1979 AFC Night Series

1979 AFC Night Series
AFC Escort Championships
Tournament details
Dates2 March – 3 July 1979
Teams23
Venue(s)7 (in 5 host cities)
Final positions
ChampionsCollingwood (1st title)
Runners-upHawthorn
Tournament statistics
Matches played22
Attendance156,625 (7,119 per match)
1980 →

The 1979 Australian Football Championships Night Series was the 1st edition of the AFC Night Series, a VFL-organised national club Australian rules football tournament between the leading clubs from the VFL, the WANFL and State Representative Teams.[1]

In June 1978 the VFL announced their plans to form a new company to oversee a night series that would be broadcast nationally and Australian Football Championships Pty. Ltd. was incorporated on 28 July 1978 to run a rival national night competition, in opposition to the NFL Night Series. By October 1978, The VFL were joined by the WAFL, TANFL, NSWAFL and ACTAFL in the joint venture and transferred from NFL Night Series to the AFC Night Series. However, the SANFL rejected the VFL's overtures, choosing to remain aligned with the NFL instead. They were joined by the VFA and QAFL in a greatly-reduced NFL Series.

Qualified Teams

Team Nickname League Qualification Participation (bold indicates winners)1
Enter in Round 2
Hawthorn Hawks VFL Winners of the 1978 Victorian Football League 3rd (Previous: 1971, 1976)
North Melbourne Kangaroos VFL Runners-up in the 1978 Victorian Football League 3rd (Previous: 1975, 1976)
Collingwood Magpies VFL Third place in the 1978 Victorian Football League 3rd (Previous: 1896, 1910)
Carlton Blues VFL Fourth place in the 1978 Victorian Football League 8th (Previous: 1907, 1908, 1914, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1976)
Geelong Cats VFL Fifth place in the 1978 Victorian Football League 1st
East Perth Royals WANFL Winners of the 1978 Western Australian National Football League 3rd (Previous: 1972, 1977, 1978)
Perth Demons WANFL Runners-up in the 1978 Western Australian National Football League 3rd (Previous: 1977, 1978)
South Fremantle Bulldogs WANFL Third place in the 1978 Western Australian National Football League 3rd (Previous: 1976, 1977)
Australian Capital Territory Rams ACTAFL State Representative Team 3rd (Previous: 1977, 1978)
Enter in Round 1
St Kilda Saints VFL Sixth place in the 1978 Victorian Football League 1st
Richmond Tigers VFL Seventh place in the 1978 Victorian Football League 5th (Previous: 1969, 1973, 1974, 1976)
South Melbourne Swans VFL Eighth place in the 1978 Victorian Football League 4th (Previous: 1888, 1890, 1909)
Fitzroy Lions VFL Ninth place in the 1978 Victorian Football League 2nd (Previous: 1913)
Essendon Bombers VFL Tenth place in the 1978 Victorian Football League 3rd (Previous: 1893, 1911)
Footscray Bulldogs VFL Eleventh Place in the 1978 Victorian Football League 2nd (Previous: 1976)
Melbourne Demons VFL Twelfth Place in the 1978 Victorian Football League 1st
West Perth Falcons WANFL Fourth place in the 1978 Western Australian National Football League 5th (Previous: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978)
Claremont Tigers WANFL Fifth place in the 1978 Western Australian National Football League 2nd (Previous: 1977)
East Fremantle Sharks WANFL Sixth place in the 1978 Western Australian National Football League 4th (Previous: 1974, 1977, 1978)
Subiaco Lions WANFL Seventh place 1978 Western Australian National Football League 2nd (Previous: 1973)
Swan Districts Swans WANFL Eighth place in the 1978 Western Australian National Football League 2nd (Previous: 1976)
New South Wales Blues NSWAFL State Representative Team 3rd (Previous: 1977, 1978)
Tasmania Devils TANFL State Representative Team 4th (Previous: 1974, 1977, 1978)
1 Includes previous appearances in the Championship of Australia and NFL Night Series.

Venues

Melbourne Perth Sydney Hobart Canberra
Waverley Park Perth Oval Subiaco Oval Leederville Oval Sydney Showground North Hobart Oval Phillip Oval
Capacity: 72,000 Capacity: 27,000 Capacity: 53,000 Capacity: 25,000 Capacity: 40,000 Capacity: 26,000 Capacity: 15,000

Knockout stage

Round 1

2 March 1979 South Melbourne 93–55 West Perth Waverley Park, Melbourne  
13.5 (93) 7.13 (55) Attendance: 6,815


4 March 1979 Swan Districts 122–160 Essendon Perth Oval, Perth  
18.14 (122) 21.14 (160) Attendance: 5,000 (estimate)


9 March 1979 Richmond 150–66 Subiaco Waverley Park, Melbourne  
22.18 (150) 9.12 (66) Attendance: 5,808


11 March 1979 New South Wales 77–133 Fitzroy Sydney Showground, Sydney  
11.11 (77) 20.13 (133) Attendance: 3,000 (estimate)


16 March 1979 St Kilda 82–114 East Fremantle Waverley Park, Melbourne  
12.10 (82) 16.18 (114) Attendance: 4,894


18 March 1979 Tasmania 60–125 Footscray North Hobart Oval, Hobart  
9.6 (60) 19.11 (125) Attendance: 7,243


25 March 1979 Claremont 111–96 Melbourne Leederville Oval, Perth  
17.9 (111) 15.6 (96) Attendance: 4,500 (estimate)


Round 2

23 March 1979 South Melbourne 109–61 South Fremantle Waverley Park, Melbourne  
16.13 (109) 8.13 (61) Attendance: 3,000


25 March 1979 Australian Capital Territory 52–162 North Melbourne Phillip Oval, Canberra  
7.10 (52) 24.18 (162) Attendance: 8,300


27 March 1979 Collingwood 89–47 Essendon Waverley Park, Melbourne  
12.7 (89) 6.11 (47) Attendance: 8,813


3 April 1979 Geelong 77–51 Richmond Waverley Park, Melbourne  
10.17 (77) 6.15 (51) Attendance: 4,885


10 April 1979 Fitzroy 90–78 Carlton Waverley Park, Melbourne  
12.18 (90) 11.12 (78) Attendance: 5,160


24 April 1979 Footscray 59–63 East Perth Waverley Park, Melbourne  
8.11 (59) 9.9 (63) Attendance: 4,338


1 May 1979 Perth 89–75 East Fremantle Subiaco Oval, Perth  
13.11 (89) 11.9 (75) Attendance: 3,000


1 May 1979 Hawthorn 114–93 Claremont Waverley Park, Melbourne  
16.18 (114) 14.9 (93) Attendance: 3,730


Quarter-finals

QF #1 8 May 1979 Collingwood 102–51 South Melbourne Waverley Park, Melbourne  
15.12 (102) 7.9 (51) Attendance: 6,796


QF #2 15 May 1979 Fitzroy 60–55 Geelong Waverley Park, Melbourne  
9.6 (60) 7.13 (55) Attendance: 7,119


QF #3 22 May 1979 East Perth 87–67 Perth Waverley Park, Melbourne  
13.9 (87) 11.1 (67) Attendance: 2,583


QF #4 29 May 1979 Hawthorn 52–50 North Melbourne Waverley Park, Melbourne  
7.10 (52) 6.14 (50) Attendance: 7,456


Semi-finals

SF #1 5 June 1979 Collingwood 116–49 Fitzroy Waverley Park, Melbourne  
17.14 (116) 4.7 (31) Attendance: 12,389


SF #2 19 June 1979 Hawthorn 67–31 East Perth Waverley Park, Melbourne  
9.13 (67) 4.7 (31) Attendance: 4,073


Australian Football Championships Night Series Final

Final 3 July 1979 Collingwood 80–52 Hawthorn Waverley Park, Melbourne  
2.1 (13)
5.1 (31)
9.7 (61)
12.8 (80) 		3.4 (22)
4.7 (31)
6.8 (44)
7.10 (52) 		Attendance: 37,753
Umpires: Cameron, Deller
    Goals  
Austen 4
Banks, Davis 2
Wearmouth, Brewer, Valli, Anderson 1 		  Hendrie 2
Goss, Goad, Eade, Wilkinson, Turner 1

References

  1. ^ David Eastman. "1979 AFC Escort Championships".