1915 MAFA season

1915 MAFA season
Date	24 April − 7 August 1915
Teams	10
Premiers	Collingwood District 1st premiership
Minor premiers	Collingwood District 2nd minor premiership
Wooden spooners	Elsternwick 1st wooden spoon

The 1915 MAFA season was the 24th season of the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association (MAFA), an Australian rules football competition played in the state of Victoria. The season began on 24 April and concluded earlier than scheduled on 7 August, comprising a 14-match home-and-away season, followed by a two-week finals series.[1]

Collingwood District won the MAFA premiership for the first time, defeating Leopold by 15 points in the 1915 MAFA Grand Final.[2]

This was the final MAFA season until 1920, with the 1916, 1917, 1918 and 1919 seasons cancelled due to the impacts of World War I.[3][4]

Association membership

Like the previous season in 1914, a total of ten teams competed in the MAFA.

On 16 October 1914, three weeks after the end of the 1914 season, the University Football Club dropped out of the Victorian Football League (VFL).[5] The club had competed in the MJFA/MAFA with a senior team in 1906 and 1907, and had been fielding a "2nd" (reserves) team in the competition since 1908.[6] After leaving the VFL, University's senior team returned to the MAFA in 1915, with several of its VFL players staying with the club.[7]

Additionally, the Caulfield Football Club combined with Malvern prior to the start of the 1915 season and became known as "Caulfield-Malvern".[8][9]

World War I

The 1915 home-and-away season was originally scheduled to end on 26 August.[10] However, due to the impacts of World War I – including a significant number of players enlisting in the Australian Army – the MJFA decided at a meeting on 26 July to curtail the home-and-away season four weeks early.[11][12]

Prior to the final games held in round 14, some clubs had already struggled to find players as a result of enlistments.[1][13] This included Collegians, which on 17 July was unable to field a team for the first time – and as of 2024, only time – in its history.[14]

Following the conclusion of the season, officials from the VFL sought to have the MAFA become a reserves competition to the VFL for the 1916 season.[3] At least two clubs – Beverley and South Yarra – reported the MAFA that they had been "approached" about becoming reserves teams to Richmond and St Kilda respectively.[3] The MAFA announced in late 1915 that they would not resume competition until the war had ended, while also stating that they were not prepared to be absorbed by the VFL.[3] Ultimately, no MAFA seasons would be held until 1920.[15][16]

As of 30 July 1915, 164 MJFA players had been enlisted in the Australian Army:[11]

• Beverley – 11
• Carlton District – 26
• Caulfield – 8
• Collegians – 15
• Collingwood District – 13
• Elsternwick – 32
• Fitzroy Juniors – 13
• Leopold – 12
• South Yarra – 27
• University – 7

Home-and-away season

Round 1

	Round 1
Saturday, 24 April	Beverley 12.11 (83)	def.	University 4.9 (33)	Richmond Cricket Ground	[17]
Saturday, 24 April	Fitzroy Juniors 6.9 (45)	def.	Carlton District 4.6 (30)	Fitzroy	[18]
Saturday, 24 April	Collegians 13.11 (89)	def.	Elsternwick 9.13 (67)	Albert Park	[19]
Saturday, 24 April	Caulfield-Malvern 5.9 (39)	def. by	Collingwood District 8.13 (69)	Caulfield Park	[20]
Saturday, 24 April	Leopold 7.7 (49)	drew with	South Yarra 7.7 (49)	South Melbourne Cricket Ground	[21]

Round 2

	Round 2
Saturday, 1 May	Collingwood District 6.23 (59)	def.	Beverley 4.8 (32)	Victoria Park	[22]
Saturday, 1 May	Carlton District 5.7 (37)	def. by	Leopold 7.9 (52)	Carlton Oval
Saturday, 1 May	South Yarra 8.13 (61)	drew with	Collegians 8.13 (61)	St Kilda Cricket Ground	[23]
Saturday, 1 May	University 6.8 (44)	def. by	Fitzroy Juniors 12.11 (83)	University Oval	[24]
Saturday, 1 May	Elsternwick 6.11 (47)	def. by	Caulfield-Malvern 7.15 (57)	Elsternwick	[25]

Round 3

	Round 3
Saturday, 8 May	Leopold 8.10 (58)	def.	Beverley 4.7 (31)	South Melbourne Cricket Ground	[26][27]
Saturday, 8 May	Carlton District 9.12 (66)	def.	Elsternwick 3.4 (22)	Carlton Oval	[28]
Saturday, 8 May	Collingwood District 11.12 (78)	def.	South Yarra 6.15 (51)	Victoria Park	[29]
Saturday, 8 May	Fitzroy Juniors 11.14 (80)	def.	Caulfield-Malvern 5.7 (37)	Fitzroy	[30][31]
	Bye Collegians, University

Round 4

	Round 4
Saturday, 15 May	Beverley 2.13 (25)	def.	Collegians 3.4 (22)	Richmond Cricket Ground	[32]
Saturday, 15 May	Caulfield-Malvern 5.6 (36)	def. by	Carlton District 14.10 (94)	Caulfield	[33]
Saturday, 15 May	University 1.2 (8)	def. by	Collingwood District 8.22 (70)	University	[34]
Saturday, 15 May	South Yarra 5.5 (35)	def. by	Fitzroy Juniors 12.13 (85)	St Kilda Cricket Ground	[35]
Saturday, 15 May	Elsternwick 2.7 (19)	def. by	Leopold 10.14 (74)	Elsternwick	[36]

Round 5

	Round 5
Saturday, 22 May	Beverley 7.13 (55)	def.	Elsternwick 2.4 (16)	Richmond Cricket Ground	[37]
Saturday, 22 May	Carlton District 6.10 (46)	def.	University 1.2 (8)	Carlton
Saturday, 22 May	Collegians 3.6 (24)	def. by	Collingwood District 11.6 (72)	Albert Park	[38]
Saturday, 22 May	South Yarra 4.11 (35)	def.	Caulfield-Malvern 4.6 (30)	St Kilda Cricket Ground	[39]
Saturday, 22 May	Fitzroy Juniors 6.4 (40)	def.	Leopold 3.6 (24)	Fitzroy	[40]

Ladder

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	D	Pts	Qualification
1	Collingwood District (P)	14	13	1	0	52	Finals series
2	Leopold	14	12	1	1	50
3	Fitzroy Juniors	14	12	2	0	48
4	Carlton District	14	8	6	0	32
5	South Yarra	14	6	6	2	28
6	Beverley	14	4	10	0	16
7	Collegians	14	3	9	2	16
8	University	14	4	10	0	16
9	Caulfield-Malvern	14	2	11	1	10
10	Elsternwick	14	2	12	0	9

Source: [41]
(P) Premiers

Finals

At the time, the MAFA used the Argus finals system, which gave the club that finished first on the ladder at the end of the home-and-away season (the minor premiers) the right to challenge the winner of the finals series for the premiership.[42]

Semi-finals

	Semi-finals
Saturday, 31 July	Collingwood District 9.24 (78)	def.	Carlton District 5.4 (34)	East Melbourne Cricket Ground	[43][44]
Saturday, 31 July (3:00pm)	Leopold 10.11 (71)	drew with	Fitzroy Juniors 10.11 (71)	Richmond Cricket Ground	[12][44]
Leopold and Fitzroy Juniors drew in their match, with the final score being 10.11 (71) each.[1] At the time, a rule existed in the MAFA which stated "that should a tie take place in either of the matches played in the second round [finals series] the club with the best performances during the season shall adjourned the winner".[45] With Leopold finishing the home-and-away season with two points more than Fitzroy Juniors, the MAFA decided at a meeting on 2 August that they would advance to the grand final.[46] The semi-finals were originally scheduled to be held on 28 August prior to the curtailing of the home-and-away season.[10]

Grand Final

	1915 MAFA Grand Final
Saturday, 7 August	Collingwood District	def.	Leopold	Richmond Cricket Ground	[47][48][49][50]
	9.10 (64)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	6.13 (49)	Umpires: Hood
Oram 2, Carkeek 2, T. Bayliss 2, Brown, Lumsden, G. Bayliss		Goals	Schilling 2, Skehan, Harley, Gunn, Murra
Lumsden (striking), Nash (elbowing), T. Bayliss (striking)		Reports	Harley (striking), Hughes (elbowing), Skehan (bad languague)
The grand final was originally scheduled to be held on 4 September prior to the curtailing of the home-and-away season.[10]

References

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2. "Premier Section Finals Series". Victorian Amateur Football Association. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
3. Boy, Old (8 December 1915). "THE LEAGUE'S PREPARATIONS". The Argus. p. 13. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
4. "METROPOLITAN AMATEUR ASSOCIATION". The Argus. 26 March 1920. p. 11. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
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