NON-PREMIERSHIP MATCHES
1958 VFL NIGHT PREMIERSHIP
SUMMARY OF RESULTS
Date |
Teams |
1/4 |
1/2 |
3/4 |
Final |
Margin |
Venue |
Day/Time |
Crowd |
ROUND
1 |
|||||||||
Aug-28 |
Essendon (5) |
0.2 (2) |
4.8 (32) |
7.10 (52) |
16.16 (112) |
27 |
Lake Oval, |
Thu |
6,800 |
Geelong (12) |
5.9 (39) |
6.10 (46) |
9.18 (72) |
11.19 (85) |
South Melbourne |
(8:00pm) |
|||
Sep-02 |
Carlton (7) |
3.5 (23) |
4.10 (34) |
6.17 (53) |
8.21 (69) |
3 |
Lake Oval, |
Tue |
11,000 |
Richmond (10) |
4.4 (28) |
4.6 (30) |
6.9 (45) |
9.12 (66) |
South Melbourne |
(8:00pm) |
|||
Sep-04 |
St Kilda (8) |
6.4 (40) |
9.7 (61) |
11.9 (75) |
17.10 (112) |
29 |
Lake Oval, |
Thu |
14,000 |
Footscray (11) |
0.2 (2) |
4.5 (29) |
11.8 (74) |
12.11 (83) |
South Melbourne |
(8:00pm) |
|||
Sep-09 |
South Melbourne (9) |
0.4 (4) |
0.11 (11) |
3.17 (35) |
4.20 (44) |
29 |
Lake Oval, |
Tue |
17,850 |
Hawthorn (6) |
3.6 (24) |
7.9 (51) |
7.12 (54) |
9.19 (73) |
South Melbourne |
(8:00pm) |
|||
SEMI
FINALS |
|||||||||
Sep-11 |
Essendon (5) |
1.4 (10) |
4.8 (32) |
5.14 (44) |
6.16 (52) |
20 |
Lake Oval, |
Thu |
16,200 |
Carlton (7) |
2.1 (13) |
5.3 (33) |
8.7 (55) |
10.12 (72) |
South Melbourne |
(8:00pm) |
|||
Sep-16 |
St Kilda (8) |
3.5 (23) |
6.7 (43) |
8.9 (57) |
13.13 (91) |
45 |
Lake Oval, |
Tue |
15,500 |
Hawthorn (6) |
2.4 (16) |
3.9 (27) |
4.9 (33) |
6.10 (46) |
South Melbourne |
(8:00pm) |
|||
GRAND
FINAL |
|||||||||
Sep-22 |
Carlton (7) |
2.5 (17) |
5.6 (36) |
9.10 (64) |
15.11 (101) |
8 |
Lake Oval, |
Mon |
27,800 |
St Kilda (8) |
5.0 (30) |
8.6 (54) |
14.9 (93) |
16.13 (109) |
South Melbourne |
(8:00pm) |
ABOUT THE 1958 SERIES
*St Kilda's breakthrough - the 1958 series was notable for the Saints winning just the second senior trophy in their long history (the other was for the 1940 VFL Lightning Premiership).
*Dividend sharing - the lack of a dividend sharing scheme in 1956 had seen the Night Series clubs make more money than the VFL Finallists, and directly resulted in all 12 clubs participating in the 1957 series and sharing gate receipts from both competitions. In 1958 the League returned to the original fixture - the top four teams played finals at the MCG and the Night Series was contested only by the clubs that missed the finals. To avoid a repeat of 1956 a new dividend sharing scheme was introduced that saw all 12 clubs receive a share of Night Series gate receipts, with the competing clubs receiving more based on how many games they played. As before, the Night Series clubs also received a share of the gate receipts from the VFL finals series. [Football Record 22-9-1958] *Prizemoney - increased from £200 to £400 for the winning team, and awarded to the runner-up (£200) for the first time. |
PARTICIPATING TEAMS
5th - Essendon
6th - Hawthorn 7th - Carlton 8th - St Kilda 9th - South Melbourne 10th - Richmond 11th - Footscray 12th - Geelong |
SERIES FORMAT
NOTABLE EVENTS
This rule was thought to be unfair because a team could have the ball in their goalsquare when the final siren sounded, only to lose possession (and the game) after play was re-started.
From 1958 to 1971 timekeepers instead let play continue, not sounding the siren until one of the teams scored. This system was utilised just once during this era when Richmond defeated Footscray in 1968 after 11 seconds of extra time.
*TV cuts crowds - commercial television was introduced into Australia in September 1956, primarily for the Olympic Games held later that year in Melbourne.
At first this had little impact on football crowds but by September 1958, the number of TV sets in Melbourne had grown dramatically and the VFL were concerned about the effect this would have on Night Series crowds.
An article in the Football Record [28-8-1958] asked "Will TV Affect Attendances at Night Footy?" and noted "Many viewers have their popular programs they don't like to miss, and it could mean attendances fall below the high mark set last year."
The VFL were right to be concerned with total crowds at the first four games slumping to 49,650, down from 72,000 in 1957 and 67,700 in 1956.
The September 4th edition of the Record concluded "The only explanation is that many footy fans now prefer to watch their favourite programs rather than journey out into the night for entertainment."
Crowds rebounded for the semi-finals and final, largely driven by St Kilda's success, but this reduction in night football crowds soon became a trend, with only four of the remaining thirteen series during this era topping the 1958 aggregate.
*Leading Goalkicker in the Series - St Kilda's Bill Young kicked 18 goals in the Saints' three matches, eclipsing Fred Goldsmith's record of 16 set in the 1957 series.
*Roberts' glorious year continues - St Kilda captain Brian Gleeson was unable to play in the night final due to injury. In his absence the Saints were led to a flag by Neil Roberts, who had just been announced as the 1958 Brownlow Medallist.
MATCH REPORTS
Match 1 - Thursday, August 28 |
||||||||
ESSENDON |
0.2 (2) |
4.8 (32) |
7.10 (52) |
16.16 (112) |
||||
GEELONG |
5.9 (39) |
6.10 (46) |
9.18 (72) |
11.19 (85) |
||||
BEST PLAYERS: |
||||||||
Essendon |
Shearman, Birt, Mitchell, Gamble, Pascoe, Leek |
|||||||
Geelong |
Tresize, W. Goggin, Hovey, Williams, Cougle, Martin |
|||||||
GOALKICKERS: |
||||||||
Essendon |
Pascoe 5, Maloney 3, Driscoll 2, Mitchell 2, Birt
2, Timms, Leek |
|||||||
Geelong |
Cougle 3, Falconer 3, Tresize
2, W. Goggin, E. Nicholls, Bartle |
|||||||
REPLACEMENTS: |
||||||||
Essendon |
(none) |
|||||||
Geelong |
Barton replaced O’Neill (selected side) |
|||||||
Nicholls replaced Rice (selected side) |
||||||||
Wooller replaced Byron (second quarter) |
||||||||
Helmer replaced Hovey (last quarter) |
||||||||
UMPIRE: |
Irving |
|||||||
CROWD: |
6,800 |
|||||||
SOURCE: |
AGE/SUN/Football Record |
|||||||
NOTES: |
- |
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Match 2 - Tuesday, September 2 |
||||||||
CARLTON |
3.5 (23) |
4.10 (34) |
6.17 (53) |
8.21 (69) |
||||
RICHMOND |
4.4 (28) |
4.6 (30) |
6.9 (45) |
9.12 (66) |
||||
BEST PLAYERS: |
||||||||
Carlton |
Gilchrist, Chick, James, White, Bennetti,
Heathcote |
|||||||
Richmond |
Branton, Holt, Langridge, Cuzens,
Crowe, Swift |
|||||||
GOALKICKERS: |
||||||||
Carlton |
White 4, Gilchist,
Bennetti, Brereton, Burke |
|||||||
Richmond |
Branton 3, Langridge 3, Holt 2, Morcom, Crowe |
|||||||
REPLACEMENTS: |
||||||||
Carlton |
Pavlou replaced Barry (selected side) |
|||||||
Hall replaced Donaldson (selected side) and then
replaced Ousley (last quarter) |
||||||||
Richmond |
(none) |
|||||||
UMPIRE: |
Nash |
|||||||
CROWD: |
11,000 |
|||||||
SOURCE: |
AGE/SUN/Football Record |
|||||||
NOTES: |
- |
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Match 3 - Thursday, September 4 |
||||||||
ST KILDA |
6.4 (40) |
9.7 (61) |
11.9 (75) |
17.10 (112) |
||||
FOOTSCRAY |
0.2 (2) |
4.5 (29) |
11.8 (74) |
12.11 (83) |
||||
BEST PLAYERS: |
||||||||
St Kilda |
Minahan, Jeans, Young, Guy, Roberts, Kupsch |
|||||||
Footscray |
Ros, Collins, Gilmore, Schultz, Whitten, Howard |
|||||||
GOALKICKERS: |
||||||||
St Kilda |
Young 6, Jeans 3, Minahan 2, Oswald 2, Walton,
Stephenson, Morrow, Bowe |
|||||||
Footscray |
Baxter 2, Howard 2, Collins 2, Clegg, Daffy,
Ross, Gilmore, E. Whitten, Fleming |
|||||||
REPLACEMENTS: |
||||||||
St Kilda |
McCarthy replaced McIntyre (selected side) |
|||||||
Andrews replaced Morrow (last quarter) |
||||||||
Footscray |
D. Whitten replaced Gallagher (last quarter) |
|||||||
UMPIRE: |
Woolfe |
|||||||
CROWD: |
14,000 |
|||||||
SOURCE: |
AGE/Football Record |
|||||||
NOTES: |
- |
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Match 4 - Tuesday, September 9 |
||||||||
SOUTH MELBOURNE |
0.4 (4) |
0.11 (11) |
3.17 (35) |
4.20 (44) |
||||
HAWTHORN |
3.6 (24) |
7.9 (51) |
7.12 (54) |
9.19 (73) |
||||
BEST PLAYERS: |
||||||||
South Melbourne |
Clegg, McGowan, Goldsmith, Gillett, McLaughlin,
McCormack |
|||||||
Hawthorn |
Edwards, Peck, Youren,
Wilson, Kaine, Gent |
|||||||
GOALKICKERS: |
||||||||
South Melbourne |
Goldsmith 2, McGowan, Boyd |
|||||||
Hawthorn |
Kaine 4, Peck 3, Ingersoll, Wilson |
|||||||
REPLACEMENTS: |
||||||||
South Melbourne |
Svensson replaced Gunn (selected side) |
|||||||
Dorgan replaced Tampio
(last quarter) |
||||||||
Hawthorn |
Ingersoll replaced Elward (selected side) |
|||||||
O’Brien replaced Simmonds (selected side) |
||||||||
UMPIRE: |
Barbour |
|||||||
CROWD: |
17,850 |
|||||||
SOURCE: |
AGE/Football Record |
|||||||
NOTES: |
- |
Match 5
- Thursday, September 11 |
||||||||
ESSENDON |
1.4 (10) |
4.8 (32) |
5.14 (44) |
6.16 (52) |
||||
CARLTON |
2.1 (13) |
5.3 (33) |
8.7 (55) |
10.12 (72) |
||||
BEST
PLAYERS: |
||||||||
Essendon |
Leek,
Towner, Birt, Hebbard, Mitchell, Gamble |
|||||||
Carlton |
Comben,
Gilchrist, Heathcote, J. Nicholls, James, Silvagni |
|||||||
GOALKICKERS: |
||||||||
Essendon |
Hebbard
2, Evans, Birt, Gallagher, Maloney |
|||||||
Carlton |
Brereton
2, Gilchrist 2, Burke, Bennetti, Donaldson, Crowe, Heathcote, White |
|||||||
REPLACEMENTS: |
||||||||
Essendon |
Peucker
replaced Murdoch (last quarter) |
|||||||
Fraser
replaced Donohoe (last quarter) |
||||||||
Carlton |
Armstrong
replaced Kerr (second quarter) |
|||||||
UMPIRE: |
Huntington |
|||||||
CROWD: |
16,200 |
|||||||
SOURCE: |
AGE/Football
Record |
|||||||
NOTES: |
- |
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Match 6
- Tuesday, September 16 |
||||||||
ST KILDA |
3.5 (23) |
6.7 (43) |
8.9 (57) |
13.13 (91) |
||||
HAWTHORN |
2.4 (16) |
3.9 (27) |
4.9 (33) |
6.10 (46) |
||||
BEST
PLAYERS: |
||||||||
St Kilda |
Guy,
Young, Howell, Minihan, Annand, McCarthy |
|||||||
Hawthorn |
Edwards,
Youren, Arthur, Simmonds, Voigt, Hughes |
|||||||
GOALKICKERS: |
||||||||
St Kilda |
Young 6,
McIntyre 3, Oswald 3, Minihan |
|||||||
Hawthorn |
Arthur,
Edwards, Kennedy, Pack, Howells, Simmonds |
|||||||
REPLACEMENTS: |
||||||||
St Kilda |
(none) |
|||||||
Hawthorn |
Collard
replaced Wilson (last quarter) |
|||||||
UMPIRE: |
Nash |
|||||||
CROWD: |
15,500 |
|||||||
SOURCE: |
AGE/Football
Record |
|||||||
NOTES: |
- |
CARLTON |
||||
COACH |
Jim Francis |
|||
|
||||
BACKS |
Comben (C) |
Ferry |
J. Nicholls |
|
HALF-BACKS |
James |
Hall |
D. Nicholls |
|
CENTRES |
Chick |
Gilchrist |
Pavlou |
|
HALF-FORWARDS |
Bennetti |
Silvagni |
White* |
|
FORWARDS |
Burke |
Crowe |
Brereton |
|
FOLLOWERS |
Donaldson |
McColl |
||
ROVER |
Heathcote |
|||
|
||||
RESERVES |
Ousley |
Sullivan* |
||
EMERGENCIES |
O’Dwyer* |
Barry |
||
*Sullivan replaced White in the selected side |
||||
(O'Dwyer
was promoted from emergency to reserve) |
||||
ST
KILDA |
||||
COACH |
Alan 'Butch' Killigrew |
|||
|
||||
BACKS |
Guyatt |
Howell |
Muir |
|
HALF-BACKS |
Walton |
N. Roberts (C) |
Guy |
|
CENTRES |
Bowe |
Mulrooney |
Coffey |
|
HALF-FORWARDS |
McCarthy |
McIntyre |
Jeans |
|
FORWARDS |
Stephenson |
Young |
Minihan |
|
FOLLOWERS |
Morrow |
Annand |
||
ROVER |
Oswald |
|||
|
||||
RESERVES |
Kupsch |
Hanrahan |
||
EMERGENCIES |
Kee, Andrew, J. Roberts, I. Synman |
1958 VFL NIGHT PREMIERSHIP - GRAND FINAL
Match 7 - Monday, September 22 |
||||||||
ST KILDA |
5.0
(30) |
8.6
(54) |
14.9
(93) |
16.13
(109) |
||||
CARLTON |
2.5
(17) |
5.6
(36) |
9.10
(64) |
15.11
(101) |
||||
BEST PLAYERS: |
||||||||
St Kilda |
Guy, Young, Jeans, Howell, Minihan, Morrow |
|||||||
Carlton |
Silvagni, Bennetti,
Gilchrist, Comben, Burke, Heathcote |
|||||||
GOALKICKERS: |
||||||||
St Kilda |
Young 6, Muir 2, Oswald 2, Morrow 2,
McIntyre, Stephenson, McCarthy, Minihan |
|||||||
Carlton |
Silvagni 4, Brereton 3, Burke 2, Bennetti 2, O’Dwyer, Donaldson,
Crowe, Pavlou |
|||||||
REPLACEMENTS: |
||||||||
St Kilda |
Kupsch replaced Annand
(third quarter) |
|||||||
Carlton |
Sullivan replaced White (selected
side) |
|||||||
Ousley replaced McColl (second quarter) |
||||||||
UMPIRE: |
Barbour |
|||||||
CROWD: |
27,800* |
|||||||
SOURCE: |
AGE/SUN/Football Record |
|||||||
NOTES: |
Neil Roberts captained St Kilda in
the absence of Brian Gleeson (injured) |
|||||||
PRIZEMONEY: |
St Kilda received £400 and the K.G.
Luke Trophy, Carlton received £200 |
|||||||
*CROWD DISCREPANCY: |
||||||||
Media reports of the day (and current
AFL records) have the crowd for this match as 26,400 |
||||||||
The opening Football Record of
the 1959 Night Series (3-9-1959) has the same crowd figure. |
||||||||
However, subsequent editions of the Football
Record (26-9-1960 / 2-9-1965 / 25-9-1967 / 4-9-1968 / 28-9-1970) confirm
it was actually 27,800 |
Written and researched by David Eastman
|
First published 15/2/2017
Last updated 11/7/2021 |