1897 SAFA premiership season
Port Adelaide, premiers
Teams6
PremiersPort Adelaide
3rd premiership
Leading goalkickerJimmy Tompkins
Port Adelaide (27 Goals)
Matches played51
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The 1897 South Australian Football Association season was the 21st edition of the top level of Australian rules football to be played in South Australia. Port Adelaide won its 3rd premiership.

This was the first season of football in South Australia where behinds contributed to the total score, not just goals.

In winning the 1897 SAFA premiership, Port Adelaide achieved the rare feat of going from last the previous year to first.[1]

Natives informed the SAFA at a meeting on Monday 26 Oct 1896 that they were changing their name to West Torrens.[2]

West Adelaide Football Club joined the SAFA after their application was approved by 6 votes to 4 against at a meeting held on 5 April 1897.[3]

Ladder

1897 SAFA Ladder
TEAM P W L D PF PA % PTS
1 Port Adelaide 17 14 2 1 782 294 72.68% 29
2 South Adelaide 17 13 4 0 1050 391 72.87% 26
3 Norwood 17 11 5 1 765 402 65.55% 23
4 North Adelaide 17 7 10 0 535 609 46.77% 14
5 West Torrens 17 1 3 13 1 257 1091 19.07% 7
6 West Adelaide 17 1 1 15 1 217 828 20.77% 3
Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, (P) = Premiers [4]

1 The Round 19 match between West Torrens and West Adelaide at Kensington Oval was abandoned as a draw at quarter time after torrential rain flooded the ground (scores at the time were West Torrens 1 goal 1 behind to West Adelaide 1 goal).

References

  1. ^ "FOOTBALL". South Australian Register. Vol. LXII, no. 15, 849. South Australia. 30 August 1897. p. 7. Retrieved 30 October 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ "Football". Advertiser (Adelaide, Sa : 1889 – 1931). 27 October 1896. p. 7.
  3. ^ "Football". South Australian Register (Adelaide, Sa : 1839 – 1900). 6 April 1897. p. 7.
  4. ^ "Australian Football - SANFL Season 1897". Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.


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