The 1924 Victorian Football League season was the 28th season of the elite Australian rules football competition.
In 1924, the VFL competition consisted of nine teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their place on the field at any time during the match.
Each team played each other twice in a home-and-away season of 18 rounds (i.e., 16 matches and 2 byes).
Once the 18 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1924 VFL Premiership was determined by an experimental 1924 Finals System, which the VFL used in this season only. The format was similar to the round-robin format used in 1897 Finals System, but included the minor premiers' right to challenge, which existed under the amended Argus System.
In 1924, the VFL experimented with a round-robin finals series to determine the premiership. The format did not live up to expectations, and the VFL reverted to the "amended Argus system" format for the 1925 season.
Essendon finished on top of the finals ladder at the conclusion of the round-robin final series on the basis of its greater percentage. As Essendon had won the minor premiership, Essendon was awarded the 1924 premiership immediately. Had a different team finished atop the finals ladder, Essendon would have had the right to challenge that team to a Grand Final, consistent with the minor premiers' right to challenge under the amended Argus system.
Because Essendon had won the minor premiership and the round-robin competition, it was awarded the premiership without the need for a Grand Final.
As there was no designated "Grand Final", this also meant that there were no "Grand Final" teams in 1924;) instead there was an "Essendon Finals Squad", a "Fitzroy Finals Squad", a "Richmond Finals Squad", and a "South Melbourne Finals Squad". Listed in alphabetical order the four squads were:
Essendon Squad: Fred Baring, Syd Barker, Sr. (captain), Norm Beckton, Clyde Donaldson, Charlie Farrell, Tom Fitzmaurice, Jack Garden, Harry Gregory, Charlie Hardy, Harry Hunter, Tommy Jenkins, Roy Laing, Frank Maher, Charlie May, Justin McCarthy, George Rawle, George Shorten, Greg Stockdale, Jimmy Sullivan, and Rowley Watt.
Fitzroy Squad: Bill Adams, Jim Atkinson (captain), Arthur Batchelor, Les Bryant, Charlie Chapman, Goldie Collins, Tommy Corrigan, Arch Dickens, Steve Donnellan, Ern Elliott, Clive Fergie, Jimmy Freake, Len Gale, Tom Hickey, Horrie Jenkin, Gordon McCracken, Stan Molan, Jack Moriarty, Gordon Rattray, Jim Tarbotton, Len Wigraft, and Fred Williams.
Richmond Squad: Jack Barnett, Ted Bourke, Ralph Empey, Clarrie Hall, Joe Harrison, Doug Hayes, Gordon Hislop, Max Hislop, Jim Karthaus, Bob McCaskill, Norm McIntosh, Angus MacIsaac, Keith Millar, Dan Minogue (captain), Mel Morris, Reuben Reid, George Rudolph, James Smith, Jim Spain, Ernie Taylor, Vic Thorp, and George Valentine.
South Melbourne Squad: Harry Alexander, Bobby Allison, Phil Brooks, Martin Brown, Roy Cazaly (captain), Bill Condon, Fred Fleiter, Arthur Hando, Jacky Harris, Ted Johnson, Tom Joyce, Frank Laird, Harold Mahony, Herb Matthews, Bob McDonald, Charles McDonald, Gil Miller, Charlie Nicholls, Jack O'Connell, Ted O'Meara, Frank Ross, Joe Scanlan, Paddy Scanlan, Mark Tandy, and Les Woodfield.
The 1924 VFL Premiership team was Essendon.
The VFL's leading goalkicker was Jack Moriarty of Fitzroy with 82 goals; a VFL record. (Moriarty had played 13 senior games for Essendon in 1922, he played in Essendon's Second Eighteen for the entire 1923, and was released to Fitzroy at the end of 1923).
The winner of the 1924 (inaugural) Brownlow Medal was Edward "Carji" Greeves of Geelong with 7 votes.
St Kilda took the "wooden spoon" in 1924.
The seconds premiership was won by Geelong, after minor premiers Essendon refused to play the Grand Final in Geelong.
Administrator Charles Brownlow died on 23 January 1924; the Charles Brownlow Trophy, more commonly known as the "Brownlow Medal", was instituted in his memory. The trophy is to be awarded to "the fairest and best player" in the VFL as determined by the votes of the field umpire at the end of each home-and-away match. In 1924, there was a single vote cast per match.
The VFL started fixing the schedule from 1924 such that neither South Melbourne and St Kilda, nor Melbourne and Richmond played home matches on the same day, due to the heavy transport and labour burden associated with running the two nearby venues at the same time. This arrangement continued for as long as the pairs of clubs played at nearby venues.
Bill Twomey, Sr. who played for Collingwood (1918-1922) and would play for Hawthorn (1933-1934), the father of Collingwood's Bill Twomey, Jr. (1945-1958), Pat Twomey (1947-1949; 1952-1953), and Mick Twomey (1951-1961), and the grandfather of Collingwood's David Twomey (1979-1985) — wins the 1924, 130-yard Stawell Gift in 12.1 seconds, off a handicap of 8½ yards.
The Fitzroy versus Carlton match in the opening round was the first VFL match in which both teams scored 100 points.
The VFL adopts the convention of "home" teams wearing black shorts and "away" teams wearing white shorts.
Because the 1924 Premiership was determined by a round-robin system, Essendon won the premiership despite being beaten by runners-up Richmond 9.13 (67) to 6.11 (47) in the last round-robin match; this is the only time in VFL/AFL history that the premiers lost their last match of the season. Richmond would have needed to win by 43 points to challenge Essendon to a Grand Final.
Many of the Essendon players were unhappy at the poor performances of some of their team-mates in the final round robin match against Richmond and there were heated arguments and fist-fights in the rooms after the match, as well as after a post-match function later that evening, related to accusations of match fixing and receiving bribes.
On the Saturday after the VFL Grand Final, Essendon (in its role as 1924 VFL Premiers) was challenged by 1924 VFA Premiers, Footscray, to a match in aid of Dame Nellie Melba's Limbless Soldiers' Appeal, purportedly (but not officially) for the championship of Victoria. Footscray unexpectedly defeated Essendon 9.10 (64) to 4.12 (36). Again there were accusations of match fixing, and champion centre half-back Tom Fitzmaurice was so disgusted with many of his team-mates having, in his view, deliberately lost the match, he never played again for Essendon.
The Seconds Grand Final, to have been staged between Geelong and minor premiers Essendon on 4 October, was originally scheduled to be played at Geelong's home ground, Corio Oval. After Essendon raised its objections, the Seconds League rescheduled the match for Kardinia Park – a neutral venue, but still located in Geelong. Essendon again objected, and refused to play the match. Consequently, the Seconds premiership was awarded to Geelong.
