1989 VFL reserves season

1989 VFL reserves season
Date1 April – 30 September
Teams13
PremiersFitzroy
3rd premiership
Minor premiersCarlton
Wooden spoonersSt Kilda
← 1988
1990 (AFL) →

The 1989 VFL reserves season was the 70th season of the VFL reserve grade competition, the Australian rules football competition operating as the second-tier competition to the Victorian Football League (VFL).[1][2]

The premiership was won by Fitzroy after they defeated Geelong in the 1989 VFL reserves grand final, held as a curtain-raiser to the 1989 VFL Grand Final at the MCG on 30 September.[3] This was the last time Fitzroy won a VFL/AFL premiership in any grade before their 1996 merger with the Brisbane Bears.[4]

This was also the last season under the VFL reserves name, before the competition was renamed to the AFL reserves when the VFL was renamed to the Australian Football League (AFL) in 1990.[5]

Ladder

Following their Round 1 match on 1 April, both St Kilda and Brisbane were found to have fielded unregistered players. As a result, the VFL fined both clubs and ordered that they receive zero premiership points for the match.[6][7]

Pos Team Pld W L D NR PF PA PP Pts Qualification
1 Carlton 20 16 4 0 0 2312 1781 129.81 64 Finals series
2 Geelong 20 15 5 0 0 2721 1770 153.73 60
3 Essendon 20 15 5 0 0 2057 1645 125.05 60
4 Footscray 20 13 7 0 0 2096 1541 136.02 52
5 Fitzroy (P) 20 13 7 0 0 2119 1711 123.85 52
6 North Melbourne 20 12 8 0 0 2062 1731 119.12 48
7 Collingwood 20 11 9 0 0 1989 1781 115.77 44
8 Hawthorn 20 9 10 1 0 1987 2136 93.02 38
9 Sydney 20 9 11 0 0 1652 1790 92.29 36
10 Richmond 20 7 13 0 0 1561 2370 65.86 28
11 Melbourne 20 4 16 0 0 1581 2307 68.53 16
12 Brisbane Bears 20 3 16 0 1 1779 2336 76.16 12
13 St Kilda 20 1 17 1 1 1708 2788 61.26 6

Source: [8]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.

Finals series

Qualifying and elimination finals

Elimination final
Saturday, 9 September (11:10am) Footscray 15.14 (104) def. Fitzroy 6.10 (46) VFL Park
Qualifying final
Sunday, 10 September (11:10am) Geelong 16.10 (106) def. Essendon 11.14 (80) MCG

Semi-finals

Semi-finals
Saturday, 16 September (11:10am) Essendon 8.11 (59) def. by Fitzroy 8.18 (66) VFL Park
Saturday, 17 September (11:10am) Carlton 12.16 (88) def. by Geelong 17.13 (115) MCG

Preliminary final

Preliminary final
Saturday, 23 September (11:10am) Carlton 11.15 (81) def. Fitzroy 16.16 (112) VFL Park

Grand Final

1989 VFL reserves Grand Final
Saturday, 30 September (11:10am) Geelong def. by Fitzroy MCG [9][10]
3.3 (21)
9.5 (59)
15.10 (100)
16.16 (112) 		Q1
Q2
Q3
Final 		2.4 (16)
7.7 (49)
11.10 (76)
17.12 (114)

References

  1. ^ "1989 Reserves". Blueseum. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  2. ^ "1989 Reserves season". Demonwiki. Archived from the original on 2 December 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  3. ^ Lord, Sam (13 May 2013). "Fitzroy's reserves reunite". Brisbane Lions. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  4. ^ "The Lions (1957-1996)". Fitzroy Football Club. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  5. ^ Linnell, Garry (1995). Football Ltd. Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia. p. 297. ISBN 0-330-35665-8.
  6. ^ "Saints, Bears it in "twos"". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. 15 April 1989. p. 86.
  7. ^ "St. Kilda Reserves vs Brisbane Reserves". Australian Football. Archived from the original on 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  8. ^ "1989 V/AFL Reserves". Australian Football. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  9. ^ "1989 RESERVE TEAMS Grand Final". Archive Today. VFL Record. Archived from the original on 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Lions claw way to victory". The Sunday Sun. Melbourne. 1 October 1989. p. 95.