | Melbourne 5.9 | def. | Essendon 1.0 | East Melbourne Cricket Ground (crowd: 7,000) |
Additionally, a 130-yard sprint race, open to any Association players and run without handicap, was held. The race was won by Drew of Port Melbourne; Palmer of Essendon finished second and Morton of Footscray finished third.

### Norwood's tour of Victoria

Norwood, the winners of the 1894 South Australian Football Association (SAFA) premiership, undertook a two-week tour of Victoria in May and June, playing five exhibition matches against Association clubs and a combined Ballarat team.
While Norwood finished with one win and two draws from the five matches, the tour proved to be a financial disaster for the club, as all five matches were poorly attended. With Norwood's share of the gate takings being a mere £30, the club lost £170 on the tour.
| | Norwood's tour of Victoria | Norwood's tour of Victoria | Norwood's tour of Victoria | |
| Friday, 24 May (11:00 am) | Essendon 7.12 | def. by | Norwood 9.8 | East Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Tuesday, 28 May | Collingwood 3.2 | drew with | Norwood 3.6 | Victoria Park |
| Thursday, 30 May | South Melbourne 5.8 | drew with | Norwood 5.5 | South Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Saturday, 1 June | Melbourne 8.13 | def. | Norwood 6.9 | Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Monday, 3 June | Combined Ballarat 11.14 | def. | Norwood 4.3 | Saxon Paddock |

### Other notable matches

* On the Saturday prior to Round 1, the defending premiers Essendon played the traditional match against a combined team of juniors at the East Melbourne Cricket Ground. Essendon, fielding twenty players against the juniors' twenty-three, won by the score of 13.15 to 3.3.
* On Sunday, 30 September, premiers Fitzroy faced a Combined Ballarat team at Saxon Paddock. The Combined Ballarat team won by the score of 7.8 to 5.4.