1991 AFL season

The 1991 AFL season was the 95th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), which was known previously as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season ran from 22 March until 28 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top six clubs – an increase from the five clubs which had contested the finals in previous years.

For the 1991 season of the Arena Football League, see 1991 Arena Football League season.
1991 AFL premiership season
Teams15
PremiersHawthorn
(9th premiership)
Minor premiersWest Coast
(1st minor premiership)
Pre-season cupHawthorn
(2nd pre-season cup win)
Matches played172
Attendance4,178,884 (24,296 per match)
Highest attendance75,230 (Grand Final, Hawthorn vs. West Coast)
Coleman MedallistTony Lockett (St Kilda)
Brownlow MedallistJim Stynes (Melbourne)

The season saw expansion of the league to fifteen clubs, with the admission of the newly established Adelaide Crows, based in Adelaide, South Australia. With representation for the first time across all major states, the league was now the highest level senior Australian rules football competition across Australia, as well as the top administrative body for football in Victoria.

The premiership was won by the Hawthorn Football Club for the ninth time, after it defeated West Coast by 53 points in the 1991 AFL Grand Final.

Foster's Cup
Main article: 1991 Foster's Cup

Hawthorn defeated North Melbourne 14.19 (103) to 7.12 (54) in the final.

Premiership season

The league expanded to 15 teams with the admission of the Adelaide Crows, meaning byes were required for the first time since 1943.

Each team played 22 games for the season with two byes: seven teams had a bye in round 1, and one team had a bye in each subsequent round.

Round 1
Round 1
Friday, 22 March (7:40 pm) Adelaide 24.11 (155) def. Hawthorn 9.15 (69) Football Park (crowd: 44,902) Report
Saturday, 23 March (2:10 pm) St Kilda 16.11 (107) def. Richmond 12.10 (82) Waverley Park (crowd: 33,192) Report
Sunday, 24 March (2:10 pm) Footscray 11.10 (76) def. by Collingwood 21.20 (146) Waverley Park (crowd: 38,861) Report
Sunday, 24 March (2:10 pm) West Coast 14.15 (99) def. Melbourne 2.8 (20) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 26,105) Report
Bye: Brisbane Bears, Carlton, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, North Melbourne, Sydney
  • The Jarman brothers Andrew (for Adelaide) and Darren (for Hawthorn) made their AFL debuts against each other in the season opener.

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4
Round 4
Friday, 12 April (7:40 pm) West Coast 18.19 (127) def. North Melbourne 8.7 (55) WACA Ground (crowd: 28,362) Report
Saturday, 13 April (2:10 pm) Essendon 12.20 (92) def. Adelaide 6.11 (47) Windy Hill (crowd: 20,197) Report
Saturday, 13 April (2:10 pm) Melbourne 23.17 (155) def. Carlton 17.8 (110) AFL Park (crowd: 32,573) Report
Saturday, 13 April (2:10 pm) St Kilda 13.16 (94) drew with Collingwood 13.16 (94) Moorabbin Oval (crowd: 31,213) Report
Saturday, 13 April (2:10 pm) Fitzroy 12.18 (90) def. by Footscray 15.16 (106) Princes Park (crowd: 10,351) Report
Saturday, 13 April (2:10 pm) Richmond 19.13 (127) def. by Sydney 24.20 (164) MCG (crowd: 17,294) Report
Sunday, 14 April (2:10 pm) Brisbane Bears 12.16 (88) def. by Geelong 27.28 (190) The Gabba (crowd: 12,654) Report
Bye: Hawthorn
  • This was the first time since 1981 that a match for VFL/AFL premiership points had been staged at The Gabba. Under the insistence of coach Robert Walls, the Bears would eventually relocate there permanently in 1993.

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7
Round 7
Friday, 3 May (7:40 pm) North Melbourne 21.15 (141) def. Fitzroy 14.13 (97) MCG (crowd: 13,111) Report
Saturday, 4 May (2:10 pm) St Kilda 24.18 (162) def. Adelaide 4.7 (31) Moorabbin Oval (crowd: 25,057) Report
Saturday, 4 May (2:10 pm) Melbourne 18.18 (126) def. Brisbane Bears 17.11 (113) MCG (crowd: 14,722) Report
Saturday, 4 May (2:10 pm) Essendon 17.13 (115) def. Carlton 13.16 (94) Waverley Park (crowd: 47,651) Report
Saturday, 4 May (2:10 pm) Hawthorn 8.14 (62) def. by West Coast 21.18 (144) Princes Park (crowd: 18,585) Report
Sunday, 5 May (2:10 pm) Footscray 20.13 (133) def. Richmond 14.17 (101) Western Oval (crowd: 18,644) Report
Sunday, 5 May (2:10 pm) Sydney 20.24 (144) def. Geelong 14.14 (98) SCG (crowd: 11,244) Report
Bye: Collingwood
  • St Kilda stars Nicky Winmar and Tony Lockett marked their long-awaited return to action with outstanding performances as the Saints set a new club record for biggest win, eclipsing their 110-point win against Fitzroy in 1970. The signs were ominous when Lockett goaled in the opening minute after marking a pass from Robert Harvey, eventually finishing with 12 goals. The Crows weren't helped by the loss of Andrew Jarman to a shoulder injury in the first quarter.[1]
  • In their match at the MCG, Brisbane Bears led Melbourne for much of the afternoon, and appeared to have won when former Geelong player Shane Hamilton put the Bears 19 points ahead at the 19-minute mark of the final quarter. The Demons mounted a comeback when Darren Cuthbertson goaled from a controversial free kick after Bears defender John Gastev was penalized for holding the ball, and hit the front with goals to Jim Stynes and Ricky Jackson to eventually run out 13-point winners. Cuthbertson and Darren Bennett kicked five goals each for the winners.[2]

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Round 11

Round 12

Round 13
Round 13
Friday, 14 June (7:40 pm) West Coast 25.15 (165) def. Footscray 7.5 (47) WACA Ground (crowd: 25,117) Report
Saturday, 15 June (2:10 pm) Richmond 6.11 (47) def. by Adelaide 12.13 (85) MCG (crowd: 16,235) Report
Saturday, 15 June (2:10 pm) Hawthorn 22.17 (149) def. Brisbane Bears 9.8 (62) Princes Park (crowd: 5,741) Report
Saturday, 15 June (2:10 pm) Essendon 10.14 (74) def. by Collingwood 11.10 (76) Waverley Park (crowd: 41,948) Report
Sunday, 16 June (1:10 pm) Fitzroy 15.8 (98) def. by St Kilda 17.9 (111) North Hobart Oval (crowd: 13,746) Report
Sunday, 16 June (2:10 pm) Melbourne 16.8 (104) def. by Geelong 20.14 (134) MCG (crowd: 40,930) Report
Sunday, 16 June (3:10 pm) Sydney 18.16 (124) def. Carlton 17.8 (110) SCG (crowd: 12,769) Report
Bye: North Melbourne
  • In the Friday evening game in Perth, West Coast continued their unbeaten start to the season and extended their winning streak to 12 games when they pounded Footscray by 118 points, equalling their biggest winning margin which was set against Brisbane Bears in 1988. Full-forward Peter Sumich became the first Eagles player to kick ten or more goals in a game and finished with a career-best 13 goals.
  • Going into three-quarter time with a one-point lead, Adelaide kicked six goals to none in the final quarter to defeat Richmond and win their first game in Melbourne. After the match Crows coach Graham Cornes acknowledged the significance of the win and took the opportunity to accuse the Victorian football media of a "xenophobic" attitude towards non-Victorian teams, also claiming that South Australian football crowds were "angels" compared to the crowds at Melbourne's suburban football grounds.[3]
  • The game between Melbourne and Geelong marked the much-anticipated return of Gary Ablett from his premature retirement announcement earlier in the year. He had a modest game with ten touches and two goals, while teammate Bill Brownless took several spectacular marks and kicked seven goals as the Cats ran out winners by 30 points and consigned the Demons to a fourth straight loss.[4]

Round 14

Round 15

Round 16

Round 17

Round 18

Round 19

Round 20
Round 20
Saturday, 3 August (2:10 pm) Carlton 16.9 (105) def. Geelong 14.19 (103) Princes Park (crowd: 20,277) Report
Saturday, 3 August (2:10 pm) Essendon 22.19 (151) def. Sydney 12.12 (84) Windy Hill (crowd: 14,341) Report
Saturday, 3 August (2:10 pm) Hawthorn 12.11 (83) def. Footscray 10.9 (69) Waverley Park (crowd: 20,670) Report
Saturday, 3 August (2:10 pm) North Melbourne 13.10 (88) def. by Melbourne 20.20 (140) MCG (crowd: 28,323) Report
Saturday, 3 August (7:40 pm) Brisbane Bears 10.11 (71) def. by Collingwood 26.16 (172) Carrara Stadium (crowd: 9,302) Report
Sunday, 4 August (2:10 pm) Richmond 13.19 (97) def. by Fitzroy 23.18 (156) MCG (crowd: 16,434) Report
Sunday, 4 August (2:10 pm) Adelaide 11.14 (80) def. by West Coast 14.11 (95) Football Park (crowd: 45,864) Report
Bye: St Kilda
  • Carlton produced one of the upsets of the season, shaking off four consecutive narrow losses and surviving a last-quarter fightback from second-placed Geelong to win by two points. The Blues players kept a promise to coach David Parkin that they would produce a four-quarter effort, while Cats coach Malcolm Blight lamented his side's inconsistency.[5]

Round 21

Round 22

Round 23

Round 24

Ladder

All teams played 22 games during the home and away season, for a total of 165. An additional 7 games were played during the finals series.

A team based in the state of South Australia, christened the "Adelaide Crows" after the epithet bestowed upon those from South Australia by those living in other Australian states was admitted to the AFL competition in 1991.

1991 AFL ladder
Pos Team Pld W L D PF PA PP Pts
1 West Coast 22 19 3 0 2485 1532 162.2 76 Finals series
2 Hawthorn (P) 22 16 6 0 2793 2055 135.9 64
3 Geelong 22 16 6 0 2660 2021 131.6 64
4 St Kilda 22 14 7 1 2512 2087 120.4 58
5 Melbourne 22 13 9 0 2355 2123 110.9 52
6 Essendon 22 13 9 0 2203 2017 109.2 52
7 Collingwood 22 12 9 1 2349 2033 115.5 50
8 North Melbourne 22 12 10 0 2456 2693 91.2 48
9 Adelaide 22 10 12 0 2041 2282 89.4 40
10 Footscray 22 9 12 1 1815 2064 87.9 38
11 Carlton 22 8 14 0 1878 2113 88.9 32
12 Sydney 22 7 14 1 2360 2778 85.0 30
13 Richmond 22 7 15 0 2141 2450 87.4 28
14 Fitzroy 22 4 18 0 1837 2771 66.3 16
15 Brisbane Bears 22 3 19 0 1976 2842 69.5 12
Source: AFL ladder
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers

Finals series
See also: 1991 AFL finals series

Elimination finals

Qualifying final

Semi finals

Preliminary final

Grand final
Main article: 1991 AFL Grand Final

Match attendance

Total match attendance for the home-and-away season was 3,810,868 people. Total attendance for the finals series was 381,707 people. Attendance at the Grand Final was 75,230 people. The largest non-finals attendance was 55,735 people for the Collingwood v Melbourne game of Round 6.

Awards

Notable events
  • The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed the Crows, entered the AFL competition.
  • The McIntyre "Final Five" system, which had operated from 1972 until 1990, was replaced by the First McIntyre "Final Six" system. This system lasted only this season, and it was replaced by the Second McIntyre "Final Six" system in 1992.
  • St Kilda broke an eighteen year finals drought, making the finals for the first time since 1973.
  • In round 6, North Melbourne and Sydney kicked 32.18 (210) in the first half. It is the only aggregate of 200 points for a half in VFL/AFL history.
  • In round 11, Carlton kicked its only goal through Mark Arceri 33 seconds from the end of its match with Footscray.[6] It was the Blues' lowest score since 1904, and the closest a team has come to a goalless match since 1961.
  • In round 21, Essendon hosted its last senior VFL/AFL match at Windy Hill—its home venue since 1922. Essendon played its home matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the remainder of the 1990s.
  • Jim Stynes became the first and so far only foreign-born winner of the highest individual award, the brownlow medal.
  • West Coast did not concede more than 100 points in any game during the home-and-away season, being the first team to do this since 1967.
  • The qualifying final at Subiaco Oval between West Coast and Hawthorn was the first finals match played outside Melbourne since 1897, when one finals match was played in Geelong; it was the first final ever played outside Victoria.
  • The capacity of the Melbourne Cricket Ground was reduced by half during 1991 as the new Great Southern Stand was constructed in preparation for the 1992 Cricket World Cup, to be played there in the summer of 1991/92. One consequence of this was that Waverley Park hosted all finals that were played in Melbourne, including the grand final for the first and only time in its history. The other was that Hawthorn's plans move its home games from Princes Park to Waverley Park were delayed by one year: Hawthorn had played five home games at Waverley Park and six at Princes Park in 1990 as part of transitional arrangements for a permanent move in 1991, but the AFL reneged on the deal when it became clear that the ground was needed for blockbuster games throughout the year; as a compromise, Hawthorn again played five home games at Waverley Park and six at Princes Park during 1991, and then moved permanently to Waverley Park in 1992.[7]
  • The very last under 19s premiership was won by North Melbourne, with that competition replaced by an under 18s competition in 1992 with 6 district based clubs in Victoria with no affiliations to the VFL/AFL clubs.
  • The reserves premiership was won Brisbane, becoming the first non-Victorian based team to win a VFL/AFL premiership at any grade.
  • By the end of the year, Hawthorn captain Michael Tuck retired from the game, having played a then-record 426 VFL/AFL matches (including 7 premierships from 11 grand finals). The record stood until passed by Brent Harvey (North Melbourne) in 2016.

See also

References
  1. "Saints go on record rampage". The Canberra Times. Vol. 65, no. 20, 476. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 5 May 1991. p. 11. Retrieved 10 June 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. "Demons pull a rabbit out of the hat at MCG". The Canberra Times. Vol. 65, no. 20, 476. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 5 May 1991. p. 11. Retrieved 10 June 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "Crow pecks at media after win". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 16 June 1991. p. 11. Retrieved 11 June 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. "Demons sink out of top six". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 17 June 1991. p. 26. Retrieved 10 June 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. "'One of those days' for Blues and Cats". The Canberra Times. Vol. 65, no. 20, 567. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 4 August 1991. p. 11. Retrieved 12 June 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. Lerner, Ronny. "Footy flashback: Blues had one goal against the Bulldogs". www.theage.com.au. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  7. Daryl Timms (2 July 1990). "Feathers fly". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne, VIC. p. 88.

Bibliography
  • Rodgers, Stephen (1992). Every Game Ever Played: VFL/AFL Results 1897-1991 (3rd ed.). Australia: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-670-90526-7.
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