1985 Australian Football Championships
The 1985 Australian Football Championships was an Australian rules football series between representative teams of the three major football states. Games involving Victoria were played under State of Origin rules, whilst the match between Western Australia and South Australia involved players based in their respective states at the time. The competition drew controversy when the result of the game between Victoria and South Australia, originally a 57 point win to Victoria, was overturned and awarded to South Australia as a result of Victoria fielding too many players when coach Kevin Sheedy snuck Shane Heard into the squad and into the team as an extra player.[1][2] The competition was won by South Australia, and it was their first Australian championship since 1911.[3]
Results
Game 1
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Ground | Crowd | Date | Time | Broadcast Network |
| South Australia | 11.10 (76) | Victoria | 20.13 (133) | Football Park | 44,287 | 14 May 1985 [4] | 8:00pm | Seven |
- Match awarded to South Australia at a National Football League appeal hearing on 16 June 1985. Victoria forfeited the match but retained the percentage in relation to points scored for and against.[1]
- Fos Williams Medal: Peter Motley (South Australia)[5]
Game 2
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Ground | Crowd | Date | Time | Broadcast Network |
| South Australia | 30.18 (198) | Western Australia | 16.15 (111) | Subiaco Oval | 15 June 1985 [3] |
Game 3
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Ground | Crowd | Date | Time | Broadcast Network |
| Victoria | 19.16 (130) | Western Australia | 9.11 (65) | Subiaco Oval | 38,000 | 16 July 1985 [6] |
Standings
| ||||||||||||
| TEAM | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | % | PTS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Australia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 274 | 244 | 52.90 | 4 | |||
| 2 | Victoria | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 263 | 141 | 65.10 | 2 | |||
| 3 | Western Australia | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 176 | 328 | 34.92 | 0 | |||
All-Australian Team
Following completion of the series, the best players over the three games were selected in the All-Australian team.[7]
| B: | Garry Foulds (Vic) | Gary Pert (Vic) | Terry Daniher (Vic) |
| HB: | Rod Lester-Smith (WA) | Paul Roos (Vic) | Peter Motley (SA) |
| C: | Craig Bradley (SA) | Geoff Raines (Vic) | Gary Buckenara (WA) |
| HF: | Dermott Brereton (Vic) | Stephen Kernahan (SA) | Mark Harvey (Vic) |
| F: | Leon Baker (WA) | Roger Merrett (Vic) | John Platten (SA) |
| Foll: | Mark Lee (Vic) | Russell Greene (Vic) | Dale Weightman (Vic) |
| Int: | Malcolm Blight (SA) | Michael Mitchell (WA) | |
| Coach: | Kevin Sheedy (Vic) | ||
Squads
References
- "League sacks Victoria". The Canberra Times. 17 June 1985. p. 28. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- McFarlane, Glenn (29 May 2014). "Glenn's 10: Glenn McFarlane names the top 10 moments in State-of-Origin footy". News Limited. Herald Sun. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- "SA regains lost prestige". The Canberra Times. 16 June 1985. p. Sport 6. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- "Win for Victoria". The Canberra Times. 15 May 1985. p. 45. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- "Fos Williams Medallist". South Australian National Football League. South Australian National Football League. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- Smithers, Patrick (18 July 1985). "Victorious Vics don't hurt a bit". Google. The Age. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- "Sheedy tables his top 20 in 20 years". The Age. 18 July 1985. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
- "Selectors name 9 'rookies'" (Round 7). VFL Media Department. The Football Record. 11 May 1985. p. 11. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
- "Match Statistics". Westside Football. 18 July 1985. p. 11.