# 1918 VFL season

The 1918 VFL season was the 22nd season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest-level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. Played during the final year of World War I, eight of the league's nine clubs featured in 1918, with Essendon and St Kilda returning after being in recess the previous two seasons and only Melbourne absent. The season ran from 11 May to 7 September, comprising a 14-match home-and-away season followed by a three-week finals series featuring the top four clubs.
South Melbourne won the premiership, defeating Collingwood by five points in the 1918 VFL grand final; it was South Melbourne's second VFL premiership. South Melbourne also won the minor premiership by finishing atop the home-and-away ladder with a 13–1 win–loss record. Carlton's Ern Cowley won the leading goalkicker medal as the league's leading goalkicker.

## Background

In 1918, the VFL competition consisted of eight 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 14 rounds.
Once the 14 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1918 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the amended "Argus system".

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

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| South Melbourne | 7.15 (57) | Geelong | 4.7 (31) | Lake Oval | 11 May 1918 |
| St Kilda | 4.16 (40) | Fitzroy | 4.10 (34) | Junction Oval | 11 May 1918 |
| Richmond | 5.16 (46) | Essendon | 4.10 (34) | Punt Road Oval | 11 May 1918 |
| Collingwood | 8.17 (65) | Carlton | 4.6 (30) | Victoria Park | 11 May 1918 |

### Round 2

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Fitzroy | 5.8 (38) | South Melbourne | 12.6 (78) | Brunswick Street Oval | 18 May 1918 |
| Essendon | 8.13 (61) | St Kilda | 6.18 (54) | EMCG | 18 May 1918 |
| Carlton | 8.5 (53) | Richmond | 7.16 (58) | Princes Park | 18 May 1918 |
| Geelong | 5.6 (36) | Collingwood | 7.6 (48) | Corio Oval | 18 May 1918 |

### Round 3

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Carlton | 11.11 (77) | St Kilda | 7.9 (51) | Princes Park | 25 May 1918 |
| Richmond | 6.8 (44) | Fitzroy | 10.12 (72) | Punt Road Oval | 25 May 1918 |
| Geelong | 6.16 (52) | Essendon | 4.12 (36) | Corio Oval | 25 May 1918 |
| South Melbourne | 12.13 (85) | Collingwood | 9.13 (67) | Lake Oval | 25 May 1918 |

### Round 4

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Collingwood | 11.10 (76) | Richmond | 8.8 (56) | Victoria Park | 1 June 1918 |
| Essendon | 4.13 (37) | Carlton | 8.27 (75) | EMCG | 1 June 1918 |
| St Kilda | 6.13 (49) | South Melbourne | 6.8 (44) | Junction Oval | 3 June 1918 |
| Fitzroy | 10.14 (74) | Geelong | 8.14 (62) | Brunswick Street Oval | 3 June 1918 |

### Round 5

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Geelong | 6.13 (49) | Richmond | 7.18 (60) | Corio Oval | 8 June 1918 |
| Collingwood | 14.21 (105) | St Kilda | 6.9 (45) | Victoria Park | 8 June 1918 |
| Fitzroy | 9.12 (66) | Essendon | 2.13 (25) | Brunswick Street Oval | 8 June 1918 |
| South Melbourne | 11.10 (76) | Carlton | 10.12 (72) | Lake Oval | 8 June 1918 |

### Round 6

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Richmond | 5.13 (43) | St Kilda | 7.18 (60) | Punt Road Oval | 15 June 1918 |
| Essendon | 4.8 (32) | South Melbourne | 7.10 (52) | EMCG | 15 June 1918 |
| Collingwood | 7.11 (53) | Fitzroy | 3.6 (24) | Victoria Park | 15 June 1918 |
| Carlton | 16.15 (111) | Geelong | 7.3 (45) | Princes Park | 15 June 1918 |

### Round 7

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| South Melbourne | 12.14 (86) | Richmond | 4.10 (34) | Lake Oval | 22 June 1918 |
| St Kilda | 15.13 (103) | Geelong | 5.9 (39) | Junction Oval | 22 June 1918 |
| Essendon | 4.9 (33) | Collingwood | 14.14 (98) | EMCG | 22 June 1918 |
| Fitzroy | 6.15 (51) | Carlton | 12.11 (83) | Brunswick Street Oval | 22 June 1918 |

### Round 8

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Geelong | 7.8 (50) | South Melbourne | 7.13 (55) | Corio Oval | 29 June 1918 |
| Fitzroy | 7.6 (48) | St Kilda | 3.5 (23) | Brunswick Street Oval | 29 June 1918 |
| Essendon | 3.4 (22) | Richmond | 5.15 (45) | EMCG | 29 June 1918 |
| Carlton | 6.13 (49) | Collingwood | 6.5 (41) | Princes Park | 29 June 1918 |

### Round 9

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Collingwood | 12.14 (86) | Geelong | 7.10 (52) | Victoria Park | 6 July 1918 |
| South Melbourne | 12.14 (86) | Fitzroy | 8.13 (61) | Lake Oval | 6 July 1918 |
| St Kilda | 6.14 (50) | Essendon | 6.6 (42) | Junction Oval | 6 July 1918 |
| Richmond | 7.16 (58) | Carlton | 8.13 (61) | Punt Road Oval | 6 July 1918 |

### Round 10

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Fitzroy | 10.11 (71) | Richmond | 6.7 (43) | Brunswick Street Oval | 13 July 1918 |
| Essendon | 8.10 (58) | Geelong | 5.9 (39) | EMCG | 13 July 1918 |
| Collingwood | 6.8 (44) | South Melbourne | 7.9 (51) | Victoria Park | 13 July 1918 |
| St Kilda | 4.20 (44) | Carlton | 2.5 (17) | Junction Oval | 13 July 1918 |

### Round 11

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Carlton | 10.20 (80) | Essendon | 4.7 (31) | Princes Park | 20 July 1918 |
| South Melbourne | 14.17 (101) | St Kilda | 7.9 (51) | Lake Oval | 20 July 1918 |
| Geelong | 5.6 (36) | Fitzroy | 11.6 (72) | Corio Oval | 20 July 1918 |
| Richmond | 6.13 (49) | Collingwood | 11.10 (76) | Punt Road Oval | 20 July 1918 |

### Round 12

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Essendon | 8.10 (58) | Fitzroy | 6.6 (42) | EMCG | 27 July 1918 |
| Carlton | 5.13 (43) | South Melbourne | 8.7 (55) | Princes Park | 27 July 1918 |
| Richmond | 15.15 (105) | Geelong | 10.11 (71) | Punt Road Oval | 27 July 1918 |
| St Kilda | 9.9 (63) | Collingwood | 6.14 (50) | Junction Oval | 27 July 1918 |

### Round 13

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| St Kilda | 10.7 (67) | Richmond | 8.9 (57) | Junction Oval | 3 August 1918 |
| South Melbourne | 12.13 (85) | Essendon | 7.10 (52) | Lake Oval | 3 August 1918 |
| Fitzroy | 8.12 (60) | Collingwood | 10.19 (79) | Brunswick Street Oval | 3 August 1918 |
| Geelong | 10.7 (67) | Carlton | 4.13 (37) | Corio Oval | 3 August 1918 |

### Round 14

| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Richmond | 7.12 (54) | South Melbourne | 7.17 (59) | Punt Road Oval | 10 August 1918 |
| Geelong | 10.27 (87) | St Kilda | 6.6 (42) | Corio Oval | 10 August 1918 |
| Collingwood | 9.14 (68) | Essendon | 3.8 (26) | Victoria Park | 10 August 1918 |
| Carlton | 10.14 (74) | Fitzroy | 9.7 (61) | Princes Park | 10 August 1918 |

## Ladder

| (P) | Premiers |
| | Qualified for finals |
| # | Team | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | % | Pts |
| 1 | South Melbourne (P) | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 970 | 678 | 143.1 | 52 |
| 2 | Collingwood | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 956 | 659 | 145.1 | 40 |
| 3 | Carlton | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 862 | 740 | 116.5 | 32 |
| 4 | St Kilda | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 742 | 805 | 92.2 | 32 |
| 5 | Fitzroy | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 774 | 784 | 98.7 | 24 |
| 6 | Richmond | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 752 | 857 | 87.7 | 20 |
| 7 | Geelong | 14 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 716 | 944 | 75.8 | 12 |
| 8 | Essendon | 14 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 547 | 852 | 64.2 | 12 |
Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for Average score: 56.4 Source: AFL Tables

## Finals series

All of the 1918 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.
The second semi-final was scheduled to be played on the 24th of August, but heavy rain caused a postponement to the 31st of August — the first postponement of a finals match in VFL history.

### Semi-finals

| Home team | Score | Away team | Score | Venue | Date |
| Collingwood | 7.16 (58) | St Kilda | 7.7 (49) | MCG | 17 August |
| South Melbourne | 8.10 (58) | Carlton | 7.11 (53) | MCG | 31 August |

### Grand final

South Melbourne defeated Collingwood 9.8 (62) to 7.15 (57), in front of a crowd of 39,168 people. (For an explanation of scoring see Australian rules football).

## Season notes

* Essendon and St Kilda re-entered the VFL competition. The Essendon players met their own expenses and played as amateurs, with the club donating all of its 1918 profits (which amounted to £194-19-8) to "patriotic and charitable purposes".
* In Round 2, Richmond recorded its first VFL win over Carlton after 23 consecutive losses, a losing streak dating back to Richmond's entry into the VFL in 1908.

## Awards

* The 1918 VFL Premiership team was South Melbourne.
* The VFL's leading goalkicker was Ern Cowley of Carlton with 34 goals.
* Essendon took the "wooden spoon" in 1918.