# 1931 VFL season

The 1931 VFL season was the 35th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest-level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs and ran from 2 May to 10 October, comprising an 18-match home-and-away season followed by a four-week finals series featuring the top four clubs.
Geelong won the premiership, defeating Richmond by 20 points in the 1931 VFL grand final; it was Geelong's second VFL premiership. Geelong also won the minor premiership by finishing atop the home-and-away ladder with a 15–3 win–loss record. Fitzroy's Haydn Bunton Sr. won the Brownlow Medal as the league's best and fairest player, and Carlton's Harry Vallence won the leading goalkicker medal as the league's leading goalkicker.

## Background

In 1931, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus one substitute player, known as the 19th man. A player could be substituted for any reason; however, once substituted, a player could not return to the field of play under any circumstances.
Teams played each other in a home-and-away season of 18 rounds; matches 12 to 18 were the "home-and-way reverse" of matches 1 to 7.
Once the 18-round home-and-away season had finished, the 1931 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the Page–McIntyre system. This was the first season to feature the new finals format, with the winner of the 2nd Semi Final going direct through to the Grand Final, and the loser through to a Preliminary Final against the winner of the 1st Semi Final. The league predominantly used variations of the Argus Challenge System over the previous thirty seasons.

## Home-and-away season
### Round 1

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |
| North Melbourne | 11.17 (83) | South Melbourne | 19.21 (135) | Arden Street Oval | 10,000 | 2 May 1931 |
| Footscray | 8.13 (61) | Hawthorn | 9.6 (60) | Western Oval | 12,000 | 2 May 1931 |
| Collingwood | 13.14 (92) | Geelong | 12.15 (87) | Victoria Park | 16,000 | 2 May 1931 |
| Carlton | 15.8 (98) | Richmond | 14.23 (107) | Princes Park | 26,500 | 2 May 1931 |
| Melbourne | 15.16 (106) | Fitzroy | 14.10 (94) | MCG | 19,330 | 2 May 1931 |
| St Kilda | 13.14 (92) | Essendon | 11.14 (80) | Junction Oval | 19,000 | 2 May 1931 |

### Round 2

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |
| Geelong | 20.6 (126) | St Kilda | 7.12 (54) | Corio Oval | 9,500 | 9 May 1931 |
| Essendon | 12.5 (77) | Melbourne | 10.13 (73) | Windy Hill | 15,000 | 9 May 1931 |
| Richmond | 30.19 (199) | North Melbourne | 4.7 (31) | Punt Road Oval | 11,000 | 9 May 1931 |
| South Melbourne | 13.13 (91) | Footscray | 16.15 (111) | Lake Oval | 20,000 | 9 May 1931 |
| Hawthorn | 8.17 (65) | Collingwood | 11.18 (84) | Glenferrie Oval | 15,000 | 9 May 1931 |
| Fitzroy | 13.15 (93) | Carlton | 19.19 (133) | Brunswick Street Oval | 35,000 | 9 May 1931 |

### Round 3

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |
| Footscray | 7.10 (52) | Richmond | 13.16 (94) | Western Oval | 30,000 | 16 May 1931 |
| Collingwood | 13.16 (94) | South Melbourne | 10.13 (73) | Victoria Park | 15,000 | 16 May 1931 |
| Carlton | 18.18 (126) | Essendon | 5.14 (44) | Princes Park | 20,000 | 16 May 1931 |
| St Kilda | 10.12 (72) | Hawthorn | 10.8 (68) | Junction Oval | 14,000 | 16 May 1931 |
| Melbourne | 12.15 (87) | Geelong | 11.17 (83) | MCG | 19,767 | 16 May 1931 |
| North Melbourne | 6.12 (48) | Fitzroy | 12.16 (88) | Arden Street Oval | 7,000 | 16 May 1931 |

### Round 4

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |
| Hawthorn | 13.16 (94) | Melbourne | 16.13 (109) | Glenferrie Oval | 10,000 | 23 May 1931 |
| Fitzroy | 10.15 (75) | Footscray | 12.12 (84) | Brunswick Street Oval | 14,000 | 23 May 1931 |
| Essendon | 12.13 (85) | North Melbourne | 9.9 (63) | Windy Hill | 10,000 | 23 May 1931 |
| South Melbourne | 18.19 (127) | St Kilda | 16.10 (106) | Lake Oval | 18,000 | 23 May 1931 |
| Richmond | 10.12 (72) | Collingwood | 9.14 (68) | Punt Road Oval | 40,000 | 23 May 1931 |
| Geelong | 11.14 (80) | Carlton | 11.8 (74) | Corio Oval | 12,500 | 23 May 1931 |

### Round 5

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |
| Hawthorn | 11.10 (76) | South Melbourne | 11.13 (79) | Glenferrie Oval | 11,000 | 30 May 1931 |
| Essendon | 10.12 (72) | Richmond | 11.20 (86) | Windy Hill | 15,000 | 30 May 1931 |
| Carlton | 16.11 (107) | Collingwood | 13.13 (91) | Princes Park | 35,000 | 30 May 1931 |
| St Kilda | 13.19 (97) | North Melbourne | 7.10 (52) | Junction Oval | 10,000 | 30 May 1931 |
| Melbourne | 13.9 (87) | Footscray | 10.11 (71) | MCG | 20,244 | 30 May 1931 |
| Geelong | 20.22 (142) | Fitzroy | 12.9 (81) | Corio Oval | 9,000 | 30 May 1931 |

### Round 6

Round 6 was a split round, but the two-halves of the round were unusually played almost three weeks apart. Three matches played on King's Birthday Monday (8 June), and the other three matches played Saturday 27 June – the Saturday between Rounds 8 and 9. This means that six teams played their Round 7 and 8 matches before their Round 6 match.
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |
| Collingwood | 15.10 (100) | St Kilda | 10.17 (77) | Victoria Park | 16,000 | 8 June 1931 |
| North Melbourne | 7.17 (59) | Melbourne | 15.8 (98) | Arden Street Oval | 7,000 | 8 June 1931 |
| South Melbourne | 6.8 (44) | Geelong | 13.15 (93) | Lake Oval | 30,000 | 8 June 1931 |
| Richmond | 9.15 (69) | Hawthorn | 8.10 (58) | Punt Road Oval | 19,000 | 27 June 1931 |
| Fitzroy | 7.14 (56) | Essendon | 10.10 (70) | Brunswick Street Oval | 12,000 | 27 June 1931 |
| Footscray | 8.8 (56) | Carlton | 8.11 (59) | Western Oval | 24,000 | 27 June 1931 |

### Round 7

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |
| Geelong | 12.15 (87) | Richmond | 8.12 (60) | Corio Oval | 18,250 | 13 June 1931 |
| Footscray | 13.8 (86) | North Melbourne | 5.13 (43) | Western Oval | 11,000 | 13 June 1931 |
| Fitzroy | 14.14 (98) | South Melbourne | 16.15 (111) | Brunswick Street Oval | 12,000 | 13 June 1931 |
| Essendon | 8.12 (60) | Hawthorn | 12.8 (80) | Windy Hill | 10,000 | 13 June 1931 |
| Melbourne | 7.12 (54) | Collingwood | 10.11 (71) | MCG | 26,436 | 13 June 1931 |
| St Kilda | 8.11 (59) | Carlton | 12.18 (90) | Junction Oval | 24,000 | 13 June 1931 |

### Round 8

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |
| Richmond | 12.12 (84) | South Melbourne | 7.15 (57) | Punt Road Oval | 18,000 | 20 June 1931 |
| Essendon | 7.13 (55) | Geelong | 13.11 (89) | Windy Hill | 10,000 | 20 June 1931 |
| Collingwood | 22.22 (154) | North Melbourne | 9.10 (64) | Victoria Park | 6,000 | 20 June 1931 |
| Carlton | 18.14 (122) | Melbourne | 9.4 (58) | Princes Park | 25,000 | 20 June 1931 |
| St Kilda | 7.10 (52) | Footscray | 11.11 (77) | Junction Oval | 17,000 | 20 June 1931 |
| Hawthorn | 12.8 (80) | Fitzroy | 7.14 (56) | Glenferrie Oval | 8,000 | 20 June 1931 |

### Round 9

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |
| Melbourne | 4.12 (36) | St Kilda | 9.9 (63) | MCG | 15,826 | 4 July 1931 |
| Geelong | 13.9 (87) | Hawthorn | 9.7 (61) | Corio Oval | 9,500 | 4 July 1931 |
| Fitzroy | 8.13 (61) | Richmond | 14.17 (101) | Brunswick Street Oval | 15,000 | 4 July 1931 |
| South Melbourne | 10.13 (73) | Essendon | 9.9 (63) | Lake Oval | 11,000 | 4 July 1931 |
| Footscray | 4.16 (40) | Collingwood | 6.8 (44) | Western Oval | 21,500 | 4 July 1931 |
| North Melbourne | 7.8 (50) | Carlton | 20.10 (130) | Arden Street Oval | 10,000 | 4 July 1931 |

### Round 10

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |
| Hawthorn | 14.12 (96) | North Melbourne | 3.6 (24) | Glenferrie Oval | 4,000 | 11 July 1931 |
| Fitzroy | 8.10 (58) | St Kilda | 12.18 (90) | Brunswick Street Oval | 11,000 | 11 July 1931 |
| Richmond | 8.18 (66) | Melbourne | 7.11 (53) | Punt Road Oval | 11,000 | 11 July 1931 |
| Geelong | 7.10 (52) | Footscray | 3.5 (23) | Corio Oval | 9,000 | 11 July 1931 |
| Essendon | 12.9 (81) | Collingwood | 8.9 (57) | Windy Hill | 10,000 | 11 July 1931 |
| South Melbourne | 10.12 (72) | Carlton | 11.11 (77) | Lake Oval | 16,000 | 11 July 1931 |

### Round 11

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |
| Melbourne | 4.7 (31) | South Melbourne | 12.10 (82) | MCG | 15,258 | 18 July 1931 |
| Collingwood | 14.20 (104) | Fitzroy | 8.10 (58) | Victoria Park | 12,000 | 18 July 1931 |
| Carlton | 16.15 (111) | Hawthorn | 5.8 (38) | Princes Park | 17,000 | 18 July 1931 |
| St Kilda | 6.12 (48) | Richmond | 11.19 (85) | Junction Oval | 24,000 | 18 July 1931 |
| North Melbourne | 9.10 (64) | Geelong | 19.17 (131) | Arden Street Oval | 4,000 | 18 July 1931 |
| Footscray | 8.10 (58) | Essendon | 12.13 (85) | Western Oval | 19,000 | 18 July 1931 |

### Round 12

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |
| Fitzroy | 11.11 (77) | Melbourne | 9.12 (66) | Brunswick Street Oval | 8,000 | 25 July 1931 |
| Essendon | 15.14 (104) | St Kilda | 9.5 (59) | Windy Hill | 15,000 | 25 July 1931 |
| South Melbourne | 13.16 (94) | North Melbourne | 9.12 (66) | Lake Oval | 7,500 | 25 July 1931 |
| Hawthorn | 8.5 (53) | Footscray | 6.19 (55) | Glenferrie Oval | 8,000 | 25 July 1931 |
| Geelong | 4.19 (43) | Collingwood | 4.6 (30) | Corio Oval | 15,000 | 25 July 1931 |
| Richmond | 8.17 (65) | Carlton | 6.12 (48) | Punt Road Oval | 36,000 | 25 July 1931 |

### Round 13

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |
| North Melbourne | 9.15 (69) | Richmond | 16.12 (108) | Arden Street Oval | 8,000 | 1 August 1931 |
| Footscray | 9.14 (68) | South Melbourne | 5.11 (41) | Western Oval | 18,500 | 1 August 1931 |
| Collingwood | 15.13 (103) | Hawthorn | 7.16 (58) | Victoria Park | 9,000 | 1 August 1931 |
| Carlton | 18.13 (121) | Fitzroy | 13.11 (89) | Princes Park | 18,500 | 1 August 1931 |
| St Kilda | 7.10 (52) | Geelong | 15.10 (100) | Junction Oval | 16,000 | 1 August 1931 |
| Melbourne | 11.6 (72) | Essendon | 10.11 (71) | MCG | 13,828 | 1 August 1931 |

### Round 14

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |
| Hawthorn | 11.9 (75) | St Kilda | 11.11 (77) | Glenferrie Oval | 8,000 | 8 August 1931 |
| Geelong | 11.11 (77) | Melbourne | 6.9 (45) | Corio Oval | 9,250 | 8 August 1931 |
| Fitzroy | 21.12 (138) | North Melbourne | 8.12 (60) | Brunswick Street Oval | 8,000 | 8 August 1931 |
| Richmond | 7.12 (54) | Footscray | 10.18 (78) | Punt Road Oval | 25,000 | 8 August 1931 |
| South Melbourne | 6.23 (59) | Collingwood | 8.13 (61) | Lake Oval | 14,000 | 8 August 1931 |
| Essendon | 18.14 (122) | Carlton | 11.22 (88) | Windy Hill | 20,000 | 8 August 1931 |

### Round 15

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |
| St Kilda | 6.18 (54) | South Melbourne | 8.14 (62) | Junction Oval | 6,000 | 22 August 1931 |
| Collingwood | 6.10 (46) | Richmond | 10.10 (70) | Victoria Park | 15,000 | 22 August 1931 |
| Carlton | 5.9 (39) | Geelong | 3.10 (28) | Princes Park | 18,000 | 22 August 1931 |
| Melbourne | 13.15 (93) | Hawthorn | 2.6 (18) | MCG | 3,614 | 22 August 1931 |
| Footscray | 10.12 (72) | Fitzroy | 6.6 (42) | Western Oval | 8,000 | 22 August 1931 |
| North Melbourne | 9.7 (61) | Essendon | 11.17 (83) | Arden Street Oval | 4,000 | 22 August 1931 |

### Round 16

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |
| North Melbourne | 7.8 (50) | St Kilda | 11.15 (81) | Arden Street Oval | 4,000 | 29 August 1931 |
| Footscray | 10.12 (72) | Melbourne | 5.8 (38) | Western Oval | 12,000 | 29 August 1931 |
| Fitzroy | 9.8 (62) | Geelong | 9.22 (76) | Brunswick Street Oval | 8,000 | 29 August 1931 |
| South Melbourne | 12.18 (90) | Hawthorn | 9.5 (59) | Lake Oval | 4,500 | 29 August 1931 |
| Richmond | 23.14 (152) | Essendon | 15.11 (101) | Punt Road Oval | 16,000 | 29 August 1931 |
| Collingwood | 20.15 (135) | Carlton | 10.14 (74) | Victoria Park | 20,000 | 29 August 1931 |

### Round 17

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |
| Melbourne | 18.15 (123) | North Melbourne | 11.13 (79) | MCG | 3,944 | 5 September 1931 |
| Hawthorn | 5.13 (43) | Richmond | 13.21 (99) | Glenferrie Oval | 11,000 | 5 September 1931 |
| Geelong | 16.12 (108) | South Melbourne | 8.11 (59) | Corio Oval | 10,500 | 5 September 1931 |
| Essendon | 15.7 (97) | Fitzroy | 12.8 (80) | Windy Hill | 10,000 | 5 September 1931 |
| Carlton | 6.14 (50) | Footscray | 7.12 (54) | Princes Park | 39,000 | 5 September 1931 |
| St Kilda | 21.16 (142) | Collingwood | 20.8 (128) | Junction Oval | 17,000 | 5 September 1931 |

### Round 18

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Crowd | Date |
| Collingwood | 18.19 (127) | Melbourne | 8.9 (57) | Victoria Park | 14,000 | 12 September 1931 |
| Carlton | 10.6 (66) | St Kilda | 6.12 (48) | Princes Park | 25,000 | 12 September 1931 |
| Richmond | 8.8 (56) | Geelong | 11.17 (83) | Punt Road Oval | 15,000 | 12 September 1931 |
| North Melbourne | 3.16 (34) | Footscray | 5.13 (43) | Arden Street Oval | 9,000 | 12 September 1931 |
| South Melbourne | 5.14 (44) | Fitzroy | 10.14 (74) | Lake Oval | 4,500 | 12 September 1931 |
| Hawthorn | 8.15 (63) | Essendon | 9.12 (66) | Glenferrie Oval | 5,000 | 12 September 1931 |

## Ladder

| (P) | Premiers |
| | Qualified for finals |
| # | Team | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | % | Pts |
| 1 | Geelong (P) | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1572 | 1038 | 151.4 | 60 |
| 2 | Richmond | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1627 | 1153 | 141.1 | 60 |
| 3 | Carlton | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1613 | 1289 | 125.1 | 48 |
| 4 | Collingwood | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1589 | 1281 | 124.0 | 48 |
| 5 | Footscray | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1161 | 1054 | 110.2 | 48 |
| 6 | Essendon | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 1416 | 1428 | 99.2 | 40 |
| 7 | South Melbourne | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1393 | 1406 | 99.1 | 36 |
| 8 | Melbourne | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1286 | 1403 | 91.7 | 32 |
| 9 | St Kilda | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1323 | 1484 | 89.2 | 32 |
| 10 | Fitzroy | 18 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 1380 | 1605 | 86.0 | 16 |
| 11 | Hawthorn | 18 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 1145 | 1395 | 82.1 | 12 |
| 12 | North Melbourne | 18 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 1000 | 1969 | 50.8 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for Average score: 76.4 Source: AFL Tables

## Finals series

All of the 1931 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; however, in the Grand Final, the home team was the team that won the preliminary final.

### Semi-finals

| | 1st Semi Final | 1st Semi Final | 1st Semi Final | |
| Saturday, 19 September | Carlton 20.10 (130) | def. | Collingwood 5.12 (42) | MCG (crowd: 51,140) |
| | 2nd Semi Final | 2nd Semi Final | 2nd Semi Final | |
| Saturday, 26 September | Geelong 10.6 (66) | def. by | Richmond 15.9 (99) | MCG (crowd: 48,353) |

### Preliminary final

| | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | |
| Saturday, 3 October | Geelong 11.17 (83) | def. | Carlton 11.11 (77) | MCG (crowd: 36,653) |

### Grand final

| | Grand final | Grand final | Grand final | |
| Saturday, 10 October (2:50 pm) | Geelong 9.14 (68) | def. | Richmond 7.6 (48) | MCG (crowd: 60,712) |

## Season notes

* The VFL changed its Brownlow Medal voting procedure. The field umpire now voted for the three "fairest and best" on the ground in each match, casting 3, 2, and 1 votes. If there was a tie, the player with the most "3" votes would be declared the winner, then the most "2" votes; the countback system was altered retrospectively in 1989 so that the medal would be shared in the event of a tie. A player who had been suspended during the year was now considered ineligible for the medal.
* The VFL altered the manner in which it determined its premiership team. Abandoning the "amended Argus systems" that had operated from 1902 to 1930 (except in 1924), the VFL instituted the Page–McIntyre system which, amongst other innovations, guaranteed that there would be a "Grand Final" at the end of every season (this system continued to operate until 1972).
* Prior to the season, the VFL and the Grounds Management Association (which represented the operators of most of the VFL grounds) entered a dispute over the use of the grounds for football matches. The dispute covered financial arrangements and the demarcation between the football and cricket seasons. After arbitration from the Minister for Lands, it was agreed that cricket clubs would be required to pay the league £20 per 100 members, ending the long-standing practice of cricket club members receiving admission to football games without compensation to the football clubs; but that the grounds management would still retain all receipts for admission to reserve areas, with the league receiving none of these takings. During the stand-off, the VFL arranged for the Motordrome and the Exhibition Oval to be available to serve as alternative venues during the year, and drew up a fixture which saw each of those grounds holding twelve games – with Fitzroy, Carlton, North Melbourne, St Kilda, Collingwood and Essendon each to have played four of their nine home games at one of the replacement grounds.
* In round 2, Richmond set the record for highest score in a game, scoring 30.19 (199) against North Melbourne. This beat South Melbourne's 1919 record by ten points, and remained unbeaten until 1969.
* In round 12, Carlton rover Tommy Downs was reported for kicking Richmond captain Maurie Hunter; despite the efforts of future Australian Prime Minister R. G. Menzies, KC, Downs was suspended for the remainder of the 1931 season and the whole of the 1932 season.
* The round 17 match between St Kilda and Collingwood was the first in which both sides scored twenty goals. Both Bill Mohr and Gordon Coventry kicked eleven goals. Coventry was the first to kick ten for a losing side.
* In the first semi-final, Carlton thrashed Collingwood 20.10 (130) to 5.12 (42). Harry "Soapy" Vallence, at full-forward for Carlton kicked a finals record 11 goals, including six in the last quarter.

## Awards

* The 1931 VFL Premiership team was Geelong.
* The VFL's leading goalkicker was Harry "Soapy" Vallence of Carlton with 86 goals.
* In his first VFL season, and only 20 years old, the winner of the 1931 Brownlow Medal was Haydn Bunton, Sr of Fitzroy with 26 votes.
* North Melbourne took the "wooden spoon" in 1931.
* The seconds premiership was won by Melbourne. Melbourne 8.13 (61) defeated Geelong 8.5 (53) in the Grand Final, played as a curtain-raiser to the firsts Grand Final on 10 October at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.