# 1887 SAFA season

The 1887 South Australian Football Association season was the 11th season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia.
On 15 March 1887 the West Torrens Football Club held a meeting at the Foundry Hotel, Hindley Street in Adelaide where it decided to change the name of the club to West Adelaide and apply for inclusion in the upcoming 1887 SAFA season. The Club has previously applied to join in 1879.
1887 saw the competition expand from 4 to 7 clubs when Gawler Albions, Hotham and West Adelaide were admitted to the SAFA with the last of those bearing no relation to the modern day West Adelaide Bloods.

## Premiership season
### Round 1

| | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | |
| Saturday, 7 May (3:10 pm) | Adelaide 7.19 (7) | def. | Hotham 3.7 (3) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 1,500) |
| Saturday, 7 May (3:25 pm) | Norwood 9.23 (9) | def. | West Adelaide 0.0 (0) | Kensington Oval |
| Saturday, 7 May (Time pm) | Port Adelaide 12.28 (12) | def. | Gawler 0.1 (0) | Alberton Oval (crowd: 800) |
| | Bye South Adelaide | Bye South Adelaide | Bye South Adelaide | |

### Round 2

| | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | |
| Saturday, 14 May (Time pm) | Adelaide 3.12 (3) | drew with | South Adelaide 3.4 (3) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 2,300) |
| Saturday, 14 May (Time pm) | Port Adelaide 3.22 (3) | def. | West Adelaide 0.2 (0) | Alberton Oval (crowd: 600) |
| Saturday, 14 May (3:15 pm) | Norwood 6.14 (6) | def. | Hotham 0.2 (0) | Kensington Oval |
| | Bye Gawler | Bye Gawler | Bye Gawler | |

### Round 3

| | Round 3 | Round 3 | Round 3 | |
| Saturday, 21 May (3:15 pm) | Port Adelaide 3.4 (3) | drew with | Norwood 3.7 (3) | Alberton Oval (crowd: 3,000) |
| Saturday, 21 May (3:10 pm) | South Adelaide 9.21 (9) | def. | Hotham 6.5 (6) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 1,000) |
| Saturday, 21 May (3:10 pm) | Adelaide 9.21 (9) | def. | West Adelaide 0.1 (0) | Kensington Oval (crowd: 100) |
| | Bye Gawler | Bye Gawler | Bye Gawler | |
| Fixtures Tuesday May 24.- Adelaide v. Norwood, at Adelaide Oval; Port v. South Adelaide, at Alberton; Gawler v. Hotham, at Gawler. ||||||

### Round 4

| | Round 4 | Round 4 | Round 4 | |
| Saturday, 28 May (3:04 pm) | South Adelaide 7.11 (7) | drew with | Norwood 7.11 (7) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 3,000) |
| Saturday, 28 May (3:25 pm) | West Adelaide 3.12 (3) | drew with | Gawler 3.4 (3) | Kensington Oval |
| Saturday, 28 May | Port Adelaide 7.15 (7) | def. | Hotham 1.6 (1) | Alberton Oval (crowd: 300) |
| | Bye Adelaide | Bye Adelaide | Bye Adelaide | |
| Adelaide were on an interstate trip to Victoria to play their first ever game on the Melbourne Cricket Ground. ||||||

### Round 5

| | Round 5 | Round 5 | Round 5 | |
| Saturday, 4 June (3:25 pm) | South Adelaide 5.20 (5) | def. | West Adelaide 1.8 (1) | Kensington Oval |
| Saturday, 4 June (3:15 pm) | Norwood 7.15 | def. | Hotham 1.5 | Adelaide Oval |
| Saturday, 4 June (3:30 pm) | Gawler 0.0 (0) | def. by | Port Adelaide 3.14 (3) | Gawler Oval (crowd: 150) |
| | Bye Adelaide | Bye Adelaide | Bye Adelaide | |

### Round 6

| | Round 6 | Round 6 | Round 6 | |
| Saturday, 11 June (3:00 pm) | Adelaide 2.11 (2) | def. by | Port Adelaide 4.6 (4) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 4,000) |
| Saturday, 11 June (3:25 pm) | Hotham 2.5 (2) | drew with | West Adelaide 2.4 (2) | Kensington Oval |
| Saturday, 11 June | Gawler 1.2 (1) | def. by | South Adelaide 9.23 (9) | Gawler Oval (crowd: 75) |
| | Bye Norwood | Bye Norwood | Bye Norwood | |

### Round 7

| | Round 7 | Round 7 | Round 7 | |
| Saturday, 18 June (3:16 pm) | Norwood 8.21 (8) | def. | West Adelaide 1.1 (1) | Adelaide Oval |
| Saturday, 18 June (3:35 pm) | South Adelaide 5.18 (5) | def. | Hotham 4.2 (4) | Kensington Oval (crowd: 200) |
| Saturday, 18 June (3:30 pm) | Gawler 0.4 (0) | def. by | Adelaide 8.15 (8) | Gawler Oval |
| | Bye Port Adelaide | Bye Port Adelaide | Bye Port Adelaide | |

### Round 8

| | Round 8 | Round 8 | Round 8 | |
| Monday, 20 June (3:00 pm) | Norwood 6.16 (6) | def. | Port Adelaide 4.3 (4) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 11,000) |
| The match was under the patronage of the Chinese Commissioners to the Jubilee Exhibition General Wong Yang Ho and Console-General Yu Chiung. The match attendance of approximately 11,000 was the largest in South Australian football history at the time. ||||||

### Round 9

| | Round 9 | Round 9 | Round 9 | |
| Saturday, 25 June (3:00 pm) | Adelaide 1.3 (1) | def. by | Norwood 5.15 (5) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 4,500) |
| Saturday, 25 June (Time pm) | Port Adelaide 6.17 (6) | def. | Hotham 2.5 (2) | Alberton Oval (crowd: 300) |
| Saturday, 25 June (Time pm) | South Adelaide 8.20 (8) | def. | West Adelaide 2.5 (2) | Kensington Oval (crowd: 250) |
| | Bye Gawler | Bye Gawler | Bye Gawler | |

### Round 10

| | Round 10 | Round 10 | Round 10 | |
| Saturday, 2 July (3:00 pm) | South Adelaide 2.4 (2) | def. by | Norwood 6.6 (6) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 3,500) |
| Saturday, 2 July (3:10 pm) | Port Adelaide 3.10 (3) | def. by | Adelaide 4.1 (4) | Alberton Oval (crowd: 1,000) |
| Saturday, 2 July (3.22 pm) | West Adelaide 0.3 (0) | def. by | Gawler 1.8 (1) | Kensington Oval (crowd: Attendance) |
| | Bye Hotham | Bye Hotham | Bye Hotham | |

### Round 11

| | Round 11 | Round 11 | Round 11 | |
| Saturday, 23 July (3:15 pm) | Adelaide 3.12 (3) | drew with | South Adelaide 3.9 (3) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 2,000) |
| Saturday, 23 July (Time pm) | Hotham 5.11 (5) | def. | West Adelaide 0.4 (0) | Kensington Oval |
| Saturday, 23 July (3:11 pm) | Port Adelaide 4.1 (4) | drew with | Norwood 4.8 (4) | Alberton Oval (crowd: 3,500) |
| | Bye Gawler | Bye Gawler | Bye Gawler | |

### Round 12

| | Round 12 | Round 12 | Round 12 | |
| Saturday, 30 July (3:15 pm) | Adelaide 5.16 (5) | def. | Hotham 0.3 (0) | Kensington Oval (crowd: 150) |
| Saturday, 30 July (3:30 pm) | Gawler 1.4 (1) | def. by | Norwood 7.15 (7) | Gawler Oval (crowd: 350) |
| Saturday, 30 July (3:21 pm) | South Adelaide 6.8 (6) | def. by | Port Adelaide 8.3 (8) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 2,500) |
| | Bye West Adelaide | Bye West Adelaide | Bye West Adelaide | |

### Round 13

| | Round 13 | Round 13 | Round 13 | |
| Saturday, 6 August (3:06 pm) | Adelaide 4.8 (4) | def. | Norwood 2.13 (2) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 4,000) |
| Saturday, 6 August (3:20 pm) | Port Adelaide 11.29 (11) | def. | West Adelaide 1.3 (1) | Alberton Oval (crowd: 200) |
| Saturday, 6 August (3:30 pm) | South Adelaide 3.13 (3) | drew with | Hotham 3.4 (3) | Kensington Oval (crowd: 200) |
| | Bye Gawler | Bye Gawler | Bye Gawler | |

### Round 14

| | Round 14 | Round 14 | Round 14 | |
| Saturday, 13 August (3:15 pm) | Port Adelaide 6.14 (6) | def. | Adelaide 2.9 (2) | Alberton Oval (crowd: 3,000) |
| Saturday, 13 August (3:00 pm) | South Adelaide 16.27 (16) | def. | Gawler 2.3 (2) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 400) |
| Saturday, 13 August (3:30 pm) | Norwood 14.26 (14) | def. | West Adelaide 0.0 (0) | Kensington Oval (crowd: 200) |
| | Bye Hotham | Bye Hotham | Bye Hotham | |

### Round 15

| | Round 15 | Round 15 | Round 15 | |
| Saturday, 20 August (3:08 pm) | Norwood 5.11 (5) | def. | Port Adelaide 2.9 (2) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 8,000) |
| Saturday, 20 August | South Adelaide 4.20 (4) | drew with | Hotham 4.7 (4) | Kensington Oval (crowd: 100) |
| | Bye Gawler, West Adelaide, Adelaide | Bye Gawler, West Adelaide, Adelaide | Bye Gawler, West Adelaide, Adelaide | |

### Round 16

| | Round 16 | Round 16 | Round 16 | |
| Saturday, 27 August (3:00 pm) | South Adelaide 7.5 (7) | def. | Norwood 5.6 (5) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 3,000) |
| Saturday, 27 August (3:25 pm) | Adelaide 4.17 (4) | def. | Hotham 1.9 (1) | Kensington Oval |
| Saturday, 27 August (3:15 pm) | Port Adelaide 17.27 (17) | def. | West Adelaide 2.0 (2) | Alberton Oval (crowd: 200) |
| | Bye Gawler | Bye Gawler | Bye Gawler | |
| Port Adelaide's score of 17.27 (17) was the highest total ever at the time in South Australian league football. ||||||

### Round 17

| | Round 17 | Round 17 | Round 17 | |
| Thursday, 1 September (3:08 pm) | Adelaide 1.2 (1) | def. by | South Adelaide 6.2 (6) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 2,500) |

### Round 18

| | Round 18 | Round 18 | Round 18 | |
| Saturday, 3 September | Port Adelaide 11.11 (11) | def. | South Adelaide 4.8 (4) | Alberton Oval (crowd: 2,000) |
| Saturday, 3 September (3:15 pm) | Adelaide 7.20 (7) | v | Gawler 1.4 (1) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 100) |
| Saturday, 3 September | Norwood 14.20 (14) | def. | West Adelaide 0.1 (0) | Kensington Oval (crowd: 100) |
| | Bye Hotham | Bye Hotham | Bye Hotham | |

### Round 19

| | Round 19 | Round 19 | Round 19 | |
| Saturday, 10 September | Norwood 8.23 (8) | def. | Hotham 0.4 (0) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 1,000) |
| Saturday, 10 September (3:20 pm) | Adelaide 4.21 (4) | def. | West Adelaide 3.3 (3) | Kensington Oval |
| | Bye Port Adelaide, South Adelaide, Gawler | Bye Port Adelaide, South Adelaide, Gawler | Bye Port Adelaide, South Adelaide, Gawler | |

### Round 20

| | Round 20 | Round 20 | Round 20 | |
| Saturday, 17 September | Adelaide 4.7 (4) | def. by | Port Adelaide 5.12 (5) | Adelaide Oval |
| | Bye South Adelaide, Norwood, Gawler, Hotham, West Adelaide | Bye South Adelaide, Norwood, Gawler, Hotham, West Adelaide | Bye South Adelaide, Norwood, Gawler, Hotham, West Adelaide | |

## Ladder

1887 SAFA Ladder :
| | TEAM | P | W | L | D | GF | BF | GA | BA | Pts | Adj Pts |
| 1 | Norwood | 18 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 119 | 257 | 40 | 73 | 28 | 28.00 |
| 2 | Port Adelaide | 17 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 110 | 220 | 46 | 103 | 26 | 27.53 |
| 3 | Adelaide | 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 67 | 195 | 43 | 109 | 21 | 23.63 |
| 4 | South Adelaide | 17 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 102 | 221 | 72 | 101 | 20 | 21.18 |
| 5 | Hotham | 15 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 37 | 98 | 77 | 227 | 8 | 9.60 |
| 6 | Gawler | 11 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 13 | 48 | 72 | 197 | 3 | 4.91 |
| 7 | West Adelaide | 16 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 18 | 52 | 114 | 288 | 4 | 4.50 |
| Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, BF = Behinds For, GA = Goals Against, BA = Behinds Against, Pts = Points, Adj Pts = Points adjusted for match ratio, (P) = Premiers | Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, BF = Behinds For, GA = Goals Against, BA = Behinds Against, Pts = Points, Adj Pts = Points adjusted for match ratio, (P) = Premiers | Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, BF = Behinds For, GA = Goals Against, BA = Behinds Against, Pts = Points, Adj Pts = Points adjusted for match ratio, (P) = Premiers | Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, BF = Behinds For, GA = Goals Against, BA = Behinds Against, Pts = Points, Adj Pts = Points adjusted for match ratio, (P) = Premiers | Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, BF = Behinds For, GA = Goals Against, BA = Behinds Against, Pts = Points, Adj Pts = Points adjusted for match ratio, (P) = Premiers | Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, BF = Behinds For, GA = Goals Against, BA = Behinds Against, Pts = Points, Adj Pts = Points adjusted for match ratio, (P) = Premiers | Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, BF = Behinds For, GA = Goals Against, BA = Behinds Against, Pts = Points, Adj Pts = Points adjusted for match ratio, (P) = Premiers | Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, BF = Behinds For, GA = Goals Against, BA = Behinds Against, Pts = Points, Adj Pts = Points adjusted for match ratio, (P) = Premiers | Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, BF = Behinds For, GA = Goals Against, BA = Behinds Against, Pts = Points, Adj Pts = Points adjusted for match ratio, (P) = Premiers | Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, BF = Behinds For, GA = Goals Against, BA = Behinds Against, Pts = Points, Adj Pts = Points adjusted for match ratio, (P) = Premiers | Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, BF = Behinds For, GA = Goals Against, BA = Behinds Against, Pts = Points, Adj Pts = Points adjusted for match ratio, (P) = Premiers | |
Notes: Programme was arranged by the individual clubs hence the uneven number of games played. At the end of the season Port Adelaide requested to play an additional game against Hotham but it was rejected by the Association. They also requested to play Norwood in a premiership playoff. Norwood and Port Adelaide had played each other 4 times with the result being 2 wins and 2 draws in favour of Norwood. The premiership hence was awarded to Norwood.