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1952 VFL season

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1952 VFL premiership season
Teams12
PremiersGeelong
5th premiership
Minor premiersGeelong
7th minor premiership
Brownlow MedallistBill Hutchison (Essendon)
Roy Wright (Richmond)
Leading goalkicker medallistJohn Coleman (Essendon)
Matches played118
Highest82,890
← 1951
1953 →

The 1952 VFL season was the 56th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 19 April until 27 September, and comprised a 19-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.

The premiership was won by the Geelong Football Club for the fifth time and second time consecutively. Geelong defeated Collingwood by 46 points in the 1952 VFL Grand Final, as part of a 23-game winning streak spanning the 1952 and 1953 seasons which stands as the longest in league history.

Background

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In 1952, 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 19 rounds.

There was an extra round (round 8), in addition to 1951's 18 rounds. Promoted as a "National Day Round", it was held on the Saturday (14 June) of the Queen's Birthday weekend and saw all clubs play a match for premiership points at country or interstate locations, while the Victorian State side played against the West Australian State side at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The season was constructed as follows: in rounds 1 to 7 and 9 to 12 the teams played each other. Round 8, the "National Day Round", was the reverse of round 11 (and the designated round 8 "home team" was the reverse of that in round 11). Rounds 13 to 19 were the "home-and-away reverse" of rounds 1 to 7.

Once the 19 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1952 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the Page–McIntyre system.

Home-and-away season

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Round 1

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Fitzroy 5.15 (45) Richmond 7.12 (54) Brunswick Street Oval 20,500 19 April 1952
South Melbourne 11.16 (82) St Kilda 8.26 (74) Lake Oval 18,000 19 April 1952
Melbourne 14.13 (97) Geelong 15.13 (103) MCG 25,000 19 April 1952
Footscray 6.10 (46) Essendon 6.5 (41) Western Oval 24,000 19 April 1952
Hawthorn 2.8 (20) Collingwood 15.16 (106) Glenferrie Oval 14,000 19 April 1952
North Melbourne 8.19 (67) Carlton 13.12 (90) Arden Street Oval 22,000 19 April 1952

Round 2

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Essendon 14.12 (96) North Melbourne 13.11 (89) Windy Hill 21,000 26 April 1952
Collingwood 13.17 (95) Fitzroy 8.14 (62) Victoria Park 26,000 26 April 1952
Carlton 12.12 (84) South Melbourne 13.11 (89) Princes Park 31,500 26 April 1952
St Kilda 13.11 (89) Melbourne 12.19 (91) Junction Oval 19,000 26 April 1952
Richmond 12.10 (82) Hawthorn 8.14 (62) Punt Road Oval 13,000 26 April 1952
Geelong 10.4 (64) Footscray 7.15 (57) Kardinia Park 30,000 26 April 1952

Round 3

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Geelong 14.15 (99) St Kilda 5.4 (34) Kardinia Park 20,500 3 May 1952
Collingwood 9.21 (75) Essendon 7.9 (51) Victoria Park 34,000 3 May 1952
Carlton 10.12 (72) Fitzroy 13.14 (92) Princes Park 25,500 3 May 1952
South Melbourne 14.17 (101) Richmond 12.9 (81) Lake Oval 28,500 3 May 1952
Melbourne 8.12 (60) Hawthorn 10.14 (74) MCG 13,500 3 May 1952
North Melbourne 11.11 (77) Footscray 10.6 (66) Arden Street Oval 20,000 3 May 1952

Round 4

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 11.3 (69) South Melbourne 8.12 (60) Glenferrie Oval 15,000 10 May 1952
Footscray 6.16 (52) Melbourne 10.16 (76) Western Oval 20,000 10 May 1952
Fitzroy 6.15 (51) Geelong 14.16 (100) Brunswick Street Oval 19,500 10 May 1952
Richmond 18.13 (121) North Melbourne 16.15 (111) Punt Road Oval 24,000 10 May 1952
St Kilda 8.16 (64) Collingwood 12.12 (84) Junction Oval 19,500 10 May 1952
Essendon 13.9 (87) Carlton 13.16 (94) Windy Hill 28,000 10 May 1952

Round 5

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Melbourne 8.9 (57) South Melbourne 10.11 (71) MCG 27,000 17 May 1952
Geelong 11.16 (82) North Melbourne 6.10 (46) Kardinia Park 20,000 17 May 1952
Footscray 9.6 (60) Richmond 5.6 (36) Western Oval 22,500 17 May 1952
Fitzroy 6.6 (42) Hawthorn 5.11 (41) Brunswick Street Oval 9,500 17 May 1952
St Kilda 11.10 (76) Essendon 18.8 (116) Junction Oval 17,500 17 May 1952
Collingwood 15.16 (106) Carlton 7.14 (56) Victoria Park 36,000 17 May 1952

Round 6

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Collingwood 12.19 (91) Footscray 4.5 (29) Victoria Park 20,500 31 May 1952
Carlton 14.10 (94) St Kilda 10.13 (73) Princes Park 12,500 31 May 1952
North Melbourne 6.13 (49) Melbourne 9.9 (63) Arden Street Oval 11,000 31 May 1952
Richmond 8.7 (55) Geelong 11.13 (79) Punt Road Oval 25,000 31 May 1952
South Melbourne 14.12 (96) Fitzroy 9.11 (65) Lake Oval 15,000 31 May 1952
Hawthorn 5.14 (44) Essendon 15.8 (98) Glenferrie Oval 14,000 31 May 1952

Round 7

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Fitzroy 8.15 (63) St Kilda 3.6 (24) Brunswick Street Oval 10,300 7 June 1952
North Melbourne 12.8 (80) Hawthorn 7.8 (50) Arden Street Oval 11,000 7 June 1952
Melbourne 12.10 (82) Collingwood 6.14 (50) MCG 58,543 7 June 1952
Essendon 7.18 (60) Richmond 10.9 (69) Windy Hill 29,000 9 June 1952
Carlton 18.12 (120) Geelong 13.15 (93) Princes Park 37,500 9 June 1952
South Melbourne 16.14 (110) Footscray 11.13 (79) Lake Oval 26,000 9 June 1952

Round 8 (National Day Round)

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Richmond 5.6 (36) Collingwood 10.12 (72) SCG 24,174 14 June 1952
Fitzroy 13.12 (90) Melbourne 10.10 (70) North Hobart Oval 18,387 14 June 1952
South Melbourne 18.10 (118) North Melbourne 14.12 (96) Albury Sports Ground 15,000 14 June 1952
Footscray 5.4 (34) St Kilda 7.7 (49) Yallourn Oval 3,500 14 June 1952
Carlton 17.15 (117) Hawthorn 11.14 (80) Euroa Oval 7,500 14 June 1952
Geelong 12.14 (86) Essendon 23.17 (155) Brisbane Exhibition Ground 28,000 16 June 1952

Round 9

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Geelong 7.13 (55) South Melbourne 4.11 (35) Kardinia Park 21,513 21 June 1952
Essendon 11.8 (74) Melbourne 10.15 (75) Windy Hill 16,000 21 June 1952
Collingwood 6.8 (44) North Melbourne 8.12 (60) Victoria Park 15,500 21 June 1952
St Kilda 5.11 (41) Hawthorn 7.6 (48) Junction Oval 7,500 21 June 1952
Footscray 6.9 (45) Fitzroy 7.8 (50) Western Oval 14,085 21 June 1952
Richmond 5.3 (33) Carlton 5.9 (39) Punt Road Oval 21,000 21 June 1952

Round 10

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 9.10 (64) St Kilda 5.9 (39) Arden Street Oval 7,000 28 June 1952
Melbourne 12.11 (83) Richmond 6.10 (46) MCG 23,557 28 June 1952
Carlton 15.22 (112) Footscray 8.9 (57) Princes Park 12,617 28 June 1952
Hawthorn 6.8 (44) Geelong 10.10 (70) Glenferrie Oval 7,500 28 June 1952
Fitzroy 13.12 (90) Essendon 5.8 (38) Brunswick Street Oval 12,500 28 June 1952
South Melbourne 9.10 (64) Collingwood 12.13 (85) Lake Oval 21,000 28 June 1952

Round 11

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 7.4 (46) South Melbourne 10.17 (77) Arden Street Oval 15,000 5 July 1952
Essendon 10.16 (76) Geelong 11.10 (76) Windy Hill 21,000 5 July 1952
Collingwood 10.19 (79) Richmond 8.8 (56) Victoria Park 21,911 5 July 1952
St Kilda 11.13 (79) Footscray 12.13 (85) Junction Oval 7,800 5 July 1952
Melbourne 11.7 (73) Fitzroy 11.17 (83) MCG 25,089 5 July 1952
Hawthorn 5.11 (41) Carlton 9.24 (78) Glenferrie Oval 11,000 5 July 1952

Round 12

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Richmond 10.17 (77) St Kilda 6.8 (44) Punt Road Oval 9,000 12 July 1952
Footscray 4.11 (35) Hawthorn 9.4 (58) Western Oval 12,218 12 July 1952
Fitzroy 13.11 (89) North Melbourne 10.11 (71) Brunswick Street Oval 10,500 12 July 1952
Carlton 6.14 (50) Melbourne 6.14 (50) Princes Park 24,839 12 July 1952
South Melbourne 8.12 (60) Essendon 9.15 (69) Lake Oval 27,000 12 July 1952
Geelong 9.8 (62) Collingwood 4.9 (33) Kardinia Park 36,145 12 July 1952

Round 13

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
St Kilda 5.8 (38) South Melbourne 6.8 (44) Junction Oval 15,000 19 July 1952
Geelong 14.26 (110) Melbourne 8.6 (54) Kardinia Park 21,744 19 July 1952
Essendon 5.12 (42) Footscray 7.15 (57) Windy Hill 17,000 19 July 1952
Collingwood 12.15 (87) Hawthorn 4.4 (28) Victoria Park 12,643 19 July 1952
Carlton 5.23 (53) North Melbourne 5.8 (38) Princes Park 21,055 19 July 1952
Richmond 5.17 (47) Fitzroy 11.10 (76) Punt Road Oval 18,000 19 July 1952

Round 14

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Melbourne 11.12 (78) St Kilda 8.10 (58) MCG 14,045 26 July 1952
Hawthorn 8.14 (62) Richmond 14.7 (91) Glenferrie Oval 11,000 26 July 1952
Footscray 8.9 (57) Geelong 9.12 (66) Western Oval 22,759 26 July 1952
North Melbourne 7.11 (53) Essendon 7.8 (50) Arden Street Oval 15,000 26 July 1952
Fitzroy 5.6 (36) Collingwood 4.11 (35) Brunswick Street Oval 26,000 26 July 1952
South Melbourne 10.16 (76) Carlton 10.16 (76) Lake Oval 32,000 26 July 1952

Round 15

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Richmond 10.14 (74) South Melbourne 12.14 (86) Punt Road Oval 19,000 2 August 1952
Hawthorn 9.3 (57) Melbourne 12.13 (85) Glenferrie Oval 9,000 2 August 1952
Footscray 7.6 (48) North Melbourne 8.9 (57) Western Oval 14,760 2 August 1952
St Kilda 7.13 (55) Geelong 9.16 (70) Junction Oval 12,000 2 August 1952
Essendon 13.10 (88) Collingwood 12.17 (89) Windy Hill 21,000 2 August 1952
Fitzroy 5.15 (45) Carlton 5.14 (44) Brunswick Street Oval 29,000 2 August 1952

Round 16

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 14.10 (94) Richmond 9.12 (66) Arden Street Oval 12,000 9 August 1952
Collingwood 20.19 (139) St Kilda 8.7 (55) Victoria Park 14,100 9 August 1952
Carlton 11.16 (82) Essendon 12.11 (83) Princes Park 34,000 9 August 1952
South Melbourne 6.14 (50) Hawthorn 9.14 (68) Lake Oval 12,000 9 August 1952
Melbourne 15.17 (107) Footscray 8.12 (60) MCG 17,421 9 August 1952
Geelong 12.16 (88) Fitzroy 5.10 (40) Kardinia Park 31,314 9 August 1952

Round 17

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Essendon 22.15 (147) St Kilda 7.9 (51) Windy Hill 12,000 16 August 1952
Carlton 12.16 (88) Collingwood 9.13 (67) Princes Park 42,662 16 August 1952
South Melbourne 10.14 (74) Melbourne 8.18 (66) Lake Oval 24,000 16 August 1952
North Melbourne 11.9 (75) Geelong 15.13 (103) Arden Street Oval 15,000 16 August 1952
Richmond 13.11 (89) Footscray 5.14 (44) Punt Road Oval 11,000 16 August 1952
Hawthorn 7.6 (48) Fitzroy 12.12 (84) Glenferrie Oval 12,000 16 August 1952

Round 18

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Melbourne 11.16 (82) North Melbourne 15.7 (97) MCG 16,402 23 August 1952
Geelong 17.9 (111) Richmond 10.7 (67) Kardinia Park 21,318 23 August 1952
Fitzroy 9.10 (64) South Melbourne 7.15 (57) Brunswick Street Oval 29,000 23 August 1952
Essendon 20.12 (132) Hawthorn 11.11 (77) Windy Hill 12,000 23 August 1952
Footscray 6.14 (50) Collingwood 14.15 (99) Western Oval 20,584 23 August 1952
St Kilda 8.8 (56) Carlton 13.14 (92) Junction Oval 18,000 23 August 1952

Round 19

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 8.11 (59) North Melbourne 12.10 (82) Glenferrie Oval 6,000 30 August 1952
Footscray 13.13 (91) South Melbourne 8.13 (61) Western Oval 20,723 30 August 1952
Collingwood 13.14 (92) Melbourne 10.11 (71) Victoria Park 18,753 30 August 1952
St Kilda 10.12 (72) Fitzroy 8.18 (66) Junction Oval 9,000 30 August 1952
Richmond 15.11 (101) Essendon 11.10 (76) Punt Road Oval 28,000 30 August 1952
Geelong 10.17 (77) Carlton 3.14 (32) Kardinia Park 49,107 30 August 1952

Ladder

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(P) Premiers
Qualified for finals
# Team P W L D PF PA % Pts
1 Geelong (P) 19 16 2 1 1594 1183 134.7 66
2 Collingwood 19 14 5 0 1528 1058 144.4 56
3 Fitzroy 19 13 6 0 1233 1170 105.4 52
4 Carlton 19 11 6 2 1473 1310 112.4 48
5 South Melbourne 19 11 7 1 1411 1337 105.5 46
6 Melbourne 19 9 9 1 1420 1379 103.0 38
7 North Melbourne 19 9 10 0 1352 1396 96.8 36
8 Essendon 19 8 10 1 1579 1390 113.6 34
9 Richmond 19 8 11 0 1281 1384 92.6 32
10 Footscray 19 5 14 0 1052 1364 77.1 20
11 Hawthorn 19 5 14 0 1030 1480 69.6 20
12 St Kilda 19 2 17 0 1071 1573 68.1 8

Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 70.3
Source: AFL Tables

Finals series

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Bracket

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Semi-finalsPreliminary finalGrand final
1Geelong14.16 (100)1Geelong13.8 (86)
2Collingwood6.10 (46)2Collingwood5.10 (40)
2Collingwood11.15 (81)
3Fitzroy9.8 (62)
3Fitzroy10.9 (69)
4Carlton8.20 (68)

Semi-finals

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Team 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr Final
Fitzroy 2.1 6.3 8.5 10.9 (69)
Carlton 0.5 3.10 7.15 8.20 (68)
Attendance: 59,970
Team 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr Final
Geelong 2.6 5.9 12.10 14.16 (100)
Collingwood 1.4 3.5 5.6 6.10 (46)
Attendance: 77,417

Preliminary final

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Team 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr Final
Collingwood 4.4 9.9 10.12 11.15 (81)
Fitzroy 4.2 4.3 9.5 9.8 (62)
Attendance: 54,046

Grand final

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Team 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr Final
Geelong 4.2 5.3 11.6 13.8 (86)
Collingwood 1.1 3.3 5.3 5.10 (40)
Attendance: 82,890

Season notes

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  • Essendon winger Lance Mann won the 1952, 130-yard Stawell Gift in eleven and fourteen-sixteenths seconds, off a handicap of 7¼yards; his teammate, half-back flanker Norm McDonald, running off a handicap of 5 yards, came second.
  • Bowing to pressure from its players and supporters, Fitzroy abandoned "The Gorillas" as its emblem. Originally intended to signify strength, tenacity, aggression, power, etc. the symbol had become somewhat devalued when opposition supporters started referring to the team as "The Apes". "The Lions" was not introduced until 1957; in the interim they were known as either "The Maroons" or "The Roys".
  • In May 1952, as part of its promotion of the Burt Lancaster movie Ten Tall Men, the management of the Melbourne cinema The State Theatre on the corner of Flinders Street and Russell Street (now known as the Forum Theatre) measured the height of the ten tallest VFL players. Geoff Leek of Essendon was officially declared to be the tallest, at 6'4½" (194.3 cm).[1]
  • As part of an effort by the Australian National Football Council to promote the game, a special round of VFL premiership matches was held in different cities around Australia on round 8, which was Queen's Birthday weekend: Brisbane, Sydney, Euroa, Yallourn, Albury and Hobart hosted matches. Wet weather across much of eastern Australia affected crowds at Yallourn[2] and Sydney,[3] and forced the postponement of the match at Brisbane from Saturday afternoon to Monday evening after the RNA feared the match would damage the rain-sodden turf;[4] but matches not affected by rain drew huge crowds, including:
    • The crowd of 18,387 between Fitzroy and Melbourne in Hobart set a new record for the largest crowd ever to attend a football match in Tasmania, breaking the record which had been set at the 1947 Hobart Interstate Carnival.[5]
    • The crowd of 15,000 between South Melbourne and North Melbourne in Albury set a new record for the largest football crowd in Albury's history.[6]
    • The crowd of 28,000 between Geelong and Essendon at the postponed match in Brisbane was unable to be accommodated by the venue, and a further 2,000 spectators entered without paying after breaking through a perimeter fence.[7]
The National Day Round was played in addition to the standard eighteen games, so that the people of Melbourne and Geelong would still have nine home matches. An interstate match between Victoria and Western Australia was played in Melbourne during that weekend. The endeavour was financed by the ANFC, which turned a small profit on the event after having insured the gate against rain.[3]
  • In the First Semi-Final, Carlton's high marking centreman Keith Warburton received a heavy knock to his abdomen early in the match, but thought little of it. Later that evening he collapsed at the Carlton Club dance. He was rushed to hospital where it was discovered that he was suffering from a severed artery leading to his bowel. He hovered near death for some days, requiring almost continuous transfusions of blood. It was said that his physical fitness was the only reason he survived the injury.
  • In Round 10, in a match played in atrocious conditions at the Brunswick Street Oval, Fitzroy's champion full-back, Vic Chanter, held Essendon champion full-forward John Coleman goalless for the only time in his 98-game career.
  • Overall, the season was the wettest season for more than 20 years. Many matches were played in deep sticky mud on grounds that were covered in sheets of water. Mud was ankle deep at the Brunswick Street Oval in Round 11. White balls were introduced in July to help players see the ball in all of the mud.
    • The overall bad weather and the atrocious condition of the grounds throughout the season, and the effect that had on the condition of the ball, especially in relation to hand-passing, marking and kicking, as well as the physical problems of leading and being unable to spring from muddy ground, highlights the significance of John Coleman's 103 goals in 18 matches.

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ See "Geoff Leek Tops of the Tall Men, The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 31 May 1952), p. 8. At 6'4½" (194.3 cm), Leek was half an inch taller than the next 8 tallest players: Denis Cordner of Melbourne, Kevin Easton of North Melbourne, John Gill of Essendon, Brian Gilmore of Footscray, Jack "Chooka" Howell of Carlton, Tom H. McLean of Melbourne, Bill McMaster of Geelong, and George Swarbrick of Geelong, all measured 6'4" (193 cm). Leek was an inch taller than the ninth player, Colin Thornton of North Melbourne, who was measured at 6'3½" (191.8 cm).
  2. ^ Frank Walsh (18 June 1952). "Yallourn says "come again"". Sporting Globe. Melbourne. p. 12.
  3. ^ a b "Profit on football". Barrier Miner. Broken Hill, NSW. 19 June 1952. p. 11.
  4. ^ "Postponement costing £1200". Sunday Mail. Brisbane, QLD. 15 June 1952. p. 20.
  5. ^ "V.F.L. game "good for Tasmania"". The Mercury. Hobart, TAS. 16 June 1952. p. 20.
  6. ^ "Big crowd at Aust. rules at Albury". Daily Advertiser. Wagga Wagga, NSW. 16 June 1952. p. 2.
  7. ^ "2000 storm football game". The Courier Mail. Brisbane, QLD. 17 June 1952. p. 1.
  • Maplestone, M., Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996, Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN 0-9591740-2-8
  • 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

Sources

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