# 1914 VFL season

The 1914 VFL season was the 18th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest-level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured ten clubs and ran from 25 April to 26 September, comprising an 18-match home-and-away season followed by a four-week finals series featuring the top four clubs. It was the last season to feature University, which withdrew from the VFL after seven seasons after its strict policy of amateurism when player payments were becoming common, and its players focusing primarily on their studies, meant that the club could not remain competitive or viable in the league.
Carlton won the premiership, defeating South Melbourne by six points in the 1914 VFL grand final; it was Carlton's fourth VFL premiership. Carlton also won the minor premiership by finishing atop the home-and-away ladder with a 13–3–2 win–loss–draw record. Collingwood's Dick Lee won his fourth leading goalkicker medal as the league's leading goalkicker.

## Background

In 1914, the VFL competition consisted of ten teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their place on the field at any time during the match. Each team played each other twice in a home-and-away season of 18 rounds; once the 18 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1914 VFL premiers were determined through the amended Argus system.

### Withdrawal of University

On 16 October 1914, three weeks after the end of the 1914 season, the University Football Club dropped out of the VFL and folded. The reasons given for this decision were:
* Firstly, after three promising seasons in 1908–1910, University had become very uncompetitive, finishing last in 1911–1914, and losing its last 51 consecutive matches.
* Secondly, the club had found it difficult to maintain a constant lineup since the players' primary focus was on their studies rather than football, particularly during mid-year examinations.
* Thirdly, since University's admission to the VFL in 1908, player payments in the VFL had become commonplace, and were officially permitted from 1911, whereas University chose to remain a fully amateur club drawing solely from university students, which had caused a number of players to defect to other clubs.
As such, both the club and the VFL had conceded it would be virtually impossible for University to become viable and/or competitive in an increasingly professional competition. Despite the outbreak of World War I eleven weeks earlier, the war was not given as a contributing factor in University's decision, especially as the conflict was not, at the time, expected to escalate to the extent it did.
Following University's dissolution, players who wished to continue playing in the VFL were all cleared to Melbourne through an informal arrangement beneficial to both clubs: University wished to see its best players playing together in the same VFL club to retain the strength of its own team for intervarsity competition, and Melbourne, which had mostly struggled since its 1900 premiership due to the lack of a natural recruiting district (formal zoning was not introduced until the following year), gained exclusive access to a valuable source of recruits. Among those who transferred from University to Melbourne were Jack Brake, Claude Bryan, Jack Doubleday, Dick Gibbs, Roy Park, and Percy Rodriguez.
University reformed in 1919, and after two seasons in the VFL seconds (reserves) competition where they fielded "A" and "B" teams, both teams returned to the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association (MAFA) in 1921, and they have continued in that competition (now known as the VAFA) to this day.

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

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Fitzroy | 13.15 (93) | Melbourne | 5.7 (37) | Brunswick Street Oval | 25 April 1914 |
| University | 6.8 (44) | South Melbourne | 14.14 (98) | MCG | 25 April 1914 |
| St Kilda | 8.16 (64) | Richmond | 5.12 (42) | Junction Oval | 25 April 1914 |
| Geelong | 8.13 (61) | Essendon | 8.13 (61) | Corio Oval | 25 April 1914 |
| Collingwood | 8.8 (56) | Carlton | 6.20 (56) | Victoria Park | 25 April 1914 |

### Round 2

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Essendon | 12.14 (86) | University | 7.8 (50) | EMCG | 2 May 1914 |
| Carlton | 4.11 (35) | St Kilda | 6.12 (48) | Princes Park | 2 May 1914 |
| South Melbourne | 8.14 (62) | Geelong | 7.9 (51) | Lake Oval | 2 May 1914 |
| Richmond | 3.10 (28) | Fitzroy | 9.15 (69) | Punt Road Oval | 2 May 1914 |
| Melbourne | 6.7 (43) | Collingwood | 9.13 (67) | MCG | 2 May 1914 |

### Round 3

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Geelong | 10.14 (74) | Melbourne | 9.4 (58) | Corio Oval | 9 May 1914 |
| Fitzroy | 9.12 (66) | South Melbourne | 11.8 (74) | Brunswick Street Oval | 9 May 1914 |
| Collingwood | 12.18 (90) | Richmond | 4.12 (36) | Victoria Park | 9 May 1914 |
| St Kilda | 7.10 (52) | Essendon | 9.15 (69) | Junction Oval | 9 May 1914 |
| University | 4.8 (32) | Carlton | 13.24 (102) | MCG | 9 May 1914 |

### Round 4

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Essendon | 7.11 (53) | Richmond | 7.7 (49) | EMCG | 16 May 1914 |
| St Kilda | 17.13 (115) | Melbourne | 8.7 (55) | Junction Oval | 16 May 1914 |
| University | 11.5 (71) | Geelong | 13.9 (87) | MCG | 16 May 1914 |
| Fitzroy | 7.12 (54) | Collingwood | 7.10 (52) | Brunswick Street Oval | 16 May 1914 |
| South Melbourne | 8.4 (52) | Carlton | 7.10 (52) | Lake Oval | 16 May 1914 |

### Round 5

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Collingwood | 18.17 (125) | University | 7.11 (53) | Victoria Park | 23 May 1914 |
| Carlton | 4.4 (28) | Fitzroy | 6.10 (46) | Princes Park | 23 May 1914 |
| South Melbourne | 11.11 (77) | St Kilda | 9.12 (66) | Lake Oval | 23 May 1914 |
| Richmond | 10.17 (77) | Geelong | 6.17 (53) | Punt Road Oval | 23 May 1914 |
| Melbourne | 5.7 (37) | Essendon | 5.24 (54) | MCG | 23 May 1914 |

### Round 6

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Essendon | 5.11 (41) | South Melbourne | 5.13 (43) | EMCG | 30 May 1914 |
| Carlton | 13.19 (97) | Melbourne | 5.9 (39) | Princes Park | 30 May 1914 |
| University | 5.6 (36) | Richmond | 16.14 (110) | MCG | 30 May 1914 |
| Geelong | 4.8 (32) | Fitzroy | 6.4 (40) | Corio Oval | 30 May 1914 |
| St Kilda | 12.10 (82) | Collingwood | 5.14 (44) | Junction Oval | 30 May 1914 |

### Round 7

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Richmond | 4.12 (36) | South Melbourne | 7.12 (54) | Punt Road Oval | 6 June 1914 |
| Melbourne | 14.9 (93) | University | 5.16 (46) | MCG | 6 June 1914 |
| Fitzroy | 10.13 (73) | St Kilda | 7.6 (48) | Brunswick Street Oval | 6 June 1914 |
| Collingwood | 11.12 (78) | Essendon | 9.9 (63) | Victoria Park | 6 June 1914 |
| Geelong | 9.11 (65) | Carlton | 3.16 (34) | Corio Oval | 6 June 1914 |

### Round 8

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Richmond | 14.11 (95) | Melbourne | 6.17 (53) | Punt Road Oval | 8 June 1914 |
| St Kilda | 12.10 (82) | Geelong | 8.10 (58) | Junction Oval | 8 June 1914 |
| University | 3.6 (24) | Fitzroy | 15.18 (108) | MCG | 8 June 1914 |
| South Melbourne | 5.13 (43) | Collingwood | 6.10 (46) | Lake Oval | 8 June 1914 |
| Essendon | 6.3 (39) | Carlton | 11.10 (76) | EMCG | 8 June 1914 |

### Round 9

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| St Kilda | 15.11 (101) | University | 10.7 (67) | Junction Oval | 13 June 1914 |
| Melbourne | 8.7 (55) | South Melbourne | 13.12 (90) | MCG | 13 June 1914 |
| Carlton | 5.13 (43) | Richmond | 5.11 (41) | Princes Park | 13 June 1914 |
| Fitzroy | 10.6 (66) | Essendon | 7.8 (50) | Brunswick Street Oval | 13 June 1914 |
| Geelong | 9.17 (71) | Collingwood | 5.6 (36) | Corio Oval | 13 June 1914 |

### Round 10

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| South Melbourne | 9.16 (70) | University | 8.7 (55) | Lake Oval | 20 June 1914 |
| Richmond | 9.14 (68) | St Kilda | 9.12 (66) | Punt Road Oval | 20 June 1914 |
| Essendon | 9.13 (67) | Geelong | 5.11 (41) | EMCG | 20 June 1914 |
| Carlton | 6.16 (52) | Collingwood | 5.15 (45) | Princes Park | 20 June 1914 |
| Melbourne | 8.15 (63) | Fitzroy | 12.11 (83) | MCG | 20 June 1914 |

### Round 11

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Geelong | 9.20 (74) | South Melbourne | 6.9 (45) | Corio Oval | 27 June 1914 |
| Fitzroy | 10.11 (71) | Richmond | 4.15 (39) | Brunswick Street Oval | 27 June 1914 |
| Collingwood | 11.16 (82) | Melbourne | 7.10 (52) | Victoria Park | 27 June 1914 |
| University | 3.8 (26) | Essendon | 14.21 (105) | MCG | 27 June 1914 |
| St Kilda | 7.8 (50) | Carlton | 7.11 (53) | Junction Oval | 27 June 1914 |

### Round 12

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Essendon | 6.18 (54) | St Kilda | 8.6 (54) | EMCG | 4 July 1914 |
| Carlton | 11.21 (87) | University | 8.8 (56) | Princes Park | 4 July 1914 |
| Melbourne | 3.4 (22) | Geelong | 9.14 (68) | MCG | 4 July 1914 |
| South Melbourne | 10.4 (64) | Fitzroy | 7.12 (54) | Lake Oval | 4 July 1914 |
| Richmond | 9.11 (65) | Collingwood | 6.13 (49) | Punt Road Oval | 4 July 1914 |

### Round 13

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Melbourne | 7.6 (48) | St Kilda | 14.16 (100) | MCG | 11 July 1914 |
| Geelong | 8.17 (65) | University | 3.3 (21) | Corio Oval | 11 July 1914 |
| Collingwood | 5.7 (37) | Fitzroy | 3.16 (34) | Victoria Park | 11 July 1914 |
| Carlton | 11.14 (80) | South Melbourne | 9.6 (60) | Princes Park | 11 July 1914 |
| Richmond | 8.21 (69) | Essendon | 5.7 (37) | Punt Road Oval | 11 July 1914 |

### Round 14

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| St Kilda | 12.7 (79) | South Melbourne | 7.15 (57) | Junction Oval | 18 July 1914 |
| Geelong | 13.12 (90) | Richmond | 3.12 (30) | Corio Oval | 18 July 1914 |
| Essendon | 14.15 (99) | Melbourne | 6.5 (41) | EMCG | 18 July 1914 |
| University | 3.5 (23) | Collingwood | 15.13 (103) | MCG | 18 July 1914 |
| Fitzroy | 4.13 (37) | Carlton | 7.4 (46) | Brunswick Street Oval | 18 July 1914 |

### Round 15

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Richmond | 14.10 (94) | University | 10.11 (71) | Punt Road Oval | 25 July 1914 |
| Fitzroy | 8.5 (53) | Geelong | 11.13 (79) | Brunswick Street Oval | 25 July 1914 |
| Collingwood | 12.14 (86) | St Kilda | 7.5 (47) | Victoria Park | 25 July 1914 |
| South Melbourne | 4.8 (32) | Essendon | 15.14 (104) | Lake Oval | 25 July 1914 |
| Melbourne | 8.10 (58) | Carlton | 16.15 (111) | MCG | 25 July 1914 |

### Round 16

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Carlton | 4.12 (36) | Geelong | 5.4 (34) | Princes Park | 1 August 1914 |
| South Melbourne | 8.9 (57) | Richmond | 5.13 (43) | Lake Oval | 1 August 1914 |
| University | 6.12 (48) | Melbourne | 11.9 (75) | MCG | 1 August 1914 |
| St Kilda | 6.15 (51) | Fitzroy | 7.11 (53) | Junction Oval | 1 August 1914 |
| Essendon | 5.9 (39) | Collingwood | 6.12 (48) | EMCG | 1 August 1914 |

### Round 17

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Melbourne | 8.10 (58) | Richmond | 15.15 (105) | MCG | 22 August 1914 |
| Geelong | 9.7 (61) | St Kilda | 5.15 (45) | Corio Oval | 22 August 1914 |
| Fitzroy | 18.19 (127) | University | 6.2 (38) | Brunswick Street Oval | 22 August 1914 |
| Collingwood | 4.12 (36) | South Melbourne | 8.9 (57) | Victoria Park | 22 August 1914 |
| Carlton | 10.11 (71) | Essendon | 7.8 (50) | Princes Park | 22 August 1914 |

### Round 18

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Essendon | 9.14 (68) | Fitzroy | 7.8 (50) | EMCG | 29 August 1914 |
| Collingwood | 4.10 (34) | Geelong | 8.10 (58) | Victoria Park | 29 August 1914 |
| University | 7.10 (52) | St Kilda | 13.15 (93) | MCG | 29 August 1914 |
| South Melbourne | 10.18 (78) | Melbourne | 5.5 (35) | Lake Oval | 29 August 1914 |
| Richmond | 8.9 (57) | Carlton | 9.9 (63) | Punt Road Oval | 29 August 1914 |

## Ladder

| (P) | Premiers |
| | Qualified for finals |
| # | Team | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | % | Pts |
| 1 | Carlton (P) | 18 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 1122 | 865 | 129.7 | 56 |
| 2 | South Melbourne | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 1113 | 1017 | 109.4 | 50 |
| 3 | Fitzroy | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1177 | 858 | 137.2 | 48 |
| 4 | Geelong | 18 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 1122 | 874 | 128.4 | 46 |
| 5 | Collingwood | 18 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 1114 | 928 | 120.0 | 42 |
| 6 | Essendon | 18 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 1139 | 944 | 120.7 | 40 |
| 7 | St Kilda | 18 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 1243 | 1052 | 118.2 | 38 |
| 8 | Richmond | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1084 | 1077 | 100.6 | 32 |
| 9 | Melbourne | 18 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 922 | 1505 | 61.3 | 8 |
| 10 | University | 18 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 813 | 1729 | 47.0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for Average score: 60.3 Source: AFL Tables

## Finals series

All of the 1914 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 but in the Grand Final the home team was the team that won the Preliminary Final.

### Semi-finals

| Home team | Score | Away team | Score | Venue | Date |
| South Melbourne | 5.14 (44) | Geelong | 5.7 (37) | MCG | 5 September |
| Carlton | 9.8 (62) | Fitzroy | 5.12 (42) | MCG | 12 September |

### Preliminary final

| Home team | Score | Away team | Score | Venue | Date |
| South Melbourne | 5.13 (43) | Carlton | 3.6 (24) | MCG | 19 September |

### Grand final
## Season notes

* A crowd of 2,000 angry Carlton fans mobbed the field umpire after Carlton lost to St Kilda in round 2.
* In Round 14, Collingwood full-forward Dick Lee kicked eleven goals in the victory over University, equalling the record set by Jim McShane in 1899 for the most goals by a player in a game.
* In Round 16, a spectator ran onto the ground during the Essendon and South Melbourne match and hit Essendon captain Alan Belcher behind the ear. Belcher chased the spectator, struck him, and was reported for unseemly play. Belcher was cleared by the VFL tribunal.
* In Round 16, University lost its 49th consecutive match, breaking the record of 48 consecutive losses set by St Kilda in 1897–1899. University dropped out of the league and folded at the end of the season, having lost its last 51 matches. As of 2021, this remains the longest winless streak in VFL/AFL history.
* In his 27th and final game of VFL football in Round 18, Arthur Fitzroy Best kicked the entire Melbourne score of 5.5 (35).
* The preliminary final between South Melbourne and Carlton on 19 September was held following a curtain-raiser, with South Yarra defeating Collingwood District in the 1914 Metropolitan Amateur Football Association grand final.

## Awards

* The 1914 VFL Premiership team was Carlton.
* The VFL's leading goalkicker was Dick Lee of Collingwood with 57 goals.
* University took the "wooden spoon" in 1914.