The premiership was won by theEssendon Association Football Club, after it defeatedBrunswick by eight points in a rain-affectedgrand final on 23 September. It was the first premiership won by the club, and it came after they finished second on the ladder in three consecutive seasons without playing in the final match.
The home-and-home season was played over eighteen rounds, with each club playing the others twice; then, the top four clubs contested a finals series under theamendedArgus system to determine the premiers for the season.
In the match betweenNorth Melbourne andPreston on 1 July, North Melbourne was penalised for having too many players on the field after Preston called for ahead count early in the second quarter. North Melbourne was leading 7.5 (47) to 2.1 (13) at the time, and its score was reset to zero. Nevertheless, North Melbourne still went on to win the game 10.9 (69) to 7.6 (48).[8][9]
In the first final between Essendon and Brunswick on 16 September,Dave McNamara (Essendon) had aplace kickafter the final bell from 40 yards out directly in front, which would have won the match and the premiership if successful. Spectators streamed onto the ground before he took his kick, but he kicked before waiting for a space to be cleared and missed the goal by six feet, resulting in a two-point win for Brunswick and forcing a Grand Final the following week.[6] Essendon protested the result on the basis of interference from the crowd, and McNamara stated that the encroachment of the crowd prevented him from taking as long a run-up as he had desired; but, he was deemed to have voluntarily taken his kick without waiting for more space to be cleared (as he was entitled to do), and he was not interfered with after starting his run-up, so the protest was dismissed.[10]
Brunswick captainJack McKenzie was approached tothrow the Grand Final in Essendon's favour. He was offered £150 if he, Chase andJohnson all "played stiff" during the game. McKenzie refused the offer and reported it to the Association, and the Grand Final is not believed to have ultimately been compromised by any form of bribery.[11] This was the secondmatch-fixing scandal in Melbourne football in two years, with two players from League clubCarlton banned for match fixing in 1910.
Dave McNamara (Essendon) was the Association's leading goalkicker for the season. Including finals, he set a new Association record of 81 goals, breaking the record of 76 goals set byFrank Caine (North Melbourne) in 1910.[7]
