The 1974 VFL season was the 78th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 6 April until 28 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs.

The premiership was won by the Richmond Football Club for the ninth time and second time consecutively, after it defeated North Melbourne by 41 points in the 1974 VFL Grand Final.

Background

In 1974, 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.

Once the 22 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1974 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the "McIntyre final five system".

Home-and-away season

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Round 11

Round 12

Round 13

Round 14

Round 15

Round 16

Round 17

Round 18

Round 19

Round 20

Round 21

Round 22

Ladder

Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 92.9
Source: AFL Tables

Finals series

Finals week 1

Finals week 2

Preliminary final

Grand final

Season notes

• North Melbourne would become the first team to trial coloured shorts (club colour royal blue), due to the impending introduction of colour television in Australia. All teams (except Collingwood, Richmond and St. Kilda where black was a club colour) would follow suit from the beginning of 1975 after colour television was introduced.
• In the Round 7 match between Essendon and Richmond at Windy Hill, Richmond's Mal Brown clashed with Essendon's Graeme Jenkin as the teams moved towards the locker rooms at the half-time siren; after Essendon runner Laurie Ashley went out of his way to confront and abuse Brown, Brown struck Ashley, starting a 15-minute brawl that involved players, team officials, trainers, fans, and police. Richmond's Brian Roberts was left with a broken nose, while Essendon trainer Jim Bradley and a fan were both knocked unconscious and had to be carried from the arena on stretchers. Four players and three officials were charged as a result of the investigation:
  • Laurie Ashley (Essendon runner): suspended for 6 matches after being held to be responsible for starting the brawl.
  • Mal Brown (Richmond player): suspended for one match for striking Laurie Ashley.
  • Jim Bradley (Essendon fitness adviser): suspended for 6 matches for charging and striking Mal Brown.
  • Steve Parsons (Richmond player): suspended for 4 matches for striking Jim Bradley.
  • Ron Andrews (Essendon player): suspended for 6 matches for striking Brian Roberts.
  • Graeme Richmond (Richmond team manager): suspended until 31 December 1974 (17 matches) and fined $2,000 by the VFL Board of Directors for conduct unbecoming or prejudicial to the interests of the League. On 18 September, the VFL demanded that Richmond pay the fine or face indefinite suspension, but the VFL dropped the fine on appeal.
  • John Cassin (Essendon player): cleared after the tribunal found that he was only trying to assist in breaking up the brawl.
  • As a result of a police investigation, assault charges were laid against Steve Parsons and Graeme Richmond; both Parsons and Richmond were cleared of these charges on 11 September.
• In the Round 21 match between Richmond and South Melbourne, there is a record 51 aggregate behinds and 91 aggregate scoring shots.
• North Melbourne full-forward Doug Wade kicked his 1,000th career goal in the qualifying final against Hawthorn at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 7 September. He also kicked his 100th goal of the season in the grand final.

Awards

• The 1974 VFL seniors Premiership team was Richmond.
• The 1974 VFL reserves Premiership team was Fitzroy.
• The 1974 VFL under 19s Premiership team was Collingwood.
• The VFL's leading goalkicker was Doug Wade of North Melbourne who kicked 103 goals (including 12 goals in the finals).
• The winner of the 1974 Brownlow Medal was Keith Greig of North Melbourne with 27 votes.
  • Many were even more surprised at Greig winning his second Brownlow than they had been at him winning his first (in 1973). In 1973 Barry Davis had won North Melbourne's best and fairest award, and in 1974 John Rantall won North Melbourne's best and fairest award. Greig had not even been the "runner-up" in North Melbourne's best and fairest in either 1973 or 1974.
• Melbourne took the seniors "wooden spoon" in 1974.
• Collingwood 17.14 (116) defeated Essendon 9.14 (68) in the grand final of the under 19s premiership, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 28 September.
• Fitzroy 26.13 (169) defeated Footscray 16.12 (108) in the grand final of the reserves premiership, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 28 September.^[1]
• Richmond 18.20 (128) defeated North Melbourne 13.9 (87) in the grand final of the seniors premiership, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 28 September.