South Adelaide and Victorian would share the premiership honours as there was no grand final playoff, while the Bankers Football Club, who finished last without a win and forfeited a number of games, folded before the end of the season.[2]
The newly formed South Australian Football Association decided that the playing fields for the season must be between 180 and 200 yards (165-183m) long and 120-150 yards (110-137m) wide, with pushing from behind being prohibited. For clubs to gain membership of the association, they would need to pay two guineas for the year.[3]
Adelaide played a game at Kapunda on Thursday 24 May and returned via Train to Adelaide on Friday morning. On the Saturday 8 players had withdrawn from the team leaving them to only field 18 (including their Captain who was injured), whilst Woodville had a full team of 20. It was reported that the Ground was underwater but Woodville were still keen to play.
Non Association Matches Played against Country Clubs on the Holiday
Thursday 24 May - Adelaide, 4 goals, beat Kapunda, 2. [9]
Thursday 24th May - Woodville, 1 goal, beat Gawler, 0. [10]
This result was originally reported as a 0-0 draw due to a goal umpire not allowing a goal scored by a South Adelaide player running on after taking a mark. The Victorians all appeared in costume, which consisted of a black guernsey with yellow facings, and cap of the same color, which presented a marked contrast to their opponent - South Park white and light blue uniforms
A game scheduled between Port Adelaide and the Bankers at Montefiore Hill[28] was awarded to Port Adelaide on forfeit: Port had a full team on the field when the Bankers' captain informed them and the umpire that the Bankers were unable to field a team.[27]
Teams were affected due to their star players involvement in a combined SAFA team (with players picked from Victorian, Woodville, South Park and Port Adelaide Clubs) vs. Melbourne game being played at the Exhibition Grounds simultaneously: Melbourne defeated the combined team by five goals to nil.
The Victorians were short of two of their players — Messrs. Barry and Kingsford — while the Woodvilles, besides being; greatly weakened by the retirement of their late captain and several first-class men, were playing with seven of their second twenty.[30]
Woodvilles v. Ports. A match between these Clubs was arranged to take place at Woodville on Saturday, 8 September ; but the Woodvilles were unable to raise a team, so the match was postponed until Saturday, 15 September, when the Ports were again disappointed by the Woodvilles not turning out.[34]
Victorian claimed they had won the game, but a South Park protest was upheld and the game's single goal was annulled. The match was noted as the roughest of the season. The result being declared a draw following a motion being carried at an Association meeting on Friday 5 October. [36]
A game was scheduled for September 15 between Port Adelaide and Woodville at Woodville was awarded to Port Adelaide as Woodville forfeited due to a lack of players (their principal players being involved in a practice cricket match at Norwood).[35]
A game was scheduled for September 15 between Adelaide and Bankers at Adelaide Oval.[37] However, Bankers as announced will not meet Adelaide.[38]
FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION MATCHES for SATURDAY, 22 September. [39]
At Montefiore — Victorian v. South Adelaide.
At South Park— Port v. South Park
Football. — Two Association matches are announced for today one between the Port Adelaide and South Park Clubs on the ground of the latter, and the other between the Victorian and South Adelaide Clubs at Montefiore Hill. The latter match will decide the question of the championship of the season, and will, it is to be hoped, be largely attended, as a hat is to be passed round at half-time for the benefit of the sufferers by the Indian famine. [40]
In consequence of the inclement weather on Saturday, 22 September, the football matches which were to have been played between the South Adelaide and Victorian Clubs and the Port Adelaide and South Park Clubs were postponed.[41]
The duties of field-umpire were most efficiently and impartially performed by Mr. J.R. Osborne (ex Woodville Captain). At one time a quarrel nearly arose, but it was promptly put down by the captains. Messrs. Giffen and Smart were goal-umpires.
It was reported that the following players will take part in the game:
South Adelaides — Messrs. G. Kennedy (Captain), Mehrtens (Vice), Absalom, Blinman, Colbey, Curtis, Coonan, Dedman, Jones, Kennedy, Kingston, Mehrtens, Reid, Stacey, Shaw, Sellars, Thompson, Toll, Wallace, Woolridge. Emergency — Sketheway, Sharp, Simmonds, and Argall.
Victorians— Atkinson, Colley, Downs (Captain), Davies (2), Furnell, Frayne, Fiveash, Hall, Knill, Kingsfold, Lammey, Murray, Miller, Osborn, Stratton, Sharp, Warren, Furnell, and Salsberg. Emergency man — Miller.
His Excellency the Administrator of the Government and His Worship the Mayor have given their patronage for the occasion. [44]
Thursday 24 May - Adelaide, 4 goals, beat Kapunda, 2. [9]
Thursday 24 May - Woodville, 1 goal, beat Gawler, 0. [10]
Wednesday 21 June (Public Holiday) - Adelaide, 1 goal tied Gawler, 1. Crowd 450 at Gawler[45]
Monday 6 August Adelaide, 3 goals, beat Kapunda, 2 at South Adelaide's Ground [46]
Intercolonial Matches
Saturday 11 August Melbourne, 1 goal, beat Victorian, 0. Crowd: 2000 at Exhibition Grounds[47]
Monday 13 August Melbourne, 5 goals, beat South Australian Combined Team, 0. Crowd: 1000 at Exhibition Grounds [48]
The combined team comprised players selected from the following local Clubs:
Victorians, G. Downs (Captain of the South Australian combatants), C. Warren, H.Barry, Knill, Kingsford, W. Lanjmey, H. Allen, and J. Sharp;
Ports, T. Smith, A. LeMessurier, Fletcher, W. Frideaux, and Tysack;
Woodvilles, T. Beeves, Letchford, G. Giffen, Aitken, and J. B. Osborne;
South Parks, J. M. Sinclair and Cresswell.
South Australians, 3 goals, beat Victorians, 1.
St. Kilda, 5 goals, beat Adelaide, 2. Crowd 3500 at Adelaide Oval
St. Kilda. 7 goals, beat South Australians, 2.
Victorian finished the season with eight more goals but a slightly inferior record than South Adelaide, but one should consider that Victorian played the Bankers twice whereas South Adelaide did not (their only scheduled match, in Round 6, was a forfeit when the Bankers could only muster 13 players). Further, while Adelaide finished with one more win than the other two clubs, they played 17 games to 13 and 14 respectively.
It was declared South Adelaide and Victorian would be deemed joint Champion Club (premiers).[42] which was also acknowledged by South Adelaide at their Annual Dinner on evening of Tuesday 2 October. [49]
Note: Woodville were ranked above South Park on head-to-head record (2-1). It was reported at the end of the season that Bankers had forfeited 6 out of their 15 games. (Adelaide, Port Adelaide, South Adelaide, Kensington 1 each, and Woodville 2)
"FOOTBALL". South Australian Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 3 October 1877. p. 2 Supplement: SUPPLEMENT TO THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN REGISTER. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
