1976 VFL season

The 1976 Victorian Football League season was the 80th season of the elite Australian rules football competition.

1976 VFL Premiership season
Teams12
PremiersHawthorn
(3rd premiership)
Minor premiersCarlton
(13th minor premiership)
Matches played138
Attendance3,288,470 (23,829 per match)
Highest attendance110,143
Coleman MedallistLarry Donohue (Geelong)
Brownlow MedallistGraham Moss (Essendon)

Premiership season

In 1976, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus two substitute players, known as the 19th man and the 20th 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 22 rounds; matches 12 to 22 were the "home-and-way reverse" of matches 1 to 11 (except that rounds 14 and 15 were the reverse of 4 and 3 respectively).

Once the 22 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1976 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the "McIntyre Final Five system".

Round 1

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Carlton 18.22 (130) Collingwood 10.13 (73) Princes Park 39,964 3 April 1976
North Melbourne 9.10 (64) Melbourne 11.21 (87) Arden Street Oval 17,986 3 April 1976
St Kilda 13.11 (89) Hawthorn 16.15 (111) Moorabbin Oval 22,879 3 April 1976
South Melbourne 23.15 (153) Geelong 25.7 (157) Lake Oval 15,173 3 April 1976
Richmond 16.21 (117) Fitzroy 14.14 (98) MCG 28,834 3 April 1976
Footscray 16.16 (112) Essendon 16.17 (113) Western Oval 25,274 3 April 1976

Round 2

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 20.11 (131) North Melbourne 16.13 (109) Princes Park 14,586 10 April 1976
Geelong 22.11 (143) Richmond 14.11 (95) Kardinia Park 20,443 10 April 1976
Fitzroy 14.17 (101) St Kilda 15.15 (105) Junction Oval 15,682 10 April 1976
Collingwood 16.27 (123) South Melbourne 20.14 (134) Victoria Park 25,410 10 April 1976
Melbourne 16.9 (105) Footscray 23.15 (153) MCG 26,707 10 April 1976
Essendon 12.16 (88) Carlton 14.16 (100) Windy Hill 26,687 10 April 1976

Round 3

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Footscray 20.14 (134) South Melbourne 14.11 (95) Western Oval 22,580 17 April 1976
Hawthorn 25.22 (172) Collingwood 12.12 (84) Princes Park 23,375 17 April 1976
Carlton 14.13 (97) Fitzroy 6.12 (48) VFL Park 32,648 17 April 1976
Essendon 15.8 (98) Melbourne 20.13 (133) Windy Hill 21,167 19 April 1976
Richmond 14.18 (102) North Melbourne 12.11 (83) MCG 41,413 19 April 1976
St Kilda 16.10 (106) Geelong 12.14 (86) Moorabbin Oval 26,931 19 April 1976

Round 4

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 17.15 (117) St Kilda 14.12 (96) Arden Street Oval 15,604 24 April 1976
Collingwood 16.18 (114) Richmond 15.9 (99) Victoria Park 27,009 24 April 1976
Geelong 19.12 (126) Fitzroy 13.13 (91) Kardinia Park 16,244 24 April 1976
South Melbourne 22.11 (143) Essendon 16.13 (109) Lake Oval 17,300 24 April 1976
Melbourne 17.12 (114) Carlton 24.13 (157) MCG 34,991 24 April 1976
Hawthorn 14.20 (104) Footscray 14.8 (92) VFL Park 27,040 24 April 1976

Round 5

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Fitzroy 15.13 (103) Melbourne 17.13 (115) Junction Oval 11,131 1 May 1976
Essendon 10.15 (75) Hawthorn 14.10 (94) Windy Hill 14,389 1 May 1976
Carlton 8.19 (67) South Melbourne 9.12 (66) Princes Park 20,327 1 May 1976
Richmond 12.17 (89) Footscray 15.20 (110) MCG 31,434 1 May 1976
St Kilda 19.19 (133) Collingwood 16.6 (102) Moorabbin Oval 28,737 1 May 1976
Geelong 15.6 (96) North Melbourne 13.12 (90) VFL Park 20,760 1 May 1976

Round 6

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Footscray 11.9 (75) St Kilda 10.10 (70) Western Oval 19,978 8 May 1976
Collingwood 14.13 (97) Geelong 15.13 (103) Victoria Park 23,428 8 May 1976
South Melbourne 16.12 (108) Melbourne 21.10 (136) Lake Oval 14,270 8 May 1976
North Melbourne 19.21 (135) Fitzroy 9.9 (63) Arden Street Oval 10,342 8 May 1976
Hawthorn 7.20 (62) Carlton 15.12 (102) Princes Park 27,055 8 May 1976
Richmond 17.17 (119) Essendon 9.10 (64) VFL Park 27,631 8 May 1976

Round 7

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Fitzroy 11.22 (88) South Melbourne 12.15 (87) Junction Oval 11,267 15 May 1976
Carlton 21.14 (140) Richmond 9.15 (69) Princes Park 30,095 15 May 1976
Melbourne 14.13 (97) Hawthorn 21.19 (145) MCG 25,876 15 May 1976
Geelong 13.17 (95) Footscray 14.9 (93) Kardinia Park 30,395 15 May 1976
St Kilda 9.15 (69) Essendon 14.13 (97) Moorabbin Oval 19,864 15 May 1976
Collingwood 11.9 (75) North Melbourne 5.16 (46) VFL Park 34,051 15 May 1976

Round 8

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 20.16 (136) South Melbourne 11.10 (76) Princes Park 7,674 22 May 1976
Footscray 7.3 (45) North Melbourne 14.11 (95) Western Oval 24,495 22 May 1976
Essendon 14.10 (94) Geelong 12.12 (84) Windy Hill 14,618 22 May 1976
Collingwood 15.11 (101) Fitzroy 9.19 (73) Victoria Park 16,880 22 May 1976
Richmond 14.11 (95) Melbourne 9.15 (69) MCG 22,145 22 May 1976
St Kilda 15.14 (104) Carlton 9.12 (66) VFL Park 15,148 22 May 1976

Round 9

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Melbourne 15.19 (109) St Kilda 7.13 (55) MCG 26,094 29 May 1976
South Melbourne 13.18 (96) Richmond 13.10 (88) Lake Oval 14,222 29 May 1976
Hawthorn 18.15 (123) Fitzroy 14.12 (96) Princes Park 8,784 29 May 1976
North Melbourne 8.10 (58) Essendon 7.12 (54) Arden Street Oval 19,990 29 May 1976
Geelong 14.18 (102) Carlton 12.10 (82) Kardinia Park 27,649 29 May 1976
Footscray 13.8 (86) Collingwood 10.16 (76) VFL Park 36,042 29 May 1976

Round 10

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
St Kilda 12.27 (99) South Melbourne 19.10 (124) Moorabbin Oval 18,969 5 June 1976
Fitzroy 12.15 (87) Footscray 13.13 (91) Junction Oval 12,439 5 June 1976
Carlton 11.10 (76) North Melbourne 11.15 (81) Princes Park 24,492 5 June 1976
Richmond 13.10 (88) Hawthorn 15.10 (100) MCG 29,608 5 June 1976
Essendon 14.19 (103) Collingwood 13.16 (94) Windy Hill 25,450 5 June 1976
Geelong 19.8 (122) Melbourne 13.15 (93) VFL Park 27,469 5 June 1976

Round 11

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
St Kilda 19.13 (127) Richmond 15.6 (96) Moorabbin Oval 21,681 12 June 1976
South Melbourne 14.11 (95) North Melbourne 18.13 (121) Lake Oval 19,008 12 June 1976
Melbourne 12.16 (88) Collingwood 12.18 (90) MCG 39,314 12 June 1976
Hawthorn 11.22 (88) Geelong 11.10 (76) Princes Park 33,594 14 June 1976
Footscray 11.15 (81) Carlton 9.10 (64) Western Oval 34,814 14 June 1976
Fitzroy 16.14 (110) Essendon 13.22 (100) VFL Park 25,558 14 June 1976

Round 12

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 13.19 (97) St Kilda 18.14 (122) Princes Park 14,072 19 June 1976
Geelong 23.17 (155) South Melbourne 6.15 (51) Kardinia Park 17,731 19 June 1976
Fitzroy 22.14 (146) Richmond 13.12 (90) Junction Oval 12,644 19 June 1976
Essendon 12.17 (89) Footscray 12.7 (79) Windy Hill 18,863 19 June 1976
Collingwood 12.10 (82) Carlton 8.8 (56) Victoria Park 28,537 19 June 1976
North Melbourne 22.14 (146) Melbourne 8.13 (61) VFL Park 20,529 19 June 1976

Round 13

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Footscray 7.10 (52) Melbourne 14.20 (104) Western Oval 13,464 26 June 1976
Carlton 11.19 (85) Essendon 9.14 (68) Princes Park 24,826 26 June 1976
North Melbourne 9.13 (67) Hawthorn 10.15 (75) Arden Street Oval 16,230 26 June 1976
Richmond 15.12 (102) Geelong 14.14 (98) MCG 28,608 26 June 1976
St Kilda 11.10 (76) Fitzroy 13.17 (95) Moorabbin Oval 17,861 26 June 1976
South Melbourne 17.19 (121) Collingwood 11.16 (82) VFL Park 28,537 26 June 1976

Round 14

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Footscray 5.7 (37) Hawthorn 17.15 (117) Western Oval 13,307 3 July 1976
Fitzroy 17.17 (119) Geelong 13.18 (96) Junction Oval 13,788 3 July 1976
Essendon 13.15 (93) South Melbourne 12.6 (78) Windy Hill 14,462 3 July 1976
St Kilda 10.12 (72) North Melbourne 13.11 (89) Moorabbin Oval 18,486 3 July 1976
Richmond 23.13 (151) Collingwood 7.14 (56) MCG 36,477 3 July 1976
Carlton 18.7 (115) Melbourne 6.22 (58) VFL Park 24,366 3 July 1976

Round 15

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 12.10 (82) Richmond 11.11 (77) Arden Street Oval 18,421 10 July 1976
Geelong 15.12 (102) St Kilda 9.9 (63) Kardinia Park 21,213 10 July 1976
Carlton 12.8 (80) Fitzroy 10.16 (76) Princes Park 25,340 10 July 1976
South Melbourne 20.16 (136) Footscray 17.14 (116) Lake Oval 12,226 10 July 1976
Melbourne 15.14 (104) Essendon 18.11 (119) MCG 25,009 10 July 1976
Hawthorn 18.11 (119) Collingwood 16.11 (107) VFL Park 27,353 10 July 1976

Round 16

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Collingwood 15.14 (104) St Kilda 18.13 (121) Victoria Park 22,680 17 July 1976
North Melbourne 22.13 (145) Geelong 12.6 (78) Arden Street Oval 19,334 17 July 1976
Melbourne 21.20 (146) Fitzroy 15.16 (106) MCG 16,187 17 July 1976
Hawthorn 15.17 (107) Essendon 18.15 (123) Princes Park 16,257 17 July 1976
South Melbourne 14.10 (94) Carlton 15.10 (100) Lake Oval 17,395 17 July 1976
Footscray 15.6 (96) Richmond 12.19 (91) VFL Park 22,795 17 July 1976

Round 17

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Fitzroy 11.7 (73) North Melbourne 13.14 (92) Junction Oval 12,614 24 July 1976
Essendon 8.15 (63) Richmond 15.16 (106) Windy Hill 21,585 24 July 1976
Carlton 17.14 (116) Hawthorn 11.19 (85) Princes Park 26,164 24 July 1976
St Kilda 17.16 (118) Footscray 15.14 (104) Moorabbin Oval 19,882 24 July 1976
Geelong 15.9 (99) Collingwood 11.27 (93) Kardinia Park 22,349 24 July 1976
South Melbourne 14.9 (93) Melbourne 11.13 (79) VFL Park 17,580 24 July 1976

Round 18

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 16.17 (113) Melbourne 14.11 (95) Princes Park 7,519 31 July 1976
Footscray 13.8 (86) Geelong 10.14 (74) Western Oval 16,069 31 July 1976
Collingwood 8.10 (58) North Melbourne 9.8 (62) Victoria Park 19,464 31 July 1976
South Melbourne 16.11 (107) Fitzroy 11.14 (80) Lake Oval 9,784 31 July 1976
Richmond 8.17 (65) Carlton 22.16 (148) MCG 39,744 31 July 1976
St Kilda 17.15 (117) Essendon 12.7 (79) VFL Park 26,572 31 July 1976

Round 19

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Melbourne 17.17 (119) Richmond 13.11 (89) MCG 16,585 7 August 1976
Carlton 22.19 (151) St Kilda 7.8 (50) Princes Park 19,356 7 August 1976
North Melbourne 8.13 (61) Footscray 7.8 (50) Arden Street Oval 13,719 7 August 1976
Geelong 18.8 (116) Essendon 18.14 (122) Kardinia Park 17,762 7 August 1976
Fitzroy 17.15 (117) Collingwood 9.16 (70) Junction Oval 12,247 7 August 1976
Hawthorn 13.19 (97) South Melbourne 12.11 (83) VFL Park 18,640 7 August 1976

Round 20

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Richmond 16.14 (110) South Melbourne 12.12 (84) MCG 20,817 14 August 1976
Fitzroy 12.19 (91) Hawthorn 14.10 (94) Junction Oval 10,417 14 August 1976
Essendon 10.9 (69) North Melbourne 14.11 (95) Windy Hill 22,474 14 August 1976
St Kilda 13.14 (92) Melbourne 18.21 (129) Moorabbin Oval 18,089 14 August 1976
Footscray 18.16 (124) Collingwood 15.9 (99) Western Oval 17,805 14 August 1976
Carlton 11.16 (82) Geelong 5.12 (42) VFL Park 35,279 14 August 1976

Round 21

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 11.16 (82) Richmond 17.12 (114) Princes Park 13,574 21 August 1976
Collingwood 20.20 (140) Essendon 12.17 (89) Victoria Park 19,036 21 August 1976
South Melbourne 15.18 (108) St Kilda 10.6 (66) Lake Oval 12,997 21 August 1976
Melbourne 22.18 (150) Geelong 16.9 (105) MCG 28,130 21 August 1976
North Melbourne 10.15 (75) Carlton 18.16 (124) Arden Street Oval 26,455 21 August 1976
Footscray 4.11 (35) Fitzroy 3.16 (34) VFL Park 15,638 21 August 1976

Round 22

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 19.14 (128) South Melbourne 12.19 (91) Arden Street Oval 14,196 28 August 1976
Geelong 13.18 (96) Hawthorn 10.11 (71) Kardinia Park 22,916 28 August 1976
Collingwood 17.11 (113) Melbourne 18.20 (128) Victoria Park 28,354 28 August 1976
Carlton 15.17 (107) Footscray 15.17 (107) Princes Park 27,958 28 August 1976
Fitzroy 15.20 (110) Essendon 10.18 (78) Junction Oval 11,721 28 August 1976
Richmond 21.14 (140) St Kilda 14.22 (106) VFL Park 27,249 28 August 1976

Ladder

1976 VFL ladder
Pos Team Pld W L D PF PA PP Pts
1 Carlton 22 16 5 1 2245 1690 132.8 66 Finals
2 Hawthorn (P) 22 16 6 0 2323 2035 114.2 64
3 North Melbourne 22 15 7 0 2041 1748 116.8 60
4 Geelong 22 12 10 0 2251 2166 103.9 48
5 Footscray 22 11 10 1 1958 2023 96.8 46
6 Melbourne 22 11 11 0 2319 2333 99.4 44
7 Richmond 22 10 12 0 2192 2224 98.6 40
8 South Melbourne 22 9 13 0 2223 2364 94.0 36
9 St Kilda 22 9 13 0 2056 2282 90.1 36
10 Essendon 22 9 13 0 1987 2253 88.2 36
11 Fitzroy 22 7 15 0 2005 2161 92.8 28
12 Collingwood 22 6 16 0 2033 2354 86.4 24
Source: VFL ladder
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers.

Finals

Elimination Final

Home team Score Away team Score Venue Crowd Date
Geelong 14.18 (102) Footscray 14.11 (95) VFL Park 50,686 4 September

Qualifying Final

Home team Score Away team Score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 14.19 (103) North Melbourne 12.11 (83) MCG 64,148 4 September

Semi Finals

Home team Score Away team Score Venue Crowd Date
Geelong 8.12 60 North Melbourne 14.9 (93) MCG 71,042 11 September
Carlton 9.16 (70) Hawthorn 12.15 (87) VFL Park 60,105 11 September

Preliminary Final

Home team Score Away team Score Venue Crowd Date
Carlton 9.12 (66) North Melbourne 10.7 (67) VFL Park 69,234 18 September

Grand final

Home team Score Away team Score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 13.22 (100) North Melbourne 10.10 (70) MCG 110,143 25 September

Awards

Notable events

  • The VFL introduced two field umpires per match.
  • John Nicholls resigned as coach of Carlton three days before the VFL season commenced. Assistant coach Ian Thorogood was promoted to coach.
  • The opening round match between South Melbourne and Geelong at the Lake Oval saw the Swans kick the highest losing score on record, beating Melbourne's 1940 record.
  • The Round 1 match between Carlton and Collingwood at Princes Park saw a massive all-in brawl that involved virtually every player from both sides, with Collingwood's Phil Carman the chief target.
  • The Round 9 match between North Melbourne and Essendon at the Arden Street Oval witnessed a comic moment in the third quarter as the two field umpires who officiated in the game gave conflicting directions in the passage of play, which was finally resolved with a ball-up (the umpires were booed by the crowd). North Melbourne won the match with only 17 fit players on the field.
  • In Round 10, North Melbourne's Malcolm Blight kicked a booming torpedo punt 65–70 metres out from goal after the final siren at Princes Park, which sailed through for a goal that won the match for North Melbourne. HSV Channel 7 football commentator Michael Williamson exclaimed after the match, "I have seen it all, now. I have seen it all!!" ("The Sensational Seventies -- 1976." Screened on HSV 7 Melbourne in September 1979)
  • The Round 21 match between Footscray and Fitzroy at VFL Park was the first match to provide the lowest two scores of a season.
  • Collingwood "won" its maiden wooden spoon after seventy-nine years, leaving Carlton as the only foundation VFL team yet to finish last. Carlton would "win" its maiden wooden spoon twenty-six years later in 2002.
  • Collingwood's six wins is the most by a wooden spooner in VFL/AFL history.

References

  1. "All the scores". The Age. Melbourne, VIC. 27 September 1976. p. 28.
  • Rogers, S. & Brown, A., Every Game Ever Played: VFL/AFL Results 1897-1997 (Sixth Edition), Viking Books, (Ringwood), 1998. ISBN 0-670-90809-6
  • Ross, J. (ed), 100 Years of Australian Football 1897-1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported, Viking, (Ringwood), 1996. ISBN 0-670-86814-0
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