1974 VFL season

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1974 VFL season

Overview
The 1974 VFL season was the 78th season of the Victorian Football League. It featured 12 clubs, ran from 6 April to 28 September, and consisted of a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series for the top five teams. Richmond won the premiership (their ninth), defeating North Melbourne by 41 points in the Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (attendances: Grand Final 113,839).

Background
- Each team fielded 18 players plus two substitutes (the 19th and 20th men). A substitute could be used for any reason and, once used, could not return to play.
- The 22 rounds formed the home-and-away season. After 22 rounds, the top five teams played in the finals under the McIntyre final five system.

Season highlights
- Colour TV era: North Melbourne wore their royal blue shorts for the 1974 season, ahead of the switch to full club colours from 1975 when colour TV began.
- Round 7 Windy Hill brawl: A major melee between Essendon and Richmond led to several suspensions for players, officials, and others.
- Round 21 behinds record: The Richmond–South Melbourne match in Round 21 recorded a record total of aggregate behinds and scoring shots.
- Doug Wade milestone: North Melbourne full-forward Doug Wade kicked his 1,000th career goal in the qualifying final against Hawthorn at the MCG on 7 September.
- Individual awards: Keith Greig (North Melbourne) won the Brownlow Medal with 27 votes. Doug Wade (North Melbourne) won the Coleman Medal with 103 goals. Melbourne finished last (wooden spoon) in the season standings.
- Premiership notes: Richmond finished the season as premiers, defeating North Melbourne in the Grand Final.

Ladder and finals snapshot
- Premiers: Richmond
- Minor premiers: North Melbourne
- Top five (in rough order): Richmond, North Melbourne, Hawthorn, Collingwood, Footscray (Western Bulldogs)
- Last: Melbourne

Finals series results (brief)
- Finals Week 1: Collingwood defeated Footscray at VFL Park; Hawthorn defeated North Melbourne at the MCG.
- Finals Week 2: Hawthorn defeated Collingwood at the MCG; Richmond defeated North Melbourne at VFL Park.
- Preliminary Final: North Melbourne defeated Hawthorn at the MCG to reach the Grand Final.
- Grand Final: Richmond 18.20 (128) defeated North Melbourne 13.9 (87) at the MCG (attendees: 113,839).

Season notes
- The season saw notable incidents and milestones, including the Windy Hill brawl and Wade’s 1,000th goal, plus Greig’s Brownlow win and Wade’s Coleman Medal tally. Melbourne finished last. North Melbourne’s 1974 campaign included significant attendances and notable performances across the season’s rounds.

Awards
- Premiership: Richmond
- Brownlow Medal: Keith Greig (North Melbourne) – 27 votes
- Coleman Medal: Doug Wade (North Melbourne) – 103 goals
- Melbourne finished last (wooden spoon)
- Under-19s premiers: Collingwood
- Reserves premiers: Fitzroy

Season context
- The 1974 season remains notable for its shift toward colour television-era presentation (with North Melbourne’s blue shorts as a precursor to the 1975 colour era) and for the intense finals series that culminated in Richmond’s premiership victory at the MCG.